Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thick smoke billowed amid flashes of fire and lightning.
Skarmory spun like a blazing umbrella, scattering the Mawiles charging straight at it with lightning in their fists. It was hard to imagine a giant steel bird spinning so deftly on one claw, much less using Brave Bird, a charging move, with such finesse.
Everyone inside and outside the arena held their breath and watched.
"Skree!"
Skarmory's raspy cry echoed across the arena over the whir of its spinning and the patter of fine rain.
"Maw..."
The real Mawile stood to one side. Unable to break through the burning spiral, and unable to leap over it for a punch under the heavy gravity, she had no choice but to retreat.
The remaining illusory figures vanished one after another as they rushed in.
Normally, a field affected by strong gravity would restrict even ordinary movement, not just jumping and flying.
Judging by this, "no flying" might have been a more accurate description than gravity.
As Mawile withdrew, Skarmory finally stopped spinning after who knew how many revolutions. It panted lightly, and visible white steam rose as rain struck its body.
"It blocked her?"
"It really did!"
"Winona's incredible! When all those Mawiles charged in, I thought Skarmory was going to end up like Pelipper!"
The TV crew burst into discussion, while the director quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The battle would not get much screen time, but as a spectator, he still did not want the Gym battle to end so easily—even if Baimu's Pokémon really did look that strong.
He knew Gravity was largely responsible for the situation. Being unable to fly was a brutal handicap for Flying-type Pokémon, especially for Winona, whose specialty was reading the wind.
"Sweet Scent!"
At the command, Mawile thrust her Giant