Wattson's final Pokémon was a Level 30 Ampharos!
As the light from the Poké Ball dissipated, a Pokémon with a yellow body and a glowing red orb at the tip of its tail appeared on the field.
It had a gentle demeanor and looked completely unaggressive, but its Level 30 status weighed heavily on Ariel's heart like a massive mountain.
The air inside the Gym seemed to become scorched due to the appearance of this Ampharos, as faint electrical currents made slight sizzling sounds in the air.
Ariel's heart stirred slightly.
Sandile was the absolute main force for this battle; facing this Ampharos that held a level advantage, there could be no room for error.
He needed information; he needed to figure out this Ampharos's background and see what other hidden cards that old fox Wattson was hiding.
If Sandile were to suffer an unexpected defeat, there would be absolutely no chance of winning this Gym battle.
"Go, Inkay!"
With a flash of light, a top-heavy little squid wearing a pair of flashy black sunglasses floated in mid-air.
Wattson was stunned for a moment before laughing loudly, pointing at Inkay: "You little fellow, you have good taste, haha!"
Hearing this, Inkay directly used its tentacles to make an arrogant 'none of your business' gesture toward Wattson.
Ariel's cheek twitched; his Inkay really had quite the personality.
"Dark Pulse." Ignoring Wattson's teasing, Ariel gave the order directly.
Inkay's gaze beneath the sunglasses sharpened, and a deep, swirling mass of dark energy gathered at the tips of its tentacles before being violently pushed out!
"Thunderbolt!" Wattson's voice was steady and powerful.
The orb on Ampharos's tail suddenly lit up, and blinding electrical light erupted instantly as a thick bolt of golden lightning roared to meet the Dark Pulse.
The two energies collided violently in the center of the field, but it wasn't the even match one might imagine.
The energy ring of the Dark Pulse was torn apart by the violent lightning almost the moment they touched, and the golden electricity continued unabated, rushing straight for Inkay!
Inkay hurriedly twisted its body, narrowly avoiding the main body of the Thunderbolt, but the scattered electrical arcs still struck it, causing it to cry out in pain.
"The level suppression is still too great," Ariel muttered to himself.
Level 22 against Level 30—a full 8-level gap brought more than just overwhelming energy intensity.
"Float behind it, Psycho Cut!" Ariel immediately changed tactics.
Ampharos has extremely high Special Attack, but its speed is an inherent weakness. He had to make good use of this and kite it!
Inkay understood perfectly and lightly circled toward Ampharos's rear flank.
Seeing Ariel trying to repeat his old tricks, Wattson raised an eyebrow: "In your dreams! Ampharos, use Thunderbolt to knock it down for me!"
Ampharos remained stationary as the orb on its tail flashed again. This time, the current spread out, covering half the field and sealing off all of Inkay's evasion routes!
However, Ariel's command was faster.
"Psycho Cut!"
A Psychic-type glimmer flashed in Inkay's eyes, and several pale purple blades formed from mental energy appeared out of thin air.
But it didn't attack directly like before. Instead, it controlled these blades as if they had a life of their own, bypassing the frontal electric shock from various tricky angles to slash at Ampharos!
"Excellent control over Psychic power," Wattson nodded approvingly, "but what do you plan to use to take this Thunderbolt?"
Just as the electric shock was about to hit Inkay, a pale green barrier appeared out of thin air, perfectly enveloping it within.
"Protect!"
Zzzzt—!
The violent current slammed hard against the barrier, sparking countless electrical sparks, yet it could not advance a single inch.
Wattson's smile froze on his face, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Protect again!
This guy... he couldn't have equipped every single one of his Pokémon with a Protect tm, could he?! This thing isn't cheap on the market!
In the moment Wattson was dazed, those Psycho Cuts that had circled behind had already slashed firmly onto Ampharos's body!
Ampharos used Dragon Tail to parry, but these Psycho Cuts came from such tricky angles that they were simply impossible to defend against completely.
Ampharos grunted in pain. Although the damage wasn't high, the feeling of being toyed with added a hint of anger to its gentle eyes.
"Stun Spore or Thunder Web! Catch it for me!" Wattson ordered, somewhat annoyed.
This time, Ampharos learned its lesson. It predicted Inkay's movement trajectory and accurately threw out an Stun Spore or Thunder Web!
The next second, the Stun Spore or Thunder Web successfully covered the target.
The corners of Wattson's mouth had just begun to lift, but before he could celebrate, he discovered that the 'Inkay' caught in the net vanished with a 'pop,' leaving behind a decoy.
It was a decoy! The Substitute move!
"So devious!" Wattson couldn't help but curse.
What kind of Trainer would equip an Inkay with a combination like Protect and Substitute! This kid's playstyle is way too dirty!
At this moment, the true culprit, still wearing those flashy sunglasses, had quietly floated behind Ampharos. It made a face at its massive back, using two tentacles to pull down its eyelids in a ridiculous expression.
Extreme mockery!
Then, another Psycho Cut slashed heavily onto Ampharos's back.
"Roar!"
The successive harassment and provocations finally ignited Ampharos's fury.
It spun around violently, the light from the orb on its tail flaring brilliantly—no longer a gentle red, but a blinding bright white. Violent currents rampaged around its body, charring the ground into a blackened patch!
This time, it was an attack fueled by rage.
The thunderous light accurately swallowed Inkay's small figure. No Protect, no Substitute—it didn't even dodge.
Inkay gave a muffled groan and fell powerlessly from the air, its eyes turning into swirls.
It had lost the ability to battle.
But its mission had been perfectly accomplished.
Not only had it tested out the skills, but it had also consumed a significant amount of the opponent's stamina.
"Sandile!" Ariel threw out a Poké Ball, "It's your turn to perform!"
With a flash of light, Sandile's figure, filled with the aura of a desert bandit, landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a ring of dust.
Sandile was back on the field!
Its crimson eyes immediately locked onto the Ampharos not far away, and a bloodthirsty smile appeared in its wide-open mouth.
Ground-type, immune to all Electric-type moves.
At this moment, the momentum of offense and defense had reversed!
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