The disadvantage in strength was still quite obvious.
If it weren't for the restraint of psychic powers, Trick Room, and the skillful use of Teleport, Slowking would have been defeated quickly in a head-on confrontation.
Fortunately, there was still some room for maneuver.
Crobat looked extremely ferocious, but when it came to fighting, Aoki felt that its actual combat experience was not that great—it could even be said to be average.
This situation was very rare.
After a Pokémon reaches Champion-level strength, it should have significant battle experience.
Yet this Crobat only knew how to act recklessly, relying on brute force to crush opponents.
"Slowking, pay attention to the distance between you and the Crobat. Next time, don't throw out all of your Psycho Cut blades at once. Leave two for defense." As a bystander outside the battle, Aoki had a clearer understanding of the situation than the two Pokémon fighting.
The Crobat found that its attack had failed to hit as expected.
The opponent had vanished right in front of it.
By the time it realized what had happened, Slowking was already in another corner of the Trick Room.
The Crobat shrieked and lunged toward Slowking again without hesitation.
This time, its speed increased slightly—it had used Tailwind to boost itself.
The main reason Slowking's Trick Room couldn't completely suppress it was that the Crobat's natural speed was too formidable. Even with the field effect, the bat wasn't slow.
Suddenly, Slowking's psychic power surged again, and cracks formed in the air around it like shattered glass—manifestations of its overwhelming mental energy.
On the other side, the battle raged on, and Aoki knew Slowking needed more power.
"Gengar, copy Drapion's ability, then use Skill Swap on Slowking!" Aoki commanded.
"Hehehe!"
Gengar understood that Slowking's opponent was the strongest here, so it immediately mimicked Drapion's Sniper ability and transferred it to Slowking.
As for Sniper, ever since Gengar mastered Role Play and Skill Swap, Aoki's team had grown familiar with this ability.
Now, with the change in his ability, Slowking fought even more fiercely.
One Psycho Cut after another slashed toward the Crobat from unpredictable angles.
Though the Crobat dodged some, Slowking had learned.
It mixed feints with real strikes—sometimes a blade was genuine, other times a setup for another attack.
Combined with the occasional Sniper critical hit, the battle stabilized.
However, it had to be said—while this Crobat lacked combat experience, its raw power was undeniable.
Even a single hit dealt devastating damage to Slowking.
If not for Aoki's Full Heal and timely Antidote use, the fight would have ended long ago.
This bat excelled in poison-based moves.
Additionally, Aoki had Florges use Lucky Chant and Heal Bell on Slowking to periodically cleanse status conditions.
So while it seemed like Slowking was fighting alone, Gengar, Florges, and others were supporting from the sidelines.
Most importantly, Aoki himself was overseeing the battle, directing the flow.
"Slowking, focus your psychic energy!" At close range, Slowking couldn't spare the focus to shape its power into Psycho Cuts.
Instead, as the Crobat bit down on its thick arm, Slowking retaliated with a point-blank Psychic.
Crobat's fangs, sharp as needles, siphoned blood and energy from Slowking—Leech Life.
Slowking grimaced, the pain obvious.
But it didn't stop.
With a burst of psychic force—boom!—a Mental Shock erupted!
Simultaneously, ice energy gathered on its free fist, and it hammered the Crobat's skull with an Ice Punch.
Boom!
Under the dual assault, the Crobat's Leech Life failed to restore its stamina—instead, its wounds worsened. The exchange cost it far more than Slowking.
Now enraged, Slowking abandoned Teleport and charged head-on.
It had adapted to the Crobat's rhythm.
As long as it wasn't one-shot, Heal Pulse could recover the damage.
But the Crobat had no such luxury.
And with Sniper, Slowking had found its weak spot.
Once it locked onto a vulnerability, it exploited it ruthlessly.
The battered Crobat tried to retaliate, but Slowking's pink, round face filled its vision again.
Two icy fists slammed into its gut.
Punch! Punch!
The Crobat, beyond roaring, bit down again—only to eat another Psychic and Ice Punch.
Sent flying once more, its fangs dripped with Slowking's blood.
Before it could recover, that infuriating pink face loomed again.
This stubborn fool!
The same pattern—two more crushing blows to its weak point.
Trapped, it couldn't flee without eating free hits. Fighting back meant enduring even worse counterattacks.
For some reason, that dopey-looking Pokémon's strikes hurt far more than before.
Slowking's body was littered with bite marks, blood slowly oozing out.
But it ignored them.
Only one thought remained:
Win.
Even the gentlest Pokémon could snap.
Boom! Boom!
The battle raged from the sky to the ground and back. The aggressor had become the punching bag.
Both were battered, but the Crobat was far worse off.
Trading four blows for one was a losing game.
The outcome was clear.
This was a team victory.
Slowking didn't delude itself into thinking it had done this alone.
The Crobat lay defeated, and Slowking planted a foot on its back.
As a king should, it roared with triumph—
"Ah~Bang!!"
Its energy peaked in an instant, then shattered through the final barrier like a bursting dam!