Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
Buzz...
The door to the third battlefield slowly slid open.
Phoebe stood waiting, dressed in an elegant purple gown that complemented her pale complexion and light golden hair, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. With a composed and graceful demeanor, she clasped her hands before her and watched quietly as Steven took his position on the opposite side of the field.
"Welcome, challenger." Phoebe offered a faint smile. "I am Phoebe, one of the Elite Four."
She paused, her expression thoughtful. "I wonder if you'll be able to force me to use my full strength. If you can, that would be truly wonderful."
Steven returned her smile with a relaxed one of his own. "I hope I can make you use your full strength, Elite Phoebe."
"How modest," Phoebe replied.
She held up a Poké Ball and raised it gently before her.
Bang!
In a flash of light, a Pokémon materialized on the battlefield. Standing on two feet and covered in fluffy white fur, it had thick eyebrows positioned above pale purple eyes. Several long strands of fur obscured its mouth, while two longer tufts adorned its chest and back. Its dark green hands, feet, and tail appeared stubby and compact. Most distinctively, four green, cone-shaped spikes protruded from its back.
The moment Abomasnow appeared on the field, snow began falling from the ceiling above.
"Go, Skarmory!"
"Skreee!"
Skarmory spread its metallic wings wide and hovered in the air, its steel body gleaming under the battlefield lights.
"Stealth Rock, huh... That's troublesome," Phoebe said, looking genuinely vexed.
She promptly recalled Abomasnow—who had just established the snowy weather—and sent out her next Pokémon. Beartic emerged, a tall creature covered entirely in white fur.
While Phoebe made her switch, Skarmory took full advantage of the opening to scatter sharp stones around the battlefield with Stealth Rock.
As Beartic materialized, its figure shimmered and flickered in and out of view amid the falling snow, making it difficult to track.
"Snow Cloak ability, I see..."
"Iron Defense!" Steven commanded.
Skarmory's body transformed, taking on a dark gray metallic sheen as its defensive capabilities increased.
"Ice Crash," Phoebe stated calmly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several thick ice pillars materialized in the air above Skarmory and crashed down upon it, striking the Steel-type and forcing it toward the ground.
Fortunately, Skarmory had just used Iron Defense, significantly boosting its physical defense. The Ice Crash attack, while powerful, couldn't deal substantial damage to the reinforced Steel-type.
"Keep using Iron Defense," Steven said coolly.
If you want to fight head-on, fine. Let's see whose offense is stronger—yours or my steel feathers!
"Brick Break."
Bang!
A powerful force suddenly struck Skarmory, pushing it backward, though its body maintained that dark gray metallic color from the defense boost.
Beartic remained hidden within the falling snow, and Steven couldn't pinpoint its exact location. If it were Lucario's Aura or Metagross's Psychic abilities, they could have sensed Beartic's position easily enough.
"Roost," Wallace said calmly.
He wasn't in any hurry. When it came to stalling tactics, Skarmory feared them the least.
Skarmory folded its wings and landed on the ground, quickly recovering from the damage Beartic had inflicted upon it.
"Brick Break."
By using Roost, Skarmory temporarily lost its Flying-type immunity, allowing the Fighting-type Brick Break to deal super-effective damage.
"Skarmory, pay close attention to its direction," Wallace said seriously.
Beartic wasn't particularly fast, which meant it would have difficulty creating enough distance after launching an attack.
Skarmory understood Wallace's intention perfectly and kept its sharp gaze fixed on the surrounding area, watching for any sign of movement.
Bang!
A powerful attack came suddenly from behind. Despite the pain, Skarmory sharply pivoted in that direction.
After hearing the sound of footsteps in the snow, Wallace immediately called out: "Body Slam!"
Skarmory abruptly spread its wings and lunged forward with tremendous force.
Bang!
A dull impact echoed across the battlefield—Body Slam had connected!
A Body Slam following two Iron Defense boosts wouldn't feel pleasant at all.
After taking that hit, Beartic probably wouldn't dare approach so carelessly again, instead relying on long-range attacks.
So...
"Whirlwind!"
Skarmory soared into the air, flapping its wings rapidly.
Bang! Bang!
The Ice Crash attacks landing on Skarmory now barely made a dent in its reinforced defenses.
A powerful gust of wind swept across the battlefield, dispersing much of the falling snow and revealing Beartic's previously hidden form.
There was a visible mark of damage on Beartic's chest—the recent Body Slam had struck it directly!
Under the effect of Whirlwind, Beartic transformed into red light and was forcibly returned to its Poké Ball.
A new Pokémon took its place—one that resembled an ice cream cone. It was covered in accumulated snow, with ice chunks clinging to its cheeks. The creature had two faces, and the left face featured a vent on its head capable of spraying frigid air. Its lower body was blue, with three downward-pointing ice pillars, though the middle pillar was noticeably larger than the ones flanking it.
Vanilluxe's sudden appearance left it looking surprised and disoriented.
Immediately, the sharp rocks Wallace had set up earlier materialized around it and flew toward the Ice-type.
Bang!
Vanilluxe took significant damage from Stealth Rock, its expression contorting in pain.
The presence of Stealth Rock directly restricted Phoebe's ability to switch Pokémon freely. If Phoebe sent out a physical attacker, Skarmory could simply keep using Whirlwind, forcing her Pokémon to take repeated damage from the entry hazard.
"Ice Beam!" Phoebe said with a soft chuckle, nodding to herself as if acknowledging the clever strategy.
The vent on Vanilluxe's left face—the one that sprayed cold air—gathered a substantial amount of Ice-type energy. A jagged, ice-blue beam shot toward Skarmory as it hovered in the air.
"Steel Wing, block it!"
Skarmory's wings transformed into dark gray steel, intercepting Vanilluxe's Ice Beam. However, one of its wings became encased in ice, making flight considerably more difficult.
"Come down and break it off, then use Roost."
Skarmory landed smoothly and smashed its frozen wing against the ground, shattering the layer of ice coating it. Simultaneously, it folded its wings close to its body and began recovering from its injuries.
"Ice Beam."
When Skarmory uses Roost, it temporarily loses its Flying-type, making Ice-type moves normally effective rather than super-effective—essentially turning them into a neutral matchup.
Clink! Clink!
While using Roost, Skarmory became encased in ice, transforming into a frozen sculpture. However, Wallace remained completely unfazed.
"Body Slam."
Crack! Bang!
Skarmory shattered the ice from within, breaking free in an explosion of frozen fragments. After escaping its icy prison, it quickly lunged forward toward Vanilluxe.
"Blizzard."
Vanilluxe expelled a powerful Blizzard from its vent, directing the fierce storm toward the charging Skarmory. Both of its cute little faces puffed up with effort as it channeled the attack.
Skarmory allowed the Blizzard to buffet its body, its focus trained solely on Vanilluxe ahead!
Bang!
Skarmory endured the damage from Blizzard and crashed directly into Vanilluxe.
Vanilluxe's two small faces twisted in pain as it was sent flying across the battlefield.
At the same moment, the snowfall from the ceiling immediately ceased.
Combined with the initial damage from Stealth Rock, Skarmory's Body Slam was sufficient to defeat the Ice-type.
Phoebe recalled the fainted Vanilluxe into its Poké Ball and sent out Abomasnow once again.
As Abomasnow materialized, it was immediately struck by Stealth Rock and let out an angry roar. However, since it possessed a secondary Grass-typing, Stealth Rock couldn't inflict as much damage as it had to Vanilluxe.
Due to Abomasnow's reappearance, snow began falling from the ceiling once more, blanketing the battlefield.
"Ice Spinner!"
It appeared Phoebe had no intention of recalling Abomasnow this time.
A thick block of ice materialized beneath Abomasnow's feet. The Frost Tree Pokémon began spinning on the ice, building momentum as it hurtled toward Skarmory.
"Curse."
Skarmory showed no visible reaction as Abomasnow charged with Ice Spinner. Instead, a strange energy fluctuation emanated from its body.
Its frame became heavier and more solid. Its attack and defense capabilities increased substantially, while its speed decreased in exchange.
Bang—
Abomasnow's Ice Spinner only managed to push Skarmory back a short distance.
"Body Slam!"
A Body Slam with massively boosted physical defense—how will you block that?
"Wood Hammer."
Facing the lunging Skarmory, Abomasnow's arms glowed with vibrant emerald-green energy.
Bang!
Abomasnow crossed its glowing arms and pressed them against Skarmory's chest, but the force of the Steel-type's charge was overwhelming. Despite its resistance, Abomasnow found itself continuously pushed backward.
The powerful impact still affected Abomasnow significantly.
Both Pokémon separated after the collision, and Abomasnow was already breathing heavily. Blocking Skarmory's powered-up assault had exhausted it considerably.
Skarmory, which had been continuously recovering and strengthening itself before attacking with its reinforced body at full force, also showed signs of fatigue.
"Brave Bird!" Steven commanded immediately.
"Skreee!"
Skarmory released a piercing cry, fully extending its Steel Wings.
Red flames engulfed its entire body, creating an aura of intense energy. Flapping its wings powerfully, Skarmory ascended into the air.
Then it dove down toward Abomasnow on the ground below!
"Blizzard."
Abomasnow thrust its arms upward, manipulating the falling snow around it to fly toward the diving Skarmory in a fierce storm.
As the diving distance closed, the red flames surrounding Skarmory's body gradually transformed into a brilliant golden aura!
The golden energy materialized into the phantom of a massive bird, seeming to cry out with fierce determination.
Countless snowflakes began melting upon contact with the golden bird's aura, and only a precious few snowflakes managed to pass through the phantom's form to strike Skarmory's body.
The golden bird tore through the Blizzard and descended upon Abomasnow.
BOOM!
Black smoke billowed from Abomasnow's location as a shockwave spread outward in all directions!
The force of the blast made Phoebe's gown billow and ruffled Steven's suit.
As the black smoke cleared and dissipated, Phoebe raised her Poké Ball and recalled the fainted Abomasnow.
"Your strength exceeds that of any Trainer I've faced," Phoebe praised genuinely.
At the same time, she released her next Pokémon.
"Thank you for the compliment," Steven replied.
He thought to himself that Steven—the Hoenn Champion—probably wasn't among "those Trainers" Phoebe had referenced.
Bang!
A white light suddenly pierced through the falling snow, and a Pokémon dressed in a kimono-like body appeared, floating ethereally in the air.
It had two ice crystals and several holes on its head, through which its purple skin was visible. From two of these holes, ice-blue eyes with yellow sclera peered outward, watching the battlefield.
As Froslass materialized, it was immediately assaulted by Stealth Rock, reducing a portion of its health. However, its figure quickly disappeared into the falling snow, becoming nearly impossible to track.
"Another Snow Cloak ability...?"
Steven assessed the situation rapidly. Vanilluxe had been forcibly pulled out by Whirlwind, and Abomasnow's reappearance had been specifically to reestablish the snowfall.
Skarmory's Body Slam wouldn't be effective against the Ghost-type Froslass. And after several consecutive battles, Skarmory was clearly showing signs of exhaustion.
Steven hesitated, contemplating whether he should recall his partner.
"Skreee!"
Skarmory sensed Steven's hesitation and suddenly released a defiant cry.
"I see. Then let's battle one more round, Skarmory!"
Steven's lips curved into a slight smile. Since Skarmory wanted to continue fighting...
Then they'd keep battling!
Since Body Slam would prove ineffective against the Ghost-type Froslass, they'd have to rely on a different approach.
They'd win with Steel Wing instead!
Steven waved his hand decisively and called out: "Steel Wing!"