Under the Tiger God's tutelage, both Pokémon's attacking power had plummeted, so Raihan dared not let his guard down. He immediately ordered Archaludon and Tyranitar to focus their attacks on Sylveon.
Yet the little white squirrel they had ignored moved first.
Raihan froze. "Wait, this thing is that fast?"
He waved a hand and added, "Whatever, it doesn't matter. What good is speed when it has no power behind its attacks?"
Pachirisu soon showed Raihan exactly what it was good for.
Nuzzle!
A flash of electricity streaked past, and Pachirisu's Nuzzle struck Archaludon.
The damage was so insignificant it barely warranted mention. What made Raihan frown was the [Paralysis] inflicted on Archaludon, halving its Speed and giving it a chance of being unable to move.
Its massive steel body immediately slowed, looking even more cumbersome.
Meanwhile, the crafty Sylveon used [Protect]. Behind its transparent barrier, both Rock Slide and Flash Cannon came to nothing.
That wasn't entirely true. Rock Slide was a spread move, after all, and Pachirisu beside it took a glancing hit.
But with its Attack drastically reduced, Tyranitar was clearly no longer the desert tyrant it had once been. Its damage was pitiful.
Raihan gritted his teeth in frustration. You were trading blows with me just a moment ago, and now you're hiding in your shell?
"Again! Let's see it use Protect twice!"
Pachirisu still moved first.
And its second move since entering the field once again caught Raihan off guard.
It waved its little paws and clapped twice, wreathing the Sylveon beside it in golden light.
Helping Hand?
What did that obscure move even do?
Didn't it... massively boost its teammate's move damage?
A sinking feeling hit Raihan, but it was already too late.
With [Paralysis] slowing it down, Archaludon was now slower than Sylveon.
Before Flash Cannon could strike Sylveon, another Hyper Voice rang out.
Boosted by Pachirisu's [Helping Hand], the already formidable damage of Hyper Voice reached terrifying heights.
The two mighty beasts' HP bars plunged. They didn't quite vanish outright, but it was close.
Archaludon suffered especially badly. The big lug's physical Defense far outstripped its Special Defense, and after taking two full Hyper Voices from Sylveon, it was truly on its last legs.
Tyranitar, despite its weakness to Fairy-type moves, was actually better off thanks to its higher Special Defense and larger HP pool.
Sandstorm also gave it a 1.5-times Special Defense boost, so its remaining HP was still fairly healthy.
The one piece of good news that gave Raihan some comfort was that the accursed Sylveon finally fell to the belated Rock Slide and Flash Cannon.
If [Paralysis] had stopped Archaludon from firing Flash Cannon again, Raihan would have called the police.
"There's no point in keeping Archaludon alive now, but Tyranitar needs cover."
Focused on the battle, Raihan quickly made his decision.
He issued orders into his controller's microphone. "Archaludon, use Heat Wave! Tyranitar, come back! Salamence, get ready to take the field!"
On the other side of the battlefield, Xia Chi predictably sent Incineroar out to replace the fallen Sylveon.
The Tiger God returned, spreading Intimidate across the field.
The newly arrived Salamence hadn't even done anything before getting roared at for no reason. Raihan's already dark face darkened further.
He had honestly never played such an irritating match.
Weren't Pokémon battles supposed to be about the thrill of hard-hitting blows and the rush of clashing beams?
What on earth was his opponent doing today?
Intimidate, Fake Out, Parting Shot, Nuzzle, Helping Hand.
Could it possibly get any more obnoxious?
Xia Chi paid none of that any mind. He ordered Pachirisu to greet the newly arrived Salamence with Super Fang.
As for Archaludon's Heat Wave?
Oh, that was Heat Wave? With damage like that, I thought it was Gust.
Because HP pools worked differently in this game, [Super Fang] didn't deal damage equal to half the target's total HP, only a quarter.
Still, that was enough to make Salamence suffer.
Meanwhile, Incineroar wasn't bothering with any of that either.
Have you eaten, Salamence?
No?
Then eat this Fake Out!
Smack!
One slap later, Salamence was left dazed again.
Raihan felt helpless as he watched Archaludon get treated like empty air. His opponent clearly didn't consider the crippled Pokémon worth bothering with.
He was even leaving it on the field to clog up a slot.
There was no choice. He would have to sacrifice a limb to survive.
"Salamence, Earthquake! Archaludon, Heat Wave!"
As the saying went, a Helping Hand-boosted Earthquake spared neither friend nor family.
There was no [Helping Hand] this time, but that Earthquake was clearly meant to sacrifice Archaludon beside it.
Raihan's plan was sound, but Xia Chi wasn't going to let him have his way so easily.
A Poké Ball flashed, and Pachirisu disappeared from the field.
With a mighty dragon's roar, Garchomp made its grand entrance.
Replacing Pachirisu, it tanked the Earthquake at the cost of a quarter of its HP.
Incineroar and Archaludon, however, had a much worse time.
The former was knocked down to just a third of its HP, while the latter collapsed outright.
Raihan swiftly sent the recently withdrawn Tyranitar back out to fill the gap.
His final Pokémon was Flygon.
As a budget Garchomp, it lagged far behind its big brother in both attacking power and durability.
By comparison, sending the desert tyrant into battle was much more reliable.
Watching the swaggering land shark on his screen, Raihan sank into thought.
With Sylveon down, there was no question that Garchomp would have to carry the damage output.
If I focused Draco Meteor and Crunch on it and knocked it out...
No way. That kid's too crafty. It's definitely a trap.
Garchomp must be waiting to use [Protect].
Draco Meteor could decide the entire match. I can't throw it out carelessly.
I'll deal with that Incineroar that keeps hopping in and out of battle first.
With that in mind, Raihan ordered, "Tyranitar, Earthquake! Salamence, Dragon Claw! Target Incineroar!"
Since Salamence was a Flying type, Tyranitar could use Earthquake freely without worrying about hitting its teammate.
Those two powerful moves embodied Raihan's resolve. He was determined to take Incineroar down!
And his decisiveness paid off.
Even the Tiger God struggled to withstand the powerful pincer attack from two pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Already low on HP, it finally fell to Salamence's Dragon Claw.
Before going down, it burned through its last flames, bringing things to a tragic close with a Flare Blitz aimed at Salamence.
Beside its fallen body, Garchomp gleamed with golden light.
Raihan's vision went black.
Goddammit, Garchomp! You actually dared to set up a Swords Dance right in my face!
Before you continue