Chapter 605 - 605: 605. Indeedee

Jacob's play was calm and steady. Facing Ashlie's Sableye, he made a bold decision and switched Pokémon, giving up a favorable position. He recalled his Haxorus, which had already used Dragon Dance once, and sent out Indeedee instead.

This surprised everyone watching. A Haxorus that had already used Dragon Dance should have been able to crush Sableye easily. So why did Jacob choose to switch?

The two commentators watched Jacob's switch with confused expressions, frowning as they tried to figure out his reasoning.

"I think I understand!" the male commentator said, his eyes lighting up after a moment of thought. "Jacob must be guarding against a Fake Out and Encore combination from Sableye."

"Fake Out and Encore?" the other commentator realized as well. "That's right. If Sableye really tried that combo, Jacob would have had no way to counter it."

"Maybe this is what makes him such a strong trainer. He thinks three steps ahead with every move. He truly deserves the title of High School Cup Champion."

Getting back to the battle, even though Jacob's Indeedee was at a type disadvantage against Sableye — since Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal-type moves, and Dark-type Pokémon are immune to Psychic-type moves —

Indeedee's Psychic Surge Ability perfectly countered Sableye's prized Prankster Ability.

The match had only been going on for a few minutes, but both trainers were already switching Pokémon frequently, playing very carefully.

When Indeedee entered the battle, its Psychic Surge Ability activated immediately. Psychic energy spread across the field, transforming it into Psychic Terrain.

Under Psychic Terrain, all grounded Pokémon become immune to priority moves from their opponents. Since Sableye's Prankster Ability gives increased priority to status moves, this effectively canceled out that advantage.

Because of this, Indeedee would no longer be affected by any status moves Sableye tried to use under Psychic Terrain.

Meanwhile, following Ashlie's command, Sableye had already used Light Screen.

For a set number of turns, this would cut incoming special damage in half.

"Sableye, now use Reflect!"

"Indeedee, use Substitute."

Both sides entered a calmer phase of the battle. After setting up Light Screen, Sableye followed up with Reflect, while Jacob had Indeedee use Substitute.

Substitute can block many status moves aimed at Indeedee, making it an excellent option against opponents who rely on status effects.

"Return, Sableye!" Once both screens were in place, Ashlie didn't hesitate and switched Pokémon again.

This time, she didn't send out Toxapex. Instead, she called on her third Pokémon, Gliscor.

"Go, Gliscor!"

Ashlie's final Pokémon, Gliscor, entered the battle — a Ground and Flying-type Pokémon.

Its Poison Heal Ability meant it took no damage from being poisoned or badly poisoned. Instead, poison would restore its HP, and it was holding a Toxic Orb to make use of that effect.

With Gliscor's appearance, Ashlie had now revealed all three of her Pokémon: Toxapex, Sableye, and Gliscor.

Jacob, on the other hand, had only sent out two Pokémon so far — Haxorus and Indeedee. His final Pokémon remained unknown, though many guessed it was likely his ace, Dragapult.

Taking advantage of Ashlie's switch, Jacob issued another command to Indeedee: "Indeedee, use Calm Mind!"

Psychic energy swirled around Indeedee as its Special Attack and Special Defense both rose. It was becoming clear to everyone watching that after several turns of careful probing, both trainers were about to commit to a real clash.

Jacob's Indeedee had the advantage of the terrain, a Substitute already in place, and one boost from Calm Mind, so it seemed unlikely he would switch again.

On the other side, Ashlie's Gliscor was protected by both screens and benefited greatly from its Poison Heal Ability, so she wasn't likely to switch either. The two Pokémon were clearly headed for a direct confrontation.

A major clash was about to unfold.

"Gliscor, use Swords Dance!"

"Indeedee, use Calm Mind again!"

Both trainers continued boosting their Pokémon's stats. It was obvious that each wanted one more boost before attempting to sweep through the opponent's remaining team.

After Gliscor used Swords Dance, its Attack rose sharply. At the same time, Indeedee's Special Attack and Special Defense had both increased significantly after two uses of Calm Mind.

"Gliscor, use Sand Tomb and break that Substitute!"

As Ashlie gave the command, Ground-type energy surged, and the airborne Gliscor summoned a swirling storm of sand that rushed toward Indeedee.

Sand Tomb doesn't have very high power, but it traps the target for several turns, dealing damage over time and preventing escape.

Facing this attack, Jacob remained completely composed. His voice rang out clearly: "Indeedee, use Psychic!"

A faint purple light surrounded Indeedee as its eyes glowed a deep purple. Psychic energy poured out like a rushing tide, growing even more powerful thanks to the boost from Psychic Terrain.

The wave of Psychic energy surged forward like a vast ocean, crashing over Gliscor and completely enveloping it.

For a moment, the entire battlefield was bathed in a soft purple glow, and the space around them seemed to ripple and bend.

Gliscor, caught in the current, was tossed backward like a small boat struggling against a powerful tide, its body pushed helplessly by the unseen force of the attack.

Even with the protection of Light Screen, Gliscor could not withstand the full force of this Psychic attack.

"That's an incredibly powerful Psychic!"

"This... Indeedee is amazing."

"I always thought Jacob's Indeedee was just there for support, but it looks like it could easily be the team's main attacker!"

"Don't be silly — if you consider Jacob's other Pokémon, especially something like Dragapult, Indeedee is still best used as a support."

Ashlie's expression turned serious. She hadn't expected Jacob's Indeedee to be this strong.

Normally, an Indeedee that had used Calm Mind twice, even boosted by Psychic Terrain, shouldn't be able to overwhelm a Gliscor protected by Light Screen so completely. Yet here it was doing exactly that.

Its power was simply too great.

Ashlie's eyes narrowed. Facing such a strong Indeedee, she realized her only option now was to rely on poison.

Since Gliscor's Sand Tomb had already destroyed Indeedee's Substitute, Gliscor was now able to inflict poison directly.

"Gliscor, use Fling!" Ashlie commanded.

Fling is a move that lets a Pokémon attack by throwing its held item at the opponent. Both its power and its effect depend on what item is being thrown.

Trainers usually only risk using Fling in battles like this one. In the wild, throwing away a held item would mean losing it for good, since anyone could simply pick it up afterward.

Since Gliscor was holding a Toxic Orb, Fling would have very low power. However, its added effect meant it could inflict the badly poisoned status on the target.

With that, Gliscor hurled the Toxic Orb it had been holding, sending it flying hard toward Indeedee.