The battlefield was set: a vast lake.
This terrain made both Law and Drake frown slightly, but it was still an acceptable condition.
Neither side had Water-type or Ice-type Pokémon, making it difficult to take advantage of the environment.
While the lake setting wasn't ideal for either team, it was equally unfavorable for both sides.
Overall, Law held a slight advantage.
Although both teams had a Fire-type Pokémon, the distribution of Flying-capable Pokémon was unequal. Those with the ability to fly would be less affected by the terrain.
Drake's team had only Flygon and Noivern as Flying-capable Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Law had Magnezone, Metagross, Gliscor, and Mimikyu. The first two could use magnetism to achieve a "floating" state, which was effectively akin to flying.
Type Advantage Breakdown
Each team had its strengths and weaknesses, but Law's team held a crushing advantage in terms of matchups.
Drake's Advantages: Dragon-type Pokémon resist Water, Fire, Grass, and Electric-type moves, making Magnezone's Electric-type attacks and Darmanitan's Fire-type moves less effective.
Other than Dragon-, Ice-, and Fairy-type moves, most attacks would only deal neutral damage. Magnezone and Metagross, Law's two main powerhouses, were vulnerable: Against Torkoal's Fire-type attacks, both would take double damage.
Against Flygon's Ground-type attacks, Magnezone would take quadruple damage, and Metagross would take double damage.
Law's Advantages: While Magnezone and Metagross struggled against Torkoal and Flygon, they had dominant defensive capabilities against the rest of Drake's team.
Steel-type Pokémon halve the damage from Dragon-type moves. Magnezone also resists Noivern's Flying-type and Cyclizar's Normal-type attacks. The Game-Changer: Mimikyu
Mimikyu was Ghost/Fairy-type, making it an absolute counter to Drake's team:
Fairy-types are immune to Dragon-type moves. Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type moves.
This meant Mimikyu could outright ignore three types of attacks.
Cyclizar was a Normal/Dragon-type, meaning two of its STAB moves were completely nullified by Mimikyu. Against it, Cyclizar was practically useless.
As for the rest of Drake's Pokémon, only Steel- and Ghost-type moves could deal super-effective damage to Mimikyu.
However, Drake's team had no Steel- or Ghost-type Pokémon—only a few Steel-type moves.
The path to victory was clear:
Drake needed to take down Mimikyu at all costs while keeping Torkoal and Flygon alive to counter Law's Steel-types. If Law lost Mimikyu, Drake's chances of winning would increase by at least 30%. Law, on the other hand, had to keep Mimikyu on the field while using his other Pokémon to eliminate Torkoal and Flygon.
Even if Mimikyu had to be sacrificed, taking down those two Pokémon would ensure Law's victory.
With Mimikyu alone, Law already had a 20% win rate boost. The rest of his team would determine how much higher he could push it.
"Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!"
With the referee's announcement, the first mind game of the match began.
Neither side knew what Pokémon the other would lead with, forcing them to predict and gamble.
"The first move is yours, Gliscor."
Law had a consistent strategy—he led with Gliscor in eight out of ten matches.
With its Flying/Ground typing, Gliscor could handle most opponents well. Its only major weaknesses were Water and Ice, but Drake's team had neither.
Every Trainer had their own philosophy when it came to battle.
Ash, in the Pokémon world, focused on individual Pokémon strength, especially speed, often ignoring type matchups and abilities. His battle style relied on fast-paced, close-combat skirmishes like his signature "hit-and-run" and "all-in" strategies. Alain, Ash's rival in the Kalos League, was more ability-oriented, using Pokémon like Water Absorb Volcanion and Sand Stream Tyranitar to their full potential.
Law's approach? Type matchups above all else.
He prioritized team composition and resistances, ensuring his Pokémon could withstand multiple hits while carefully planning counterattacks. His only pure-type Pokémon were Darmanitan (Fire) and Persian (Normal). The rest of his team boasted a long list of resistances, allowing him to outlast opponents and make calculated moves.
This meticulous approach was why he didn't underestimate Trainers who specialized in a single type—even if it seemed predictable.
After all, three out of the current Four Elite Trainers were type specialists.
"Turtonator, you're up."
Drake, too, played it safe.
His key Pokémon, Flygon and Torkoal, were nowhere in sight.
Noivern, being highly mobile, was kept in reserve. Cyclizar, who was completely helpless against Mimikyu, was also benched.
This left only Turtonator and Goodra, and Goodra was too valuable to be risked in the opening exchange.
Thus, Turtonator took the lead.
Round One: Gliscor vs. Turtonator
One hovered in the sky, the other stood firm on the ground, locked in a tense standoff.
In terms of typing, the two Pokémon had no direct interactions, which was a disadvantage for Law, a Trainer who thrived on type matchups to gain an edge.
Drake, on the other hand, was a specialist in a single type but wasn't brainless—if he wasn't focusing on type advantages, then his Pokémon's abilities and individual strengths must be exceptional in other ways.
"Gliscor, use Poison Jab."
Law was well aware of this but had to test things out to truly understand the opponent's strategy.
Especially with Gliscor, a pure physical attacker and close-range fighter—there was no better way to probe an opponent than direct engagement.
"Metal Claw!"
Salamence faced the incoming double pincers diving from above with zero hesitation. Its claws gleamed with a metallic shine as it swiped forward.
Clang!
Gliscor's attack failed to poison Salamence and instead took considerable damage in return.
The moment the hit landed, Gliscor quickly withdrew its claws and retreated to the skies. Upon inspecting its pincers, several deep scratches were visible.
On the other side, Drake and Salamence smirked in satisfaction.
"Rough Skin."
Seeing this, Law immediately understood—Salamence was built around its ability.
Rough Skin: When hit by a contact move, the attacker loses a portion of its HP.
This ability was a nightmare for close-combat Pokémon.
That meant Persian and Darmanitan were both poor choices to deal with Salamence as well.
"Return, Gliscor. Mimikyu, you're up."
Law switched out decisively. There was no way he would let Gliscor take unnecessary damage from prolonged engagement—it would only lead to a guaranteed loss.
"Iron Head!"
Drake anticipated Law's switch and immediately had Salamence attack the incoming Pokémon.
He had ruled out Persian and Darmanitan but was unsure if Law would bring out Mimikyu this early.
He didn't want to gamble, so instead of a Dragon-type move, he opted for the rarely-used Steel-type move.
Boom!
The moment Mimikyu appeared, there was a one- to two-second entry lag, leaving it completely vulnerable to the incoming Iron Head.
The impact sent Mimikyu skidding backward, taking significant damage. Being naturally frail, Mimikyu could likely only withstand two more hits before going down.
"Draining Kiss!"
Law had not brought Mimikyu out just to take hits—he had a plan.
Draining Kiss is essentially the Fairy-type equivalent of Giga Drain, dealing damage and healing for 50% of the damage dealt.
Against Salamence, a Dragon-type Pokémon, Fairy-type moves deal double damage—meaning the healing effect would also double.
"Protect!"
Drake knew Rough Skin worked best in drawn-out battles, and Protect was a perfect stall move.
Given the lake battlefield, Pokémon like Salamence had no space to dodge moves like Draining Kiss, which was already difficult to avoid under normal conditions.
However—Protect failed.
Failing a first-use Protect was as rare as winning the lottery.
The shocked gasps from the audience echoed through the stadium—this was the first time in the tournament that someone had seen Protect fail on its first use.
Drake's face darkened immediately.
His entire strategy had not accounted for this scenario.
Salamence took a massive hit, while Mimikyu regained a large chunk of HP.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
Mimikyu followed up immediately with a powerful Fairy-type move.
"Crunch!"
Drake didn't bother switching out—because swapping to any of his other Pokémon would still result in them taking double damage from Fairy-type attacks.
There was no point in delaying the inevitable.
The brilliant Fairy-type energy engulfed Salamence, scorching its scales like fire.
Despite the pain, Salamence bit down hard on Mimikyu, dealing massive physical damage.
Thanks to the Metal Claw attack boost earlier, Crunch's power had also increased.
"Dazzling Gleam again."
Law's expression remained cold and calculated as he had Mimikyu continue attacking, ignoring Salamence's offense.
"Iron Head!"
Drake was unfazed, letting Salamence fight Mimikyu head-on.
He found it bizarre that Law was willing to let a frail Pokémon go toe-to-toe with a powerhouse like Salamence.
After the next exchange, Salamence collapsed.
Taking three direct Fairy-type moves as a Dragon-type Pokémon was simply too much to handle.
However—Mimikyu wasn't unscathed.
It stood unsteadily, barely holding on.
It was clear—it wouldn't last much longer.
(End of Chapter)
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