At Zhang Cheng's command, Pidgeot beat its wings rapidly, unleashing a powerful surge of Flying-type energy from its body. Empowered by that energy, it used Brave Bird and hurtled toward Venusaur on the ground.
As Pidgeot charged, Venusaur's Sludge Bomb struck its body.
The sludge exploded on contact, releasing a mass of Poison-type energy that dealt considerable damage to Pidgeot.
With its same-type power boost, Venusaur's Sludge Bomb took away a third of Pidgeot's HP. In a particularly lucky turn, it also triggered the move's secondary effect.
Sludge Bomb had a chance of poisoning a Pokémon when it hit, and Venusaur's attack had triggered precisely that effect. Pidgeot was now poisoned.
Zhang Cheng was somewhat surprised by the poisoning caused by Sludge Bomb. He had been watching out for Toxic all along, yet Pidgeot had ended up being afflicted with ordinary poison first.
Still, ordinary poisoning was more manageable than Toxic. A poisoned Pokémon's HP would drain slowly, whereas the HP lost to Toxic would grow increasingly severe.
After being poisoned, Pidgeot cried out in pain. The poison entering its body left it in considerable discomfort.
But Pidgeot was far too proud to give up over a little poison.
After two cries of pain, Pidgeot rallied, fought through the agony of the poison, and continued its Brave Bird charge toward Venusaur below.
Brave Bird struck Venusaur squarely, sending its massive body flying several meters before it crashed to the ground, making the entire battlefield shake.
The hit from Brave Bird dealt Venusaur a devastating blow. Its HP, which had been a little over half, plummeted until only a fifth remained.
Wang Lu's Venusaur was remarkably resilient. Despite the severe damage, it soon got back to its feet.
Once Venusaur stood up again, its entire body erupted in an intense green