Though Leaf Storm was powerful, each use drastically reduced Special Attack.
Following Ryoko's command, a Leaf Storm with nearly a third less power than before tore through the smoke.
Right before everyone's eyes, Slakoth moved less than half a meter from its original position, then was struck hard by the weakened Leaf Storm.
One-hit knockout!
"Slakoth is unable to battle. Sceptile wins. Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!" The referee announced solemnly. There was no way he could help Norman cover this one up.
'Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?'
The audience was in complete shock. It had been a balanced match just moments ago. How had it ended so suddenly?
"High offensive power, great at minor dodges. But stamina, defense, and speed are no different from any average Slakoth. It's overly specialized; once its weakness is exposed, it's not hard to take down."
This time, Sato offered the explanation before Mark could even ask. His voice wasn't quiet, and several people besides Mark instinctively turned to look at him.
'He has a point…'
Suddenly, a new uproar broke out among the crowd. Those who had turned to stare at Sato quickly looked back toward the stage, regretting having missed the action.
"Sceptile is unable to battle. Vigoroth wins! Challenger, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Double confusion.
What just happened? In the blink of an eye, Sceptile was down too!
On stage, Ryoko stood dumbfounded, staring at the fallen Sceptile. She had known full well that the core philosophy of the Petalburg Gym was combat rhythm…
But once she was actually fighting Norman, she still ended up getting taught a lesson.
Slakoth's battle rhythm was: if the enemy doesn't move, neither do I. If the enemy moves, I still won't unless I absolutely must.
That allowed Sceptile time to jog around, shaking off the freezing effects from Blizzard, and then wait for a chance to counterattack.
But once Norman sent out Vigoroth, even though Ryoko had been on alert, Sceptile simply couldn't adjust in time.
Vigoroth used Fury Swipes -five times in a row- and Sceptile didn't dodge a single one.
All five hits landed, and with STAB, the total power was comparable to Leaf Storm.
And so Sceptile fell; more abruptly than Slakoth had.
"Swampert, I'm counting on you!" Ryoko didn't hesitate long. She recalled the fallen Sceptile and sent out a new Pokémon.
"Sceptile, Blaziken, and Swampert… Ryoko's really using her whole starter lineup, huh," Sato muttered under his breath.
Most Trainers would treat even one starter evolution line like a precious treasure. But Ryoko already had all three final evolutions of the Hoenn starters.
So envious…
The battle on stage continued. Unlike Slakoth's 'no movement unless necessary' approach, Vigoroth hadn't stopped moving since it entered the field.
Fury Swipes, Slash, Covet, Strength… it threw out Normal-type moves like they were free.
Thankfully, Swampert's defense was high, and Normal-type moves weren't particularly effective against it. After some chaotic flailing, it managed to endure.
However, as both Trainer and Pokémon began adjusting to Vigoroth's attack rhythm, Swampert was already starting to pant.
'No good. I can't let Vigoroth dictate the rhythm. I have to suppress it!' Ryoko thought urgently as she saw Vigoroth charging in again.
"Swampert, Water Pulse, keep them coming!"
"Swaaam!"
Swampert pressed its hands together, and in the instant they parted, a blue water sphere formed. It bowled the Water Pulse forward like a cannonball.
Boom!
Water Pulse exploded, and the wave slightly slowed Vigoroth's momentum.
Boom Boom!
Two more Water Pulses followed. For the first time, Vigoroth didn't attack, it retreated on its own to dodge the incoming pulses.
"Vigoroth, Uproar!"
"VIGO~ VIGO~"
Vigoroth began letting out a continuous stream of ear-piercing screeches, forming visible rings of sonic waves that burst out toward Swampert with a whooshing sound.
Sound-based attacks were fast and extremely hard to dodge. Swampert got hit again and could only clutch its ears in pain.
Clearly, Vigoroth's rapid-pace battle style wasn't so easy to break. Even without close combat, it could still maintain a high-speed offensive.
But… Uproar's indiscriminate nature made it unbearable for the spectators too.
Especially since Uproar wasn't a one-time move. Vigoroth zipped across the field, screeching from different spots like a crazed monkey.
"Swampert, Surf the whole field!" Ryoko yelled while covering her ears, afraid Swampert wouldn't hear her command.
Fortunately, Swampert seemed to have thought of Surf's area-wide coverage too. Just as Ryoko finished shouting, it launched the attack.
Centered around Swampert, Surf expanded outward in all directions. Vigoroth, unable to retreat, had no choice but to cross its arms and brace in front of itself.
"Close in, Use Brick Break!" Ryoko gave her next command quickly. She didn't dare risk a stronger move like Hammer Arm… lowering Swampert's speed further would only make it harder to keep up with Vigoroth.
Before Surf had even fully dissipated, Swampert charged across the water's surface, quickly closing the gap and slamming down with a decisive Brick Break.
"Vigoroth, Endure!" Seeing Vigoroth struggling in waist-high water, Norman immediately gave his command.
"Vigo!" Vigoroth didn't even change its stance. Its body simply flashed with a burst of red light and took the Brick Break head-on.
With a double weakness, Vigoroth winced visibly. Combined with its prior accumulated damage, its stamina was now at absolute rock bottom.
"Now's the time, Reversal!"
"Swampert~"
Bang!
Ryoko hadn't even finished speaking when Swampert was sent flying. Vigoroth's high-speed tactics had persisted all the way down to its last sliver of stamina.
Endure: surviving a potentially fatal blow with just one HP remaining.
Reversal: dealing more damage the lower the user's stamina.
Combined, Reversal reached maximum power, comparable to the devastating move: Self-Destruct.
Swampert was unable to battle. Vigoroth, with just a thread of stamina left, had secured victory.
A terrifying double knockout!
If defeating Sceptile still seemed like a bit of luck, then taking down Swampert head-on silenced the crowd completely.
Even Drake showed a look of approval, and Phoebe watched Norman with interest… this junior of hers had improved again.
Sato was equally impressed with how Norman handled the ending. The Endure+Reversal combo wasn't unfamiliar to veteran Trainers.
Ryoko clearly knew this too. That's why she had tried to pull Swampert back immediately after using Brick Break.
But Vigoroth had been so fast, it caught her completely off guard.
It was as if Endure and Reversal had fused into a single move. Even calling it a seamless combo didn't do it justice.