Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Brave Bird hits from behind!
Super effective!
Sirfetch'd let out a pained cry as it was sent flying, tumbling across the ground in a pitiful state. But whether it was because Corviknight hadn't maxed out its Attack EVs or because Sirfetch'd had specialized in endurance training—
The attack didn't knock it out in one hit.
Sirfetch'd staggered back to its feet.
Was this another bond-powered survival? A Focus Sash effect forcing it to cling to 1 HP?
Li Xiang frowned slightly as Corviknight recovered from Brave Bird's recoil, flapping its wings to press the advantage.
However, the burly young man reacted swiftly, recalling Sirfetch'd.
He murmured a quiet reassurance before giving Corviknight a complicated look and sending out his second Pokémon.
The previous scene had been utterly shocking. The young man had never expected Corviknight to possess such absurd aerial maneuverability.
At first, he'd thought losing his defensive wall wasn't a big deal—that the battle was still winnable, but then Corviknight had twisted mid-flight like a dancer, repositioning behind Sirfetch'd before striking.
The complexity of those movements left him completely dumbfounded.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
Those flight techniques might have looked simple, but their difficulty was like scaling a sheer cliff face. Just the initial dive-and-snap ascent alone would deter most trainers.
Was this really the Pokémon of a Middle School trainer?
He'd thought this would be a casual warm-up, an easy win against younger students. Instead, the very first match had slapped him hard across the face.
He should've switched out when Taunted.
'No more underestimating the opponent.'
With a silent sigh, the young man pressed the release button, sending out his second Pokémon.
A bird-like humanoid with a red-and-green cape and a hooked nose landed on the field.
—Hawlucha, the Fighting/Flying-type.
A far more troublesome Pokémon than Sirfetch'd. Not only did it know Thunder Punch and Fire Punch, but it could also fly—and had several useful Abilities.
'You had a Hawlucha and didn't lead with it?'
Li Xiang couldn't understand his opponent's thought process. He'd assumed the guy had nothing that could counter Corviknight.
But when it came to dealing with Hawlucha, someone else was better suited than Corviknight.
Without hesitation, the moment Hawlucha appeared, Li Xiang recalled Corviknight and sent out Wash Rotom.
"Thunder Wave."
"Taunt!"
The burly young man shouted, and Hawlucha immediately hooked a claw at Rotom, provoking it with a sneer.
Rotom, affected by the taunting energy, raged uncontrollably!
Fortunately, Electric-type moves had priority. Thunder Wave activated first, sending out thin, crackling tendrils of electricity that latched onto Hawlucha.
Paralysis inflicted!
'So, this Hawlucha doesn't have Limber. Good.'
The young man's brow furrowed, seemingly caught off guard by Rotom's speed. But since his Hawlucha wasn't built for agility anyway, it wasn't a huge loss.
"Flying Press!"
Hawlucha leapt into the air, its body glowing reddish-brown as it descended toward Rotom like a cannonball!
Flying Press, a dual Fighting/Flying-type move that calculated damage based on both typings—the only move of its kind.
Once Hawlucha's signature move.
Seeing this Li Xiang's lips curled into a "just as planned" smirk.
"Volt Switch!"
"Bzzt—!"
Rotom let out a mechanical cry as its washing machine hatch opened, firing two interlocking rings of electricity at the descending Hawlucha!
CRACK!
The lightning struck—
Hawlucha tried to dodge mid-air, but Rotom's move came out too fast, and Electric-type attacks were inherently quick. Before Hawlucha's eyes could even glow blue (for Detect), the electric rings hit home!
The paralysis-induced muscle lock interrupted Flying Press mid-execution!
Simultaneously, the moment Volt Switch landed, Rotom's form distorted as Li Xiang's already-prepared PokéBall recalled it.
In its place, Incineroar stormed onto the field!
"RROAR!"
The massive tiger roared, Intimidate activating, an invisible pressure weighing down on Hawlucha and weakening its Attack.
Then—
Fake Out!
SLAP!
Incineroar clapped its paws together, a burst of white light flashing.
Hawlucha's ears rang as if thunder had struck, its vision whiting out as it froze in place.
"Parting Shot!"
Li Xiang snapped his fingers, and Incineroar roared at Hawlucha again.
"RRROAR!"
Dark-red soundwaves reverberated around Hawlucha's head like a deafening gong!
Compared to the Decidueye they'd faced before, this Hawlucha's willpower was clearly stronger—the roar only slightly affected it.
But—
Even a slight effect was still an effect.
Incineroar withdrew, and Rotom returned to the field.
"Volt Switch."
Li Xiang waved his hand, and Rotom fired another pair of electric rings at Hawlucha.
"Detect!"
The burly young man, already holding a PokéBall for a swap, shouted urgently.
But between Parting Shot's debuff and paralysis, Hawlucha was too slow.
Even though Detect had +4 priority, it still couldn't activate in time. This would've been impossible in turn-based games, but the real world operated differently.
The electric rings struck again.
Li Xiang swapped once more.
The young man tried to seize the chance to recall Hawlucha, but Incineroar was already back on the field, roaring with Intimidate + Fake Out, its moves executing in the blink of an eye!
He was just a fraction too slow.
Once again, Incineroar used Parting Shot.
Hawlucha's Attack had been reduced to near-useless levels.
Thankfully, after being intimidated repeatedly, Hawlucha was starting to adapt to the flinching effect.
One more cycle, and it'd either break through or the young man would finally swap it out.
But Li Xiang was one step ahead. He knew exactly when opponents' Pokémon would adapt to Intimidate.
This time, when Rotom returned, it didn't use Volt Switch. Instead, it fired a massive Thunderbolt!
KRA-KOOM!
A deafening crack of lightning!
Hawlucha's barely-started Detect was interrupted as Thunderbolt struck its body!
Super effective!
ZZZT—!
The sound of sizzling electricity filled the air. Hawlucha convulsed under the yellow current, stars spinning in its eyes as its body locked up.
Finally, with a plume of scorched smoke rising from its feathers, it collapsed.
Knocked out!
The spectators erupted in shock.
Compared to Corviknight's flashy but hard-to-appreciate aerial techniques, this relentless rotation combo was far more visually impressive.
If they hadn't seen it themselves, they wouldn't have believed a young student could pull this off!
The move transitions were seamless!
Hawlucha had been completely locked down, unable to attack or be swapped out, forced to eat Volt Switch after Volt Switch until it fainted.
The entire sequence was terrifyingly smooth.
A textbook-perfect demonstration of rotation tactics!
On the field, Li Xiang appeared calm but inwardly, he was thrilled.
This wasn't his first time using rotation strategies, but it was his most successful attempt yet.
Not only had he denied swaps, but he'd also prevented the opponent from attacking at all.
Many factors contributed to this, but most of the credit went to Incineroar and Rotom. Their relentless training had paid off.
This was how rotation was meant to be played in this world!
Meanwhile, the burly young man stood frozen for several seconds before the referee's prompt snapped him back to reality.
With great reluctance, he sent out his third Pokémon.
A humanoid lizard with a mohawk and wrinkled, armor-like skin landed on the field.
—Scrafty, the Dark/Fighting-type.
A Pokémon 4x weak to Fairy, but decent in doubles.
The moment Scrafty appeared, it made a grotesque face at Rotom, startling it.
'Intimidate Ability?' Li Xiang raised an eyebrow.
"Fake Out!"
"Protect."
Scrafty clapped its hands together—SLAP!—a flash of white light bursting forth!
But Rotom had already activated Protect, a green barrier deflecting Fake Out's energy.
Compared to Incineroar's Intimidate + Fake Out, Scrafty was far weaker.
Rotom wasn't fazed—it just shielded and moved on.
"Snarl!"
Seeing Fake Out fail, the young man's face darkened as he opted to lower Rotom's Special Attack. But at this point, the battle was already lost. What could a close-range semi-support like Scrafty do against a floating washing machine?
If Rotom just hovered higher, Scrafty wouldn't even be able to reach it.
"Skree!"
Scrafty howled at Rotom, dark-purple soundwaves condensing into a tangible orb before exploding outward!
Rotom took the Snarl head-on—then retaliated with a barrage of blue embers.
Both attacks landed, and the spots where Scrafty was hit began to smolder.
—Burned by Will-O-Wisp.
A physical attacker with a burn was as good as dead.
Now, the young man had two options:
i) Use Facade and hope for the best.ii) Use Rest and try to swap.
He chose the latter, already pulling out a PokéBall.
"Rest!"
Scrafty's head drooped as it instantly fell asleep, just as the recall beam hit it.
In its place, the barely-alive Sirfetch'd returned to the field. And the moment it appeared, Rotom's pre-charged Thunderbolt struck it down.
No chance to act.
The Rest + Swap strategy had been completely anticipated by Li Xiang and Rotom.
It was never going to work.
The young man stared at his instantly-fainted Sirfetch'd, his expression stiff with disbelief.
He'd hoped Sirfetch'd could buy time. Scrafty had just used Rest and wouldn't wake up immediately.
But now…
All he could do was pray that his bond with Scrafty was strong enough for it to wake up quickly.
At least then, he'd still have a fighting chance.