"Let's win this, Sneasel!"
Candice threw a Poké Ball forward.
"Seeeel!"
A sinister grin stretched across Sneasel's face as it emerged from the ball, raising its razor-sharp claws menacingly toward Paul.
"Ninetales, prepare for battle."
Paul didn't waste any words, tossing his own Poké Ball.
"Wooo~"
A graceful and elegant Ninetales leaped out, landing atop an ice pillar. It cast a haughty gaze down at Sneasel, exuding an air of superiority.
"The match begins! Challenger has the first move!"
The referee signaled the start of the battle.
"Ninetales, Will-o'-Wisp Halo."
Paul commanded.
Ninetales raised its nine long, flowing tails, summoning nine flickering flames of deep red and violet. Guided by its Extrasensory, the Will-o'-Wisps merged together.
Under the influence of psychic manipulation, the ghostly fire coalesced into several dark crimson halos that floated eerily in the air.
—Reflective Counter Shield!
"Wooo!"
With a glint of blue in Ninetales' eyes, the dark crimson halos shot toward Sneasel all at once.
"What the heck is that?"
Candice was baffled by the rings of ghostly fire, but she didn't hesitate. Without delay, she ordered a countermeasure.
"Sneasel, Ice Shard!"
"Seeel!"
Sneasel raised both arms, conjuring a massive chunk of ice before hurling it fiercely at the incoming halos.
BOOM!
However, the halos, despite appearing fragile were in fact indestructible. The Ice Shard shattered upon impact, failing to destroy even a single one of them.
"Night Slash!"
Seeing that Ice Shard was ineffective, Sneasel didn't falter. With swift movements across the icy battlefield, it lunged forward. Both claws gleamed white, slicing through the air like curved blades aimed directly at the halos.
CRASH!
Upon impact, one of the halos cracked slightly, wavering as if about to dissipate. But the others seized the opportunity to encircle Sneasel's body.
Sneasel braced itself, expecting an immediate burning pain—but nothing happened. Instead, the rings simply hovered around it, as if they were no more than eerie ornaments.
"Seeeel…?"
Then, a second later, Sneasel's expression changed.
Though the halos never made direct contact, an invisible force restricted its movements, locking it in place.
"Sneasel, break free!"
Candice had never encountered an attack like this before, and her only option was to have Sneasel struggle free. But despite its efforts, the halos held firm.
Even when Sneasel attempted to summon a Blizzard, the mysterious force sapped most of its power, reducing the attack to a mere gust of chilly wind.
"It works? Good."
Paul murmured to himself.
This was his first time testing Reflective Counter Shield on a Dark-type Pokémon. Sneasel's predicament confirmed that it was indeed effective.
"Sneasel, use Swords Dance!"
Candice, ever the experienced Gym Leader, made a quick judgment.
If struggling was futile, then the answer was to power up and break free with brute force.
"Seeel!"
Without hesitation, Sneasel initiated Swords Dance, preparing to boost its attack.
But would Paul and Ninetales really allow that to happen?
"Fire Blast, Fireball Barrage!"
A faint reddish glow rose from Ninetales' pale golden fur, signaling the activation of its Flash Fire ability.
Simultaneously, flames began to gather at its mouth, while each of its nine tails conjured a fireball of its own.
A massive Fire Blast erupted forward, followed closely by nine flaming projectiles, all aimed directly at the restrained Sneasel.
"Sneasel, hurry and dodge!"
But the halos' restrictive force was overwhelming. Even after its Swords Dance boost, Sneasel's movements remained sluggish.
BOOM!
The moment Sneasel finally managed to shatter the halos, Fire Blast struck. In the very next second, the fireballs exploded on impact.
Super effective!
Sneasel was completely engulfed in flames, disappearing within a sea of fire.
As the smoke cleared, Sneasel lay on the ground, charred and unmoving.
"Sneasel is unable to battle! Ninetales wins!"
The referee announced.
"Sneasel, you did well. Return now."
Candice took out a Poké Ball and recalled her Sneasel.
"The activation speed is too slow, and its practicality an average. Return for now."
Paul gave a simple evaluation of the Will-O-Wisp before retrieving his Ninetales with a Poké Ball.
Although Ninetales had won effortlessly, its victory also exposed a major flaw in the Will-O-Wisp—
It was too slow to activate. Outside of standard battles and Gym matches, its practicality was limited. A skilled opponent wouldn't just stand there and let him set up such an attack.
If he wanted to make it more viable, he needed to optimize it further.
"What a bizarre attack—I've never seen anything like it! But that just makes it more exciting! Let's keep battling!"
Candice took out another Poké Ball and grinned. "Next up, it's this one! You have to win, Glaceon!"
"Glaceee!"
A sleek, ice-blue Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, resembling a fox with a built-in winter hat.
"Metagross, get ready for battle!"
Paul tossed another Poké Ball.
"Groooo!"
A silver-bodied Metagross crashed onto the icy field, causing a crack to form beneath it.
"Metagross, Psychic!"
The "X" on Metagross' face gleamed blue as a wave of psychic energy surged forward. In an instant, the adorable Glaceon was lifted into the air and slammed forcefully against the ground.
Again...
And again.
And again!
As long as Glaceon couldn't break free, Metagross would continue smashing it into the battlefield with Psychic.
"Glaceon, hang in there—use Blizzard!"
After yet another brutal impact, Glaceon twisted midair and unleashed a powerful snowstorm from its mouth, sending an icy gust hurtling toward Metagross. The freezing air was bone-chilling.
"Gyro Ball!"
As the attack approached, Metagross swiftly retracted its four legs, spinning at high speed before launching itself toward Glaceon like a steel tornado.
The incoming Blizzard was completely torn apart by Gyro Ball, failing to slow Metagross down in the slightest.
"Hide behind the ice pillar!"
Glaceon skated swiftly across the battlefield, taking cover behind the tallest ice pillar in an attempt to shield itself.
However—
BOOM!
The entire ice pillar shattered into countless fragments upon impact, and Glaceon, caught in the blast, was sent flying across the battlefield.
"Glaceon, Snow Cloak!"
While airborne, Glaceon twisted its body and landed gracefully. It channeled its inner energy, synchronizing with its surroundings as dark clouds gathered above the battlefield, and snowflakes began to fall.
Hail activated!
As the snowstorm intensified, Glaceon's figure became hazy and indistinct, blending seamlessly with the swirling snow.
Snow Cloak—activated!
"Return."
Although Metagross could have used Psychic to locate and strike its opponent, Paul chose not to. Instead, he took out its Poké Ball and recalled it. Then, he tossed another Poké Ball into the battlefield.
"Froslass, get ready for battle!"
"Eeno~"
A spectral figure descended onto the battlefield, covering its mouth with its hands as it let out an eerie chuckle. Just like Glaceon, its form became blurry, merging with the surrounding snowstorm.
Snow Cloak—activated!
"Glaceon, Blizzard!"
"Aurora Veil, then Will-O-Wisp!"
Perched atop an ice pillar, Glaceon opened its mouth and unleashed another fierce Blizzard, which resonated with the snowy weather, making it seem omnipresent as it howled toward Froslass.
However, Froslass didn't dodge. Instead, it calmly spread its arms wide, conjuring a shimmering multicolored veil in front of itself. Immediately after, ghostly purple flames flickered into existence, forming a Will-O-Wisp barrier.
The Blizzard roared in, but—its power was significantly reduced after passing through Aurora Veil.
And when it reached the Will-O-Wisp barrier, it weakened even further.
By the time it actually touched Froslass, its remaining force was barely noticeable.
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