Chapter 54 Rout!
"Where is this trainer from? This is the first time I've ever seen such a brilliant match."
"What's that move, Stealth Rock, Spikes? I've never heard of moves like that before."
"So Roar can be used like that! I always thought Roar was a useless move, but it has this kind of use."
The surrounding trainers were discussing in hushed tones. Such a match was rare even at the Indigo League.
Seeing it on the resort island made their long journey worthwhile.
The excitement of this match alone was comparable to a battle between Gym Leaders.
As trainers, they naturally enjoyed watching all kinds of matches.
Matches like the one between Bai Yu and Xiao Mao were rarely seen even on television.
"Xiao Mao~"
"Next… what are you going to do?"
Standing in the crowd, the boy wearing a hat lowered his hat brim slightly.
His gaze was intense; he had never seen this type of battle before.
If he wasn't mistaken
, the guy in front of him should be the Gym Leader Qinglv mentioned.
Indeed interesting.
Compared to the crowd's amazement, Xiao Mao's brow remained furrowed.
He knew better than anyone how effective Stealth Rock and Ground Spikes were.
Right now, besides Arcanine, only one other Pokémon was left to fight.
He couldn't think of a suitable countermeasure.
Gritting his teeth, he threw out his third Pokémon.
"Your turn, Nidoking!"
Compared to his previous relaxed demeanor, the way he threw Nidoking changed.
"Roar!"
With a deep sound, a purple, bipedal Pokémon with a thick tail appeared on the field.
The moment it appeared, the sharp rocks on the field began to slam into Nidoking's body.
The pyramid-shaped spikes on the ground also relentlessly struck Nidoking.
Previously, Scyther, being a Flying-type, was immune to the damage from Ground-type Spikes.
But Nidoking, with its Ground and Poison-type combination, reduced the damage from Stealth Rock but increased the damage from Spikes.
This was the only Pokémon that Xiao Mao could currently use.
'Nidoking, Ground/Poison type, found in Kanto, Johto, Kalos, etc.'
Ability: Poison Sting Moves: Mega Horn, Leer, Poison Needle, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Horn Tackle, Toxic, Poison Jab, Surf, Earthquake, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Horn Drill (Egg Move)...
Description: It uses its steel-hard skin to unleash powerful ramming attacks. Its horns are hard enough to pierce diamonds.
"Nidoking? Ground and Poison types give it a huge advantage against Houndoom."
Brock nodded silently.
As the Rock-type Gym Leader, he was quite knowledgeable about Ground types.
Using Ground to counter Fire types was naturally the best choice.
"This Nidoking has learned a lot of moves, but they're all rather strange."
Misty noticed Toxic and Toxic Spikes, moves she had never seen before.
"Nidoking, he still chose to battle with Nidoking."
Shinji had somehow appeared beside Ash and the others.
A hint of seriousness crossed his eyes.
Nidoking was indeed outstanding, possessing a wide array of moves.
It held a decisive advantage against Houndoom, and if they could utilize Toxic Spikes to their advantage,
there might still be hope for victory in this match.
"You're that arrogant guy from before?!"
Misty pointed at Shinji, somewhat surprised to see him here.
"What do you think are Gary's chances of winning?"
Brock looked at Shinji; he naturally recognized him.
Both of them had swept through the Pewter City Gym with a single starter Pokémon.
He naturally wanted to know the other's thoughts.
"Less than 50%..."
...
"He didn't choose to use that Kadabra."
"Instead, he chose Nidoking, hoping to take down my Houndoom?" Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Alakazam's crowd control was indeed inferior to Nidoking's, and Nidoking also held a significant advantage against Bai Yu's Magneton. Perhaps Gary was also considering the upcoming battles.
But... The match had progressed to this point.
No matter what Pokémon Xiao Mao used, he couldn't win.
"Houndoom, Mist!"
Houndoom roared forward, followed by a thick purple mist spreading outwards from it. It was
a Poison-type Mist.
Nidoking, also a Poison-type, wasn't significantly damaged.
The spreading mist indirectly obscured Nidoking's vision.
"If I used Roar now, the match would be over."
"However..."
Bai Yu looked at the mist before him. This match was extremely advantageous for him.
Roar could very well summon other Pokémon.
Xiao Mao would undoubtedly have six Pokémon with him. If he summoned another Pokémon,
the match would be lost because Xiao Mao had only used a fifth Pokémon.
Bai Yu didn't want to win in such an unfair way.
"Houndoom, use Roar!" Bai Yu attacked first.
Houndoom roared, using this sonic attack within the mist to precisely target the opponent and pinpoint their location.
A roar pierced through the thick fog, striking Nidoking directly.
A Dark-type Roar.
"Earthquake!" Gary ignored the attack.
When switching positions, his Earthquake would definitely cause more damage than Roar.
Nidoking stomped the ground violently, sending tremors through the earth.
"Houndoom, jump! Use Taunt!"
As the tremors intensified, Houndoom leaped high, unleashing a sonic wave forward. Unlike the previous Roar, this sonic wave was much weaker.
Dark-type Taunt.
It restricts the opponent's moves, preventing them from using the same move for a short time.
"A move that restricts attacks!" Gary had already seen the move description in his Pokédex. "Nidoking, use Surf!"
A blue stream of water flashed through the fog, gathering in Nidoking's palm as it surged forward.
Water-type Surf.
It possesses the ability to swim on water and also deals considerable damage.
Nidoking can learn 90% of the moves from the Kanto Region through TMs, perfectly mastering moves of various types, including Water, Electric, and Dragon.
"Flamethrower!" Bai Yu's expression turned serious.
It can even use Surf.
"Taunt" can only restrict one move, not multiple moves.
Earthquake is Nidoking's primary attack method; with Surf, Nidoking has many more attack options than expected.
Nidoking moved quickly, rushing to Houndoom and throwing a powerful punch.
Houndoom's flames had already coalesced, erupting towards Nidoking's body.
Flamethrower collided with Surf, producing a thick plume of smoke followed by an explosion. Nidoking staggered back a few steps, a pained expression on its face, while Houndoom fell from the air, landing firmly on the ground.
Flamethrower deals slightly more damage than Surf. Houndoom's Special Attack is already superior to Nidoking's, and with the Special Attack reduction from Roar, Surf's effect is already quite good.
"Nidoking!" Gary's expression changed drastically.
It was clearly his attack that resulted in Nidoking taking more damage.
Was it due to the effect of Roar?!
"Mud Shot!"
Houndoom roared, opening its mouth wide.
Countless mud spurted from its mouth.
"Oh no, Nidoking, dodge!"
The Ground-type Mud Shot, if it hits Nidoking completely, would inflict significant damage under double super-effectiveness.
Nidoking tried to escape the attack range, but surrounded by water vapor, it couldn't immediately discern where was safe.
Just as it moved, countless mud splattered onto its body. Nidoking
let out a painful howl, kneeling on the ground, its entire body covered in mud.
"It's over, Dark Pulse!" Bai Yu snapped his fingers.
Houndoom let out a low growl, and a black wave shot out from its mouth.
"Nidoking!" Xiao Mao was about to say something when he saw Nidoking, covered in mud.
The black wave struck Nidoking violently, the immense impact causing it to collapse to the ground. Dizzy and unable to fight any longer, Nidoking was no longer able to fight.
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(End of Chapter)