Spore: A Grass-type status move that puts the target to sleep.
Unlike moves like Hypnosis, Sleep Powder, or Sweet Kiss that never seem to land, Spore boasts a perfect 100% accuracy!
A legit god-tier move!
And combined with Amoonguss' ridiculous bulk?
Absolutely terrifying.
That was the only way Caleb could describe it.
A thick cloud of green powder puffed out of Amoonguss's pink little mouth, drifting straight toward Electivire.
Electivire: "zzz..."
Since Paul had designated Electivire as an attacker, it was holding a Life Orb—and completely unequipped to counter Spore.
Paul was starting to regret not teaching it Electric Terrain.
With terrain support, three Fire Punches would've been enough to incinerate the Grass/Poison-type Amoonguss.
But alas, the world doesn't run on what ifs.
"Toxic!" Caleb called out again.
Poof! The move landed clean, and a purplish haze began creeping over Electivire's body.
And it was still... "zzz..."
Paul's expression darkened. He recalled Electivire again—clearly, the training regime needed to be reworked. Maybe double the hours?
Paul's third Pokémon hit the field.
"Get ready—Torterra!"
With a heavy stomp, a massive land turtle materialized, a fully-grown tree rising majestically from its back like a walking forest.
"Come back, Amoonguss!" Caleb called out at the exact same moment, recalling it just as Torterra appeared.
Thought you had me figured out, didn't you, Paul?
In truth, Caleb had already studied Paul's team in full detail.
Don't ask how. Just... anime logic.
He casually tossed his next Poké Ball.
"Let's go—Alolan Vulpix!"
"Vuuu~"
A flash of white. A small, snow-white fox with six fluffy tails landed lightly on the battlefield.
The moment it appeared, soft, glimmering snowflakes began to fall from above, gently covering the field in a serene snowfall.
Ability: Snow Warning!
Automatically summons Hail (or snow) upon entering battle.
"Awwww, she's adorable! Come to mommy~"
"No male mommies, please."
"Don't tell me this cutie also knows dirty tricks?"
"Please, let the child be pure! Don't corrupt the baby!"
So, what's the first thing an Ice-type with Snow Warning does?
Set up the wall, of course.
"Vulpix, Aurora Veil!"
Aurora Veil: For five turns (eight with Light Clay), all incoming physical and special damage is reduced—only usable during hail/snow.
And naturally, Caleb had equipped his Vulpix with a Light Clay to extend the duration.
Meanwhile, Paul wasn't rushing to attack either.
"Shell Smash!"
Shell Smash: Sacrifices Defense and Special Defense to sharply raise Attack, Special Attack, and Speed.
Paul clearly knew how to use Torterra properly—unlike some certain someone who just throws it out as cannon fodder.
Still, Shell Smashing in front of a Vulpix? Bold move.
Caleb's lips curled into a familiar smirk.
"Oh no, not the smirk again."
"Guys, every time he smirks, an innocent Pokémon gets 'abused'."
"Let's form a group and tear the Gym Leader's mouth off."
"That's... actually genius. Solve the problem at the source."
"+1."
"+1."
"+."
Post-Shell Smash, Torterra's stats spiked—but its defenses had dropped sharply.
However, it munched on its White Herb, nullifying the negative drops.
White Herb: A one-time item that resets all negative stat changes.
One-use only, but incredibly effective.
Now fully powered up, Torterra looked down at the tiny fox across from it.
Even with Aurora Veil, one Earthquake and it'd be game over.
But then Vulpix's tails spread wide—and beams of light illuminated Torterra from six angles.
"Encore!"
Forces the target to repeat its last move for the next three turns.
Torterra: ???
"I JUST used my White Herb!!!"
"Disgusting. Absolutely filthy."
"If I'm not wrong, next comes Disable."
"Encore + Disable, my Dusknoir does that too."
"Banish the heretic Gym Leader already!"
Disable? Nah, Caleb wouldn't repeat himself that way.
"Vulpix, use Nasty Plot!"
Now was the perfect time to set up for a sweep.
Black, sinister question marks floated around Vulpix's head.
[Vulpix: Sp. Atk +2]
Meanwhile, Torterra had no choice but to Shell Smash... again.
[Torterra: -2 Defense, -2 Sp. Def...]
"Blizzard!"
A raging storm of snow and wind whipped across the field—and in hail, Blizzard can't miss.
FWOOOSH—
Frozen solid, Torterra turned into a frosty sculpture mid-Shell Smash.
Whoa, it actually froze?
Caleb blinked.
"Wait, Blizzard has a secondary freeze effect? How come I never knew this in the games?"
Didn't really matter. Frozen or not, Torterra had fainted.
Paul frowned and silently returned it to its ball.
Three Pokémon down—each defeated in a suffocatingly one-sided way.
Type counters. Status. Sleep. Now frozen.
Every KO felt personal.
After a long pause, Paul lifted his head again.
No way he'd crumble from a setback like this.
He steadied his breath, pulled out a new Poké Ball, and threw it forward.
"Get ready—Weavile!"
"Waaa!"
Ice/Dark-type Weavile—resistant to Ice-type moves, and in the distant Alola region, known to hunt Alolan Vulpix.
Just like Pidgeotto preying on Caterpie—yes, Pokémon have food chains too.
The moment Weavile landed and opened its eyes, it saw its former prey standing on the field.
And a chilling grin crept across its face.
No matter how many Nasty Plots it stacked, Vulpix would always feel that instinctual pressure from its predator.
Caleb, of course, knew this.
So just as Weavile was about to lunge—
"Vulpix, use Baton Pass!"
Let the specialist handle the specialist.
Dark/Ice-types are 4x weak to Fighting.
So let's go—Riolu!