In Annihilape's Aura vision, everything slowed down.
Time itself felt like it had been stretched to ten times its normal length.
The Persian that had been like a ghost before, impossible to read, now had its lunging strike turned into a ridiculous slow-motion replay—every drifting hair frozen in midair.
Those ghostly glowing claws were inching toward its throat at a snail's pace—no, slower than a snail.
But Persian still hadn't realized anything was wrong, and continued to thrust straight at Annihilape!
Its pads brushed the icy floor, and in that instant they exploded with terrifying spring force, those glowing claws driving straight for Annihilape's temple!
"Cross Chop!"
"Graaaah!"
As if it had already read every possible trajectory, Annihilape twisted its waist, its movement trailing purple-black afterimages.
The moment its arms crossed, Fighting-type energy condensed into a cross-shaped blade of light that slashed precisely across Persian's charge path!
Boom!
Amid the mist from shattered ice crystals, the two figures passed each other.
A scorch-mark in the shape of a cross suddenly appeared on Persian's snow-white fur. It staggered back a few steps, and even the jewel on its forehead showed a hairline crack.
Annihilape wasn't doing much better. The shockwave from the clash of their attacks hammered back into its own body, draining a hefty chunk of its stamina.
"As expected of a Champion-tier Persian—its raw power really is insane."
Grey clicked his tongue inwardly. That Cross Chop had been boosted by four Pokémon all using Helping Hand on it, and even then, clashing head-on with Persian's attack had only managed to deal "normal" damage?
If it had been a regular Elite Four-level Pokémon on the receiving end, it'd probably have been severely injured by now.
Which just showed how ridiculously strong the Persian Giovanni had raised really was.
Petrel and Proton, as Team Rocket's four-executive-level officers, were in no position to compare their own partners to it.
The difference in level was obvious at a glance.
Giovanni merely cast a glance at the half-kneeling Annihilape struggling to get back up, and coolly gave his next order: "Use Play Rough."
"Meow!"
The jewel on Persian's forehead suddenly burst into an eerie pink light, its entire body wrapped in Fairy-type energy until it became a dreamy peach-colored sphere.
It leaped lightly, and what looked like a playful pounce carried a bone-deep killing intent!
Annihilape lifted its head. In its eyes, Persian's pink-shrouded body swelled rapidly in its field of view, the killing intent in those feline pupils so dense it was almost tangible.
Grey noticed it too, but he didn't open his mouth. He simply waited in silence.
He was waiting for an opening—for a chance to turn the tables in one blow.
Just as Persian was about to close in on Annihilape, Grey finally gave his command: "Encore."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
From Giovanni's perspective, Annihilape suddenly, bizarrely started clapping its hands together, each impact echoing hollowly through the room.
Persian's body jerked to a halt. The Fairy-type energy around it scattered uncontrollably, and instead, its instincts forced it to call up the power it knew best—that familiar ghostly violet glow!
The Ghost-type move, Shadow Claw!
The battle swung in an instant. It was that brief pause that let Annihilape seize the timing and dodge at the perfect moment!
Slash!
Persian's Shadow Claw, thrown off course, slashed into the floor instead. The exploding Ghost-type energy kicked up a shockwave that sent Persian itself tumbling through the air!
Grey struck while the iron was hot. "Drain Punch!"
The tip of Annihilape's fist flared a vivid green. It charged forward in a brutal sprint, each step it took cracking the floor beneath it.
Catching Persian right as it was off-balance, it drove its Fighting-charged fist straight into that soft belly!
"Meooow—!!"
Persian's body bent in half, and visible green energy was ripped out of it, flowing constantly along Annihilape's arm into its own body.
Those wounds that had been torn down to the bone began to heal at an astonishing speed, while Persian's forehead jewel dimmed steadily…
"Meow…" (Damn it…)
Persian struggled to rise, but its claws flared with ghostly violet energy yet again, against its will.
Still that damned Shadow Claw!
Compared to the first time, though, this swipe was clearly much slower—its arc easy to read and predict.
Annihilape bared its teeth in a vicious grin and slipped to the side, green light blooming across its fist again!
Wham!
The second Drain Punch slammed hard into Persian's back.
As another surge of life energy was forcibly yanked out of it, Persian's once-glossy fur lost nearly all its luster, while Annihilape's hunched back was almost completely straight again.
"Still not down?"
Grey frowned. He hadn't expected a Champion-tier Persian to endure that many hits.
The gap in their strength really was immense.
On his side, he was practically burning through every trick he had, and Giovanni was still watching him with that calm, unbothered look.
"I have to admit, Gym Leader Grey, your practical combat experience is impressive. Among all the trainers I've met, you're the third I've ever thought that highly of."
Giovanni's hands came together in applause—a recognition of true talent.
There weren't many trainers he rated so highly.
Besides Grey, only two trainers who had challenged Viridian Gym had ever earned that kind of praise from him.
For Giovanni to say as much meant he already regarded Grey as a trainer on his own level.
"You're also the first trainer I've met who's ever felt this troublesome to deal with."
Grey returned the compliment with a bit of polite "business flattery."
But it was still the truth.
Of all the trainers he'd fought so far, only Giovanni's strength had actually reached Champion level.
Even if it was obvious Giovanni hadn't exactly poured his heart into training this Persian, it was still more than qualified to stand as a gatekeeper.
"Meooow!" (Fine, Shadow Claw it is!)
In midair, Persian twisted sharply, its Shadow Claw tearing into the metal wall.
The ghostly purple blades sliced through the special alloy like a hot knife through butter, leaving three light-filled gashes!
Using the recoil, Persian flipped gracefully and landed.
But its faintly trembling hind legs betrayed just how close it was to burning through its stamina.
"Keep going."
Seeing that Persian had completely sunk into using Shadow Claw, Giovanni chose to lean into the style it preferred.
Rather than tying his own hands, he might as well mobilize every resource he had.
"Meow!"
Persian's body blurred in an instant, its claws wrapped in dense Ghost-type energy that carved three twisted black-violet trails through the air.
Its mouth curled in a feral little smile, and it lunged so fast that even its afterimages were hard to catch.
As expected, speed really was what Persian excelled at.
And of course Giovanni had trained it with that focus in mind.
Grey didn't move. He looked like a mere spectator, saying nothing, giving no orders.
It was exactly that composure that piqued Giovanni's curiosity.
"Let me see…"
"What else you've got up your sleeve!"
Giovanni noticed that Grey hadn't even shifted his stance, and Blaziken's flames around its legs were still swaying idly.
That abnormal calm only made the air feel even more dangerous.
Like the stillness before a storm. Even the gale Persian's charge whipped up seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.
As Persian closed in, Grey's face finally broke into a smile. "Counter!"
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