Grapploct had once defeated Pikachu and fought Riolu to one win and one draw. It was arguably Bea's second-strongest Pokémon.
So Baimu didn't think it strange to believe Grapploct could easily take down Gigantamax Orbeetle.
Newly trained Pokémon were bound to be a little weaker overall.
The Psychic wasn't Ash. He couldn't raise a Pokémon from scratch to match, or even surpass, his old partners in a short time.
The Psychic probably knew Grapploct wouldn't be easy to handle. He gave it some careful thought.
[You sent out Starmie]
The huge starfish charged at Grapploct without fear. Both Pokémon had tentacles and some skill with grappling techniques, but one was a Psychic-type Pokémon that merely looked like a Fighting type, while the other was the real thing.
The two Pokémon tangled together, but Starmie ultimately found itself at a disadvantage.
There was no helping it.
Grapploct's design drew on judo, after all. Octolock alone was enough to give Starmie a headache, never mind its other attacking techniques.
Of course.
Fighting at such close range helped Starmie too. For one thing, it didn't have to worry about Psyshock missing.
In the end, the two Pokémon produced a dramatic finish.
Grapploct's signature Close Combat dimmed the red jewel at Starmie's core, while Starmie dealt Grapploct a decisive blow with Psychic.
The match was effectively a draw.
But the battle wasn't over. As the fourth Gym Leader the Psychic had challenged, Bea could use four Pokémon. That meant she could still send out a stronger one—and Dynamax it.
Her ace, Machamp, took the field.
Although the Psychic had two Pokémon left and held the type advantage, he remained wary of Machamp. He sent out Slowking first.
Bea didn't disappoint him. The moment Machamp entered, the background music shifted, and it Gigantamaxed into a