Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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"It looks like you knew your Golduck would get a speed boost in the rain, Lorelei. That's why you had Slowbro use Rain Dance and then swapped it out, right?"

Liam's eyes held a glimmer of admiration as he turned and smiled at his opponent across the battlefield.

"Mmhm, I did some homework beforehand. My Golduck likely has the Swift Swim Ability—its speed increases significantly when it's raining. It's still not quite as fast as your Garchomp, but it's just enough to keep up! And don't forget, Golduck's Water type has an advantage over Garchomp's Ground typing. That gives me the edge here. So? It's not too late to surrender now!"

Lorelei smirked confidently, lifting her chin as she addressed Liam.

"Hah… It's just a bit of extra speed and a type advantage. That's nothing to my Garchomp! Garchomp, Sand Tomb!"

"Gaarrrr!!"

With a deep growl, Garchomp summoned streams of swirling sand that surged in from outside the battlefield—since the arena itself had little sand, it drew from beyond its bounds.

A spectacular scene unfolded: torrents of sand snaked into the field like desert dragons, spiraling around Garchomp's body and forming a massive vortex. The swirling sands quickly expanded, covering half the battlefield in moments and trapping Golduck before it could escape.

"Golduck! Use Water Pulse on the sand!"

"Golduck!!"

Caught within the whirling sandstorm, Golduck responded swiftly to Lorelei's command. Its webbed hands clasped together, forming a glowing blue orb, which it then thrust into the swirling sands.

A torrent of water burst forth, cutting through the sandstorm. The soaked sand became heavier, and although Sand Tomb didn't cease entirely, its motion grew sluggish and fragmented.

"That worked! Golduck, do it again!"

"Gol..!"

Another Water Pulse followed. The already-weakened Sand Tomb couldn't withstand the second wave—the swirling trap shattered completely. With the aid of the water current, Golduck leapt free and landed back in front of Lorelei, its gaze locked firmly on Garchomp as it emerged from the broken sands.

"...What a pain. Garchomp! Double Team!"

Liam narrowed his eyes at the dissipated sandstorm, then glanced at the unharmed Golduck before issuing a rapid command.

"Roar!"

Garchomp dashed forward, its white silhouette piercing through the rain. As it surged ahead, multiple afterimages split off from its body—clones, created by one of the first TM moves Garchomp had ever mastered. 

It used Double Team with such finesse now that the field filled with illusionary Garchomps lunging at Golduck from all directions.

"Golduck, don't panic! They're all fakes! Use Foresight! Then follow up with Hydro Pump!"

Golduck hesitated, alarm flashing in its eyes as it looked around nervously, surrounded by countless enemies. It swayed its head from side to side, visibly tense.

That's when Lorelei's calm voice rang out from behind it. At her reassurance, Golduck steadied itself, nodded slightly, and refocused its gaze on the field. A gleam of clarity shone in its large eyes.

"Golduck!!"

In that instant, Golduck seemed to lock on. It let out a sharp cry, clapped its flippers together—and a powerful jet of water burst upward, striking the Garchomp directly above it.

"Roar!"

The Hydro Pump hit Garchomp squarely. With a deep growl of pain, Garchomp shielded itself with its fins and used the recoil to veer away from further damage. Its body began to drop toward the ground, and all its illusionary clones vanished.

"Garchomp! Take to the skies! Use Dragon Rush!"

Liam barked the command as he watched Garchomp falling from the sky.

"Roar!"

Mid-fall, Garchomp twisted in the air and let out a thunderous roar. Its body tucked in tightly, then suddenly shot upward with a sonic boom, streaking into the thick storm clouds above.

"What?! Golduck, be careful! It could strike at any moment!"

Lorelei shouted in alarm as Garchomp vanished into the thunderclouds.

"Golduck!"

Sensing the looming threat, Golduck tensed, scanning the skies with anxious eyes and ready to dodge.

"ROARRRR!!!"

A roar exploded from the clouds as Garchomp burst forth, scattering the storm with its sheer force. Sunlight broke through in dazzling beams as a blazing energy dragon—formed entirely from aura—plummeted toward the earth with its jaws wide open.

"Dodge it, Golduck!!"

Lorelei cried out in desperation.

"Golduck!!"

Golduck bolted, but with the clouds gone, the rain stopped—its Swift Swim boost vanished. Its movement slowed, and it hadn't gone far when Garchomp's Dragon Rush caught up.

BOOOOM!!!

A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. Ice shards flew in all directions, and a towering pillar of black smoke rose from the impact zone. The spectators stared in stunned silence at the colossal cloud of smoke, jaws agape at the raw power on display.

As the smoke cleared, the crowd gasped again.

Half the icy terrain had melted. A massive crater had formed in the center, and at its bottom stood a white Garchomp. Draped over its shoulder was an unconscious blue Golduck. 

With a flap of its fins, Garchomp emerged from the crater, landing lightly on the ice. It walked over to Lorelei, gently laid Golduck at her feet, then turned and flew back to Liam, nuzzling him playfully with its big head.

"Golduck is unable to battle! Garchomp wins! Contestant Lorelei, please send out your final Pokémon—the battle continues!"

The referee gulped at the size of the crater before raising his flag and calling out.

"You did great, Golduck. Rest now—you've made me proud."

Lorelei smiled as she returned Golduck to its PokeBall. But instead of releasing Slowbro again, she turned to the referee, raising her hand.

"I forfeit. This match is your victory. I lost—completely and thoroughly."

"Eh? You… you're surrendering?"

The referee froze, caught off guard, then quickly pulled out his communicator to inform the League officials and ask for confirmation.

"Huh? Just like that? You're giving up? My Garchomp's already expended a lot of stamina, and your Slowbro should still be able to fight. If I remember right, I told you your Slowbro's Ability is Regenerator—it recovers some HP when switched out. Don't you want to at least try?"

Liam asked in surprise, frowning slightly.

"I know I can't win anymore. I understand Slowbro's temperament well. It might fare better against other Pokémon, but not against Garchomp. Garchomp is just too fast. Rather than send Slowbro out just to get hurt and lose anyway, I'd rather concede gracefully."

Lorelei smiled casually. Though the referee hadn't made the official announcement yet, she was already walking across the battlefield toward Liam. She extended her hand to him, her smile soft.

"You said we'd find a place to talk once the match was over. Don't think you can wriggle out of that promise."

"…Alright. I'll bring Delia with me, I promise."

Liam was silent for a moment before taking her hand, a wry smile on his face.