Sure enough, Ice Rock Golem's trainer also stumbled for a moment. Clawitzer... could actually run a Special Attack build?
He blinked, suddenly at a loss for how to proceed.
In the end, he bit the bullet and pressed ahead with the strategy he'd already had prepared.
"Ice Rock Golem, Iron Defense!"
Pokémon: Ice Rock Golem Gender: Female Type: Ice Ability: My Own Way (This Pokémon will not fall into confusion. If a confused Pokémon gains this ability, the confusion is immediately cured. If a move causes the user to become confused, the confusion is likewise cured. This ability is not affected by Intimidate.) Aptitude: Purple Basic Moves: Mount Tai Press, Rapid Spin, Slam, Harden, Fine Snow, Hail, Wide Guard, Hex, Icy Wind, Avalanche, Hold Steady, Bite Hold, Ice Fang, Iron Defense, Recover, Crunch, Heavy Collision, Pounce, Heavy Charge Inherited Moves: Barrier, Mirror Reflect, Recover, Mist
"Pounce... and Avalanche?" Auron studied Ice Rock Golem's move pool with a thoughtful expression.
"Alright then—one more time. Nasty Plot."
Avalanche had a particular trait built into it: if the user was attacked and took damage before launching the move, its power doubled.
And Ice Rock Golem didn't have Sturdy. So as long as he could knock her out in a single hit, Avalanche posed no real threat at all.
"Ice Rock Golem, Pounce!"
A single Iron Defense boost was more than enough for Pounce to one-shot Clawitzer.
But the problem was that Ice Rock Golem was simply too slow. Even with the slight speed boost that came along with the charging rush, it was nowhere near fast enough.
The instant Ice Rock Golem closed the gap, Clawitzer moved.
Both claws snapped together, and from the space between them, wave after wave of black-violet rings pulsed outward.
Dark Pulse struck Ice Rock Golem dead-on as she came charging in—and on top of that, Dark Pulse completely neutralized the momentum behind Ice Rock Golem's charge.
"Phew... close one."
Only now did Auron let out a breath. To be completely honest, he'd been a bit too greedy this time. If Clawitzer's Nasty Plot hadn't finished boosting by the time Ice Rock Golem came barreling in, this round would have ended with Clawitzer getting swept right off the field.
"Tsk tsk... being greedy almost cost me." Auron shook his head with a somewhat rueful laugh as he watched the opponent recall Ice Rock Golem.
"Go, Roserade!"
"Roserade, Toxic!"
"No wonder Ice Rock Golem didn't use Hail—so the two Pokémon are on completely different systems." Auron noted this quietly to himself. But his hands didn't slow down in the slightest. He recalled Clawitzer without a moment's hesitation.
"Go, Charizard!"
"Graow!"
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Strike first. Charizard launched Flamethrower directly at Roserade, who had just been about to use Toxic again. Left with no choice, Roserade abandoned the attempt and dodged the attack entirely.
"Graow!"
Watching Roserade flee in disarray and seeing the shock plastered across the opponent's face, Charizard couldn't help but feel a spark of satisfaction.
"Roserade, Sleep Powder!"
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
A single Flamethrower not only burned the green-tinged Sleep Powder drifting through the air to ash, but carried on with completely undiminished force, sweeping straight toward Roserade.
"Roserade, dodge it quickly!"
The normally graceful Roserade threw all elegance aside, rolling across the ground in a messy tumble to avoid the Flamethrower sweeping toward her.
"Roserade, Grassy Terrain!"
"Air Slash!"
This time, Roserade didn't choose to dodge. She took an Air Slash head-on—but pushed through the hit in order to activate Grassy Terrain.
"Roserade, Magical Leaf."
"Flamethrower!"
Roserade's attack was once again incinerated by Flamethrower before it could reach its mark.
With that, both Pokémon settled into a brief, tense stillness. Each watched the other warily. Neither made the first move.
Auron was waiting for an opening. Waiting for the opponent to strike first—only then could he judge whether that strike could be leveraged to end the match in one decisive blow.
"Roserade, Energy Ball."
"Flamethrower!"
Auron felt a flicker of disappointment. The opponent wasn't stupid either—they simply wouldn't use a move like that in Charizard's face.
No choice, then. A direct assault it was.
Auron's gaze sharpened. The moment Flamethrower and Energy Ball made contact in the air and the resulting explosion bloomed into a billowing cloud of white smoke—
A black Charizard burst through the smoke, a stream of Flamethrower still pouring from its open jaws, sweeping toward Roserade.
"Psychokinesis!"
The opponent cried out in alarm. Roserade reacted just as fast, firing off Psychokinesis and bending the line of flame just enough—the stream of fire curved past, grazing Roserade's side without connecting.
Roserade, drenched in cold sweat, fixed her gaze on the Charizard hovering above. She hadn't expected him to pull something like that so suddenly. It had been a hair's breadth from working.
"Air Slash!"
Charizard beat his wings once. Two blades of compressed air, one after the other, shot down toward Roserade.
With Charizard now visible within range, Roserade felt considerably less panicked.
"Thwack—thwack!"
A thick vine whip burst out behind Roserade, swinging left and right in two sharp motions. Both Air Slash blades shattered on impact.
Even though the attack had been blocked once again, a faint smile had crept across Auron's face.
After two exchanges, Charizard was now only four or five body-lengths from Roserade.
At that distance, a single dive was all Charizard needed to close right in.
"Roserade, Energy Ball."
"Belly Drum! Fire Punch!"
Charizard's eyes flashed blood-red in an instant. Belly Drum activated—his HP dropped by half in one brutal surge of adrenaline.
With a slight tilt of his head, he sidestepped the incoming Energy Ball. Eyes blazing with savage ferocity, he dove straight at Roserade.
Four, five body-lengths. For Charizard, that was the distance of a single wingbeat.
"Petal Blizzard—block him!"
The opponent had clearly panicked. But in truth, Roserade had nothing that could stop Charizard.
The black Charizard's right fist, wreathed in flames, cut through the scattered rain of petals like a blade through silk.
In that breathtaking scene—beauty and brutality intertwined—Charizard drove his fist into Roserade and sent her flying.
"Mm... beautiful and brutal all at once." Auron couldn't help but mutter, watching it unfold.
"BOOM!"
One punch. Roserade's eyes went swirly. She was finished.
"Fwwsh~"
Mid-air, Roserade was suddenly struck by a beam of red light. The light wrapped around her entire body, enveloping her completely—and carried her back into the Poké Ball.
"Roserade has lost the ability to battle. Charizard wins. The victor of this match is Auron Vale."
Auron gave his opponent a respectful nod. Truly someone who cared for their Pokémon.
He'd chosen to recall Roserade while she was still in the air precisely to prevent her from sustaining any additional damage upon hitting the ground. After all, the moment Roserade had been struck by Fire Punch, she had already lost the ability to battle.
"Phew~"
After stepping off the field, Auron let out a long, relieved exhale. He scooped Dratini up into his arms and kept walking, talking to her as he went.
"Grass-type Pokémon really are a pain to deal with. Even with the type advantage, it took going all-in just to decide the match. Thank goodness for my brilliant and mighty wisdom, right?"
"Myu~"
Dratini quietly rolled her eyes—but still played along and gave his little head a cooperative nod.
She had no choice, really. Her meals were in someone else's hands. When you're under someone's roof, you learn to keep your head down.