"Using Espeon to deal with Crobat? Sure, Psychic does counter Poison, but is that really appropriate?"
Yellow tilted her head in confusion. From a type matchup perspective, it was indeed favorable.
But the key issue was that Espeon couldn't truly fly. While it could hover using psychic power, that wasn't the same as actual flight.
And the opponent was a Crobat with terrifying flight speed.
If you couldn't hit your moves, then even a double—or quadruple—type advantage meant nothing.
"There's really no better option," Blue shrugged.
"If we're talking about Red's team, the only Pokémon truly suitable for dealing with Crobat is probably Pikachu."
"Roaring Moon and Tornadus could have fought it too, but they've already lost their ability to battle."
Blue knew Red's team well, so this wasn't guesswork.
Pikachu couldn't fly either, but it was fast, agile, highly responsive, and Electric-type moves counter Flying-types.
Roaring Moon and Tornadus did have fighting potential as well. Tornadus's quick defeat earlier was largely because it was already in terrible condition—and because it was Red's first time facing Dylan's Crobat, so he hadn't realized just how fast and technically skilled it was.
With proper mental preparation, Tornadus could have fought—but there was no second chance now.
"It's not actually that bad," Giovanni said with a low chuckle.
"Espeon still has the type advantage. It all depends on how Red handles it."
On the battlefield—
"Espeon!"
Red didn't stop there. He took out a black Tera Orb and threw it toward Espeon. The orb shone brilliantly as crystal-like material completely enveloped Espeon.
With a crisp shattering sound, Psychic-type Terastallized Espeon emerged.
"Crobat, Hurricane,"
Dylan said after a moment of thought.
He wanted to test Espeon's offensive power.
Crobat's four wings beat rapidly as violent winds gathered, forming a ferocious storm that swept downward.
Flying-type move—Hurricane!
"Psychic!"
Red countered immediately.
Espeon sat elegantly, its eyes glowing deep blue as a powerful, multicolored psychic wave surged forward like a tide.
Hurricane and Psychic collided violently in midair, shockwaves rippling outward as the two attacks clashed.
Before long, Psychic began to overwhelm Hurricane.
"As expected—very strong special attack,"
Dylan said lightly, not surprised.
Crobat was incredibly fast, but its special attack was only average. Even after Nasty Plot boosted it by two stages, it still couldn't outmuscle Espeon in a direct special clash.
When Crobat forcefully increased the power of Hurricane, the two attacks exploded apart with a loud bang, gusts of wind howling as thick dust spread across the field.
"Psychic Terrain!"
Red ordered immediately.
Blue light flared again in Espeon's eyes as psychic energy spread across the battlefield.
"Quick Attack!"
A purple blur streaked down like lightning, slamming into Espeon and knocking it backward with a muffled grunt.
Still, the Psychic Terrain wasn't interrupted—rainbow-colored light had already covered the entire arena.
Psychic Terrain was established. On Psychic Terrain, grounded Pokémon were immune to priority moves, and Psychic-type moves gained increased power.
"Crunch!"
Dylan followed up instantly.
Crobat opened its jaws and lunged for Espeon's head.
"Expanding Force!"
Red didn't hesitate.
Espeon wasn't especially bulky physically, but it wasn't so fragile that it would fall to a single Crunch.
And on Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force was terrifyingly powerful.
Espeon locked onto Crobat as massive psychic energy condensed in front of it.
"Dodge!"
Dylan wasn't foolish.
Under game mechanics, Expanding Force gains a 50% boost on Psychic Terrain—and Psychic Terrain itself boosts Psychic moves by another 30%. Those boosts stacked.
Crobat immediately aborted Crunch and dodged sideways.
The next instant, a massive psychic shockwave erupted, the air visibly warping from the sheer force. The attack was unquestionably devastating.
But it didn't matter.
Crobat avoided it.
"Cross Poison!"
Crobat's assault didn't end there. It darted to Espeon's flank, its upper wings crossing as deep purple poison light ignited.
A Cross Poison slashed through the air—fast and precise.
Espeon tried to evade, but it was too late. The attack struck cleanly, sending Espeon skidding back with a cry of pain.
"The speed gap is still significant,"
Red frowned slightly.
Crobat had dodged Expanding Force and repositioned to attack in a single motion. Espeon, having just fired a large move, simply couldn't react in time.
"Espeon, Reflect!"
Red decided to test something.
If Crobat had the Infiltrator ability, Reflect would be meaningless. Infiltrator allowed attacks to bypass barriers like Reflect and Light Screen.
But if its ability was Inner Focus, Reflect would reduce damage.
And since Espeon had Magic Bounce, Red didn't need to worry about Taunt or other disruptive status moves.
"Crunch!"
Dylan ordered without hesitation.
Crobat lunged again, its dark fangs snapping forward.
A translucent wall formed in front of Espeon as Reflect took effect, spreading across its body.
Crunch bit down hard. Espeon cried out—but the damage was clearly reduced.
Immediately after, Reflect merged into Espeon's body.
"Pursuit!"
Crobat's wings glowed black as it prepared to strike again.
"Expanding Force!"
Psychic energy surged violently in front of Espeon, twisting the air.
Boom!
Expanding Force detonated—but Crobat once again chose not to trade blows, evading at the last second.
"Morning Sun!"
Red ordered immediately, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
The test worked.
Crobat didn't have Infiltrator!
Brilliant sunlight gathered around Espeon, flowing into its body as Morning Sun restored its strength.
"Crunch!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow. This was getting troublesome.
Crobat attacked again, but as its fangs struck, a faint barrier shimmered into existence.
With Reflect active, the damage was reduced yet again.
At the same time, Morning Sun's healing fully took effect. Espeon's condition visibly improved.
"This is turning around—Crobat can't do much to Espeon now,"
Leon's eyes lit up.
With Reflect active, Crobat's physical attacks wouldn't cause serious damage, and Espeon could keep healing with Morning Sun.
"And Magic Bounce is the key," Leon added.
"If it weren't for Magic Bounce, Dylan would've already poisoned Espeon."
Magic Bounce could feel awkward against straight brawlers—but when it mattered, it was invaluable.
Like right now.
Because of Magic Bounce, Crobat had lost its best tools to break the situation—moves like Taunt and Toxic.
"Exactly,"
Victor agreed.
"And if Crobat had Defog, it could've removed Reflect—but it inherited Quick Attack instead."
On the battlefield—
"Espeon, Future Sight!"
Red pressed on.
Now that Espeon had stabilized, it was time to go on the offensive.
"Come back, Crobat."
Dylan decisively recalled it.
Crobat was extremely fast, but its offensive power was lacking. Against Magic Bounce, its Toxic strategy was completely shut down.
"Well played, Red. You used Espeon excellently,"
Dylan praised.
"But next—this one's coming out."
He took out his fifth Poké Ball.
"Gengar!"
"Kehehehe~!"
A gray-black Gengar landed in front of Dylan, wearing an exaggerated, wicked grin as it stuck out its tongue at Espeon.
Espeon coolly tilted its head in response.
"Shiny Gengar—"
Red's eyes narrowed.
"Ah~ strictly speaking, it should have been my last Pokémon,"
Dylan said with a smile.
"Gengar is the ace of my Poison-type team—because it's genuinely powerful."
"Kehehe~!"
The shiny Gengar nodded proudly, hands on its hips.
"But due to personal bias, I slipped one non–Poison-type Pokémon into this team. That pushed Gengar back to fifth."
"Kehehehe—"
Gengar drooped, looking aggrieved and dramatic.
Red's eyelid twitched.
This shiny Gengar clearly had a lot of inner drama.
Still—Dylan had one non–Poison-type Pokémon left? Red couldn't help being curious.
"Want to know what it is?"
Dylan asked, noticing the look.
Red nodded honestly.
"Then you'll have to deal with Gengar first,"
Dylan smiled.
"Its strength far surpasses Arbok and the others."
"Do you know why I didn't use legendary Poison-types like Okidogi as my ace?"
"Because Gengar is stronger."
"Gengar!"
The shiny Gengar's grin stretched unnaturally wide as the Mega Stone on its body resonated with the Key Stone on Dylan's hand.
Mega Evolution!
The light of evolution flashed brilliantly—and vanished just as quickly.
When it faded, a ghostly white Mega Shiny Gengar stared down at Espeon with pitch-black, terrifying eyes.