Mega Blastoise was down!?
The cheers for Malva in the stands cut off abruptly. Everything had changed so quickly that many spectators hadn't caught up.
The Rotom Drone moved in. After confirming the result, it announced, "Blastoise and Corsola are Unable to Battle! The winner is Baimu!"
The arena erupted in uproar.
Then cheers burst out as countless Baimu supporters leaped for joy!
A huge comeback?
Not really. The battle had gone smoothly for him from start to finish.
But using Destiny Bond to take down Malva's ace, Mega Blastoise, had stunned plenty of people.
A "tough battle" had been resolved just like that.
Korrina murmured, "That..."
"Looks like Baimu planned to use Destiny Bond from the start," Gurkinn said, folding his arms.
He added, "Did you notice when the tide turned?"
Korrina thought for a moment. "When Dragapult used Thunder Wave on Mega Blastoise?"
"So you see it now?"
"To give Corsola a chance to use Destiny Bond!"
Little Cucumber clapped as it clicked. Paralysis sometimes prevented a Pokémon from using a move, but more often, it slowed its attacks.
Knowing that, Baimu had deliberately let Dragapult show an opening, then used Baton Pass to switch out and send in Corsola, ready to use Destiny Bond.
There was another important factor—
The heightened emotions of Malva and Mega Blastoise.
To manipulate someone, you didn't necessarily have to make them anxious or dejected. Give them enough stimulation, make them focus completely, and let them believe they'd seized their chance.
A battle-hardened Elite Four member wasn't going to crack just because you knocked out two of his Pokémon. If anything, a powerful opponent would fire him up and bring out even more of his strength.
Baimu had used that to draw him into trying to finish off Corsola, which had already