The moment Graveler appeared, the battlefield let out a heavy groan.
"Graveler, Defense Curl."
"Grave~"
Following Chiyo's command, Graveler tucked in all six of its limbs — four arms and two legs — transforming into a perfect ball.
"Now use Rollout."
"Grave~"
Graveler roared and immediately rolled toward Ponyta, kicking up clouds of dust in its wake.
"Neigh~"
Seeing this, Ponyta galloped away quickly. How could it possibly go head-to-head with such a heavyweight Pokémon? One hit and it might break a leg!
And so, the two Pokémon began a chase around the battlefield.
"Ponyta, Fire Spin!"
Hearing Blaine's command, Ponyta suddenly braked, turned its head toward the charging Graveler, and spat out a ring of fire that trapped Graveler inside.
Graveler was forced to stop.
"Graveler, Defense Curl plus Rollout, don't be afraid, break through!" Chiyo shouted.
"Grave~"
Graveler roared and followed her command, once again using the Defense Curl and Rollout combo technique.
This combo is classic for two reasons: Defense Curl doubles the power of Rollout, and spherical Pokémon can execute these two moves seamlessly, without any pause.
This fluid transition between skills is crucial in combination techniques.
The fire ring trapping Graveler was forcefully shattered by its body, with sparks flying in all directions as the ring disappeared.
Rumble~ Rumble~ Rumble~ Rumble~
Graveler made a deep rumbling sound as it rolled, its speed surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to Ponyta.
With a scream of pain, Ponyta was sent flying by the impact and fell to the ground unconscious.
"Good job!" Blaine recalled his partner, then looked at Chiyo across the field and praised, "Not bad."
He was complimenting her calm composure, as she showed no signs of being affected by her first defeat. For an excellent trainer, maintaining stable emotions during battle is crucial.
"Next is my second Pokémon, and it's much tougher than Ponyta." As Blaine finished speaking, his second Pokémon appeared on the field.
A Rhydon.
"Sedon~"
Rhydon stood firmly on its two feet, spread its powerful arms, and let out a threatening roar at Graveler.
"Graveler, Defense Curl plus Rollout." Chiyo stuck to her original plan, continuing with the same combo technique.
"Grave~"
Graveler roared and charged toward the opponent, following its trainer's command.
"Rhydon, Horn Drill!" Instead of dodging, Blaine chose to have Rhydon face Graveler head-on.
Both Pokémon shared the same type, making the outcome uncertain.
"Sedon~"
Rhydon's body surged with energy, its horn spinning rapidly as it charged headfirst toward Graveler.
BOOM!!!
The two heavyweight Pokémon collided with such force that the battlefield suspended over the magma pool shook — a truly breathtaking scene.
Rhydon's arms braced against the rolling Graveler, continuously pushed back by the tremendous impact, while its horn pierced deep into Graveler's body, sending rock fragments flying.
"SEDON!!!"
In the end, Rhydon's strength proved superior. It lifted Graveler up and used Superpower to throw it violently away.
Superpower, a Fighting-type major move, is super effective against Rock-type Pokémon — making it impossible for Graveler to withstand.
"Graveler!" Chiyo cried out in alarm.
Seeing her Pokémon was unconscious, she recalled it and sent out her final choice, Yanmega.
For battling a bulky opponent like Rhydon, the highly mobile Yanmega was a strategic choice.
"Mega~"
Yanmega buzzed its wings, hovering just above Rhydon's head. The Rock Pokémon swung its arms trying to catch it, but Yanmega dodged each attempt with ease.
"Rhydon, use Rock Slide!" Unable to land a direct hit, Blaine switched to ranged attacks.
Massive boulders materialized above Yanmega and plummeted toward it.
In that instant, Yanmega's form flickered rapidly, creating over ten identical copies while its speed increased dramatically.
With Double Team in effect, all of Rhydon's Rock Slide attacks missed their target. Meanwhile, Yanmega's Speed Boost ability made it even faster.
More than a dozen of its shadows now encircled Rhydon.
Swish Swish Swish!
Suddenly, every Yanmega fired yellowish-green beams, causing Rhydon to howl in pain. The Bug-type move Signal Beam was super effective.
As the battle continued, Yanmega's speed increased further. Rhydon stood helpless against the rapid assault, eventually succumbing to the barrage of Signal Beam attacks.
Since Chiyo had used her final evolution Pokémon, Blaine naturally responded with his own final evolution.
A Ninetales appeared. The beautiful fox Pokémon sat elegantly on the field, its golden fur gleaming as it gazed at the rapidly flickering Yanmega with calm, calculating eyes.
By now, Yanmega's speed had reached its peak under its Speed Boost ability.
"Yanmega, use Signal Beam!" Chiyo seized the initiative, ordering an attack on Ninetales.
"Ninetales, Heat Wave."
Following Blaine's command, waves of crimson heat surged from Ninetales' body, the gusts of air making its golden fur flow even more gracefully.
The heat wave collided with the Signal Beam, instantly nullifying the yellowish-green beam.
"Yanmega, Double Team!" Seeing her attack was ineffective, Chiyo ordered Yanmega to evade Ninetales.
But Ninetales was different from Pokémon like Rhydon that relied solely on brute force. Its nine tails rose simultaneously like a peacock's display, while its body lit up with a purple glow.
Yanmega, which had been constantly flickering, suddenly froze in midair.
Ninetales had used Psychic. With its highly intelligent brain, it excelled at using Psychic Powers, similar to Psyduck and Golduck.
"Mega~ Mega~"
Yanmega desperately flapped its wings, trying to break free from the psychic grip, but the power gap between them was too significant.
"Ninetales, Will-O-Wisp!" Blaine called out.
"Woo~"
Ninetales raised its head and let out a crisp, lingering fox cry. Ghostly blue flames materialized around its body, each one as beautiful as a blooming lotus.
"Yanmega, Bug Buzz!" Chiyo called out anxiously.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, the Will-O-Wisp flames struck Yanmega, causing it to emit piercing cries as the flames scorched its body.
The Bug Buzz successfully disrupted Ninetales' Psychic Powers, freeing Yanmega from its restraints. However, the ghostly flames had already left Yanmega with a painful burn.
Pain! The sensation of flames burning its body was excruciating!
"Yanmega, continue using Bug Buzz!"
"Mega~ Mega~ Mega~"
The burn intensified Yanmega's pain, making its buzzing even more piercing and intense. Even the previously elegant Ninetales lost its composure — brows furrowed and eyes revealing pain. Clearly, it was suffering under the Bug Buzz's influence.
"Ninetales, Inferno!"
"Woo~"
With a long howl, Ninetales unleashed countless black-red flames that surged across the entire battlefield, instantly transforming the arena into a fiery hell.
"Mega~"
Under the scorching inferno, Yanmega let out an agonizing wail before falling to the ground with a thud, its body still smoking.
"Yanmega!" Chiyo's shoulders slumped immediately, "I lost."
Seeing this, Blaine encouraged her, "Young lady, keep trying, there's still hope. You're students from that Oak fellow's summer camp, right? Can't be helped, that guy gave me a heads-up not to go easy on you. Normally, with your skill level, I'd definitely give you the badge."
Chiyo: ...
Cole: ...
That Professor Oak, actually secretly increasing the Gym challenge difficulty. That's so like him!
Chiyo quietly recalled her Yanmega and retreated from the battlefield.
Blaine also recalled his Ninetales and called out to Cole, "Young man, it's your turn!"
Cole walked to the battlefield and said, "I'll be in your care, Gym Leader Blaine."
Blaine smiled and waved his hand, "No problem, no problem. Let's begin."
As he spoke, Blaine immediately released his first Pokémon, a Growlithe.
"Woof~ woof~ Woof~ woof~ woof~"
The lively Growlithe bounced around happily as soon as it appeared, barking non-stop at Cole.
Cole took out a Poké Ball and released his Pokémon, Lopunny.
The moment Lopunny appeared, hearts suddenly formed in Growlithe's eyes, leaving Cole completely bewildered.
Wait... my Lopunny's ability is Cute Charm, which only works when the opponent makes contact, but you haven't even touched it yet!
And Lopunny hasn't learned moves like Attract or Captivate!
The Growlithe panted with its tongue out, rushing toward Lopunny. Thinking it was about to attack, Lopunny leaped into the air and used Dizzy Punch, smashing down with a powerful fist.
"Awoo~ Awoo~ Awoo~"
Growlithe howled in pain from the hit. Simultaneously, Dizzy Punch's additional effect activated, sending Growlithe into a confused state.
Blaine stood dumbfounded. He hadn't expected his loyal dog to fall in love at first sight with the opponent's Pokémon.
In its confused state, Growlithe became even more disoriented, spinning in circles and even attempting to chase its own tail.
"Growlithe, snap out of it!" Blaine shouted, but his Pokémon wouldn't listen.
Seizing the opportunity, Lopunny darted forward in several swift movements, instantly appearing before Growlithe. Its ears transformed into fists, striking rapidly as Dizzy Punch activated again.
Lopunny's powerful ears became blurs, delivering punch after punch. Within moments, the once-energetic pup lay motionless on the ground.
Blaine never even had a chance to issue commands. He laughed awkwardly, "I was careless — didn't see that coming. Next up is my Flareon!"
As Growlithe was recalled, a Flareon appeared on the battlefield.
Cole eyed the flame-wrapped Flareon and suddenly felt targeted. During Chiyo's challenge, Blaine had only used a fully evolved Pokémon as his third, but now he was using one as his second against Cole?
While a Pokémon's evolutionary stage doesn't absolutely determine its strength, when under the same trainer, the correlation is usually strong.
"Flareon, Fire Spin!"
Flareon opened its mouth and spewed spiraling flames toward Lopunny.
Lopunny jumped high, easily escaping the attack range with its excellent jumping ability, and landed behind the opponent. Just as it raised its foot to kick, Flareon suddenly turned around, its body wrapped in flames as it charged toward Lopunny.
Jump Kick and Flame Charge collided.
With the Huge Power ability, how could Cole's Lopunny possibly lose in a contest of strength? Even Flareon stood no chance.
Despite Blaine currently being the Fire-type Elite Four member of Kanto, Flareon wasn't his main Pokémon.
Boom!!!
Thud~~
With a tremendous sound, Flareon was kicked away, rolling across the field before falling into a lava pool.
Blaine stared at Cole in surprise. He hadn't expected the challenging youth to be so strong. How old was this trainer anyway?
Equally astonished was Chiyo, watching from the sidelines. She knew Cole was strong, but hadn't expected him to be this powerful. It reminded her of her cousin.
An opponent she had struggled against, Cole had defeated with ease in just two matches!
"Gym Leader Blaine, your Flareon..."
Blaine waved his hand, "It's fine. Flareon's ability is Flash Fire, so even if it falls into the lava pool, it won't be hurt. I'll count this round as your win, young man."
"That's good." Cole sighed with relief.
"Young man, I haven't asked your name yet!" Blaine suddenly said.
"My name is Cole."
"Cole, huh!" Blaine nodded, "Good, very good!"
"Thank you for the praise, Gym Leader Blaine."
"Next is my last Pokémon. If you can defeat it, young man, you'll earn the Volcano Badge today."
As Blaine finished speaking, bubbles began to gurgle in the lava pool below the battlefield, and the temperature on the field started to rise steadily.
Cole wiped the sweat from his forehead as he watched a Pokémon slowly descend onto the platform.
✲✲✲
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