The rocks summoned by Ancient Power collided midair with Rock Slide. Although they blocked part of the barrage, most of the stones still fell onto Xatu, dealing even more damage.
Xatu wailed in pain but somehow managed to stay conscious, shakily pushing itself up from the ground.
"Thunder Punch, finish Xatu off!" Gary commanded sharply. He couldn't believe Xatu could endure another blow.
"Don't give Gardevoir any space—Psychic, now!" Liza countered.
Xatu's eyes glowed blue as it released a wave of psychic energy tinted with pink and purple, blasting toward Gardevoir.
Gardevoir suddenly vanished from the battlefield.
"Teleport!" Tate and Liza exclaimed in unison, both of them astonished. As veteran Psychic-type trainers, they knew how troublesome Teleport could be in battle.
In the blink of an eye, Gardevoir reappeared directly above Xatu and delivered a clean punch to its back.
Xatu's body trembled violently as paralysis surged through it from the Thunder Punch.
"Claydol, use Imprison!" Tate barked.
"Aggron, hit Claydol with Heavy Slam!" Gary followed up without hesitation.
Although Claydol was grounded and couldn't move freely, its numerous eyes gave it a perfect 360-degree field of vision. It swiftly activated Imprison, sealing Gardevoir's ability to use Teleport.
Aggron charged forward, steel energy coating its body like armor, and slammed full force into Claydol.
Claydol was sent flying by Aggron's massive weight. Though the hit dealt significant damage, it inadvertently knocked Claydol out of the range of Gravity, allowing it more mobility.
But it was already too late.
Xatu, paralyzed and overwhelmed, collapsed—knocked out.
Claydol now faced both Gardevoir and Aggron alone, a near-impossible feat.
"Tate, it's all up to you now," Liza said calmly, recalling Xatu to its Poké Ball.
Tate felt the mounting pressure. "Gravity!"
The battlefield's gravity intensified again, pinning all Pokémon closer to the ground.
Gardevoir quickly responded by using Heal Pulse to restore Aggron.
With Gravity active again, Teleport was sealed. Tate realized that if Claydol had used Imprison earlier, they wouldn't have ended up in this two-on-one disadvantage.
"Aggron, Stone Edge! Gardevoir, use Future Sight!" Gary called out.
Even though Gardevoir's psychic abilities were limited due to Imprison, she still knew moves that bypassed direct Confusion techniques.
Aggron launched jagged stones toward Claydol, but the floating Pokémon used Teleport to narrowly dodge the assault.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir calmly cast her psychic energy into the future—setting up Future Sight.
Even if Claydol used Teleport, dodging a delayed attack like Future Sight would be nearly impossible.
"Claydol, use Earth Power—target Aggron!" Tate changed tactics, hoping to eliminate the tank first.
Ground-type moves dealt 4× damage to Aggron. It was the perfect counter.
The earth rumbled, and glowing fissures erupted beneath Aggron.
Aggron roared in pain as he was blasted by the force of Earth Power, collapsing to one knee. The hit was devastating.
Tate's eyes lit up—this might be his chance.
But Gary was already one step ahead.
"Gardevoir, Heal Pulse—restore Aggron!"
"What?!" Tate gasped.
Gardevoir floated behind Aggron, gathering healing energy between her hands. A glowing ball of light surrounded Aggron, rapidly closing his wounds and easing the pain.
"Unbelievable…" Liza muttered. "Gardevoir can even support like a Chansey?"
"Claydol, quick—use Psychic to interrupt Gardevoir!" Tate snapped.
But before Claydol could act, a psychic explosion came down from above—Future Sight had landed!
Claydol was thrown back by the surprise attack.
"Aggron, now!" Gary commanded.
Aggron hurled sharp rocks in a wide arc.
"Teleport, dodge it!" Tate shouted.
Claydol blinked away just in time, but the gap allowed Aggron to fully recover from earlier damage.
"Gardevoir, set another Future Sight!" Gary ordered confidently.
Gardevoir closed her eyes and sent another psychic projection into the future.
"This combo is brutal," Brock said in amazement from the sidelines. "Gardevoir supports with Heal Pulse and Future Sight, while Aggron absorbs damage and dishes it out. They're completely in sync."
Ash clenched his fists. "How do you even stop something like that?"
"Claydol's the only reason they've held out this long… but even that won't be enough," May added.
Liza spoke up. "Tate, you have to knock out Gardevoir first. There's no way to beat Aggron while she keeps healing him."
"I know," Tate agreed grimly. "Claydol, Psyshock—target Gardevoir!"
Claydol vanished and reappeared behind Gardevoir, raising both arms like cannons.
A psychic beam surged toward Gardevoir.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Gary ordered instantly.
Gardevoir sensed Claydol's position with her telepathy. She spun midair and brought her hands forward, condensing a shimmering orb of pink energy that burst into ten glittering rays.
The two beams collided midair in a blast of light and force. Neither side gave in.
Though Gardevoir's level was lower, her Special Attack stat was far superior.
"Graaaaahh!!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
Aggron growled deeply, stomping forward.
"Wait—watch out!" Tate and Liza cried out at once.
While Gardevoir and Claydol were locked in a beam struggle, Aggron charged up Stone Edge again.
Razor-sharp stones soared through the sky, slamming into Claydol. The attack disrupted its concentration.
"Claydol!!" Tate shouted.
The Psyshock faltered. At that moment, Dazzling Gleam surged forward and struck Claydol directly.
Two clean hits in a row—Claydol wobbled in the air, sparks flying from its body. If not for its Levitate ability, it would've crashed to the ground already.
Aggron roared, shaking the stadium.
"What?!" Tate gasped.
Aggron and Gardevoir saw their opening—together, they launched another Stone Edge and Dazzling Gleam combo toward Claydol.