A short while later, both sides recalled their six Pokémon and took their positions on opposite ends of the battlefield.
Peter also had Roto start a livestream.
The moment the stream went live, viewers flooded in.
"It's here! It's here! Professor Peter is finally streaming again!"
"I still remember that insane one-versus-three from last time. Can't wait for today's battle!"
"Huh?! Today's program is actually Peter taking on Kahili?! Quick, everyone, spread the word!"
"Ahhh~ Kahili, don't take off your socks, okay? Just like that... I'm almost there..."
"Mods! Someone deal with the lunatic upstairs! And while you're at it, tell Miss Kahili to stick her butt up a little higher, thanks!"
"..."
Whitney stepped forward and raised her hand.
"The battle between Peter and Kahili is about to begin! The format is six Pokémon selected with three used in battle. The first side to have all three Pokémon unable to battle loses. Now... please send out your first Pokémon simultaneously!"
"Go, A-Keng! Win me the first round!"
"Pidgeot, you're up!"
Two Poké Balls opened in midair at the same time.
Toucannon and Pidgeot appeared on the battlefield.
Kahili crossed her arms and grinned.
"This time, I won't let you trick me into revealing movesets so easily~"
She immediately issued the first command.
"A-Keng, Rock Blast!"
Rock Blast!
A Rock-type physical attack with a base power of 25 that could strike two to five times.
Thanks to Toucannon's Skill Link Ability, several rocks were launched instantly toward Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, block the first one with Steel Wing, then evade!"
"Pidgeot!"
Metallic light coated Pidgeot's elegant wings. It smashed through the first incoming rock, then spun gracefully through the air, avoiding the remaining barrage.
At the same moment, a red card materialized in front of it.
The item activated.
Toucannon was forcibly recalled into its Poké Ball.
In its place, Skarmory was dragged onto the battlefield.
"You gave Pidgeot a Red Card too..." Kahili muttered with a pout.
"Skarmory, use Stealth Rock!"
Skarmory spread its steel wings.
Several translucent rocks disappeared into Peter's side of the field.
From this point onward, every switch he made would trigger Stealth Rock damage.
Peter remained completely calm.
"Pidgeot, Heat Wave!"
Heat Wave!
A Fire-type special attack with a chance to inflict burns.
"Pidgeot—!"
A blazing orange storm swept across the battlefield.
Faced with a move that struck it for double-effective damage, Skarmory could only curl up and endure the attack.
"Keep going! Continue the Heat Wave pressure!"
Once Peter committed to an offensive, he intended to see it through.
Pidgeot specialized in Special Attack and had mastered Heat Wave, making it the perfect answer to Skarmory.
His goal was simple:
Eliminate Kahili's support Skarmory as quickly as possible.
After all, Skarmory was notorious for setting up battlefield hazards such as Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Tailwind. It could also employ trapping and forced-switching techniques like Sand Tomb, Whirlwind, and Roar.
Even in Peter's previous life, it had been one of the most popular hazard setters in competitive battling.
"Whoooosh—"
The scorching winds surged once more.
With its mediocre Speed, Skarmory struggled to find a clean answer.
"As expected of you, Peter," Kahili praised.
Then her expression sharpened.
"Skarmory, Substitute, then use Roar!"
"Use Fly to dodge, then continue with Heat Wave!"
"Skarmory!"
A duplicate instantly split off from Skarmory's body.
Using the Substitute as cover, it escaped the effective range of Heat Wave and unleashed a deafening roar.
Unfortunately, Pidgeot had already shot skyward.
In an instant, it reached the clouds, effortlessly avoiding the guaranteed Roar.
Then, riding the momentum of its dive, another scorching Heat Wave descended from above.
Just as the attack was about to connect, Kahili's eyes flashed.
"Now! Roost!"
The airflow around Skarmory dispersed.
Its body dropped sharply toward the ground.
The Heat Wave narrowly missed by the smallest margin.
Peter frowned.
"Pidgeot, Defog!"
"Skarmory, use Roar!"
"Pidgeot—!"
A powerful gust erupted from Pidgeot's wings.
The Stealth Rocks scattered instantly, swept away by the storm.
The next moment, Roar connected.
Pidgeot was enveloped in red light and returned to its Poké Ball.
A second later, Blissey appeared adorably on the battlefield.
"Happiness~!"
Peter looked across at Kahili.
"Hazard stacking and forced switching. You've learned quite a bit."
"Hmph. I learned it, sure, but you still read through my strategy first."
Kahili wrinkled her nose.
Her original plan had been to save a move slot for Spikes.
Stealth Rock plus Spikes.
A double-layer hazard strategy to torment Peter's team.
Unfortunately, Peter's brilliant Fly maneuver had forced her to reveal her final move slot prematurely.
A painful loss.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat was exploding.
"Not gonna lie, Skarmory is actually perfect for hazard strategies."
"True... but when it comes to setting hazards, I only acknowledge Professor Peter!"
"Kahili is trying to set hazards against the Hazard King himself??"
"Heh... why does the phrase 'setting spikes' always make me think of something dirty?"
"Alright, I'll say it first. Professor Peter's getting nailed today! Today's toy is spikes! (doge)"
"..."
During the switch, Skarmory took a bite of its Leftovers.
Combined with the recovery from Roost earlier, its health had essentially returned to full.
"Skarmory, Stealth Rock again!"
Kahili chose to continue committing to her hazard strategy.
Stealth Rock appeared once more.
However—
"Blissey, Copycat!"
Blissey clapped its hands happily.
Instantly, jagged rocks appeared on Kahili's side of the field as well.
"..."
Kahili's eyebrows knitted together.
Now she had effectively shot herself in the foot.
Stealth Rock dealt Rock-type damage.
Since most of her team consisted of Flying-types, every switch would trigger super-effective damage.
On Peter's side, however, only Pidgeot was weak to it.
The rest of his team either took neutral damage or, in Ursaluna's case, resisted it.
"Skarmory, use Roar!"
Having no better option, Kahili decided to force another switch.
But before she could finish her command, Peter had already spoken.
"Blissey, Gravity!"
"Bzzzz—"
A powerful gravitational field expanded outward across the battlefield.
Just as Skarmory unleashed its Roar, it was dragged violently toward the ground.
Gravity!
For a period of time, Gravity intensified throughout the battlefield.
All airborne targets were pulled down to earth.
Evasion was reduced.
And many moves that required aerial movement became unusable.
The Gravity field was successfully established.
At the same time, Roar landed cleanly.
Blissey returned to its Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
A moment later, Pidgeot reappeared.
The instant it materialized, jagged stones slammed into its body.
Boom!
After the impact, Pidgeot landed awkwardly on the ground, covered in dust.
The damage was significant.
"Skarmory, continue using Roar!"
Kahili intended to keep cycling Peter's team.
"Come back, Pidgeot!"
But Peter was already one step ahead.
He recalled Pidgeot before Roar could affect it and threw out his third Poké Ball.
"Ursaluna, it's your turn!"
"Kahhh!"
Bearing the cloud-covered moon crest upon its forehead, Ursaluna made a majestic entrance.
Boom!
Stealth Rock activated again.
Yet for the bulky Ursaluna, the damage was barely worth mentioning.
"I see... is that it?"
Kahili frowned.
Suddenly, she understood Peter's plan.
A smile spread across Peter's face.
"So you've figured it out."
His eyes gleamed.
"On a battlefield under Gravity... Ground-type attacks no longer have a blind spot."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere around the battlefield changed completely.
Everyone knew what that meant.
Under Gravity, Flying-types could no longer avoid Ground-type attacks.
And Kahili's entire team...
Was made up of Flying Pokémon.