In its early stages, Cottonee can quickly learn several moves, including Leech Seed, Stun Spore, and Growth. Over the past ten days, Cottonee had mastered these moves at an astonishing pace.
However, Stun Spore proved ineffective in this battle—after all, the opponent was a Grass-type Pokémon, making it completely immune to the move.
Maki understood that Cottonee's rapid mastery of these techniques was due to two key factors. First, the high-quality Pokéblocks she provided played a crucial role. Second, and perhaps even more significantly, Cottonee's ability, Prankster, greatly enhanced its proficiency.
In the early stages, Prankster's effects were particularly noticeable—once Cottonee grasped the basics of a move, it could execute it almost instantly, barely requiring any training. It was practically a game-breaking ability.
Leah immediately sensed trouble. Tangela's base stats were exceptionally high—its total base stat value even exceeded that of an evolved Charmeleon.
That said, Tangela wasn't without weaknesses. Its biggest flaw was its Special Defense, which was only about a third of its Physical Defense. This made its overall stat distribution rather unbalanced.
Another drawback was its Speed. Unless it had the Chlorophyll ability, Tangela wasn't particularly fast, and its vine-covered body wasn't exactly built for agility.
But what truly caught Leah off guard was the sheer speed at which Cottonee deployed Leech Seed! It didn't move like a newly hatched Pokémon at all—it executed the move with remarkable efficiency.
The seeds radiating from Cottonee rapidly encircled Tangela, taking root immediately.
"Tangela, get out of that area quickly!"
Leah urgently commanded, but before Tangela could react, the seeds had already sprouted beneath it, wrapping tightly around its body.
Ironically, Cottonee's effectiveness in this battle was largely thanks to the very battlefield Leah had chosen.
If the terrain had been ordinary sand, it would have taken longer for Leech Seed to take effect. But the soil here was so fertile that it provided the perfect conditions for rapid growth!
Somewhere deep in Maki's soul, an instinctual thought surfaced—This soil is too good to waste. It would be a shame not to use it for farming.
Leah let out a resigned sigh. Typically, battles on this type of terrain favored her Grass-type Pokémon, but today, it seemed to be working in Maki's favor instead.
"Erika, I didn't know Leech Seed could be used like this!"
From the spectator stands, Jasmine's eyes widened in shock as she watched Tangela being entangled by Leech Seed. She had never seen this technique applied in such a way before.
Hearing Jasmine's remark, Erika shook her head.
"I'm just as surprised as you are. This is my first time seeing Leech Seed used like this. Though, to be fair, the terrain plays a big role here—normally, this kind of binding technique would be easy to escape from."
Leech Seed was typically used to gradually sap an opponent's health over time. While it had some restraining properties, they were rarely significant. Yet, Maki had managed to turn this overlooked detail into a winning strategy.
"Wow, even you didn't know about this, Erika? Maki must be really amazing!"
Jasmine's admiration for Maki grew as she looked at him with newfound respect.
"Yes, he is," Erika admitted, nodding with a competitive glint in her eyes. When it came to Grass-type Pokémon, she refused to be outmatched by anyone.
"Growth!"
With Tangela bound, Maki wasted no time commanding Cottonee to strengthen itself. After all, Cottonee's raw offensive power wasn't particularly high. Given Tangela's impressive bulk, defeating it could take a while.
Fortunately, Cottonee's attacks were primarily Special-based, and Tangela's Special Defense was its weakest stat.
Though Growth's effect was not as powerful without Sunny Day in play, thanks to Prankster, Cottonee could keep stacking boosts rapidly, making up for any lack of raw power.
If one Growth wasn't enough, just use it multiple times!
By the time Tangela managed to break free from the Leech Seed's grasp, Cottonee had already completed two Growth boosts, effectively doubling its Attack and Special Attack.
Leah, who had initially dismissed Maki's Leech Seed strategy, now fully recognized his tactical prowess. But still—wasn't Cottonee using its moves way too fast?
Even though Growth placed less strain on a Grass-type Pokémon compared to moves like Dragon Dance, this speed was absurd! If the battlefield had been under Sunny Day conditions, would Cottonee have skyrocketed to untouchable levels?
Tangela lacked hands, but each of its vines functioned as an extension of its limbs. This allowed it to break free more quickly than most Pokémon.
That said, Maki never expected to keep Tangela trapped indefinitely. His strategy had been all about surprise—he only needed to stall long enough for Cottonee to power up. Now that this goal had been achieved, the tactic was already a success.
Leah felt as though her entire understanding of battle had been reshaped by a rookie trainer. Where did this Cottonee even come from? It looked like it had only just hatched, yet it wielded these tactical moves with unsettling expertise.
Had Maki been able to read Leah's thoughts, he might've given her a lecture on the concept of "Black Cotton" (Dark Tactics). This is only the beginning!
Unfortunately, Cottonee's effectiveness was somewhat limited due to its opponent also being a Grass-type Pokémon. Otherwise, Maki could have shown Leah an even dirtier strategy.
As a Gym Leader, Leah's battle experience was second to none. She quickly realized she couldn't afford to let Cottonee power up any further. Otherwise, she risked a complete sweep.
Losing here, in her own Gym, would be beyond humiliating. But could she really justify pulling out a Pokémon specifically to counter Cottonee? That wouldn't exactly be fair either.
"Bind it!"
Tangela's vines shot forward, extending toward Cottonee.
"Cotton!"
What is this!?
Cottonee flinched at the sight of the incoming, tentacle-like vines.
"Ascend higher! Use Fairy Wind."
Unlike Cottonee, Maki remained completely calm.
Fairy Wind wasn't a particularly powerful move, but as an area-of-effect attack, it was the perfect counter to Tangela's multiple extending vines.
The battle was far from over, but one thing was certain—this was going to be a match unlike any Leah had ever fought before.
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