Claydol!
Steven calmly threw out a Poké Ball. Claydol was a core member of his team and was exceptionally powerful, so Steven had more than enough confidence in it.
Tetsuya had also witnessed this Claydol's might. Even when facing two of Team Aqua Admin's Sharpedo, it had still handled them with ease.
"Finish this quickly. Zangoose, use Slash." Tetsuya also wanted to press his advantage.
Zangoose was currently brimming with fighting spirit, its offense fierce!
Zangoose instantly appeared in front of Claydol, but Claydol showed no intention of dodging. A white wall of light immediately surrounded its body.
Reflect!
With this move to rely on, Claydol had nothing to fear.
But, could it really withstand Zangoose's tremendous Attack power?
Zangoose's Slash struck Claydol's Reflect, sending Claydol sliding far backward. Although Reflect shattered from the impact, Claydol appeared completely unharmed.
Tetsuya had not expected Claydol's Reflect to be this effective…
"Keep using Slash!"
Reflect had just been shattered, leaving Claydol without any defense. This was the perfect opportunity to attack.
Zangoose charged toward Claydol once again. Sure enough, this time Steven did not dare let Claydol take the attack head-on. The key was that having just used Reflect, it needed some time before it could use it again.
"Teleport!" Steven shouted.
Claydol suddenly vanished from right before Zangoose's eyes, as though it had disappeared into thin air.
Tetsuya was also surprised. Although Pokémon capable of using Teleport all had the ability to hide within another dimension, that was ultimately not a place where every Pokémon could remain for long.
Current research showed that only a handful of Pokémon, such as Dusknoir and Chandelure, could remain in another dimension for somewhat longer periods of time. Claydol was not among them.
Yet Claydol showed no sign whatsoever of reappearing!
'Let's see how long you can hide.' Tetsuya thought there would always be some way to force it out. "Zangoose, use Swords Dance."
Upon receiving Tetsuya's command, Zangoose began using Swords Dance to further increase its Attack power.
When an average Trainer saw an opponent using a boosting move like this, they would do everything possible to stop it. Even Steven could not possibly sit back and wait for Zangoose's Attack power to reach its peak. If he did, the slightest mistake would allow Zangoose to catch Claydol, and Claydol would be as good as dead… right?
But reality was always unexpected. Steven did not react at all, and his gaze remained clear, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Hyper Beam!" Steven's voice rang out!
Claydol suddenly appeared, its Hyper Beam already prepared. The thick yellow beam dyed the entire sky yellow. Its power, at this level, could only be described as inconceivable…
One move… Just one move, and Zangoose was incapacitated!
Tetsuya recalled Zangoose, still finding it difficult to believe what he had just witnessed. If he were still some inexperienced rookie, that would be one thing, but the key was that he had already lived two lives, yet had never seen such a powerful Hyper Beam.
This Claydol had definitely boosted its "stats" somehow. Otherwise, its normal capabilities alone could never produce such power…
The moves Claydol could learn flashed through Tetsuya's mind. 'Calm Mind.'
It had undoubtedly been Calm Mind. Using another dimension to hide while boosting its own stats was clearly a tactic Ghost-type Pokémon specialized in, yet Steven had actually adapted it for his own use. One could easily imagine just how extensive his battle experience was!
Of course, Tetsuya had already made thorough preparations for boosted stats, namely the move Clear Smog.
Under normal battle conditions, the four-headed Weezing could use Clear Smog to reset the opponent's stat changes. Under abnormal circumstances, the Gengar in his shadow could also use Clear Smog with ease, allowing him to calmly deal with the situation even if he were caught off guard.
"Weezing!" Having made up his mind, Tetsuya threw out his fifth Poké Ball.
By the time Weezing entered the field, Claydol had already disappeared again. The side effect of Hyper Beam did not seem to have affected it at all. This was already one of the most basic qualities of an excellent Pokémon.
"Shroud the entire field in 'Poison Gas'." Tetsuya gave the order. He absolutely would not lose to the same move twice!
Black Poison Gas instantly spread across the entire field. This was Weezing's specialty, and naturally it was extremely effective. Claydol was soon forced to reveal itself, clearly incapable to determine its direction.
Its appearance meant that its stat boosts had come to an end. The Clear Smog mixed into the Poison Gas had already returned its stats to their starting point!
"Rapid Spin!"
The moment Steven finished speaking, Claydol shot out of the Poison Gas like a spinning top, then immediately used Confusion, naturally intending to use its psychic power to disperse the Poison Gas.
However, the moment Claydol used Confusion, it discovered that it was struggling somewhat, and its use of energy was far less fluid than before!
At that moment, Weezing also began exerting its power, seizing the instant Claydol was caught by surprise. Gyro Ball drew all the Poison Gas across the field into a black tornado, catching Claydol in the instant it became distracted and sweeping it inside.
"Claydol, fight back! Use Extrasensory!" Steven had basically guessed Claydol's current condition. He now had no choice but to take this four-headed Weezing seriously as an opponent. He had personally witnessed the terrific destructive power Weezing revealed against Team Aqua on the deck.
Extrasensory was a move that typically gave tangible form to psychic power, however, on this occasion, surrounded the Poison Gas tornado.
Steven naturally knew what Tetsuya intended to do next, so Extrasensory enclosed the Poison Gas, preventing it from being detonated.
"Fire Blast!" Tetsuya shouted. Since that was the case, his only target was Claydol.
"Psybeam!"
The two moves collided violently, sending flames scattering in every direction.
"Flamethrower!" Tetsuya gave the order. The power of Flamethrower pushed the Poison Gas enclosed by Extrasensory toward Claydol. Steven had the same idea as Tetsuya and strengthened Extrasensory, leaving the two sides locked in a stalemate.
The sustained moves remained evenly matched!
Finally, the rising temperature still caused the Poison Gas to explode. In an instant, flames surged into the sky, and the explosion engulfed the entire field, naturally catching both Weezing and Claydol within it.
Once the smoke cleared, Weezing lay on the ground, just as Tetsuya had expected. What he had not expected, however, was that Claydol was nowhere to be seen.
'This…'
Although he already knew what had just happened, Tetsuya still found it difficult to believe that at such a critical moment, Claydol had actually hidden within another dimension and avoided the lethal blow!
Sure enough, Claydol appeared, but it was no longer in very good condition.