Tobias stared at the field, a hint of confusion crossing his usually stoic expression.
He had only ordered Extre Speed to test Togekiss's bulk. How had a single physical strike caused so much visible strain?
"Togekiss, Life Dew," Gary ordered, taking advantage of the brief lull. He wasn't about to let Togekiss burn itself out.
"Bok!"
Togekiss let out a soft cry. A gentle, glowing mist of water enveloped its body, quickly washing away the fatigue and restoring the stamina it had lost to the Life Orb's recoil.
Tobias's eyes narrowed. "Don't let it recover. Ice Beam!"
"Return."
Gary had his Poké Ball ready. Before the freezing beam could even cross the field, a beam of red light shot out and pulled Togekiss back into its capsule. The Ice Beam struck nothing but empty air.
"What a tense exchange!" the comntator shouted. "Gary manages to recall Togekiss right at the critical mont. Tobias's offensive pressure is incredible—forcing Gary to switch Pokémon this early in the match!"
In the stands, the crowd murmured.
"Who do you think he'll send out against Suicune? Zapdos?"
"Has to be, right? Only a Legendary can fight another Legendary."
Expectations were high. Gary had used Zapdos in the past, and against Suicune, it was the perfect counter.
Gary unclipped his next Poké Ball and threw it. "Magnezone, you're up."
The ball popped open.
A saucer-shaped, tallic Pokémon hovered into view, its three magnets humming with electric currents.
[Lv. 61 Magnezone / Champion-tier]
"Magnezone?!" The comntator sounded genuinely taken aback. "Gary sends out Magnezone? Will it be enough against Suicune?"
The crowd let out a collective groan of disappointnt. They had wanted to see Zapdos.
"What?! Magnezone?"
"Why Magnezone of all Pokémon?"
"Can that thing really fight a Legendary?"
"Master Gary, don't throw this!"
The audience was visibly disappointed. After watching Tobias reveal one Legendary after another, many spectators had been hoping Gary would answer with a Legendary of his own.
Tobias, however, didn't share their dismissal. He had studied Gary's public battle records. He knew this Magnezone was a defensive wall. He wasn't going to underestimate it.
"Suicune, Water Pulse," Tobias ordered, opting for a safe, ranged attack to test the waters.
A condensed sphere of water ford in front of Suicune and shot forward.
"Light Screen, then Rain Dance," Gary commanded smoothly.
"Bzzzt."
A shimring wall of golden energy materialized in front of Magnezone. The Water Pulse slamd into it and burst apart, dealing barely any damage. Imdiately after, Magnezone projected a pulse of energy into the sky. Dark clouds gathered rapidly, and a steady rain began to fall over the battlefield.
Tobias frowned.
"Suicune, return."
Before Gary could issue an attack order, Tobias pulled his Pokémon back.
Gary watched the red beam with mild disappointnt, though he understood the play. Tobias still had Heatran, Latios, Raikou, and one unknown Pokémon left. With the rain falling, keeping a Water-type on the field against an Electric-type was too risky.
"Heatran, go." Tobias sent out his Fire/Steel Legendary.
[Lv. 64 Heatran / Quasi-Legendary]
Gary didn't even blink at the sight of the massive beast. "Electric Terrain."
Magnezone released a wave of electricity that washed over the ground, turning the entire battlefield into a sparking, golden grid.
"Heatran, Earth Power!" Tobias went straight for the weakness.
"Duo!"
Heatran stomped its heavy foot. The ground beneath Magnezone glowed orange, and a violent pillar of earthen energy erupted upward.
"Mirror Coat."
Gary made no attempt to dodge.
A glossy, mirror-like sheen coated Magnezone's tallic body just as the Earth Power struck. Because Magnezone was a Steel/Electric type, the Ground-type move dealt devastating four-tis super-effective damage. The impact rocked the hovering Pokémon violently.
But as the earthen energy dissipated, the mirror coating on Magnezone flared blindingly bright. The absorbed damage condensed into a massive beam of light and shot straight back at Heatran.
Boom!!
Heatran, slow and heavy, couldn't avoid it. The reflected blast struck it dead center.
When the smoke cleared, Heatran was lying on its side, completely unconscious.
The referee froze for a second before raising his flag. "Heatran is unable to battle! Magnezone wins!"
Tobias stood stunned. Throughout the entire tournant, he had been the one knocking out his opponents' Pokémon in a single hit. He had never expected to see his own Legendary taken down in one exchange.
"Brutal," Gary muttered to himself, a faint smile on his face.
Magnezone's raw attack stats could never one-shot a Heatran. But Earth Power was a special attack. Mirror Coat took the massive four-tis damage Magnezone had suffered and reflected double that amount back at the attacker. On top of that, Magnezone's Sturdy ability ensured it wouldn't be knocked out from full health, effectively turning it into a damage-reflecting tank.
"Incredible!" the comntator finally found his voice. "Heatran is knocked out instantly by its own reflected attack! And Magnezone is still in the fight!"
Up in the stands, a specific section of the crowd—the gamblers—went wild.
"Dad Gary, win perfectly!"
"Dad Gary, your son is kneeling here! Please don't lose a single Pokémon!"
"Dad Gary would never let his sons down!"
"Please! I've already bet everything!"
The mont Gary defeated two Legendary Pokémon in a row, countless hopeless bettors suddenly saw the light again.
Many of them had placed heavy bets on Gary sweeping the entire tournant perfectly. When Tobias started throwing out Legendaries, they had panicked. But seeing Gary take down two of them without losing a single Pokémon had reignited their hopes.
Tobias recalled Heatran, his expression hardening. He pulled another Poké Ball.
"Raikou, go."
[Lv. 65 Raikou / Quasi-Legendary]
With Rain Dance still active and Electric Terrain covering the ground, Tobias sent out his Electric-type Legendary to capitalize on the battlefield Gary had just set up.
"Raikou, Extre Speed!" Tobias barked.
Raikou didn't just run; it blurred. Moving like a bolt of lightning, it crossed the field in an instant and slamd heavily into Magnezone.
"Bzzzt!"
Magnezone took the hit and shuddered violently. It didn't fall, but the damage was severe. The Earth Power had already dropped it to its Sturdy threshold; it was running on fus.
"Return."
Gary recalled Magnezone without hesitation. He wasn't going to let it faint just to land a chip-damage attack.
He held his next Poké Ball, running through his options.
Rhyperior would be the perfect counter to Raikou's Electric moves, but if he sent it out, Tobias would undoubtedly switch straight back to Suicune.
Garchomp was another solid choice, but again, it would just invite Suicune back onto the field.
Gary needed sothing that could handle Raikou without giving Tobias a free montum shift.
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