Candice gave a direct call back to the playful Spheal that was still hopping around, eager for more.
'Sheer Cold' had taken its toll on the little guy. Its job of forcing Luther's Jumpluff to retreat was done, so it was now time for Spheal to get some well-earned rest and recover its energy.
Froslass floated back onto the field. Candice's plan was clear: with the 'Hail' still swirling, she was going to use Froslass's 'Snow Cloak' Ability to control the tempo of the fight.
Luther frowned. Apart from Candice's final, still-unseen Pokémon, Froslass was the only one on her team that hadn't sustained any damage. Its stamina was perfect, and it still had two secret moves that she had not yet revealed.
Spheal hadn't suffered any real damage from 'Leech Seed', just a big stamina drain. Though three of its moves were now known, Candice was still keeping the last one a tightly held secret.
On Luther's side, both Kirlia and Froslass were at a type disadvantage, and the combination of Hail and the slippery, icy battlefield was killing their speed.
Luther decided to keep Marill on the sidelines for now.
Taking a deep breath, he looked towards Houndoom.
Houndoom seemed to instantly know what was on its trainer's mind. It stood up and stepped onto the frozen battlefield.
Luther knew this was exactly what Candice wanted. If he had a perfect counter for Froslass, he would have sent it out already; with so few Pokémon left on each side, the element of surprise was dwindling after all.
Since he couldn't bring out anything else, Houndoom was the obvious choice to take down Froslass, being the only Pokémon on his team with the type advantage.
Candice was deliberately backing Luther into a corner, forcing him to sacrifice Houndoom much as he had forced her to use Absol earlier.
"Sunny Day!"
There was no time left for mind games. This was Houndoom's final stand, and Luther's goal was simple: to ensure that Houndoom secured every possible advantage before being defeated!
The intense heat radiating from Houndoom tore through the snow clouds above. Brilliant sunlight flooded the arena and suddenly stripped Froslass of the protection of 'Snow Cloak', which had cloaked her in the blizzard.
Seizing the moment while Houndoom was still catching its breath after unleashing Sunny Day, Froslass fired a Blizzard.
It wasn't super-effective, but with Houndoom's stamina already dangerously low, the attack was devastating.
The fallen Houndoom was barely clinging to consciousness, just enough to avoid being declared unable to battle.
Luther's initial instinct was to call for an Overheat, urging Houndoom to make one final, suicidal charge. However, he changed his mind.
"Fire Fang."
Hearing the command, Houndoom struggled to its feet and lunged towards Froslass.
"Blizzard, send Houndoom off to rest."
Froslass's ferocious Blizzard roared across the field and slammed into Houndoom.
Suddenly, however, Houndoom dug its claws into the icy ground, twisted its body and slid out of the blizzard's direct path, narrowly avoiding the full onslaught.
Candice's eyes widened in shock. That maneuver... sliding out of harm's way by controlling its body on the ice was a signature move of her Absol.
But wait a minute… Houndoom had only ever seen Absol do it once. And without any practice, it could perform it so smoothly?
Gliding effortlessly across the ice, Houndoom used a slab of frozen rock for leverage and launched itself directly at Froslass.
"Protect!"
Candice wasn't going to risk it. This Houndoom's sheer tenacity was terrifying. If that final strike landed a critical hit- or worse- causing a burn or a flinch, her entire battle plan could instantly crumble.
Houndoom crashed violently into the shimmering Protect barrier, bounced back hard and fell to the ground. Yet it refused to give up, struggling to its feet again and again, absolutely determined to land a hit on Froslass.
A Shadow Ball exploded in front of it at close range, but Houndoom didn't even flinch. Summoning the last of its strength, it bit down, driving its Fire Fang squarely into Froslass's body.
Candice's worst-case scenario had come true: a type-advantaged move boosted by Sunny Weather with a flinch effect.
Froslass desperately wanted to execute the 'Shadow Ball' command, but her body wouldn't move. The searing pain from the 'Fire Fang' had paralysed her, and Houndoom, stubborn to the very end, refused to unclench its jaws.
Just as Candice reached for her Poké Ball to switch out, Houndoom's grip finally loosened.
With its stamina completely depleted, the attack hadn't quite finished Froslass off. Houndoom collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chansey came onto the field to help Luther carry Houndoom away. After pouring a little water down its throat, Houndoom slowly regained consciousness.
Seeing that Froslass was still standing, Houndoom looked crushed. When it had bitten down, it had gone completely fuzzy; it had thought it could take Froslass down with it.
Luther gave Houndoom a comforting pat. It had already done far more than enough. Froslass was severely damaged and the weather advantage had shifted completely. Unless Candice wanted to use another move to bring back the Hail, the field was now his.
Determined to wear Froslass down once and for all, Luther sent Chansey back into the fight.
Froslass was in terrible shape. Consecutive Blizzards and Shadow Balls had drained her, and although she had quietly recovered some stamina with Snow Cloak, the single, solid Fire Fang had left her on the brink.
But suddenly, something felt off to Luther. In this condition, why wasn't Candice recalling her Pokémon?
Not only did she fail to switch out Froslass, she even gave a faint, knowing smile when she saw Chansey enter.
Unable to fathom her reasoning, Luther decided to test the waters.
"Fire Punch! Watch out for Froslass's counter!"
With 'Sunny Day' in effect, a boosted Fire Punch would almost certainly knock Froslass out if it connected.
Chansey charged towards Froslass. Yet Froslass didn't move a muscle. When Chansey was nearly within striking range, Candice clapped her hands lightly.
"Froslass, take it head-on!"
Froslass leaned forward and threw herself literally against the incoming Fire Punch. In that instant, Luther suddenly understood Candice's entire plan.
"Chansey, pull back!"
Chansey heard the order, but the punch had already been thrown and Froslass had already thrown herself into it.
The moment she collided with the punch, her body went completely limp and she fell softly to the ground.
"Destiny Bond."
Before she lost the ability to battle, a streak of black light shot out from Froslass's body and struck Chansey.
The instant it hit, Chansey's vision went dark and she collapsed.
Candice had been holding back the final, secret move all along: 'Destiny Bond'. She had saved it for this very moment. Knowing that Froslass could not continue the fight, Candice decided to take down Luther's key rhythm-controlling Pokémon with her.
"You noticed, but a little too late. Gotcha."
Candice stepped forward to catch Froslass as Luther knelt to revive his fallen Chansey.
"If I remember right," Luther said with a wry smile, "the Pokémon League rulebook lists Destiny Bond under the banned moves, doesn't it?"
Candice stretched lazily.
"The rules keep changing, mostly for the sake of spectacle and competitive balance. It used to be completely banned, but these days it depends. Sometimes it's allowed; sometimes they say only one Pokémon per team can have it. In unofficial matches, or ones without the strict Four-Move Limit, it's generally permitted."
Then she grinned.
"It's been a while since I've had such a satisfying battle. I want to try every trick I've got. I've still got two Pokémon left, show me what other surprises you've got in store."
"As you wish," Luther replied.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395