"Will-O-Wisp!"
The remaining Froslass conjured eerie blue flames, launching them toward Medicham.
Medicham, experienced in battle, had already anticipated that its Fire Punch would likely miss.
Without hesitation, it unleashed a Psychic blast, sweeping away the incoming Will-O-Wisps. The powerful psychic force then surged toward the remaining Froslass.
BOOM!
One by one, the Froslass dissipated into thin air, until not a single one remained.
"Eeno~"
A soft voice echoed from behind Medicham. Suddenly, a Will-O-Wisp materialized and landed directly on it.
Burned!
Despite all its efforts to evade, Medicham still fell victim to the status condition!
"When it rains, it pours!"
This time, the Froslass wasted no time. Several ghostly purple energy waves bombarded Medicham in quick succession, dealing massive damage.
It's super effective!
With Fake Tears lowering its special defense, the status condition amplifying incoming attacks and type advantage doubling the damage of the attack's power skyrocketed.
BOOM!
Medicham crashed to the ground. The flames flickering on its body finally burned away with the last of its stamina.
"Medicham is unable to battle! Froslass wins!"
The referee declared the outcome.
After securing victory, Froslass gracefully floated back to Paul's side.
"Your speed and attack power are still lacking. More training is needed. Return now."
Paul gave a brief assessment and pulled out its Poké Ball, intending to recall it.
However, to his surprise, Froslass dodged behind him, as if wanting to stay out a little longer.
"Double the training load."
Paul glanced at Froslass for two seconds and calmly made his decision before taking out another Poké Ball.
"Eeno~"
Hearing this, Froslass covered its mouth with a playful chuckle and continued to hover behind Paul, unfazed.
"Ahh… so frustrating! You're too strong!"
Candice stomped her foot in frustration, clearly unhappy about how quickly she lost.
"Come back, Medicham. You did well, take a good rest."
Fortunately, after enduring a grueling battle against the round-faced Pikachu—where she repeatedly felt like she was just about to win, only to be completely swept in a one-vs-six match—Candice had already built up a strong mental resilience.
"This is it… my last hope! Abomasnow, we have to win!"
Seeing that Paul was clearly about to switch Pokémon, Candice regained her confidence and tossed out her final Poké Ball.
"Blaaargh~"
A massive yeti-like Abomasnow emerged from the Poké Ball, standing firmly on the battlefield with a fierce glare.
The moment it appeared, the previously calming hailstorm intensified once more, snowflakes swirling down in thick waves.
"Metagross, get ready to battle!"
Paul tossed out another Poké Ball, and Metagross reappeared on the battlefield. Its sharp, intelligent eyes instantly locked onto Abomasnow.
"Metagross, Gyro Ball!"
"Grooo~"
Metagross jumped into the air, spinning rapidly as it transformed into a high-speed Gyro Ball, hurtling toward Abomasnow.
"Wood Hammer!"
Abomasnow charged forward with powerful strides, its fists glowing white as it swung them down toward Metagross with full force.
BOOM!
The two Pokémon collided. In the aftermath of the impact, Abomasnow was forced backward, its feet carving an icy trail across the battlefield under the sheer force of Gyro Ball.
"Blizzard!"
Candice commanded.
While still bracing against Gyro Ball, Abomasnow opened its mouth and unleashed a fierce Blizzard, blasting icy winds directly at Metagross.
The combined pressure of Wood Hammer and Blizzard barely managed to hold off Metagross' assault.
"Hammer Arm!"
"Wood Hammer!"
Realizing that Gyro Ball alone wouldn't be enough, Metagross adjusted its tactics, landing back on the ground before launching a powerful Hammer Arm downward at Abomasnow.
Unwilling to be outdone, Abomasnow retaliated with Wood Hammer, clashing head-on with Metagross.
When it came to sheer power, however, Metagross had the upper hand.
"Grrooo!"
With a sudden surge of strength, Metagross overpowered Abomasnow, sending it staggering backward before delivering a crushing Hammer Arm blow.
"Grab it! Earthquake!"
Even after being struck, Abomasnow refused to back down. With gritted determination, it stretched out both arms, catching Metagross' attack while stomping hard on the ground, triggering a massive Earthquake.
The battlefield trembled as the ice cracked and the ground beneath them shook violently.
However…
Metagross remained unfazed. Instead, it pressed down even harder on Abomasnow, completely unbothered by the Earthquake.
"What?!"
Candice was stunned. A move with type advantage should have been highly effective, so why wasn't Metagross affected?
That's when she noticed—
Faint electric currents flickered across Metagross' metallic body, keeping it slightly levitated above the ground.
"Psychic!"
"Use Aurora Veil!"
Seizing the opportunity, a powerful telekinetic force burst forth from Metagross, slamming into Abomasnow and knocking it backward. Without hesitation, Metagross followed up with a crushing Hammer Arm.
Sensing imminent danger, Abomasnow quickly dropped to the ground and activated Aurora Veil.
Just as the shimmering barrier took form, Metagross' Hammer Arm came crashing down.
It was super effective!
Once again, Abomasnow was sent flying.
However, thanks to Aurora Veil's damage reduction, the attack wasn't enough to knock it out.
"Abomasnow, use Swagger!"
"Blaaargh!"
Lying on the ground, Abomasnow suddenly lifted its fierce face toward Metagross and let out a barrage of taunting words, instantly enraging its opponent.
In an instant, Metagross fell into confusion due to its overwhelming anger—though at the same time, its attack power sharply increased!
This was a gamble for both Candice and Abomasnow.
They were betting that the confused Metagross would lose control, stop attacking Abomasnow, or even hurt itself—creating an opening for a counterattack!
"Hammer Arm."
Paul, however, remained completely calm.
He wasn't the least bit worried about Metagross' status.
There are different types of confusion, and Swagger-induced confusion, which stems from rage was particularly dangerous when applied to a Pokémon as fierce as Metagross. The outcome was predictable...
"Grrooo!!"
On the battlefield, Metagross let out a deafening roar. Its four limbs flailed wildly, striking everything in its vicinity—smashing ice pillars, pounding the ground, and rampaging uncontrollably.
And right in front of it, Abomasnow was the primary target of its fury.
Even though Metagross wasn't consciously using a move, its random thrashing still inflicted serious damage on Abomasnow.
Then, suddenly—Metagross froze in place.
"Grroo…"
In the next instant, a bright blue glow enveloped its body as waves of Psychic energy surged outward. Pulses of uncontrolled Psychic blasts shot in all directions, striking everything indiscriminately.
"Raaah!!"
Throughout the chaos, Abomasnow never even had the chance to counterattack. It was struck repeatedly by Metagross' rampage, suffering blow after blow.
Finally, it collapsed in defeat.
"Abomasnow is unable to battle! Metagross wins! The winner of this Gym battle is Paul!"
The referee officially declared the match was over.
"Ahh… what a shame."
Candice let out a sigh, retrieving her fallen Abomasnow with a Poké Ball.
"Come back, Abomasnow. You did great."
On the other side, Paul observed Metagross, which was still wildly lashing out. Rather than waste time trying to calm it down, he simply returned it to its Poké Ball without a word.
"The Icicle Badge is yours."
Candice handed the Snowpoint Gym Badge to Paul.
"Thanks."
Taking the badge and offering a brief word of gratitude, Paul turned around and left without hesitation.
"Eenooo~"
His Froslass quietly followed behind him, obedient as ever.
(End of Chapter)
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