[X] Teach Magnezone Sleep Talk - While Magnezone knows Rest, he doesn't know Sleep Talk which does limit him. Taking the time to teach it via TM may help.
- [X] Replace Electric Terrain
Violet's focus over the next two days wasn't on the battles she fought. Instead, it was on the battle that she would fight in the future. Choosing to teach Magnezone Sleep Talk instead of preparing for the fights with Stormy or Nia, Violet was fairly confident that there wasn't a major risk either way.
Something which proved accurate on the opening day of the Indigo Plateau. Over a hundred battles were fought on that day, with perhaps a tenth of them being streamed to the inhabitants of Kanto. Tetsuya, Willow, and Crystal all won their battles, with Flynn losing his in a surprise upset.
But Violet was focused on something in front of her, namely the sheer number of spectators. Despite fighting in a secondary stadium meant for battles that wouldn't be seen on television, there was a large crowd of fans cheering on the battle. She even saw someone with a picture of her battle with Sabrina, why did they still have that?
At least she wasn't the only one nervous. Stormy visibly radiated the emotion, fully expecting to lose before the battle had even started. Both trainers sent out their Pokemon, and both trainers shouted their orders.
Gyarados used Dragon Dance immediately, causing their power to surge. It wasn't a bad plan, Violet thought. Slowbro was physically superior, so the only real option available to Stormy was to set up several buffs on the Atrocious Pokemon. Unfortunately, there was a problem with that plan.
That problem was that Violet wouldn't give Gyarados the time needed. "Psychic," she said softly.
Slowbro's eyes glowed, and a powerful wave of force crashed into the Atrocious Pokemon. The shockwave echoed, rebounding off the arena walls to double up on the attack. Gyarados visibly struggled to stand, which caused Stormy to panic.
"Waterfall! Waterfall! Waterfall!" She yelled out, causing Violet to frown.
Gyarados wasn't powerful enough to make that work. The strength of the Atrocious Pokemon was in their speed and physicality. Not in their elemental attributes. The water crashed down on Slowbro, who looked as if he did not notice in the slightest.
A second psychic was enough to finish the battle.
That day, Violet focused on ensuring Magnezone had learned Sleep Talk. And the next step would be to get it up to an acceptable level. And so, when she entered the arena the following day, her focus wasn't on the battle but on her training plan.
On the other side of the arena, Nia's energy could be felt by the crowd who were focused on her antics. Violet simply tuned her out while Nia was judo thrown by her Hitmonchan. That caused the quieter trainer to break free from her thoughts to just stare at her opponent in surprise. Well, Violet thought, she supposed that was one way to demonstrate to Nidoking how to counter Dragonite.
It's not like it would work in battle though, right?
That overconfidence was nearly Violet's undoing. When the battle started, she played directly into Nia's plan. Ordering Dragonite to use Outrage, he charged forward on a semi-predictable trajectory. Nidoking by contrast waited patiently, adjusting his feet to better prepare for their clash.
Dragonite's attack landed, crashing into Nidoking. However, the Drill Pokemon managed to hook both arms around Dragonite's directing his charge directly into the ground before unleashing a point-blank Sludge Wave that created a crater underneath a barely conscious Dragon Pokemon.
Noticing the awkward angle required to land Outrage, Violet almost tried to order a Protect. Only to realize that Dragonite was in the middle of his rage. "Again!" Violet yelled, doing the only thing she could do.
"You can do this!" Nia shouted from the other side of the arena, and the world seemed to move in slow motion for Violet.
Nidoking moved as fast as he was able to while Dragonite did the same. Both Pokemon were doing everything in their power to win. And by the barest of margins, Outrage landed once more, causing Nidoking to collapse.
Violet took a deep breath, ignoring the cheers in favor of replaying that exchange in her mind. She'd have to do better tomorrow.
*Magnezone learns Sleep Talk at C+*
The next day, Violet's fight was in the main stadium where it would be streamed to the world. Violet, Tetsuya, Willow, and Crystal's fights would all be within it, as all four of them had won two battles along with their opponents. To the shy trainer, however, the cheers of the crowd were muted and dull, and her entire focus was on the recording of Kaelin's Dragapult.
The only time she looked up was to study Kaelin, who displayed outward confidence even as he worked through secondary possibilities. He knew that Violet would likely use Magnezone, but he couldn't be certain of it. And so, he was rehearsing his options in case she surprised him in some way.
Violet's mind returned to the recording of Dragapult. Cold, hard numbers echoed in her thoughts.
A coin flip was what it came down to.
She envisioned Magnezone's Flash Cannon scything through the air. Then she saw Dragapult move at speeds she had never seen in person. They would leave after images in the air leaving Magnezone to guess at which to attack. Dragapult's form would blur while wisps of flame would burn the Magnet Pokemon's metallic form, draining away their power.
From here, there were two paths that Violet could see. The first was when Flash Cannon hit, which would end the fight in her favor. The second was when Dragapult would dodge and retaliate with Hex. A move she thought would land four out of five times.
If Magnezone survived that, they would get another chance.
All her training, all her planning, the meticulous consideration of every possible scenario. And it came down to a coin flip slightly in her favor.
She looked up, meeting Kaelin's eyes with her own. He met her gaze, his expression tightening as he realized she had thought up every possibility for this battle.
The world was silent to Violet as she tossed Magnezone's Pokeball into the air. Now, like everyone in attendance, she was powerless to alter the course of fate.
It was up to Magnezone and Dragapult now.
Interlude Vote (Pick 1)
[] Sabrina
[] Giovanni
[] Lance
