Will-O-Wisp—the nightmare of every physical attacker!
He'd expected the opponent to send in a Sableye. Tyranitar's Dark typing could've shut down its Prankster ability perfectly.
Damn it...
Ritchie clenched his fists, the tension turning his knuckles pale.
Despite the disadvantage of having his physical attacks weakened, he didn't back down in the slightest. His mind raced through countless counter-strategies, and he gave a decisive command:
"If physical attacks are out, then we'll win with special attacks!"
Tyranitar wasn't just a physical powerhouse—its special attack pool was equally terrifying.
And with one last turn of Tailwind left...
"Cruise, Dark Pulse!"
"Rrroooar!"
A terrifying blast of black and purple light erupted from its mouth—Tyranitar looked like Godzilla firing off an atomic breath.
All that was missing was someone prying Corsola's mouth open.
Just as the Dark Pulse was about to hit—barely a meter away from Corsola—Caleb's lips curled into a smile.
No!
Ritchie's heart sank. He'd seen that smile before.
In fact, in preparation for this match, he'd watched all of Caleb's old battle footage.
Including the Little Ho-Oh Cup.
Every time Caleb flashed that crooked smile... someone on the other side was about to get wrecked.
Veteran Trainers would say: If you see that twisted grin, either shut his damn mouth right then and there, or...
"Cruise, dodge it—now!" Ritchie shouted, snapping out of his thoughts.
Too late!
"Corsola, Mirror Coat."
!!!
Did he just—
The livestream chat exploded:
"BattleMind999: Unpredictable. I like it."
"IHeartFinizen: Bro on the other side's gonna have a breakdown."
"SmoggedCaterpie: Cooked. GG."
"FluffyLopunnyLove: Is it just me, or does this feel... incredibly satisfying?"
"GreasyTeaLeaf: Nah, same here lol."
"IntlRattata: Learning never stops in this game, man."
"AverageWhimsicott: Y'all better be taking notes. This is textbook tactics!"
"StevenStoneStan: Noob question—is there anyone else who can use Mirror Coat?"
"MaskedRoyal: I think Wobbuffet does?"
"TongueMaster3000: Wobbuffet's just a meatball with no attack button 💀"**
On the field...
Corsola's surface shimmered, a translucent coating spreading across its body like polished glass.
BOOM!
Dark Pulse struck dead-on—Corsola took the full brunt of it...
Smoke exploded across the field.
And from within the haze, another beam of black and purple energy surged back—this time aimed at Tyranitar.
Even stronger. Even faster. Even heavier than the original.
Mirror Coat: Reflects double the damage of a special attack back to the opponent. It's a low-priority move, which is why it almost always strikes last.
As the smoke cleared, Corsola was still standing—barely—thanks to the 1.5x boost from the Eviolite.
And Tyranitar?
It... was also still standing.
Caleb blinked in surprise.
"Hell yeah, Cruise! You held on!"
Ritchie let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. His Tyranitar hadn't gone down. That alone was a small miracle.
In the sandstorm, Tyranitar staggered upright and let out a defiant roar to the sky.
"ROOOOARRR!!"
I'm still standing!
From the stands, a red-haired guy jumped up and yelled, "That's the power of bonds! Bonds, I tell you!"
The blond guy next to him wasn't far behind. "You see that?! When you don't give up on your Pokémon, they won't give up on you! Not that someone like you would understand!"
The four trainers who had been slouching in defeat now stood tall, shouting across the arena at Caleb like they had the moral high ground. The livestream chat went nuts with praise.
Meanwhile, Caleb just stood there, deep in thought.
A fluke?
No, more likely it was the sandstorm—it raised Tyranitar's special defense.
Corsola, on the other hand, looked like it couldn't hold on much longer. It might not even make it through this turn... or the sandstorm might finish it off right now.
If that's the case...
"Corsola, Curse!"
???
Curse—a move used by Ghost-type Pokémon that cuts the user's max HP by half and places a hex on the opponent.
Even if the user already has less than half HP, it can still be used—but it'll immediately leave the user in a fainted state.
Use and discard?
"You heartless bastard!" the green-haired trainer shouted furiously.
There were people in the Pokémon world who hated moves that forced a Pokémon to faint—like Explosion, Destiny Bond, or Parting Shot.
They believed Trainers who used those were treating their Pokémon like tools.
But others? They loved the chaos. Because let's be real—battles are explosions with structure.
Victory was the highest honor they could give their Pokémon—even if it meant going down fighting.
The debate raged endlessly between these two factions.
Not just green-haired guy—chat was now in full-blown flame war mode.
But Caleb had expected this.
Good. Let 'em fight. Hell, if this goes viral, I might even ride another wave of fame!
A giant, dark purple spike appeared on Corsola's forehead, slowly drilling into it like a nail through wood...
Corsola fainted.
At the same time...
Before it collapsed, it cursed Tyranitar.
The same giant purple spike now appeared on Tyranitar's forehead...
Corsola: I'm tired. Back in the ball. Goodnight.
Tyranitar: Don't go! Fight me! FIGHT ME!
Replacing Corsola was Gastly.
"Gaaastly~ ( ?＞﹏＜ )"
Yup. It's ya ghost boi.
Tyranitar: Yo, kid. You even old enough to battle? Lemme one-shot you real quick.
Gastly: Hey big guy, ever think I might be faster than you? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
"Gastly, Hex!"
"Gaaastly."
Roger that.
Hex deals double damage if the target has a status condition.
Grinning wickedly, Gastly swirled through the air. Three tendrils of ghostly energy circled around it, converging into one massive pulse of power.
BOOM—the energy wave exploded against Tyranitar's heavy armor.
"ROOOAARRR!"
Tyranitar let out a cry of pain.
Gastly's turn was over—but Corsola's damage wasn't.
Will-O-Wisp chipped away another sixteenth of its health.
Then...
The curse spike returned, claiming the final quarter of Tyranitar's HP.
THUD—
Tyranitar collapsed.
"Gaaastly?"
Wait, that was it? I didn't even go full power yet.
I'm so strong.
Gastly grinned wide.
And then...
A brilliant white light flared from its body.
Shrouded in mist, Gastly's form started to shift—its ghostly roundness morphing into something jagged and sinister. A wild purple grin stretched across its face. Rows of spikes sprouted along the sides of its head.
Its round white eyes turned narrow and sharp, almost triangular now, filled with malice.
Its black pupils gleamed with cold, ghostly blue fire. Its tiny fangs became vicious, gleaming saber-like teeth.
The light faded.
Gastly was gone.
Now standing in its place... was Haunter.