Charmeleon and Cottonee had once again locked onto their old foe—the same Malamar they had driven away the day before. Charmeleon, now fully fired up, had flames spilling uncontrollably from its mouth before unleashing a roaring Flamethrower toward Malamar.
Of course, the sheer power of Charmeleon's attack was in no small part due to Cottonee's assistance. While using Helping Hand to boost Charmeleon, Cottonee was also steadily strengthening itself with Growth, quietly preparing for the right moment.
Just a little longer… and I'll wipe you all out!
Cottonee, perched carefully atop Charmeleon's head, braced itself for the coming battle.
Although startled by the sudden assault, Malamar quickly retaliated. This time, it had learned from past mistakes—before launching an attack, it erected a Light Screen in front of itself, hoping to mitigate some of Charmeleon's firepower.
Meanwhile, the battle on Mawile's side was far more direct.
Absol stepped forward and, with a flick of its paw, taunted Malamar with a challenging gesture. It had used Taunt, preventing Malamar from employing status moves.
Malamar knew Light Screen, but more importantly, it also had Reflect. If it managed to set up Reflect, physical attacks would be significantly reduced—something that could be a real hassle. Absol's Taunt ensured that wouldn't happen.
True to what Maki had observed the day before, Absol was proficient in a wide range of moves. One of its most intriguing skills, however, wasn't applicable in this battle—Perish Song.
Once heard, the eerie melody would drain the strength of all affected Pokémon after a few turns unless they were recalled to their Poké Balls or moved far enough away.
It was a devastating move. In competitive battles, entire teams known as Perish Trappers were built around it, proving just how powerful and practical the technique could be.
Yesterday, it had been instrumental in driving Malamar away.
Unfortunately, Perish Song affected both allies and enemies indiscriminately. Given their current advantage, using it now would be unnecessary.
Mawile, on the other hand, had an even more straightforward approach. With no hesitation, it clenched its small fists and charged straight at Malamar. Even knowing that its strength was below that of its opponent, there was not an ounce of fear.
Power-Up Punch to start—who wouldn't take this free buff?!
Seeing that Mawile wasn't even at Ultra Ball-tier strength yet but still dared to rush in, Malamar felt both offended and, oddly, relieved. A weak opponent like this would be dealt with in no time.
With a flick of its tentacle, Malamar countered with Night Slash. The difference between a Poké Ball-tier and an Ultra Ball-tier Pokémon was substantial, and Mawile was immediately sent flying. However, thanks to Fairy-type resistance against Dark-type moves, Malamar's attack failed to do significant damage.
And then…
Mawile landed, steadied itself, and charged in again—this time with even greater force.
Yet, despite sending Mawile flying a second time, Malamar felt uneasy. Compared to the first strike, Mawile seemed to have gotten stronger.
Before Malamar could ponder further, Absol had already closed in to support its teammate. Despite this being their first battle together, Absol and Mawile seemed to move with an uncanny synchronization, as if instinctively attuned to each other's movements.
A sharp glow emanated from Absol's forehead. Gathering all its strength, it launched itself at Malamar—
Megahorn!
Malamar, being a Psychic/Dark-type, was four times weak to Bug-type moves. The sheer power of Megahorn was devastating.
This was exactly the strategy Maki had suggested the day before. Given the opportunity, Absol should spam Megahorn—no need for any complicated battle plans.
In Pokémon battles, type matchups were one of the most crucial elements. While not every situation called for super-effective moves, in most cases, they were the best option.
After all, if someone didn't even understand type matchups, they had no business battling.
Even before Absol's Megahorn connected, Malamar instinctively felt an overwhelming sense of danger. Though it was stronger than Absol, taking a direct hit from this move would undoubtedly result in severe damage.
…
Maki stood off to the side, quietly observing without issuing any commands. He wanted to see how well his Pokémon could perform without his direction.
Charmeleon and Cottonee, longtime partners, coordinated well together.
Mawile, however, still lacked experience.
After using Power-Up Punch twice, it attempted to use it a third time.
To Maki, this was unnecessary.
In Pokémon battles, taking risks was fine—but overextending was a mistake.
The greatest benefit of Power-Up Punch came from the first two uses. Any further uses had diminishing returns. More importantly, Power-Up Punch had relatively low base power and wasn't even one of Mawile's STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves.
At this point, the optimal approach was to switch tactics—use a stronger STAB move like Iron Head or Play Rough to capitalize on Absol's Megahorn and swiftly take Malamar down.
Mawile's decision to continue boosting instead of finishing the fight was a sign of inexperience.
That said, Maki was still satisfied overall. Mawile had been with him for the shortest time, so its performance was already impressive.
Meanwhile, he wasn't about to let his main offensive force—the Florges—sit idly by.
The entire group of Florges closed their eyes momentarily before launching a barrage of attacks. Their indiscriminate assault sent the other Malamar into disarray, preventing them from reinforcing their leader.
With so many attacks raining down, every step risked triggering multiple Dazzling Gleam hits. The battlefield became chaotic—dodging was nearly impossible.
Moreover, Dazzling Gleam was an AOE (Area of Effect) move, meaning every attack covered a large radius. There was simply no escape.
However, Maki's attention was fixed on one particular Malamar.
This Malamar was the largest among its group and, without a doubt, the strongest.
More importantly, at the start of the battle, it had used a particular move—
Camouflage!
This move allowed the user to change its typing based on the surrounding environment. It functioned similarly to Cottonee's Nature Power in that its effect depended on the battlefield conditions.
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