Boom!
Blaziken's fist had now turned completely golden.
It struck Sharpedo's body with tremendous force.
That offensive, with power converging from both above and below, was far more than a simple sum of strength.
On the other side, seeing Sharpedo trapped in the net and unable to escape, Shelly ordered her Walrein to unleash a fierce counterattack.
Walrein fired a water jet, and at the same time, the thick layer of fat on its body trembled, producing tiny flakes of snow. In an instant, the water jet turned into a sharp ice spear that shot swiftly toward Tyranitar.
Tyranitar's eyes narrowed, and a frenzied stream of sand erupted around him, forming a shield in front of him.
At the same time, the "Ω" symbol on his abdomen glowed, and a dense, blazing flame shot out from his mouth.
His intent was to use Flamethrower to melt the ice spear, but the difference in level and power was too great. The icy energy from Walrein couldn't be countered by fire from a Tyranitar that wasn't even of that type.
The ice spear pierced through the Flamethrower, broke through the sand wall Tyranitar had raised, and sliced through like a sharp blade heading straight for the most lethal point.
Tyranitar locked his eyes firmly on the spear cutting through the sand. He held his breath, crossed both arms, and raised them in front of him.
Bang!
The icy blade clashed against the hard armor of his arms, producing a sharp sound. However, the force of the spear didn't diminish and forced Tyranitar to retreat step by step.
Boom!
From the side appeared Swampert, fists glowing with earthy light. He struck the ice spear violently, shattering it into pieces, allowing Tyranitar to stop retreating.
Shelly looked shocked. For an instant, she caught sight of the special symbol on Tyranitar's chest and abdomen.
That symbol wasn't unfamiliar—it was the same emblem Team Magma sought after, the one found on Groudon. Why was it now on Tyranitar's body?
But there was no time to think.
The Sharpedo that had been struck by Blaziken's Sky Uppercut traced an arc through the air and crashed to the ground between both sides.
It rolled several times and lay still.
Sharpedo was the first to lose the ability to battle!
Shelly, already at a power disadvantage, lost another Pokémon, putting her in an even more precarious position.
If only her Walrein were still in its prime...
Without much time to think, Walrein fired another stream of water.
One, two, three—faster and more abundant each time.
At the same time, Crawdaunt got back up and appeared beside Walrein, firing water jets alongside it.
Crystals of ice began to form around Walrein's fangs, and even the droplets hanging from its whiskers froze instantly, turning into icy beads.
The temperature throughout the area dropped sharply. Frigid currents swirled around them. Uneven puddles were covered by ice blossoms on their surfaces.
The water jets launched into the air were immediately controlled by the cold and transformed into sharp ice stakes.
Sheer Cold!
However, Walrein didn't use Sheer Cold directly to attack—it channeled the move's energy into forming those spears.
In its current state, fully executing Sheer Cold was too demanding. Even so, for Shelly, it was the only chance she had left.
Sharpedo's fall had put her completely at a disadvantage. If even with Walrein she couldn't turn things around, the rest of the battle would only get harder.
The Pokémon's breath turned white as it left their mouths. Elite Four-level Pokémon truly possessed the power to alter their surroundings.
She had to take out Slowking first!
Shelly saw it clearly: without Slowking's mental control, Cain would never be able to have his Pokémon fight with such coordination or dodge so many lethal attacks.
It was thanks to Slowking's pervasive telekinesis that Cain's Pokémon could evade inescapable strikes.
Moreover, with Cain's psychic reinforcement, Slowking was now the strongest of all his Pokémon.
If she could eliminate the tactical core—the field controller and the highest-level combatant—she might still have a chance.
A single ice stake had already pushed Tyranitar to his limit. Now, with countless projectiles, the danger grew exponentially.
Cain knew Shelly was betting everything on that move. Looking at Walrein, who after forcing Sheer Cold was already showing signs of extreme exhaustion—
He moved!
Crawdaunt, intent on sacrificing itself, charged toward Cain's eight Pokémon, eyes burning with ferocity.
Dark threads of energy surrounded its claws, and an ominous aura enveloped it.
The closer it got, the denser that dark energy became...
Then it suddenly exploded outward!
Psychic threads reappeared, but as soon as they began to form, they were swept away by the Dark Pulse Crawdaunt unleashed in its suicidal charge.
Its goal was clear: to scatter Slowking's telekinetic network, stripping it of field control.
The target was Slowking!
Seeing Crawdaunt's movements, Cain's face tensed.
Swampert transformed into a torrent of water and rushed toward Crawdaunt. At his side was Drapion, eyes sharp and focused.
Claw against claw.
The ice stakes in the air finally descended.
They sliced through the skies with a deafening whistle.
Slowking, fists clenched, watched the projectiles speeding toward him. He knew he couldn't withstand them head-on. Wrapping himself in telekinesis, he vanished instantly with Teleport.
When he reappeared elsewhere, he discovered the ice stakes seemed capable of tracking him—as if they had locked onto him.
Meanwhile, Florges waved her hands, and with a shower of petals, four vines shot directly toward Shelly.
An attack on the opposing Trainer!
Shelly never imagined that a League Trainer would go that far. But her battle experience allowed her to react in time.
Walrein, not far from her, slowed the descent of the ice stakes to save her, giving Slowking a brief opening.
Teleport made him vanish once again.
Boom!
A distraction attack! Florges' true target had never been Shelly, but rather Walrein, who had tried to save her.
Who said that when faced with a desperate assault, one had to defend?
Attack was the best defense!
Tyranitar crouched down and placed his hands on the ground. Beside him, Aggron raised its arms, forming a massive boulder above Walrein.
Walrein, caught by the vines, was pinned in place.
The ground beneath it trembled slightly. With a roar, the "Ω" symbol on Tyranitar's chest shone once more. He channeled ground-type energy through his arms into the earth.
Finally, under Tyranitar's utmost effort, the move Precipice Blades erupted, piercing through Walrein's thick fat. With a scorching heat like magma, it broke through the bindings and rose toward the sky.
The collision was inevitable: Precipice Blades met the massive rock Aggron had formed with Rock Slide.
Rumble!
The boulders crashed down onto Walrein's body, shattering to pieces.
Not even its slippery skin or thick fat could stop it from screaming in pain. The shattered rocks tore open bleeding wounds across its flesh.
And that wasn't the end—it was only the beginning.
The Precipice Blades continued to surge upward, its temperature rising higher at the point of impact.
BOOM!
Like an explosion long contained, the thunderous roar echoed across the entire battlefield.
(End of Chapter)