Two glowing blue energy spheres shot out, carrying Lucario's anger with them. But Growlithe flicked its tail and vanished from the spot, causing both attacks to miss completely.
Lucario froze for a moment and scanned the area, only to realize it could not keep up with its opponent's speed at all. It quickly closed its eyes and used aura to sense Growlithe's position.
Unfortunately, it was still too slow. In the instant it shut its eyes, Growlithe had already rushed to its flank, flames wrapping around its body as it lunged forward.
Flame Wheel allowed it to charge at high speed, with a chance to inflict burn on the target.
Caught off guard, Lucario groaned in pain as it was slammed back several meters. It dropped to one knee on the grass, breathing heavily.
Yet Cynthia only watched nervously and did not give an order right away.
"Fire Fang!"
Shiro did not know what she was thinking, but he would not miss even the smallest opening.
Growlithe dashed forward again, closing in quickly as it opened its flame-covered jaws.
"Counter!" Cynthia shouted urgently.
Counter was a Fighting-type move that returned physical damage at double strength. She intended to take Growlithe down in one blow.
On the field, Growlithe was already close, while Lucario's claws lit up with a deep brown glow.
'Protect!'
Shiro did not speak aloud. Instead, he gave the command through telepathy.
Bang!
The flames scattered as a solid green barrier appeared, blocking Lucario's claws dead in their tracks. Inside it, Growlithe remained unharmed.
"What's going on?" Rowan looked confused from near the referee's position. "Did it change moves on its own? Is this Growlithe that smart?"
"It should be Shiro using telepathy to command it…" Carolina guessed, while Dale beside her confirmed it.
"It's telepathy. Dr. Corviknight is a psychic!"
"A psychic?"
The previously quiet researchers behind them were shocked and began whispering among themselves.
"He has psychic talent too?"
"I heard psychics are much smarter than normal people…"
"No wonder. That's a genius!"
"…."
Their voices overlapped in a messy buzz. Meanwhile, Growlithe lunged at Lucario once again.
It was not just the spectators who were surprised. Even Lucario, the one under attack, was completely confused, a trace of bewilderment showing on its face.
It had never seen an opponent change moves so quickly in the middle of battle. Wild Pokémon might be clumsy, but even those raised by Gym-level trainers could not do this.
Unless a Pokémon could decide on its own, relying only on voice commands made such instant changes impossible.
"Fire Fang!"
Shiro gave the order again without holding back.
Flames rose once more in Growlithe's mouth as it pounced toward the stunned Lucario.
"Lucario! Use Quick Attack to dodge!" Cynthia shouted anxiously.
She was shocked by how fast the move changes were, but the battle was still going on.
Lucario had been raised since it was young and had never been overwhelmed by a Pokémon of the same level. It usually dominated its opponents. Now, being pressured by a single Growlithe, it lost its composure and did not know what to do.
As expected, it was knocked down and bitten hard.
Cynthia did not recall it immediately. Perhaps taking a hit like this would help it learn.
Only after the Fire Fang landed did she return it to its Poké Ball.
"Togekiss!"
Cynthia called out softly as she threw another Poké Ball.
Togekiss, like a small white plane with a cheerful smile, flew onto the battlefield. But in that very instant, a blazing wave of fire surged up from below it, so fierce it was almost impossible to block.
"Quick, dodge it, Togekiss!"
Hearing the command, the Pokémon felt a sharp burning numbness across its lower body. It tried to tilt and fly sideways to evade, but before it could move away, a set of sharp fangs clamped onto it, dragging it down with sheer force.
Before Togekiss had even appeared, during the moment Cynthia was switching Pokémon, Shiro had already ordered Growlithe to charge up a fusion move.
Flame Wheel combined with Take Down. It shot straight up from the ground into the sky, further boosted by the attack increase from two Howls.
"Togekiss has lost its ability to battle. Hurry and switch Pokémon!"
From the referee's position, Carolina raised her voice, reminding her stunned granddaughter.
Only then did she come back to her senses and quickly recall Togekiss.
"The battle is so fast…" Dale could not help but sigh.
Beside him, Rei spoke in a low voice, "There's still a big gap between her battle experience and Shiro's. It feels like a Gym-level trainer fighting a beginner."
"The difference is too big," Cynthia murmured to herself.
She felt as if everything she had learned over the past decade was somehow wrong. She was always one step too slow. Whether it was wild battles or rotation battles, being one step slow meant a huge gap.
But what was the reason? Was it her battle style, her own problem, or simply that Shiro was too strong?
She could not figure it out. All she could do was send out her next Pokémon.
"Come out! Roserade!"
Following a flash of light, Roserade stood on the field, its body a vivid green. It had a humanoid form, like it wore a mask and a cloak, with one hand holding a blue flower and the other a red one. Hidden within the bouquets were thorny whips coated with deadly poison, while white rose-like structures on its head resembled hair.
Shiro immediately checked its information:
[Name: Roserade
Type: Grass/Poison
Level: 48 (Gym)
Ability: Technician
Held Item: None
Moves: Petal Dance, Toxic Spikes, Absorb, Synthesis, Stun Spore, Worry Seed, Poison Sting, Sweet Scent, Venom Drench, Growth, Magical Leaf, Giga Drain, Grassy Terrain, Leech Seed, Aromatherapy, Petal Blizzard, Mega Drain...]
From a type perspective, Grass and Poison made Roserade heavily disadvantaged against Growlithe. But right now, Cynthia had no better options.
In truth, these five were the ones she had focused on raising. As for the sixth main Pokémon, she was still considering it, most likely a Water-type.
"Roserade…" Shiro muttered softly. As a Pokémon evolution researcher, he could not help but think about its evolution conditions.
Roserade also required a strong bond with its trainer to complete its first stage of evolution.
"Flamethrower!"
He gave the order without hesitation.
Growlithe immediately opened its mouth. A blazing red sphere of fire formed briefly before bursting forward.
The flames were overwhelming. Not only was the temperature far beyond a normal Flamethrower, but the sheer area it covered left Roserade with nowhere to escape.
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