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The timing when Jacob commanded his Grovyle to use Grass Whistle was perfect, catching the Cryogonal right as it was using Reflect and couldn't dodge.
The Grass Whistle move at this moment was almost guaranteed to hit. As the melodious flute sounds filled the arena, grass energy flowed into Cryogonal's body. It had no resistance and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
"Grovyle, use Leech Seed!" Grovyle scattered seeds onto the sleeping Cryogonal. The seeds quickly took root and sprouted, entangling Cryogonal and continuously draining its energy while transferring it back to Grovyle.
Looking at her Cryogonal now asleep and wrapped in energy-draining vines, Elizabeth remained calm. Her Cryogonal, with Light Screen and Reflect already active, was surprisingly resilient. It would be impossible for Grovyle to knock out Cryogonal directly while it was asleep.
"Magical Leaf!"
On the Grassy Terrain, Jacob naturally chose to have Grovyle use Grass-type moves, which received a power boost from both the terrain and Grovyle's own type.
Leaves wrapped in grass energy flew into the air and sliced toward Cryogonal. Though the attack looked impressive, its actual power was quite limited.
Cryogonal is a Pokémon with extremely high Special Defense, and with Light Screen's protection, the damage from Magical Leaf was barely noticeable.
At this moment, Cryogonal also woke up, and Elizabeth immediately ordered, "Recover, Cryogonal!"
As Elizabeth's voice rang out, energy surged through Cryogonal's body, healing its wounds. Almost instantly, Cryogonal had fully recovered.
"Cryogonal's strategy has taken shape. Jacob is in trouble now."
"Is he going to lose the first battle? At the elite level, it's about raw power between Pokémon, but starting from the lord level, strategy becomes more important. Jacob isn't experienced enough to face an opponent with such comprehensive tactics."
"From what we're seeing, Grovyle probably hasn't learned Brick Break yet, so it can't break through both defensive walls. Its movepool is too limited. This is going to be difficult."
...
The crowd's discussions didn't affect Jacob. He was focused on figuring out how to break the deadlock. Although he knew it would be a tough battle, he hadn't expected it to be this challenging. Elizabeth's Cryogonal, after setting up both defensive walls and combining them with Recover, was genuinely difficult for Jacob to handle.
The biggest problem was that Grovyle didn't have any Fighting, Fire, or Steel-type physical moves that would be super effective against Cryogonal's Ice type.
What could he do?
To deal with Cryogonal's extremely high Special Defense, Grovyle could only use physical attacks, but Cryogonal had Recover, and with Reflect active, it seemed almost indestructible.
It might help if Grovyle knew Swords Dance, but that probably wouldn't work either. Cryogonal likely also knew Haze and Mist to prevent stat changes on both sides.
Jacob glanced at Grovyle's move list and finally set his sights on a move that he had never used before.
Fury Cutter!
The initial power of the Bug-type move Fury Cutter isn't high, but it has an extremely special effect—its power continues to multiply with consecutive hits, eventually reaching a terrifying level.
However, this move has certain limitations. It must hit continuously, during which time Grovyle cannot use other moves. If the move misses even once, the damage multiplier resets. Additionally, if Cryogonal uses Protect to block the attack, that's also considered an interruption. Finally, if the opponent switches Pokémon, the combo is broken as well.
Jacob assessed Cryogonal's moveset and found that it didn't seem to know Protect. Second, since this was a single battle, Elizabeth couldn't switch Pokémon. Finally, Jacob just needed Grovyle's Fury Cutter to hit consecutively.
This move would be the key to Jacob's victory!
"Grovyle, use Fury Cutter," Jacob called out. "And watch out for its poison moves!"
Jacob had already spotted Cryogonal's Toxic move. This was also one of Cryogonal's standard strategies, combining defensive walls, poison, and recovery.
"Gro!" Grovyle acknowledged Jacob's command with a cry, then quickly dashed toward Cryogonal. Its wrist glowed with bug-type energy, forming a sickle-like shape that slashed toward Cryogonal.
"Cryogonal, Toxic!"
Even though her opponent had guessed she had a poison move, Elizabeth wasn't worried at all. She knew that with Cryogonal's high Special Defense and the type matchup, if Jacob wanted to win, he would have to use physical attacks at close range.
Once Grovyle got close, the accuracy of Toxic would be greatly improved, and then it would just be a matter of time before poison defeated Grovyle. But now she needed to pay special attention to Grovyle's Fury Cutter.
Cryogonal floated in the air, quietly waiting for Grovyle to approach, ready to use Toxic at any moment.
The situation grew increasingly unfavorable for Jacob, highlighting the importance of a diverse movepool. If Grovyle knew Brick Break, it could shatter both Light Screen and Reflect, giving it a decisive advantage. Unfortunately, Grovyle didn't have that move.
By now, Grovyle had reached Cryogonal. The blade on its wrist slashed against Cryogonal, cutting a tiny wound into its icy body and chipping off some ice.
Cryogonal, having patiently waited for this moment, took advantage of Grovyle's proximity and used Toxic, secreting powerful toxins from its icy body and spraying them at Grovyle, successfully poisoning it.
With Toxic taking effect, what followed was a race against time. Grovyle needed to win the battle before the poison's damage increased, or it would lose as the toxic poison grew stronger with each turn.
"Grovyle, keep using Fury Cutter, hurry!" Jacob knew his only chance of winning was before the poison became too severe, so he commanded Grovyle to continue its assault!
"Grovyle!"
Grovyle alternated between its left and right hands, landing a second Fury Cutter. The bug-type energy slashed violently, leaving another mark on Cryogonal's body. Compared to the first hit, this mark was deeper and more powerful.
"Cryogonal, Rapid Spin to shake off the Leech Seed and create distance!"
Even though her strategy was working, Elizabeth didn't dare become complacent. She noticed that Grovyle's Fury Cutter was growing stronger with each hit. Combined with Leech Seed's draining effect, Cryogonal's health was decreasing while Grovyle was recovering from its injuries.
She commanded Cryogonal to use Rapid Spin, which could remove the Leech Seed from its body. At the same time, Elizabeth hoped to use Rapid Spin to put distance between Cryogonal and Grovyle, interrupting the Fury Cutter combo.
"Grovyle, follow it and keep using Fury Cutter!"
Cryogonal spun its body at high speed, shaking off the Leech Seed while trying to escape from Grovyle.
But when Grovyle heard Jacob's command, it knew that victory depended on maintaining the assault. It burst forward with incredible speed, showing truly impressive agility in this crucial moment!