Drapion charged forward with Cross Poison, meeting Vigoroth's Flamethrower head-on. Given Vigoroth's level, Cross Poison could not completely withstand the power of Flamethrower, but this did nothing to affect Drapion's morale.
Its pincers swung forward, flinging out the toxins of Poison Fang. They dripped onto the ground, corroding even the soil!
Under the combined attack of Cross Poison and Poison Fang, Flamethrower was finally suppressed. Vigoroth's Special Attack was indeed insufficient.
Slakoth, however, was completely different. It was practically uncanny. Despite being a first stage Pokémon whose capabilities were ordinarily average in every respect, it was actually able to unleash such power…
Its Blizzard was astonishingly powerful, and even Weezing's combination of Gyro Ball and Sludge Bomb could not break through it in the slightest!
This was also one of Norman's main tactics. Slakoth looked completely ordinary and listless, yet it could unleash that kind of power. By holding its position in the rear, it could fully ensure sufficient offensive output.
Slaking was ultimately immobilized by Ariados's Sticky Web. With Sticky Web covering its entire body, every movement caused it to stick to the ground until it could no longer advance at all!
Norman could also see that it would make no further progress. The Toxic Spikes covering the field had been mostly destroyed by Slaking, but Slaking itself had also been poisoned, and its stamina was continuously draining away.
"Rest!"
Norman gave the command. This was precisely the moment he had been waiting for. By using Rest, Slaking could not only recover but also heal all of its status conditions.
Just like that, Tetsuya's "Toxic Spikes field" had been defeated…
Vigoroth's Flamethrower was beginning to be suppressed, and it had long since grown extremely agitated. Seeing that Slaking had "cleared" away almost all of the Toxic Spikes on the field, it finally charged out, shooting toward Drapion like a bullet!
Drapion showed no fear whatsoever and assumed a battle stance, swinging both pincers forward directly at Vigoroth.
Vigoroth leaped up and easily avoided Drapion's pincers, attempting to leap behind it and attack.
However, Drapion's entire body was a weapon. The hook-like claw on its tail swung out with Night Slash, aimed directly at Vigoroth's lower abdomen!
Vigoroth had nowhere to evade at this point, and in desperation, it could only use its long arms to block the attack before barely managing to return to the ground.
Even Vigoroth, with its formidable close-range combat capacities, had failed to gain the slightest advantage in this exchange.
Following Tetsuya's command, Weezing had already used Poison Gas to resist Blizzard…
Of course, it was absolutely impossible for Poison Gas to resist Blizzard for more than a very short time.
Weezing immediately followed up with Fire Blast and Flamethrower, causing the Poison Gas to explode instantly!
Boooom!!!
The explosion engulfed a vast area, and black smoke immediately shrouded the entire field as snowflakes scattered everywhere. Once the dust settled, both Weezing and Slakoth lay motionless on the ground, apparently incapacitated…
Tetsuya nodded. Weezing had finally managed to demonstrate its full strength, so there was nothing to be upset about in losing.
Norman looked at Tetsuya. It had been a long time since he had encountered such a powerful young Trainer. Tetsuya was definitely a "golden boy" worth investing in.
As Vigoroth and Drapion battled, although Vigoroth's movements were extremely agile and it had many different ways to attack, Drapion's entire body was virtually without openings. Its two pincers and tail provided a full 360° of defensive coverage, leaving Vigoroth unable to gain even the slightest advantage!
Just as Vigoroth and Drapion were locked in the heat of battle, Ariados suddenly caught Vigoroth in a Spider Web, taking it completely by surprise!
No matter how Vigoroth struggled, it could not break free from Ariados's web!
However, this only slowed Vigoroth's offensive temporarily…
Vigoroth knew Flamethrower and quickly burned through the silk before unleashing another Flamethrower at Ariados.
Although Ariados would not be taken down by a single hit from Vigoroth, the Spider Web it had worked so hard to create definitely could not be preserved. Ariados had no choice but to abandon the Spider Web and return to the ground, searching for another opportunity to attack.
However, Norman's intentions were also quite clear. He had realized that this seemingly inconspicuous Ariados was actually the most crucial member of the team.
If Vigoroth had not known Flamethrower, there would have been nothing it could do against Ariados's remarkably resilient silk.
Now that Norman had focused his attention on Ariados, the moment Ariados landed, it was met by Slakoth's Blizzard!
Seeing this, Weezing did not dare to continue acting. At such a critical moment, losing even a single Pokémon would already determine the outcome of the battle.
Weezing once again unleashed its Gyro Ball and Sludge Bomb combination to resist Blizzard for Ariados.
Vigoroth and Drapion also became locked in battle once again, leaving neither of them able to break away.
Ariados was also extremely skilled at exploiting openings. As long as the opponent exposed a weakness, it would charge in without the slightest hesitation.
During Vigoroth's battle with Drapion, the instant Vigoroth leaped into the air, Ariados's silk shot out and wrapped directly around Vigoroth's lower leg, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground.
Pressing its advantage, Ariados used Megahorn and, propelled by the pull of its String Shot, charged directly at Vigoroth!
In its current state, Vigoroth had no way to instantly get back on its feet and defend itself.
The thought that he might actually be able to defeat one of Norman's Pokémon was something Tetsuya had never even dared imagine, and he could not help but feel excited.
At this critical moment…
Norman said, "Slaking, you can wake up now."
"…??"
It was hard to believe!
Did Norman understand Slaking to such an extent? Not only that, but the moment Slaking stood up, it unleashed Hyper Beam, completely engulfing Ariados!
When the light faded, Ariados, in just a moment, was already incapacitated…
Now that Slaking was awake and Tetsuya had lost Ariados, there was no longer any point in continuing the battle. Tetsuya immediately recalled Drapion and Weezing as well.
"…"
---◓---
"You have a good eye for judging the situation. With this level at such a young age, there'll be no problem with you joining our unit." After saying this, Norman completed Tetsuya's registration. Most importantly, he gave him a portable communication device that would allow Tetsuya to contact him anytime, anywhere.
"Are there any missions right now?" Tetsuya asked. Team Magma had just obtained the data on Groudon, so they would certainly lie low for a while and study it thoroughly. That instead left the unit/team with little to do.
Under normal circumstances, Tetsuya was still quite free and could make his own plans.
With Norman having finished explaining everything to Tetsuya, there was no longer any reason to remain at Petalburg Gym. It was also time to explore the Hoenn Region again after so long.
Most importantly, Hoenn's warm and humid climate was ideal for Poison-type Pokémon to grow. Perhaps he might even encounter a promising Poison-type. Thinking it over, he asked Norman.
"Tetsuya, Petalburg Woods lies ahead of Petalburg City. Beyond Petalburg Woods is a region of dark, humid primeval forest where there are many Poison-type Pokémon. You can go take a look, but be careful," Norman said, pointing Tetsuya in the right direction.