Even with a body full of injuries from the fall, Growlithe still eagerly stared at the newly appeared Swellow, showing no signs of backing down until Terrance recalled Growlithe and sent out Mismagius, signaling the continuation of the battle.
Growlithe could still fight... Terrance remembered that unless Growlithe was truly exhausted, even multiple injuries couldn't stop it from fighting.
However, observing Swellow's agility, Terrance knew... this Swellow was much faster than Swablu, and with Winona likely being prepared, Growlithe's ambush wouldn't be as effective as before.
If Growlithe's attack failed... it would only result in increasing its injuries for no gain.
"Mismagius—"
Terrance signaled to Mismagius, his gaze fixed on the Swellow in the sky, who was waiting for Winona's command.
"Not attacking first?" Winona cautiously observed Mismagius, having learned from her experience with Growlithe earlier, she realized Terrance wasn't just an ordinary Trainer.
"We can't afford to be careless." Pumping herself up, Winona said: "Swellow, Air Slash!"
Swellow, with its ink-blue feathers, extended its sharp red claws and vigorously swung them towards the ground, sending several sharp blades formed from air racing towards Mismagius.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Air Slash hit the ground, Mismagius dispersed with the dust, disappearing from Winona and Swellow's sight, hiding somewhere unknown.
That's the most difficult aspect of dealing with Ghost-type Pokémon... their ability to conceal themselves...causes headaches for most Pokémon; if they can't locate the Ghost-type Pokémon, they will surely be at a disadvantage in battle.
"Keep your calm, Swellow, observe the surroundings." Winona scanned the area, having Swellow fly higher into the air; she didn't believe Terrance wouldn't issue a command to attack.
The atmosphere grew tense as Swellow circled in the air, its sharp gaze scanning all around with great focus. Suddenly, Shadow Balls appeared from all directions one after another, flying towards Swellow. Facing great danger, Swellow received Winona's swift command to "use Quick Attack" to evade!!
Zzzt zzzt zzzt~
Swellow effortlessly flapped its wings, calmly dodging the Shadow Balls, while simultaneously showcasing the elegance of its beautiful feathers, its movements graceful.
However, just when Swellow thought it had perfectly avoided all the Shadow Balls, it felt numbness creeping through its body. Its wings had been invaded by strong electric currents, the tingling sensation making it unable to flap its wings, only able to let out a miserable cry as it fell from the sky.
"Swellow!! Swellow! What's wrong—"
During the fall, Swellow heard the Trainer's call clearly, feeling momentarily confused...
Meanwhile, Winona was even more confused, as she watched Swellow, who was previously focused, suddenly use Quick Attack to charge into the Thunder Wave that had been woven together out of thin air. No matter how she called out, it had no effect.
Then... it happened, Swellow succumbed to the effect of Thunder Wave's paralysis, losing its ability to fly and crashed onto the ground.
"It's over! Mismagius, Shadow Ball."
This time, it was a genuine Shadow Ball. As Swellow fell, numerous Shadow Balls followed closely behind. At the moment they hit Swellow, intense fluctuations spread out, causing waves of smoke. When the smoke cleared... Swellow's condition appeared before everyone's eyes.
Incapacitated! The referee took a deep breath. "As Gym Trainer Winona's two Pokémon have both lost their ability to battle, the winner is Terrance."
Since Winona took over the Gym, this person had always served as a referee. A battle where Winona was so powerless... this was the first time he had seen it. Typically, Winona, who had just taken over as Gym Trainer, wasn't considered weak; in fact, she was even above average among Trainers.
For someone of her age to be able to take over as Gym Trainer... it was partly because the old Gym Leader hoped Winona would develop through experience, but it also showed their recognition of Winona.
The sudden burst of power from Growlithe, Swellow's inexplicable behavior, all left Winona staring bewildered at the arena. She had faced challengers stronger than her before... but the reasons for her losses were understandable, allowing her to identify her shortcomings.
But such a bizarre, unpredictable battle, she was experiencing for the first time.
It was actually an application of "Confuse Ray" and "Psybeam", as well as the foundation of Mismagius' illusion skill. It uses the Confusion condition to make the opponent see other scenes.
In an ordinary Confusion condition, the user can't control the opponent's situation at all, and it is already fortunate to be able to confuse the opponent. As for being able to control the opponent's Confusion condition and create an illusion to make the opponent follow their rhythm, this is no longer an ordinary Confusion move...this ability to create illusions, generally only Psychic-type Pokémon and Ghost-type Pokémon could use it well.
The principle of illusion and hallucination is the "Confusion condition", turning uncontrollable Confusion into controllable Confusion. With Swellow intensely focused and unable to see Mismagius, its attention was focused keenly on the movements around it. Suddenly, the Shadow Balls illusion... coupled with the Trainer's voice, directly broke through Swellow's mental defenses. This prompted Swellow to swiftly react and seriously dodge these Shadow Balls.
However...these Shadow Balls were ultimately fake. Following the trajectory of the Shadow Balls, Swellow charged straight into the Thunder Wave woven by Mismagius, and then it was followed by the real Shadow Ball attack, leaving Swellow, who was paralyzed, unable to resist it.
"I've lost." Actually, Winona didn't care about winning or losing; she just wanted to know why Swellow didn't obey her commands and acted on its own. This was the most puzzling aspect for her. After Terrance explained it in simple terms, Winona suddenly understood, realizing she knew too little about Ghost-type Pokémon as she was focused only on Flying-type Pokémon.
Terrance smiled. He could guess the other's thoughts, but not every Ghost-type Pokémon had the ability to control "Confusion." Firstly, it requires a microscopic level of control over energy, which can easily stump a large number of Pokémon. Secondly, the control over the rhythm when using illusions during training and battles is also crucial. Without long-term practice, illusions with many loopholes were even less useful than simply causing the opponent to fall into random confusion.
"Gym Leader Winona, I came to Fortree Gym specifically to challenge the Altaria of the Gym. Could you now please give me this opportunity?" Terrance asked.
Fighting Trainers of the same age rarely provides Terrance with any gains. He already has a rough framework in mind of common knowledge and experiences. Unless they were Trainers like Steven, Wallace, or Cynthia, even Gym Leaders like Candice, Winona, don't impress Terrance much. They were just thresholds set by the old Gym Leaders to test the Trainers participating in the conferences. Their own strength hadn't grown to the level of seasoned Trainers like Steven and others.
Whether or not they could become qualified Trainers depends on whether they could grow while continuously facing challengers.
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