Facing the Munchlax that had transformed into a ball, Owen issued a simple command.
"Eevee, approach it carefully, then use Sand Attack!"
Eevee was clever; her time spent day and night with Owen allowed her to understand the deeper meaning behind most of his orders.
Upon hearing the command, she slightly lifted her front paws and placed them gently on the ground, walking slowly and deliberately toward the curled-up Munchlax.
Seeing Eevee strolling toward him like a lady's lapdog, Leo's face flushed. He was getting annoyed. He had no way of knowing that when Eevee was at her most relaxed, her Anticipation ability was actually at its most sensitive.
Eevee's slow pace put immense mental pressure on Leo. The problem was, he couldn't let Munchlax strike first because speed was not his Pokémon's forte. He had to wait for Eevee to get closer.
Finally, Eevee reached a distance Leo deemed appropriate.
"Munchlax, Lick!"
Owen blinked. Lick was a Ghost-type move—it would be virtually ineffective against a Normal-type like Eevee. Unless Leo was a fool, this had to be a trap.
Owen was prepared, yet he was still surprised by Munchlax's transformation.
The balled-up Munchlax somehow gained a burst of momentum. Shrouded in a white light, it came barreling toward Eevee at high speed.
It looked similar to the move Rollout, but it wasn't quite the same.
"Using Defense Curl to hide its mouth and then using the friction and force of the Lick move against the ground to give its body an acceleration, making a Tackle look like a Rollout..." Sam observed from the stands. "I say, Leo's dad, your kid is a bit of a genius."
Leo's father didn't say anything, but he was secretly satisfied with his son's cleverness. If only Leo took things a bit more seriously.
However, what happened next surprised Sam even more.
Facing the sudden attack, Eevee didn't even change her expression. She nimbly leaped aside. To her eyes, Munchlax's "accelerated" speed was still not worth mentioning.
"This Eevee has excellent reaction time and agility. To dodge in such a high-pressure situation suggests targeted training," Sam added.
Munchlax's attack didn't stop. Leo knew his Pokémon was slow, so he had engineered this specific attack pattern.
By curling into a ball, the center of gravity remained constant, allowing it to maintain momentum.
While friction was a factor, using Lick to push and steer meant Munchlax could maintain a stable, high-speed movement.
Against any other rookie, this might have worked. But Owen was confident—his Eevee had mastered Quick Attack to the point of being able to weave through a dense, obstacle-ridden forest.
Dashing around the rolling Munchlax, Eevee wore a sly smile, almost as if she were teasing the larger Pokémon.
"Use Sand Attack repeatedly!" Owen commanded.
Although Leo had compensated for the speed deficit, Munchlax's next flaw was exposed.
The Gritty Trap
Once in its ball form, Munchlax could barely see where it was going. It relied on brute force. As long as Eevee didn't meet it head-on, it couldn't touch her.
"Vee!"
Eevee slapped the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. As she moved, she created a screen of sand, making the air in the arena thick and murky. Now, it was even harder for Munchlax to track her.
"Mun! Mun!!"
After a while, Munchlax let out a distressed cry. It stood up abruptly, looking around in a panic. It tried to cover its nose and mouth while searching for Eevee, but Eevee's coat color was very similar to the dust. Munchlax began attacking wildly and aimlessly.
"Calm down! Eevee is right in front of you. Use Metronome and let's gamble!" Leo shouted.
Hearing its trainer, Munchlax stopped pacing and began wagging its fingers rhythmically. A white light enveloped its fists.
Metronome is highly unpredictable; by stimulating its brain, it can trigger almost any move. This time, luck was on their side—Munchlax triggered Mach Punch.
"What move is that?" Leo stammered.
Mach Punch was perfect. As a Fighting-type move, it was super effective and gave Munchlax a massive boost in punching speed.
Leo was thrilled, but he didn't realize that Munchlax's body had become completely uncoordinated.
The speed of Mach Punch was a double-edged sword; it was faster than Munchlax could actually control. This played right into Owen's hands.
"Mach Punch... lucky. But still useless. Eevee, go on the offensive! Quick Attack!"
"Vee!"
Eevee flashed a winning smile. The moment Munchlax lunged out of the dust, she pounced to its side. As the Mach Punch whistled past, Eevee dodged effortlessly. Munchlax tried to adjust its aim, but its clunky movements made it miss the window.
Eevee had already bypassed its guard and jumped behind it. She nimbly kicked off the ground, changing directions multiple times to further confuse Munchlax, before aiming for its most vulnerable spot: the back of the head.
Munchlax swung its fists wildly, huffing and puffing, but it couldn't touch a hair on Eevee. Finally, Eevee delivered the decisive blow.
CRACK.
Munchlax took a heavy hit to the back of its skull. Its vision blurred, and it wobbled for a few seconds before plopping down onto the ground. Eevee landed nearby, maintaining her battle stance.
"What happened?" Leo's eyes widened. "Why is Munchlax even slower than before?"
"It's the sand," Owen explained. "By using Sand Attack repeatedly, Eevee didn't just blind him; she coated the floor.
As Munchlax rolled, the sand got trapped in its long, thick fur—the same fur it uses to hide food. That grit is irritating its skin and affecting its senses, throwing off its rhythm entirely."
It was over. The referee checked Munchlax's condition and signaled. "Munchlax is unable to battle! The winner is Owen!"
"It's decided. This Owen... he really exceeded my expectations," Sam said in the stands. "Aside from raw physical power, this Eevee's basic stats have been trained to a higher degree than Munchlax.
But what impressed me most was that he didn't just rely on his speed advantage; he chose to widen the gap. That was a very solid tactical choice."
"How so?" Leo's father asked.
"I thought the Sand Attack was just to blind him. I didn't expect him to use it to foul up the Munchlax's fur. For a Pokémon like Munchlax, having grit trapped in its coat is incredibly uncomfortable. It irritates its fat, affects its coordination, and ruins its focus. Alright, let's head down."
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