She could no longer see Frogadier's location.
"Ponyta, stay on high alert!" she shouted hurriedly.
Ponyta stopped, warily scanning the surrounding thick fog, sparks occasionally snorting from its nose.
On the referee's stand, Moore's expressionless face flickered with a nearly imperceptible movement in his eyes.
Using water vapor to create a visual obstruction was a very clever tactic.
This not only obscured Frogadier's form, but the rising steam also slightly reduced the field's negative impact on Frogadier.
Ariel remained unfazed. For an agile Pokémon like Frogadier, a chaotic battlefield was the most suitable stage.
"Now."
Ariel thought to himself.
In the thick fog, a blue shadow flashed by like a ghost.
"Behind you! Ponyta, use Stomp, quickly!" Flannery reacted extremely fast, immediately catching the movement of that moment.
Ponyta spun around suddenly, its front hooves raised high, about to Stomp down with immense force!
However, it stomped on thin air.
That shadow was just a feint. The real Frogadier had already appeared silently by Ponyta's side.
"Quick Attack."
Ariel's voice rang out.
Frogadier's figure vanished instantly, and in the next second, it appeared on Ponyta's other side. A Water Blade in its hand traced a cold arc, precisely slashing Ponyta's hind leg.
"Neigh!"
Ponyta let out a pained neigh, its hind legs buckling as it nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Damn... Ponyta, steady! Use Fire Spin!"
Flannery was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Ariel's tactics to be so tricky.
Enduring the pain, Ponyta snapped its mouth open, and a blast of scorching flames surged toward Frogadier's previous position!
But Frogadier had already vanished into the steam once again.
"It's useless."
Ariel looked at the somewhat helpless Ponyta in the arena.
"In a situation where you've lost your vision, your attacks will only waste your stamina for nothing."
"Frogadier, Double Team."
This was a move Frogadier had recently mastered.
By moving rapidly to create copies, it confused the opponent and raised its evasion by one stage.
Within the steam, one Frogadier after another emerged, surrounding Ponyta.
Every copy was identical to the original, with calm eyes and synchronized movements, making it impossible to distinguish the real one.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Flannery's forehead.
For the first time, she felt immense pressure.
Ariel's commands were frighteningly calm; every step seemed calculated to push Frogadier's advantages to their limit.
"Don't panic, Flannery."
She told herself.
"Grandfather is watching; I can't lose this embarrassingly!"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"Ponyta, ignore those copies! Aim at the center of the field and use Fire Blast!"
It was a bold decision. An indiscriminate attack to clear the entire field with absolute power!
Ponyta neighed toward the sky as the flames on its body surged. A massive "big" (Dai) shaped fire formed in front of it, radiating a terrifying heat that made the heart tremble before it slammed into the center of the field!
"Boom—!"
A violent explosion rang out, making the entire arena tremble.
The raging flames instantly swallowed all the steam and the Double Team copies, and the resulting shockwave even made Ariel and Flannery at the edge of the spectator stands feel the heat.
On the referee's stand, the corners of Moore's clothes fluttered in the Heat Wave, but he remained as steady as a mountain, his gaze firmly locked onto the center of the explosion.
As the flames dissipated, a massive charred mark was left on the field.
Ponyta stood panting in place; that last attack had clearly consumed a significant amount of its stamina.
"Did it work?"
Flannery stared tensely into the arena.
Within the smoke and dust, a figure slowly appeared.
It was Frogadier.
It was half-kneeling on the ground, with some burn marks on its body, but its gaze remained sharp.
At the moment of the explosion, it had wrapped its body in its sticky Frubbles. Although it couldn't completely block the damage, it successfully withstood the lethal blow.
"It's not over yet."
Ariel's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Flannery's ears clearly.
Frogadier slowly stood up, its hands once again condensing a Water Pulse, but this time, the water ball's color was deeper than before, and its rotation was faster.
It was injured, and it was provoked.
"Ponyta, can you still fight?" Flannery asked worriedly.
Ponyta nodded heavily and resumed its stance, but its breathing had become heavy.
"The final showdown," Ariel thought to himself.
"Ponyta, Flame Charge!"
"Frogadier, Water Pulse!"
The two of them gave their orders almost simultaneously.
Raging flames ignited on Ponyta's body; this was a powerful move that burned its own stamina.
It transformed into a red meteor, charging toward Frogadier with an unstoppable momentum and determination.
Frogadier threw the water ball in its hand with force!
This time, it wasn't about technique, but a clash of pure power!
The water ball and the meteor collided violently in the center of the field!
"Boom!"
Water and fire collided intensely, evaporating and exploding! The blinding white light made everyone instinctively close their eyes.
When the light faded, a massive crater appeared in the center of the field, with white smoke still rising from the edges.
Ponyta lay on one side of the crater, the flames on its body extinguished and its eyes turned into spirals.
Meanwhile, Frogadier knelt on one knee on the other side, panting heavily, yet it still stubbornly supported its body, refusing to fall.
Moore glanced at the situation on the field and raised his flag.
"Ponyta is unable to battle. The winner is Frogadier!"
Flannery stared blankly at the fallen Ponyta. Her lips moved, but in the end, she took out a Poké Ball and recalled it.
"Come back, Frogadier."
Ariel also recalled the equally exhausted Frogadier.
"Good job."
The arena fell into silence for a moment.
Ariel looked up at Flannery across from him and spoke in a flat tone.
"Gym Leader Anya, don't underestimate me."
These words were like a needle, piercing through Flannery's dazed state.
She looked up at Ariel, and her gaze changed.
It was no longer the ease and slight reserve of a Gym Leader from their first meeting, but a seriousness and gravity fueled by a fully ignited fighting spirit.
She nodded firmly and gripped the second Poké Ball in her hand.
"I did underestimate you, Ariel."
Her voice was a bit hoarse, yet full of strength.
"Next, I will show you the true flames of the Lavaridge Gym!"
Before her words finished, she threw the Poké Ball into the air!
"Come out, Magmar!"
Red light exploded, and a figure taller than a person landed heavily on the field.
Its body was covered in red and yellow skin, with flames burning on its head. Its arms were thick and powerful, and the heat radiating from its body was several times more terrifying than Ponyta's just now, causing the surrounding air to crackle from the heat.
Those eyes, filled with a violent aura, were firmly locked onto Ariel.
A pressure far exceeding Ponyta's instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
Flannery was getting serious.
"Roar!"
Magmar beat its chest and let out a deafening roar, waiting for Ariel to release his next opponent.