"Whoa, it used Sandstorm and Sand Veil to get off a Swords Dance while Dragonite was setting up Tailwind?"
Qingyu had noticed something different about Garchomp too, and quickly figured out what had happened.
Sand Veil was actually a pretty lackluster Ability in the games.
After all, evasion was just a matter of luck!
For the vast majority of players, leaving victory or defeat to chance was incredibly unwise.
Yet now, Sand Veil was showing off its own unique appeal.
Garchomp had concealed itself while quietly observing its opponent, then seized an opening to boost itself without taking a hit, raising its fighting power another notch!
Except...
Its offensive power had increased, but Dragonite, whose speed had skyrocketed thanks to Tailwind, still had the upper hand in speed.
Had Cynthia thought of a solution to that?
"Dragonite, Ice Beam!"
Lance quickly called out another command.
Garchomp had already boosted itself once, and the sandstorm had worn Dragonite down enough that Multiscale no longer offered any protection.
He therefore took the cautious approach, choosing to keep his distance and try to wear his opponent down with Ice Beam.
"Garchomp, Scale Shot!"
Cynthia spoke almost simultaneously.
The two Pokémon quickly put some distance between themselves, beams and flying scales crisscrossing above the battlefield.
With both sides playing it safe, they easily dodged each other's attacks throughout this initial exchange.
For Cynthia, however, her objective had already been achieved.
"Scale Shot really is a great move."
Qingyu couldn't help marveling. When he noticed Lance's tightly furrowed brow, he immediately realized that Lance had figured out Cynthia's plan too.
Scale Shot fired the scales covering Garchomp's own body like bullets in rapid succession.
Although losing that protective covering temporarily lowered its defenses considerably, taking even one Ice Punch would practically put it out of