Froslass, pierced through the chest by Dark Pulse, plummeted from the sky. She hit the ground hard, her eyes spinning and her body completely still. The referee raised his arm and declared, "Froslass is incapacitated! Greninja wins!"
Despite Mismagius' earlier lack of effectiveness, Froslass had managed to put up a decent fight. She forced Greninja to use Substitute twice and expend stamina on multiple attacks. However, it came at a cost. Greninja's strength was now less than half of its peak. Even so, using only two Pokemon to drain half of Greninja's stamina wasn't enough for Morty to feel confident. His expression darkened as he recalled Froslass back into her Pokeball. Clutching his final Pokeball tightly, he hurled it onto the battlefield.
"Gengar, it's your turn!"
In a burst of light, the mischievous ghost emerged. The plump, purple Pokemon landed with a wide grin, flashing its sharp white teeth. "Gengar!" it called out playfully.
Gengar LV64 appeared on the screen. John's brow furrowed as he considered the situation. Greninja, currently at LV55, was significantly out-leveled. While John had spent time leveling up Greninja recently, his usual focus was on his two pseudo-legendaries, Garchomp and Tyranitar. A nine-level gap wasn't something to take lightly.
Gengar was a far cry from the average attributes of Froslass. It boasted a formidable special attack and incredible speed, though it came at the cost of physical strength and defense. However, the snowy battlefield worked to Greninja's advantage. The residual hailstorm, previously summoned by Froslass, now cloaked Greninja in the perfect cover, thanks to its Snow Cloak ability. Morty's control over the snow had inadvertently handed John a critical edge.
"Gengar, lock onto the one on the left! Use Shadow Ball!" Morty commanded, his eyes narrowing. The battlefield was his stage, and he wasn't about to let John take the spotlight.
Greninja and its Substitute flickered in and out of the snow's cover, but Morty's gaze remained firmly locked on the real target. Gengar leaped from side to side, its short arms moving in swift, precise circles. Two dark energy spheres formed above its palms before launching forward in an arc, converging on Greninja's position.
"Water Shuriken!" John countered instantly.
Greninja swiftly stepped back, its hands spinning as sharp water blades formed and hurtled toward Gengar. Morty smirked. "A trade of blows?" he muttered. "Hardly."
The Shadow Balls collided with Greninja's Substitute, causing a smoky explosion. Meanwhile, Gengar took the full brunt of Greninja's Water Shuriken attack, each of the five strikes landing with precision.
Morty remained unfazed. "Night Shade, now!" he barked.
Gengar's shadow stretched unnaturally, rising behind it to form a massive, ghostly figure. The oversized apparition merged back into Gengar, transforming it into a towering version of itself. Greninja, preparing for a swift follow-up attack, hesitated at the sight of the ghostly giant.
"Shadow Sneak!" Morty yelled.
From the shadows beneath Greninja, two massive, dark hands emerged and gripped its legs tightly. Greninja struggled to free itself, but the grip was unrelenting.
"Now, finish it! Gengar, encore Shadow Ball!"
The ghost-type spun its stubby arms once more, crafting two new energy spheres. The Shadow Balls arced ominously through the air, their paths converging on the immobilized Greninja. With no way to dodge and no Substitute left to block, the situation looked grim. But before the attack could land, John swiftly recalled Greninja into its Pokeball.
"Hey! This is a Gym challenge!" Morty protested angrily. "You can't switch Pokemon mid-battle! That's a forfeit for Greninja!"
The referee turned to John, waiting for his response.
"I'm aware," John said calmly. "I'd rather lose Greninja's battle than risk unnecessary damage and gettting hurt. I still have two Pokemon left."
The referee nodded. "Greninja is unable to battle. Gengar wins!"
John wasted no time, immediately tossing his next Pokeball onto the battlefield.
With a thunderous roar, Tyranitar emerged, its sheer size and power sending tremors through the ground. The moment it appeared, the icy battlefield was swept away by a fierce sandstorm. The oppressive hailstorm was no more, replaced by a swirling vortex of sand and debris.
"Tyranitar!" The green beast roared, its earthy-yellow frame towering over the battlefield, its presence almost primal in the chaos of the sandstorm.
Morty's expression grew grim. "Gengar, continuous Shadow Ball! Don't let up!"
Gengar leaped into the air, its massive frame surprisingly nimble. With rapid, almost frantic movements, it conjured seven Shadow Balls, each one slightly larger than the last. They launched in a relentless barrage toward Tyranitar.
"Rock Slide!" John commanded, his voice steady.
Rather than relying on dark-type moves for type advantage, John opted for a broader strategy. Tyranitar stomped the ground, summoning a rain of massive boulders from above. The rocks crashed down with devastating force, colliding with the incoming Shadow Balls. Some of the dark spheres were obliterated mid-air, while others struck Tyranitar directly. Yet, the damage was negligible.
Tyranitar's typing as a rock and dark type, combined with the sandstorm's defensive boost, made it nearly impervious to Gengar's ghost-type attacks. The remaining Shadow Balls barely fazed the towering Pokemon. Meanwhile, the falling boulders from Rock Slide rained down mercilessly on Gengar, burying it under a pile of rubble.
"Gengar!" Morty shouted, his frustration mounting.
John smirked. "It's over."