Persian was a Normal-type Pokémon, and Normal-types were famously known for their wide move pools. They also had a relatively high compatibility with other elemental energies, which let them pick up moves of various types, including the Electric-type attacks Thunderbolt and Thunder.
"Persian~"
Gritting its teeth against the cold biting up through its paws, Persian bared its fangs, a flash of cruelty crossing its eyes.
At the same moment, electricity began crackling across its body.
Caster's expression shifted.
After swallowing the Never-Melt Ice, Shellder's body had become a reservoir of cold, capable of radiating waves of sub-zero temperature at will.
It was nearly equivalent to gaining an extra ability called "Frozen Body," which could freeze opponents on contact.
(A/n: Fan-Made Ability)
But now, that very advantage had turned against it. Persian had essentially become a stubborn piece of gum stuck to the surface of Shellder's shell, impossible to shake loose.
Eyes narrowing, Caster decided to gamble. "Shellder, Shell Smash!"
If Persian was clinging to the shell, then the shell was the thing to leave behind.
"Swoosh!"
With a strange cry, Shellder wrenched its shell open and launched its soft, fleshy body out in a single explosive burst. All that remained on the ground was a pair of purple valves.
An instant later, a torrent of crackling electricity swept over the abandoned shell, making it hiss and spark.
Persian had been left holding nothing.
At the same time, Shellder's presence spiked rapidly, as though something inside it had been completely unleashed.
Attack sharply rose!
Special Attack sharply rose!
Speed sharply rose!
The transformation was even more staggering than a Mega Evolution, because all six stages had surged at once. The trade-off was a sharp drop in Defense and Special Defense, but at this point, none of that mattered.
Because the best defense was a blinding offense.
"Swoosh!"
Shellder felt absolutely incredible. Its expression was wild and untethered.
Freed from its shell, its true self stood fully exposed — raw, soft, and blazing with cold. This was what it had always been beneath the armor: not a defender, but a weapon.
"Icicle Spear!"
Looking at Shellder's bare, soft body radiating a presence that felt almost divine, Caster felt a rush of exhilaration surge through him.
"Swoosh!"
Boom! The first spike hit. Hairline cracks raced across Persian's Protect barrier. Boom! The second connected — the fractures deepened and spread. Boom! The third struck dead center, and the barrier exploded into scattered fragments of light. The fourth and fifth spikes arrived almost simultaneously, and the resulting detonation rocked the entire field. Even the great Battle Tower itself seemed to shudder.
The arena went completely silent, every eye locked on the screens and the field below.
The blast had blanketed the entire arena in a thick veil of cold air, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
After a long moment, the haze finally lifted.
Only then did the crowd notice the massive crater that had appeared at the center of the field, its edges crusted with thick deposits of ice crystals.
At the bottom of the crater lay a large tawny cat, eyes spinning in circles, completely unconscious.
"Persian is unable to battle. The winner is Shellder!"
The referee took one look at the scene and immediately raised the flags.
The arena held its breath — and then the livestream chat erupted.
"No way! A one-shot? Post-Shell Smash Shellder is absolutely terrifying!"
"Obviously. That's Shell Smash for you. It's an all-or-nothing move, drops all your defense so you can pour everything into offense and speed. But honestly, this Shellder hasn't even evolved yet, so how is its Ice-type hitting that hard?"
"Are you seriously asking that? Didn't you just see Elite Four member Lorelei come out to personally endorse Caster? Looks like he traded a little dignity for power this time."
"Dignity? What good is dignity? If giving it up means gaining real power and earning Lorelei's favor, I'd hand mine over in a heartbeat. Honestly, while I'm at it, I'd throw in the rest of me too."
"You think that's going for power? I'm almost too embarrassed to even call you out. Unbelievable."
While the livestream viewers argued among themselves, the receptionist out front had already stepped forward to escort Caster up to the seventh floor.
"Come back, Shellder!"
Caster recalled Shellder, still buzzing from the rush of breaking free of its shell, and returned it to its Poké Ball to rest and recover.
If he could bring a post-Shell Smash Shellder straight into the seventh-floor challenge, Caster felt his odds would be solid. But of course, that wasn't allowed.
Besides, the power Shell Smash provided was matched only in cost by how quickly it burned through everything Shellder had.
Within moments, the energy inside Shellder had been completely spent, and its spirit was already flagging.
There was no getting around it: the drawbacks of stat-boosting moves were serious. Especially hyper-boost moves like Shell Smash and Belly Drum should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, and even when used, they couldn't be sustained for long without Shellder paying a real price.
Guided by the receptionist, Caster soon arrived at the seventh floor.
His opponent was a middle-aged man dressed like a gentleman, wearing a perfectly fitted suit, a top hat, and carrying a cane.
"Challenger, welcome to the seventh floor."
The man tipped his hat and introduced himself: "I am the guardian of this floor. You may call me Emanuel."
Caster gave a brief nod, but the referee gave neither of them a chance for small talk, stepping forward immediately and raising the flags. "The format remains two-on-two. Both participants, please take your positions."
Both men's eyes sharpened at the same moment. They each threw out their Poké Balls.
"Duh-wow~"
Caster sent out his red-tinted Slowpoke.
Emanuel's lead Pokémon was Exeggutor.
Exeggutor was a tall Pokémon, resembling a coconut palm on legs. It had several round, pale-yellow heads that looked like coconuts, each wearing a different expression.
Down in the lobby on the first floor, Lorelei crossed her arms and smiled. "A Psychic-type mirror match. Now that's interesting."
The moment she said it, the eyes of both Psychic-type Pokémon on screen lit up with a hazy, wavering glow.
The clash had already begun.
"Who do you think wins?"
"Probably Exeggutor? It's already evolved once, and this is the seventh floor of the Battle Tower. The guardians here aren't messing around."
"You're new to this, aren't you? I've been following Caster for a long time. I back him without question, because his Pokémon just can't be measured by normal logic."
"Fanboys, out!"
"Slowpoke is slow in every sense of the word, and its reaction time is terrible. What do you seriously expect from it in a battle? It's basically useless."
Since psychic forces were invisible and intangible, their collision couldn't be perceived by ordinary eyes. On the field, everything looked perfectly still. Both Pokémon stood with eyes closed and bodies motionless, almost like they had fallen asleep.
But only Caster, Emanuel, and the referee, standing inside that sealed tower, could feel the sudden gusts of wind that swept through without warning. Those were the shockwaves produced by the two Pokémon's clashing psychic energies.
About thirty seconds later, Exeggutor was the first to open its eyes. But the expressions on its faces had shifted, and visible pain showed across every single one of them. Its body swayed as though it could barely hold itself upright.
Slowpoke, on the other hand, just stretched with a lazy yawn, as if it had wrapped up something completely routine.