"Aim those cannons forward and fire Ice Beam at full power!"
In a short span, Gary thought through a lot before giving that command.
If he used Water Pulse or Surf, Hitmontop's Triple Axel would likely get frozen mid-spin. That would only stall for time, and judging by Hitmontop's condition, a stalling plan would just get smashed apart.
Gary wanted to go head-to-head—meet it with another Ice-type move. If Ice Beam clashed cleanly, maybe he could force some damage through.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise sank its weight. The twin cannons on its back gave a low, metallic rumble. As it took aim at the charging Hitmontop, the torrent roaring inside the barrels shifted into a frigid beam.
The killing-cold ray lanced out, frosting everything it touched with a thin sheet of ice.
The surging waves from earlier froze solid into slabs—but under Hitmontop's dull, heavy strikes, they kept shattering into chips.
Craaaack!!!
A burst of breaking ice rang out; the frozen tidal wall split apart on the spot.
"Hitmon…"
Hitmontop started to pant. It had just punched through, only to take the Ice Beam head-on—its whole body swallowed by the attack!
"Blastoise!"
Seeing its move land, Blastoise gritted down and poured on more power, trying to keep Hitmontop from breaking through.
The beam flared brighter. The air around them plunged below freezing; every breath stabbed the chest like dozens of knives.
Glub… glub…
Dark violet toxic bubbles welled up again—the damage spiked, and Hitmontop nearly collapsed.
"Hitmon…" (No… just a bit more!)
Arms crossed before its chest, Hitmontop skidded back under the beam and hit ground, gasping for breath.
But the fighting intent in its eyes didn't fade. It only burned hotter.
Catching what Hitmontop wanted, Grey raised his voice, his words just as fierce. "Hitmontop—close in and use Close Combat!"
"Hitmon!"
Hitmontop burst with unprecedented strength. As Ice Beam roared at it, it raised an arm and drove a fist straight into it!
Bang!!!
A shockwave of Fighting-type energy drilled through the beam. Hitmontop lunged forward in a blur—its speed was absurd.
"Not good! Blastoise, Protect, now!"
Gary snapped the order, praying Blastoise would move first.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise bit down and stamped hard. In the same instant, a safe, teal barrier shimmered into place, sealing it inside!
Hitmontop slammed into the barrier without a word; the ground itself trembled from the impact.
Just from the aftermath, you could tell how terrifying that blow was.
If not for Protect, Blastoise would've been seriously hurt.
"As expected of Gym Leader Grey…"
Heart still thudding, Gary pressed a hand to his chest, finally catching his breath.
Hitmontop's attack cadence clearly slowed, and once Close Combat ended, the toxic damage ramped up, making its breathing grow ever more ragged.
"Blastoise…" (What strength…)
While the barrier still held, Blastoise swung its twin cannons toward Hitmontop, wary of getting dragged into a one-for-one trade.
"Surf—at your feet!"
"Sucker Punch."
Blastoise had only just lifted a foot—water hadn't even surged yet—when a flicker of black flashed across its vision!
An instant later, pain exploded across its face.
Hitmontop's heavy fist had already crashed into its jaw!
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise roared and stomped again; ripples burst out and swelled sky-high!
Water heaved and stacked, one wave higher than the last!
Hitmontop leveraged the recoil—
If it got swallowed by this, Hitmontop was going down—no question!
Surf crashed overhead, a black weight blotting out the sky.
Hitmontop watched it come, drew in its arms, and readied a crushing counter.
"Baton Pass."
Grey's voice was calm.
"Huh?"
At that cue, the intensity in Gary's eyes suddenly cleared.
Baton Pass?!
Grey had that up his sleeve?!
Light flared over Hitmontop's body; before the breaker wave could fall, it returned to its Poké Ball.
Then, a ball at Grey's hip burst with light.
"Breloom!"
Breloom took the field!
Gary: ???
Blastoise: ???
Seeing Breloom appear, both trainer and turtle fell silent.
Seriously? Right when the brawl was getting good, you Baton Pass into a switch?!
Where's the Fighting-type trainer's pride?
Punch once and run, is that it?!
The frustration knotted in Gary's chest—he wanted to complain, but had nothing he could call a foul.
Grey's play was perfectly legal.
He hadn't yanked the mon back with a Ball; he'd used a move's effect to swap.
It's just…
This was kinda nasty, right?!
[Gary: hand me some peanuts—what decent human switches halfway through a brawl?!]
[Relax, he's still more "human" than Sabrina. She doesn't even call out commands.]
[What a dirty trick from the streamer—but I love it~]
[All's fair in war. If Gary doesn't have the chops, he can't blame Grey.]
"Mm…"
Gary pressed a hand to his chest. The good mood of "I might actually beat Grey" vanished; the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth died on the spot.
Damn it, Grey…!
"Challenger, spacing out mid-battle isn't a great idea."
Grey offered the reminder with a smile.
Which nearly sent Gary up the wall.
Like Grey didn't know why he was losing it?!
He'd finally seen a glimmer of hope—and Grey snuffed it out, fresh and clean!
Whooosh—
The surging wave slammed over Breloom, but it didn't do any meaningful damage.
Breloom shook itself dry, only mildly uncomfortable.
"Oh, right—I forgot to ask whether you want 'civil' or 'martial.'"
Grey tapped his chin, thoughtful.
"Wha?"
Gary tilted his head, baffled.
What, a single Pokémon comes with two playstyles?
Still, since he asked…
"'Civil,' I guess?"
"Hohoho—have it your way."
Grey's smile widened. He raised a finger and tapped the air. "Breloom—close in on Blastoise and use Spore!"
"Breloom!"
Thanks to Baton Pass, Breloom inherited the boosts Hitmontop left behind—its speed blew past normal!
With a single step it shot forward like the wind, kicking up a gale!
Seeing that speed, Gary's pupils shrank. "Ice Beam, now!"
Protect was pointless here—better to take the gamble!
Face set, Blastoise didn't even bother to aim. It blasted two jagged beams straight ahead!
But Breloom was faster—slipping past the Ice Beams—and exhaled a thick cloud of spores that poured into Blastoise's nostrils with its next breath!
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.