The look on Grey's face turned a little strange the moment he noticed that change.
Koga definitely was not cooking up anything good right now. More likely, he was holding back something nasty.
Putting labels on types was not really Grey's style, but he had to admit that when Koga was using Poison-types, his battles were usually… unexpected.
That was putting it politely.
After all, Koga had already sent out a Weezing with Neutralizing Gas.
One look was enough to tell that it had been chosen specifically to counter all sorts of Grey's Pokémon.
He had even taken Breloom with Poison Heal into account.
Otherwise, he would not have sent out Weezing at all.
"Weezing, Gunk Shot!"
The moment Koga gave the order, Weezing spun around sharply. Poison-type energy had somehow already been gathered in its mouth—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The long-prepared Gunk Shot blasted out in an instant, a barrage of rotten refuse and toxic slime hurled straight at Gallade.
The attack came far too suddenly, and from far too close.
Gallade's Psycho Cut was still extended from the swing it had just made. There was no time to bring up a defense!
Thick, toxic garbage splattered across most of Gallade's body, and the poison hissed as it ate away at him.
That underhanded point-blank shot was a perfect demonstration of what a ninja's deadly trap looked like…
[Oh no, my Gallade baby isn't clean anymore…]
[Gallade, why are you suffering like this?!]
[Leader Koga's Weezing is the same as always. It loves baiting the enemy in and striking back.]
Gallade was not feeling good at all.
Gunk Shot was not just high-powered physically.
On a mental level…
Yeah, it was even more terrifying than the physical damage.
Weezing bared a vicious grin. The moment it saw its Gunk Shot hit, both heads started cackling.
The harsh laughter stirred Gallade's anger.
"Gallade, use Will-O-Wisp first."
Grey did not dare attack recklessly. He tapped a finger lightly against his temple and sent the tactic through aura, having Gallade test the waters with a status move first.
Gallade nodded and loosely clasped both hands in front of his chest.
Whoosh—
Several clusters of pale blue ghostly fire appeared out of nowhere and drifted silently toward Weezing.
Each flame moved along a tricky path. There was no burning heat to them—only a bone-deep chill.
Before they even got close, Weezing shivered.
But then—
Weezing did not dodge.
Instead, it actually moved toward the Will-O-Wisp on purpose!
Pff!
The moment Weezing made contact with the ghostly fire, it successfully inflicted burn on itself.
"…Huh?"
That one completely threw Grey off.
The livestream chat exploded as well.
[Did Leader Koga take a bribe or something?]
[Leader Koga chose the most cursed possible play.]
[I seriously don't understand what the point is of burning his own Weezing.]
Koga could have dodged.
He could have used a move to cancel it out.
He could even have ignored it and gone for a trade.
But he did none of those things.
He just watched Weezing move right into the Will-O-Wisp.
What was the point of that?
"Gallade, keep your eyes on Weezing at all times."
Grey no longer dared to keep attacking.
This was just too abnormal. Even some Ghost-type trainers were easier to understand than this.
Surely he was not doing something weird just for the sake of being weird… right?
Wait…
All at once, Grey seemed to catch onto something.
He immediately called up the system and checked Weezing's move list.
There, he saw a move that made him frown.
Destiny Bond.
If it was Destiny Bond, then Koga's actions suddenly made perfect sense.
Koga was probably using the burn to push Weezing's HP down, then waiting until Gallade was in range to finish it in one hit before quietly slipping out a Destiny Bond.
By the time Grey reacted, it would already be too late…
It had to be said, Koga's tactics really were nasty.
He had piled up so many absurd, bizarre, unsettling commands that Grey's mind had been forced into a state where it wanted to relax, yet also had to stay tense and keep guessing.
If it had been any other Elite Four-level trainer, there really was a good chance Koga would have caught them with it.
But Grey was different.
At least from Grey's perspective and experience, this only counted as mildly underhanded.
Once he knew the trick, it stopped being that frightening.
Grey deliberately put on a suspicious, wary expression.
When Koga saw that look, the smile on his face deepened even more.
Both of them were old hands. Each had real skill when it came to mental warfare.
But this time, it looked like Grey, with his aura, was going to come out on top.
And the situation was already starting to tilt in his favor.
So, you want to lower your own HP…
Grey decided to go along with it. "Gallade, Teleport in and use Zen Headbutt!"
This command was spoken aloud on purpose.
Gallade's figure blurred abruptly. Before the ripples of twisted space had even faded, he had already appeared directly above Weezing.
And he was completely upside down!
Psychic power wrapped around his head, and as he dropped, the air itself compressed into visible ripples.
That Zen Headbutt from above perfectly combined gravitational acceleration with psychic impact as it smashed straight down onto the top of Weezing's body!
BOOM!!!
Weezing was driven down into the still-churning sludge below.
When it floated back up, its presence was no longer as oppressive as before.
Gallade, on the other hand, looked energized, the type that only got fiercer the longer the fight went on.
Koga narrowed his eyes. It looked like he wanted to say something, but after thinking for a few seconds, he merely continued, "Sludge Bomb!"
Aside from Gunk Shot, Sludge Bomb was already one of the strongest Poison-type moves Weezing could use.
Among Poison-type special attacks, its power ranked third, behind Belch and Sludge Wave.
"Weeeezing—"
Weezing continuously spat out mud-like poison bombs from between its jagged fangs, trying to blast Gallade out of the fight.
But to Koga's surprise, Gallade moved through the barrage as if he could see the future, dodging one Sludge Bomb after another.
Even when one happened to reach him by pure chance, he split it cleanly in half with Psycho Cut.
Splurt!
As poisonous liquid rained down, it became obvious that Weezing's floating height was no longer stable.
And then—
Slash!
Gallade sent out another Psycho Cut, pushing Weezing into a state where it looked like a candle flickering in the wind.
"Weezing, use that move."
Koga did not say it outright.
But Weezing naturally knew exactly what he meant.
It immediately sank into the Sludge Wave below. Whatever happened inside that already pitch-black pool, an unprecedented surge of energy suddenly began to rise from it.
"Gallade?"
Gallade sensed that something was wrong.
But he could not tell exactly what it was.
The moment Grey saw Gallade's reaction, he knew right away that Weezing had entered a Destiny Bond state.
Koga probably still thought Grey would take this chance to go in for the knockout, right?
If so, then he was badly mistaken!
"Gallade, charge in!"
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