It really was a stall Venusaur!
His prediction had paid off, and Xia Chi felt a little relieved.
As mentioned before, Misdreavus feared two kinds of opponents most.
Those that could knock it out with one punch before it got going, and those that could outlast it.
None of the Pokémon in Blue's main lineup fit the "One-Punch Man" mold.
His tough, bulky Venusaur, however, was perfect for a modified Substitute-Protect-Toxic strategy.
So Xia Chi's opening [Taunt] had been the right bet.
But that hardly counted as an advantage.
Unlike in the games, a Pokémon wasn't restricted to one strategy by the four moves it carried.
In a real battle, even with its status moves locked down, it still had attacking moves.
In fact, that was precisely why Venusaur's coming assault would be even fiercer!
Xia Chi thought for a moment, then shouted, "Skill Swap!"
Although his opening plan had been disrupted, Blue didn't panic.
He had plenty of backup plans. If his stall opening had been interrupted, he would blast the battle wide open with sheer power!
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!"
Under Sunny Day, the devastating Solar Beam's charging time was drastically reduced. Add in the speed boost from [Chlorophyll]-
"Skill Swap!"
Xia Chi's command stunned Blue, then made his heart sink.
Misdreavus's crimson eyes suddenly shone pink, and a strange surge of Psychic-type energy shot from its body.
Busy charging Solar Beam, Venusaur had nowhere to dodge and took the strange energy wave head-on.
Venusaur felt a force being forcibly stripped from its body.
Then its heavy body grew light, and its four feet drifted farther and farther from the rocky ground.
Having never flown in its life, Venusaur felt deeply unsettled.
Flying might have been many Pokémon's dream, but suddenly gaining the ability to levitate still felt