"Heh… So Team Aqua's specialty is mobbing opponents with superior numbers?" Tetsuya mocked them before immediately bringing out his own formation.
Weezing, Ariados, and Zangoose also appeared on the deck, taking positions on either side of Drapion.
Unexpectedly, Matt and Shelly's two Sharpedo were the first to break the stillness of the battle. They used Aqua Jet to burst from the surface of the sea and attack from both sides, aiming directly at Steven's Claydol.
Judging by how proficient the two Sharpedo were, this was clearly a tactic they had practiced countless times. Claydol had nowhere to dodge!
If Claydol tried to defend itself, it could only block one of them, but now it was being attacked from both front and rear.
Unfortunately, Claydol was above the sea, so the Pokémon on the deck could not help even if they wanted to. Nor could they afford to help, because the moment they made a move, Team Aqua's Pokémon would attack them from behind, causing the battle to become completely one-sided.
Seeing that things were going badly, Steven's Skarmory immediately dove to support Claydol. However, the two seemingly unhurried Pelipper belonging to Team Aqua were actually every bit as fast as Skarmory. They followed closely behind and immediately became locked in battle with it.
Now Claydol's situation was truly critical!
"Confusion, Sandstorm."
Steven gave the command. Claydol's entire body began to glow, and a yellow Sandstorm actually rose above the surface of the sea, swirling around Claydol and growing increasingly powerful.
Tetsuya could find no word other than astonishment to describe how he felt at that moment…
Although it was merely a "simple" Sandstorm, it was enough to demonstrate Steven's current level. Claydol's Sandstorm could perfectly complement his Steel-type Pokémon in all kinds of offensive and defensive maneuvers. Even Skarmory could hide within it and deliver a lethal blow at a crucial moment.
Looking at it this way, sending out his own Pokémon had actually hindered Steven's capacity to fight…
Unable to get close because of the Sandstorm, the two Sharpedo had no choice but to give up and return to the sea.
At this point, Tetsuya's Ditto also approached from the sea.
Now that Ditto had arrived, he could not allow the two Sharpedo to continue running rampant in the water. The Gyarados that Ditto had Transformed into lashed out with Aqua Tail, immediately raising waves several dozen feet high across the surface of the sea.
Even Sharpedo had no choice but to temporarily avoid the attack!
"Pelippeeer!" Matt was no ordinary opponent either.
As soon as he called Pelipper, the two of them suddenly soared into the sky, rising high into the clouds. Immediately afterward, clouds shrouded the sky, and before long, rain began pouring down.
Under the torrential rain, the Sandstorm naturally could not continue. Claydol was also weak to water and showed an uncomfortable expression(?).
Tetsuya's Ditto was alone, after all. Although it had intimidated the two Sharpedo at first, these Sharpedo had been raised by Team Aqua specifically for underwater combat. It was not long before Ditto fell into a disadvantage, with the two Sharpedo biting into its body as they thrashed and rolled through the sea.
With no other choice, Tetsuya could only recall Ditto. With no support available after venturing in alone, Ditto had already performed very well.
""Go!""
Matt and Shelly shouted simultaneously. Although they knew perfectly well that the deck was covered in Toxic Spikes, they were not particularly worried about Tetsuya's Poison-type Pokémon.
Even becoming poisoned was nothing to fear…
This was not an official competition, so they could use Antidote at any time. They certainly would not foolishly wait for the poison to take effect.
The limited number of Pokémon Steven and Tetsuya had available allowed Team Aqua to take the initiative. Now, under the pouring rain, every Water-type Pokémon was fired up, and Water-type moves would receive a substantial boost.
The two Swampert charged first.
"Ariados, Sticky Web," Tetsuya commanded.
This was only a small part of setting up the field. Sticky Web shot out directly toward where the Swampert were about to land. The moment their feet came down, they stepped right into it. If not for the coordination they had developed through extensive training, they would have fallen flat on their faces.
The effects of Sticky Web greatly reduced the Swampert's Speed, but most importantly, it blunted their momentum!
Steven made his move. Skarmory was holding its own against both Pelipper by itself.
"Hold out down here for now. Once I take down those two Pelipper and put an end to the rain, there won't be anything to worry about!" Steven said to Tetsuya.
"Don't worry."
As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Steven commanded Claydol to fly into the sky and assist Skarmory.
'As expected of Steven's Claydol.' Tetsuya secretly admired it. A Pokémon that relied on Levitate was actually able to maneuver through the air as freely and nimbly as if it had wings… Groudon would be jealous.
Tetsuya and Steven now had a clear division of responsibilities. Steven was responsible for the two Pelipper in the air, preventing Team Aqua from constructing its tactic formation, while Aggron and Mawile patrolled around the railings of the deck, naturally to guard against the two Sharpedo in the water.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya's targets were the two Crawdaunt and Swampert.
Ariados used String Shot to attach itself to the mast on the deck. Now positioned high above, it looked down over the entire deck with only one objective.
"Toxic Spikes!" Tetsuya commanded again.
This repeated command left Team Aqua completely baffled. Drapion had already used Toxic Spikes earlier, and the Swampert that had just moved out had already been poisoned.
It was only because their feet were now stuck in Sticky Web and their movements had slowed that no signs of poisoning had appeared yet. And as soon as Crawdaunt stepped on the Toxic Spikes, they would still become poisoned.
Using Toxic Spikes again seemed completely redundant, since the effect would be the same…
Ariados hung high above the mast as Toxic Spikes rained down everywhere, causing the entire deck to glow purple.
"Even if you use Toxic Spikes ten more times, what difference will it make…? Go! Crawdaunt, use Crabhammer! Swampert, use Waterfall!" Matt commanded, already holding a special Team Aqua Antidote in his hand.
Tetsuya smiled faintly. Drapion's Toxic Spikes+Toxic field was ruthless, but its effect was merely to poison the opponent. Ariados, however, could also learn a move like Venom Drench, which could lower an opponent's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed while it was poisoned.
The Crawdaunt charged forward, attacking from both sides with their pincers swinging directly at Drapion. However, after taking only two steps, they sensed something was wrong with their bodies…
Their entire bodies felt as though they had been electrocuted, their heads grew dizzy and heavy, and they could barely muster any strength!
Matt and Shelly also found this extremely unusual. Both were experienced Trainers, and their Crawdaunt had been poisoned hundreds, if not thousands, of times, yet they had never encountered such an abnormal situation before.
"Drapion, use Pin Missile. Zangoose, attack."
In that instant, Drapion's Pin Missile shot forward. Although the pouring rain greatly reduced its power, it was still "blocked" by Crawdaunt's Crabhammer.
Seeing Crawdaunt in this condition, Matt and Shelly hurriedly urged Swampert to attack. Swampert had not yet been affected by Ariados's poison, so their condition was not nearly as severe.
Waterfall could also ensure that they would temporarily remain unaffected by Ariados's poison.