Still just one punch!
Even Toxapex, renowned for its endurance and defense, failed to produce a miracle when Wicked Blow struck its comparatively fragile main body directly. It followed Greninja into defeat.
The key to this clash did not lie entirely in the already terrifying power of Wicked Blow.
More crucial was that fleeting, fatal instant when Toxapex had to expose its main body to use Taunt.
Without a doubt, this was another part of the tactical trap Xia Chi had carefully woven-
He exploited Nanu's defensive, counterattacking mindset, misleading him into believing Urshifu would use Taunt to shut Toxapex down, while secretly unleashing Wicked Blow instead.
But what if Nanu had not taken the bait, or had simply failed to react, ignoring the threat of the "fake Taunt" and ordering Toxapex to keep using Recover?
For Xia Chi, that would merely drag the battle into another round of attrition.
Urshifu happened to be one of the Pokémon on his team least afraid of a war of attrition.
Its equipped item, the Radiant Hand of Justice, granted it a fearsome 30% lifesteal on its moves whenever its HP fell below half.
Add to that the Fighting-type Bond's terrifying ability, "the lower its HP, the stronger its lifesteal," and the steadily increasing all-stat growth provided by its Grass-type Bond Emblem as the battle continued.
A war of attrition?
That was never Toxapex's exclusive domain!
At that moment, Urshifu still stood like an immovable rock atop the rippling water.
Its face had taken on a sickly purplish-blue tint from the poison inflicted by Toxapex's Baneful Bunker, while the faint, persistent sting of the toxins continued to eat away at its stamina.
Yet the fighting spirit blazing in its resolute eyes did not waver in the slightest.
Its goal in this match had