Pryce's Beartic was absurdly powerful. It was actually able to withstand Golurk's full-powered strike!
One had to remember that this explosive force was powerful enough to charge straight through glacier falls.
Beartic immediately engaged Golurk in close combat. However, the Toxic Spikes scattered across the ground by Skorupi had already pierced the soles of Beartic's feet. As the toxin seeped into its body, it naturally felt far from comfortable. Even so, using its immense brute strength to withstand Golurk's impact was the most direct and effective solution.
"…?" Even Pryce was somewhat surprised by the potency of Skorupi's toxins. Despite Beartic's extraordinary resistance, its breathing had noticeably become labored.
Froslass was unaffected by Toxic Spikes and continuously hurled one move after another at Golurk. Golurk could barely cope while facing the poisoned Beartic, and with Froslass joining the assault, it was instantly sent flying by its Shadow Ball.
Pryce's Delibird remained in the role of a spectator throughout the battle. Against Tetsuya, it truly had no need to enter the fight…
Weavile broke straight through the Hail, spinning as it appeared at the front of the team. At that moment, both of its claws suddenly extended by half a meter!
The instant Tetsuya saw this, he knew he had effectively been sentenced to defeat. The spinning tactic Weavile was using amid the Hail was none other than Swords Dance…
Not only did it sweep away the Toxic Spikes covering the ground, but it also raised its Attack to the limit.
Night Slash!
Weavile struck in a single clean motion. Golurk was left with only a sliver of stamina remaining. Had the seventh layer of energy not expanded slightly not long ago, this one strike would have completely left Golurk incapacitated.
"Miltank, Milk Drink!"
Tetsuya shouted, because the move he was about to use required Golurk's strength. It had to retain enough stamina. Miltank rolled over to catch Golurk and stuffed its milk into Golurk's mouth, allowing its stamina to recover somewhat…
Tetsuya gritted his teeth.
Was this the gap between himself and Pryce? There was simply no opening to exploit!
In front of Pryce, he felt as helpless as a child…
At this point, Houndoom had already been incapacitated, Golurk had suffered severe injuries, and Skorupi's role was indeed still too limited. All of Tetsuya's hopes now rested on the move combination between Mamoswine and the four-headed Weezing.
Thanks to the efforts of Golurk and Houndoom, Mamoswine and Weezing had enough time to prepare Blizzard and Poison Gas. [Blizzard Vortex] and Poison Gas were now ready.
At the same time, Miltank enthusiastically continued using Helping Hand.
Using the last of its remaining strength, Golurk unleashed Ice Punch to help drive the [Blizzard Vortex] forward.
An enormous black vortex swept toward Pryce's side.
Pryce could not help but nod. For Tetsuya to demonstrate such capacity, he truly was a genius.
Seeing such a powerful move, Swinub could not help becoming eager to join in. After all, it had once traveled with Tetsuya. Back then, Tetsuya had still been a child who relied on it. Now, his improvement was simply unbelievable.
Swinub let out a roar, unleashing a Blizzard that formed into a horizontal [Blizzard Cyclone]. Froslass likewise unleashed the same Blizzard. The two Blizzards merged into one, instantly doubling both its power and the size of the cyclone.
Beartic followed up immediately. Icicles shot into the Blizzard, filling the entire cyclone. They became invisible blades capable of taking a life at any moment.
At this moment, Beartic was breathing heavily because of the poisoning and was clearly not in its best condition, while Pryce's other Pokémon all appeared completely at ease.
Weavile leaped into the air and landed "atop" the Blizzard on Pryce's side. Then its claws began dancing. As soon as Pryce's move combination accomplished its objective, Weavile would be able to move in immediately to finish off the opponents.
With Weavile's Attack already raised to the maximum and its extraordinary Speed, there were very few Pokémon capable of facing it one-on-one. In many battles, Weavile defeated its opponents with a single Night Slash.
The two Blizzards, one being [Blizzard • Icicle Cyclone] and the other [Blizzard • Black Vortex], were just about to collide.
"Noooow!"
Tetsuya knew his own limits. Although his move combination was powerful, he was not arrogant enough to believe it could directly contend with Pryce's.
At the very instant the two Blizzards collided, Weezing's Flamethrower had already been fired.
The [Blizzard • Black Vortex] on Tetsuya's side exploded instantly!
Flames shot high into the sky from within the vortex, instantly tearing open a gap in the Hail overhead.
"Hah…"
The scene before him left Tetsuya in despair. His "all-out" attack, the most perfect coordinated move combination his Pokémon could produce… had failed to completely withstand Pryce's move.
The tornado-like Blizzard, filled with countless icicles, swept toward Tetsuya's Pokémon.
Golurk had already been seriously injured, and it had just exhausted all of its remaining strength helping drive the [Blizzard - Black Vortex]. It no longer had even the strength to retreat. Tetsuya decisively recalled Golurk into its Poké Ball. There was no reason to let it suffer any further damage.
"Weezing, Gyro Ball, Sludge Bomb. Mamoswine, use Blizzard again. Miltank, Helping Hand. Skorupi, stay behind Mamoswine for now and look for an opportunity before rejoining the battle."
This was merely Tetsuya's final struggle. How much longer they could hold on depended entirely on his Pokémon's willpower.
Weezing spun its body as its metallic sheen gleamed brightly. It hurled a Sludge Bomb while resisting the sideways Blizzard tornado. However, Weezing's individual strength was ultimately too limited, and the effect it achieved was negligible.
Mamoswine's Blizzard roared out immediately afterward. Seven or eight [Blizzard Cyclones] surged forward before merging into a [Blizzard Vortex] again, resisting with all its might the move combination designed by Pryce.
Skorupi cautiously poked its head out… Mamoswine and Weezing were both fighting with everything they had, while it was hiding behind Mamoswine. Naturally, it did not feel good about that.
Without needing Tetsuya to say another word, it climbed directly onto Mamoswine's back and fired Pin Missile furiously…
However, the silver needles disappeared into the blizzard like stones sinking into the sea. There was no response at all, nor did they slow the blizzard's momentum in the slightest.
Although Skorupi was small, it was equally unwilling to accept this. It rubbed its pincers together and used Hone Claws to raise its Attack.
In the end, the resistance from Weezing's and Mamoswine's moves was still too limited…
Swinub, Froslass, and Beartic's combination of Blizzard and Icicles engulfed Weezing first.
As the wind and snow swept past, Weezing was completely unable to withstand such a move combination. Struck by the icicles and ravaged by the blizzard, it was frozen into a block of ice that fell to the ground, already incapacitated.
Now only Mamoswine, Skorupi, and Miltank remained on Tetsuya's side. Miltank had no offensive capability, Skorupi's strength was still limited because it had not yet evolved, and with Weezing incapacitated, Tetsuya's defeat could essentially already be declared…