"Go, Salamence!" Xiao Ran had already shouted it for her.
"Hehe, Salamence, say hello to them first!" Veranica smiled faintly, then called out to Salamence.
"Roar!" A thick stream of Dragon Breath blasted toward their opponents. Ninetales raced aside with Duosion in tow.
"Duosion, Endeavor!" Janice suddenly shouted. A mysterious energy linked Duosion to Salamence, and a trace of pain appeared on both Pokémon's faces.
"Roar!" Salamence bellowed angrily and opened its mouth to fire another Dragon Breath at Duosion, only for Ninetales to evade it again with the incredible speed of Quick Attack.
"Endeavor? Diancie, Guard Split!" Xiao Ran frowned slightly before calling out.
Salamence's physical and special defenses were not particularly high, nowhere near Diancie's impregnable defenses. After Guard Split, however, Salamence became a formidable tank as well.
What worried Xiao Ran most was actually Duosion's Endeavor, a move that forcibly redistributed both sides' health. As a Gym Leader Class Pokémon, Salamence possessed tremendous vitality that Duosion simply could not match.
Put plainly, Duosion's use of Endeavor forcibly dragged Salamence's vitality down toward its own level.
Fortunately, as a Gym Leader Class Pokémon, Salamence had both immense vitality and powerful resistance. Even with Endeavor, Duosion could not bring Salamence down all at once and could only wear Salamence down gradually.
Still, this forced Xiao Ran to stay alert. Elite Class Pokémon were not without ways to defeat Gym Leader Class opponents. He himself had defeated Gym Leader Class Pokémon before, so even with every advantage on his side, he had to give it his all, like a lion hunting a rabbit.
With that thought, Xiao Ran stopped waiting. A Pokémon like Duosion was best dealt with as soon as possible.
"Diancie, Rock Tomb!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rocks flew out one after another, blocking Ninetales and Duosion's escape routes.