Pokémon: Trainer Paul

"Dewott, prepare for battle!"

A Poké Ball flew from Paul's hand.

"Cha-Cha!"

As it hit the ground, Dewott now fully accustomed to the effects of gravity over the past few days, smoothly drew its shell-like blades from its thighs, holding them like twin swords.

"That Dewott?! When did he trade for it?!"

In the audience, Barry was utterly dumbfounded as he stared at the battlefield. He hadn't expected Dewott to be under Paul's command. A thought crept into his mind: Could I end up losing to that Dewott again someday?

No, impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Focused entirely on the battle, Paul gave his command.

"Focus Energy."

"Cha~"

Dewott closed its eyes and began concentrating, channeling its inner power.

"Gengar, interrupt it with Night Shade!"

"Gen-gar~"

Gengar let out a sinister laugh, and its shadow came to life, unleashing a terrifying phantom that darted toward Dewott.

The attack was swift, striking the stationary Dewott before it could react, dealing significant damage. Despite this, Dewott didn't cry out in pain. It silently opened its sharp glinting eyes and dashed toward Gengar with blinding speed.

Seeing this, Gengar tried to evade, but it wasn't accustomed to moving under gravity. Its usual floating speed was sluggish, making it hard to distance itself from Dewott.

In mere moments, Dewott closed the gap, poised to strike with a decisive blow.

"Hypnosis!"

In a desperate moment, Gengar's eyes emitted a strange purple wave, aimed directly at Dewott.

At such close range, it was impossible to dodge!

But Dewott had no intention of dodging.

"Night Slash!"

The ordinary-looking shell blade in Dewott's hand suddenly glowed with a dark aura as it slashed forward, cutting through the hypnotic waves and dispelling them entirely.

Closing in further, Dewott struck with its other blade, hitting Gengar squarely.

It's super effective!

A critical hit!

The next second, Gengar was sent flying across the battlefield.

"Water Gun!"

Without pause, Dewott lifted its head and unleashed a powerful jet of water to finish off Gengar.

"Psychic!"

Struggling in midair, Gengar forced its eyes open and released a surge of psychic energy, successfully blocking the Water Gun and reflecting it back toward Dewott.

"Night Slash!"

Dewott charged forward without hesitation, slashing through the incoming Water Gun with its dark-imbued blade and closing the distance once more.

The clash continued, Dewott's blades flashing as it relentlessly pressed its advantage.

"Mean Look!"

As Dewott prepared to strike again, a mysterious energy surged from Gengar's body, immobilizing Dewott in place for a brief moment.

Without the dark aura surrounding its blade, Dewott's attack passed harmlessly through Gengar's body, failing to inflict any damage.

"Now! Hypnosis!"

At point-blank range, Gengar unleashed Hypnosis once more.

"Swords Dance!"

Dewott began spinning rapidly in place, its shell blades glowing with a brilliant blue aura as water currents swirled around them, forming an impenetrable drill-like defense.

The incoming hypnotic waves were completely neutralized by the bizarre Swords Dance. The overwhelming aura forced Gengar to retreat several steps.

Throughout the battle, Gengar had been retreating constantly. This time, it found itself at the edge of the battlefield.

In Pokémon battles, leaving the arena voluntarily—unless knocked out or airborne—would result in an automatic loss.

Just as Gengar attempted to sneak away from the edge...

"Aqua Jet!"

From within its spinning Swords Dance, Dewott propelled itself forward with jets of water, releasing waves of sword-like energy that bombarded Gengar.

The Dance of Swords!

"Psychic!"

Gengar desperately retaliated, using its psychic energy to block the incoming attacks. Though it managed to destroy some of the sword, it couldn't suppress Dewott's relentless assault.

The energy of Dewott' Swords Dance grew stronger with each strike, overwhelming Gengar's defenses. Ultimately, Gengar fell to the barrage of attacks.

As the battle concluded, Dewott stopped spinning and returned to Paul's side, breathing heavily.

It was its first time using this unique attack style in a real battle. While effective, it was still unpolished and drained significant stamina. Nevertheless, Dewott's battle state was exceptional.

"Return, Gengar. I understand your resolve."

Fantina recalled Gengar and looked at Dewott with admiration, praising it without hesitation.

"That's truly a unique attack style. So dazzling and sharp, both offensive and defensive. Very beautiful!"

Paul didn't respond to the compliment. Strictly speaking, the move wasn't entirely his original creation.

The inspiration for the "Swords Dance" came from the Counter Shield technique and the depiction of Swords Dance in the original anime.

Before challenging Fantina, Paul had considered this iconic and unconventional strategy. During training, he had Dewott and other compatible Pokémon learn their own variations of the technique.

For Dewott, the Swords Dance was the perfect adaptation, enhancing its attack power while concentrating its offensive direction.

However, it had its drawbacks—its overall defensive capability was slightly weaker than other versions, and it suffered from the same limitations as the Counter Shield: high stamina consumption, limited duration, and a small effective range.

"You're such a cold boy." Fantina remarked, seeing Paul remain silent. She sighed before tossing out her next Poké Ball.

"Then, my third Pokémon—Drifblim in its battle form! Go!"

"Blim~"

A Drifblim appeared on the field, its white cloud-like head and ribbon-like arms floating gracefully.

Before the battle could officially begin, the lingering energy that had suppressed gravity dissipated, allowing Drifblim to rise freely into the air.

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