"Mr. Juan, I'm going to attack!" Gary warned, eyes narrowed with focus.
"Bring it on!" Juan replied, his usually calm expression giving way to a glint of intensity.
"Okay! Latios, use Psychic!" Gary ordered immediately.
"Latioooos!"
Latios' eyes gleamed with a brilliant blue light as a surge of psychic energy burst from his mind, slamming into Milotic.
Though the invisible, colorless force struck head-on, Milotic's impressive bulk and exceptional Special Defense helped her weather the assault. She recoiled, wincing slightly, but stayed afloat in the water with grace.
Juan narrowed his eyes, silently analyzing the exchange. He had allowed Milotic to take that hit deliberately—to gauge Latios' strength. From the way Milotic flinched, he could tell: this Latios was no ordinary Pokémon.
"Milotic, use Blizzard! Let's counterattack!" Juan commanded.
"Latios, dodge and then use Dragon Pulse!" Gary countered swiftly.
Latios shot up into the air in a smooth arc to evade. Milotic whipped her body and let loose an icy storm, but even in this enclosed arena where Latios couldn't hit top speed, he was still too fast. The frigid winds trailed behind him in vain.
"What explosive acceleration…" Juan muttered. "Many Pokémon can build up speed, but to go that fast instantly…"
"Hmmmmm!!"
Latios hovered for a second, then charged a swirling beam of draconic energy and launched it toward Milotic.
BOOM!
The Dragon Pulse hit its mark, creating a small eruption of water as it crashed into the pool.
As the smoke and mist cleared, Milotic floated in place, undamaged, her elegant eyes locked on Latios.
Gary frowned. "No damage? …Protect, huh."
Juan nodded slightly as if confirming Gary's suspicion. Milotic had activated Protect at the last second to nullify the damage.
"Latios, use Simple Beam and alter Milotic's Ability!" Gary ordered, shifting tactics.
"Latioooos!"
Latios sent out a shimmering rainbow pulse of thought waves toward Milotic.
"Aqua Tail!" Juan called out.
Milotic's tail was enveloped in a spiraling current of water as she swung it forward—but the watery tail simply passed through the Simple Beam without interference. The beam struck Milotic, changing her Ability, though it didn't deal damage.
Juan's brow furrowed. "He's trying to change her Ability to Simple…"
Simple doubles the effects of stat changes—positive or negative. Gary knew what he was doing.
Juan's Milotic only had two boosting moves: Coil and Dragon Dance. But Milotic was a special attacker—those boosts to Attack wouldn't matter. Coil did improve accuracy and Defense, though…
"Milotic, use Coil!" Juan commanded, clearly hoping to increase her durability.
Gary blinked. "He actually used Coil…?"
Even though it wouldn't help with Milotic's special attacks, the improved accuracy could still be useful. Her Defense would also be tougher to break now.
"Latios, hit it with Thunderbolt! While she's powering up!"
"Latios!!"
Electric sparks danced across Latios' body as he discharged a crackling bolt of electricity. It struck Milotic mid-Coil, but her boosted defenses and inherent resistance allowed her to endure the shock.
Juan appeared calm, but Gary wasn't done.
"Now—Heal Block!"
"What?!" Juan's calm demeanor cracked, realizing too late what Gary was setting up.
Latios's body shimmered with purplish light and released a pulse that created a glowing ring around Milotic, blocking any healing attempts.
Juan's eyes widened. "He knew about Recover…!"
Milotic could no longer use Recover—one of her greatest endurance tools. Gary had expertly shut it down.
"Thunderbolt, again!" Gary pressed.
"Milotic, use Ice Beam!" Juan fired back.
Latios sent another lightning strike from above, while Milotic's mouth glowed icy blue, firing a frozen ray upward. The golden electricity met the icy beam mid-air, and the collision burst into a chaotic explosion of energy.
Though neither side took direct damage, the intensity of the battle was escalating.
"Blizzard!" Juan shouted again.
With her accuracy boosted by Coil, Milotic unleashed another ice storm, this time better targeted.
"Luster Purge!" Gary countered.
"Latios!!"
Latios charged a brilliant beam of psychic light, tinged pink, and fired it straight into the cold winds of Blizzard. The energy carved through the swirling snow and struck Milotic dead-on.
BOOM!!
"Wooooooooh!"
Milotic cried out as the hit sent her flying several meters back across the pool.
Juan's brows furrowed. "Why is the power suddenly so much higher than before…?"
Earlier, Latios' Thunderbolt and Milotic's Ice Beam had clashed evenly. But now, Luster Purge had cut through Blizzard with ease.
The answer was simple: Latios wasn't getting any bonus from Electric-type moves, but Luster Purge, a Psychic-type move, gained STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus) and was further enhanced by the Twisted Spoon item he was holding. Combined, its effective power was devastating.
"Keep up the pressure—Luster Purge again!" Gary shouted.
"Milotic, ride the wave—Surf into the air!" Juan ordered, thinking defensively.
Milotic summoned a huge wave beneath her, riding it upward like a serpent of the sea. The second Luster Purge narrowly missed as she spiraled through the air.
"Fly around her and use Thunderbolt! Don't give her time!" Gary commanded.
Latios zoomed through the air with impossible speed, darting around Milotic in dizzying circles. His streamlined flight confused her senses, and in a flash, he dove beneath her and fired a point-blank Thunderbolt.
CRACK!
Electricity surged upward, hitting Milotic directly and sending her crashing back down into the water.
Juan's heart sank. Milotic was visibly struggling now, her graceful form trembling with exhaustion.
"Time to end this! Luster Purge—finish it!!" Gary roared.
"Milotic, use Hydro Pump! Give it everything you've got!" Juan shouted with equal urgency.
"Latiosssss!!"
Milotic reared her head back—
"Miloooooootic!!"
—Both Pokémon released their ultimate moves.
A shining beam of psychic energy clashed against a torrential stream of water in the center of the stadium.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The impact created a deafening explosion. A giant mushroom cloud of steam and debris engulfed the battlefield, obscuring both Pokémon from view.