Rodenki had been knocked out along with the Team Shade Grunt’s second and, apparently, last Pokémon, but the battle wasn’t over. The Cryote released its next resounding bark, but the enemy Giladon was ready this time. It skidded slightly but endured the sound wave, which was stronger due to repetitive use.

“What’s wrong, Slate?” April asked, apparently noticing his strained expression as she moved to his side.

“I’ve only got one more chance,” he said quietly. “Echoed Voice will be even stronger this time, but if it doesn’t knock that thing out, it’s going to beat Cryote with a super powerful burst of stored-up energy from its Bide.”

“What’s wrong, kid? Why don’t you give it another shot? Go on, do it!” the woman dared.

Suddenly, The Cryote interrupted his self-doubt with a loud bark. Slate looked up and observed its severe-looking brow. It barked again and Slate understood. Now wasn’t the time to give up. This was their chance. Their only chance. The Cryote believed in him. He needed to believe too.

“Okay, let’s do it, Boy!” Slate said affirmatively. The Cryote barked again, this time with a look of determination and faced down its opponent. “Give it all you’ve got! Echoed Voice!”

“Giladon, brace yourself,” the woman from Team Shade ordered.

With the loudest bark yet, the third Echoed Voice was fired. It was more visible than the previous two given its increase in power. It distorted the air around the field as it approached its foe, then reverberated upon impact. The Giladon squinted and dug its claws into the field as it tried to resist the air-rippling blast.

“Come on!” Slate said under his breath.

“Shake it off, Giladon!” the woman yelled.

Suddenly, the rippling stopped. The Giladon had survived the blast, barely moving from its position.

“No…” Slate whispered despondently. How could they have lost? What were they going to do? The thieves were going to take the Cryote and April’s Rodenki.

The woman cackled maniacally, “Ha! Now Giladon, release your energy!”

As the Giladon opened its mouth, Slate faintly wondered whether he should intervene and try to shield the Cryote from the imminent danger. However, just then, the Giladon made a strange movement and its short legs buckled beneath it. Its eyes were closed. It hadn’t withstood the Echoed Voice, after all.

“You did it, Slate!” April cheered.

Slate sighed with relief.

The woman returned the Giladon to its ball. “Lucky shot! But your luck’s up now!” she said, revealing a second Silph Ball from her pocket.

“Oh, no. She’s got another one too!” April dismayed.

Slate, however, had been expecting it. He had heard the raspy-voiced woman through the door earlier, talking about stealing two of Bella’s Pokémon. His immediate concern had been on surviving the Giladon’s Bide, though. Now that he had, he could focus on the second Pokémon, the one that the woman had said could ‘control the Slugish.’

The good thing was, the Cryote had used Echoed Voice three times in succession now. Since its power increased each time, a fourth shot might just defeat whatever was coming in an instant.

“Come on out!” the woman ordered as her Silph Ball was opened.

Slate was surprised by the size of the silhouette created by the emerging Pokémon. It was as big as he was. When the white light disappeared, Slate was repulsed by what he saw. “What is that?” he expelled.

“Eww!” April shrieked, pointing her Pokédex at it. “I’ll check.” *Ping*.

SPECIES

#019 Colosslug

DERIVATION

Colossal + Slug

CATEGORY

Trail

COLORING

Purple

Light Purple

Dark Purple

TYPE

Bug

Poison

ABILITIES

Poison Touch

Liquid Ooze

Gooey

DETAILS

When communing wild Slugish reach a certain pH level, they occasionally combine and evolve into this Pokémon. They are so toxic that even the trails they leave behind can burn away concrete.

The pulsating Colosslug resembled a giant Slugish but secreted purple ooze all down its back. When the drops of ooze slid off and made contact with the floor, they left dangerously smoking puddles.

“Your Cryote’s already tired out,” the woman taunted. “Do you really think it can defeat a second Gym Leader Pokémon?”

“Yeah, I do!” Slate said defiantly.

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” she challenged, then commanded, “Colosslug, use Inhibiting Gas!”

“Cryote, end it quick, Echoed Voice!” Slate ordered in response.

The fourth echoing blast would surely deal a wicked blow or perhaps even knock out their foe. However, the Colosslug moved first, releasing a foul, green-colored breath of vapor that engulfed the Cryote and lingered on the battlefield. Strangely, the Cryote didn’t appear to have taken any damage. It didn’t even show signs of having been poisoned. So, it continued as if nothing had occurred and delivered its booming bark.

That was when Slate realized something was wrong. The soundwave was released and hit its target as intended, but it wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as it should have been. In fact, the Colosslug seemed to simply shake it off. There hadn’t been a large rippling of the air like with the previous attack. The Cryote turned to Slate, looking as confused as he was.

Slate’s opponent jeered, “What’s wrong kid? Weren’t expecting that were you? Colosslug’s Inhibiting Gas seeps into its opponent’s pores and prevents the secondary effects of their moves.”

Slate bit his lip in frustration. “So Echoed Voice’s power increase is nullified?”

“That’s right!” the woman replied. “Meaning, your Cryote is stuck using its weak bark, unless you want to risk a Tackle against this monster?”

Slate took another look at the oozing Colosslug. It surely had the Poison Touch Ability like its kin, but what other choice did Slate have? A Howl-powered Tackle seemed to be his best option now. It wasn’t certain that poisoning would take effect, after all. He had to chance it.

“Cryote, Tackle!” Slate said.

“Won’t it get poisoned like Rodenki did?” April whispered.

“Maybe, but it’s the strongest move Cryote can use now.”

“Doesn’t it have a fourth move?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t caught it, so my Pokédex hasn’t analyzed its data. I’ve only seen it using these moves.”

“Okay, keep battling, I’ll look up general data about Cryote and see if I can guess what the move might be.”

The Cryote charged at its huge opponent and pounced with all its might. Slate watched in fear as it appeared to sink into the Colosslug’s gelatinous body and rebounded off it. Even the powered-up Tackle had little effect. Thankfully, the Cryote didn’t seem to have been poisoned by the physical contact.

“Colosslug, Smog!” the woman commanded.

A nasty cloud of thick, dark gas was expelled into the Cryote’s face. The pup backed away coughing and spluttering, then Slate noticed it, a purple mark developing on the Pokémon’s white snout. It had been poisoned. This was it. This was the end. The Cryote’s moves were having little effect, it had already taken significant damage, and now it had been poisoned. *Ping*.

“Slate, I think something’s happened,” April said excitedly while consulting her Pokédex.

“I know, it’s been poisoned,” Slate answered dispiritedly.

“No—well, yes—but not that. My Pokédex says it recognized an Ability activating. It’s called Quick Feet.”

Slate watched as the Cryote began darting around and emitting short, sharp barks. “Quick Feet increases the Speed of a Pokémon by 50% when inflicted with a Status Condition!” Slate said excitedly. “It’s not over!”

“I think there’s something else, Slate. Take a look at this,” April advised, showing him the screen.

“Of course! Let’s hope this data’s right,” Slate said.

The red-haired woman frowned and screeched, “You think it matters if your puppy’s a little faster? It doesn’t matter! It’s already been poisoned. One more hit and I recon it’s done for!”

“That’s assuming you can land a hit!” Slate teased. “Go, Cryote, use Echoed Voice repeatedly!”

“Go, Colosslug, use Acid repeatedly!” the woman retorted.

The two Pokémon began firing off their attacks one after the other in rapid succession. However, while the heavy Colosslug fired its spray from its stationary position, it was besieged by the Cryote’s multi-directional vocal assault as it darted around the field with incredible agility and dodged the Acid.

Slate could see that the Cryote’s poison was spreading but the Colosslug was also showing signs of fatigue and was beginning to wobble.

“That should do it,” Slate remarked.

“What are you talking about?” the woman roared. “Colosslug’s fine and the field is full of Acid. Your Cryote’s running out of space to run.”

“He doesn’t need to run anymore,” Slate said as another Echoed Voice landed on the teetering Colosslug. “Cryote, use Bellow!”

The Cryote stopped moving, took a deep breath and let out a deafening, guttural howl that sent a steady stream of soundwaves in its foe’s direction. Unlike with the Echoed Voice shots, though, there didn’t seem to be any impact, and for a moment the woman smiled triumphantly. However, the Colosslug screwed up its eyes as if in pain, then flopped down on to its underbelly with a loud *splat* and appeared to deflate.

VICTORY: Slate & April

“What?” the woman yelled. “Impossible! What did you do?”

“Bellow is another sound-based move,” April interjected smugly. “However, it affects the opponent’s nervous system. It’s Psychic-Type, meaning it was super-effective against Colosslug!”

“You lose,” Slate added. “Now hand over Bella’s Pokémon!”

“Make me!” the woman snapped back.

“You asked for it,” Slate replied, “Cryote, give her a Bellow!”

The Pokémon took a few steps towards the woman, then keeled over.

She sneered as she returned Bella’s Colosslug to its ball, “That’s what I thought! Looks like the poison finally took its toll.”

“Cryote!” Slate cried, dashing to its side.

“Come on, let’s go,” the woman said, and she and her compatriot fled through the rear door. “This isn’t over!”

April and Slate watched helplessly, unable to prevent the thieves’ escape without any able Pokémon to stop them.