Upon seeing Gogoat, Blaziken's expression immediately turned serious.
He could feel the pressure Gogoat was exerting on him.
"Fight with all you've got, Blaziken! Use Swords Dance again!" Cain said.
Hearing this, Blaziken began to perform a unique dance, accompanied by a strange melody, as if it could inspire those watching.
"Gogoat, Vine Whip!"
This time, he couldn't allow Blaziken to execute Swords Dance so easily.
Otherwise, even though Gogoat was a high-level Pokémon, the battle would become very difficult.
Two thin vines emerged from the leaves around Gogoat's neck and headed straight toward Blaziken.
"Blaziken, keep the rhythm!"
The key to using Swords Dance was the rhythm.
The dance itself was secondary; as long as the rhythm was correct, the move could be executed successfully.
"Blazk!" Blaziken locked eyes on the approaching vines, leaping and moving without interrupting the rhythm of Swords Dance as he dodged the attack.
Cain smiled slightly at Blaziken's movements.
No doubt about it—combat was the fastest way to grow.
Faced with Gogoat's pressure, Blaziken had improved his mastery of Swords Dance.
Now, he could just barely use it effectively in real combat.
Seeing that Vine Whip had failed to stop Blaziken, Mr. Ramos narrowed his eyes and gave another command: "Gogoat, Leech Seed!"
A small seed was launched from Gogoat's back as it shook its body.
It landed at Blaziken's feet.
Blaziken, having just completed Swords Dance, felt his energy slowly begin to drain.
Fortunately, Grass-type moves didn't affect him much.
"Alright, Blaziken—Flame Charge!"
Boom!
Intense flames erupted from Blaziken's body, burning away most of the Leech Seed vines on the ground.
Some remained, but they weren't significant.
Blaziken dashed quickly toward Gogoat, cloaked in flames.
"Grass Knot! Then Earthquake!" Mr. Ramos said calmly.
Two vines emerged from the ground, trying to trip up Blaziken.
Gogoat's Grass Knot wasn't as strong as Victreebel's, but it was enough to interrupt Blaziken's Flame Charge.
Although Blaziken didn't take too much damage, Gogoat's Earthquake did serious harm.
"Blaziken, jump and use Blaze Kick!" Cain shouted, frowning.
Flames enveloped Blaziken's legs again, burning the vines that held him.
After enduring the impact of Earthquake, Blaziken jumped.
Despite the pain in his body, it didn't stop him from unleashing Blaze Kick.
He spread his arms like wings.
Then, he channeled all his flames into his feet and delivered a fierce kick at Gogoat.
Boom!
Although Gogoat had a sturdy body, the kick did significant damage.
Fire-type moves were clearly a disadvantage for it.
Luckily, Gogoat had excellent physical endurance.
"Gogoat, Grassy Terrain! Synthesis!" Mr. Ramos gave two consecutive commands to restore his Pokémon's energy.
Gogoat's burns visibly began healing rapidly.
"Blaziken, don't stop attacking! Continuous Fire Punch!" Cain shouted.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Blaziken's flaming fists struck Gogoat again and again.
Wounds kept appearing—only to be quickly healed.
"Gogoat, Giga Drain!" Mr. Ramos commanded once more.
Gogoat's tenacity was on par with Cain's Florges. Fortunately, it didn't know any Poison-type moves; otherwise, a few well-placed attacks would've worn Blaziken down slowly.
If the battle kept going like this, the result would be a draw, with both Pokémon exhausted.
If Blaziken couldn't finish Gogoat with a single blow, its recovery moves would prolong the fight endlessly.
"Blaziken, use Swords Dance again!"
There was no other option—Blaziken had a high chance of losing.
Cain could only boost his attack power.
As long as Blaziken's attack exceeded Gogoat's recovery speed, victory was possible.
For a moment, Cain considered having Blaziken use Mega Evolution, but he held back.
It wasn't the right time to reveal that ability.
Even if he lost, he couldn't expose Mega Evolution for a battle that didn't matter.
Blaziken leapt backward and resumed his rhythmic dance.
This time, Gogoat couldn't interrupt him.
However, Mr. Ramos didn't try to stop him either—instead, he bolstered his Pokémon's defense and healing.
"Gogoat, Bulk Up!"
Bulk Up increased both attack and defense by tensing the muscles.
Cain narrowed his eyes. If that's how it was, then he had to try something else.
"Blaziken, Flare Blitz!"
Flames surged from the white feathers on Blaziken's head, mixed with small golden sparks.
Blaziken's speed had reached its peak thanks to the Speed Boost ability.
Like a bullet wrapped in fire, Blaziken charged toward Gogoat at a speed almost impossible to track.
It was the first time Blaziken had used that move in battle.
Because of the strong recoil effect of Flare Blitz, Cain had avoided training him in its use.
But now, there was no other choice.
If he couldn't surpass Gogoat's recovery ability, defeat was certain.
Boom!
In less than the blink of an eye, Blaziken slammed violently into Gogoat, engulfed in searing flames.
Gogoat was sent flying, crashing into the wall at the edge of the battlefield.
Blaziken dropped to one knee, feeling slightly dizzy.
The recoil damage had hit him hard—not to mention the massive impact Gogoat had just suffered.
Gogoat now lay outside the area affected by Grassy Terrain, unable to continue using Synthesis.
"Now—Blaze Kick!"
Blaziken shook his head slightly, gritted his teeth, and charged again.
Fire-type energy focused into his feet.
It was all the energy he had left. If he didn't win now, Blaziken would be defenseless.
Bang!
The sound of his kick connecting with Gogoat rang out.
Boom!
Cracks spread across the wall.
"Huff... huff..." Blaziken remained standing near the wall, one eye closed, breathing heavily and clearly exhausted.
Meanwhile, Gogoat lay on the ground, unable to continue.
"Gogoat is unable to battle! The winner is the challenger, Cain!" announced the referee, waving a flag to declare the victory.
However, neither Cain nor Mr. Ramos seemed too concerned about the outcome.
Upon hearing the declaration of victory, Blaziken began to stagger backward.
Before he could fall, he was caught by another Pokémon.
It was another Gogoat.
Mr. Ramos had thrown another Poké Ball, revealing his strongest Pokémon.
Holding Blaziken, the new Gogoat immediately activated Grassy Terrain, restoring both Blaziken and its fallen partner.
(End of Chapter)