“Is this… Roost?”
The Trainers present were all experienced, and upon seeing Altaria’s state, they immediately associated it with the move Roost.
“Wait, this Altaria knows Roost?! That means even the Feather Dance and Dragon Rush from earlier…” The referee from the Castelia Club finally realized what was happening. The intensity of the battle had left no room for deeper thought earlier, but now that he reflected on it, he couldn’t help but feel confused.
As a Trainer competing in the Champion League, knowing which moves each Pokémon can learn is basic knowledge. Yet, in his memory, these moves weren’t supposed to be ones Altaria could use.
“Go, Haxorus.”
Kaveh’s expression was grim. As Castelia’s ace, he’d never imagined losing two of his Pokémon so early in the battle.
Haxorus is not as strong as Hydreigon and Volcarona. When thinking of facing another unknown Pokémon of Terrance’s, Kaveh felt unsure.
“How did things turn out like this?”
The other Trainers of the Castelia Club were dumbfounded. Kaveh, their strongest, had already lost two Pokémon? And his opponent… had only lost one.
“What is Kaveh doing?” Morde, the boss of Castelia Club, looked displeased as he glanced at the arena. The other Trainers also exchanged confused glances. They could tell… Kaveh’s defeat was purely due to his unfamiliarity with the opponent.
Even they, watching from the sidelines, had no idea what was going on.
Haxorus…
“Another Dragon type, huh…”
This is a Pokémon with axe-like fangs, and stripes covering its entire body. Most of its skin was olive green in color, with its sharpest fangs, fingers, and toes being bright red. The rest of it was covered in black markings, and its neck was lined with segmented spikes, making it look ferocious.
“In fact, Haxorus is known for its good temperament among Dragon-types, which indicates there could be a problem with its battle instincts. However, there’s always the chance of exceptions.”
Terrance and Altaria exchanged glances. Altaria took flight, turning its attention to its new opponent.
“Altaria should be barely holding on right now.”
“There’s still hope…”
Kaveh did not give up and focused intently on the battle. However, Haxorus was best suited for close combat, and this distance wasn’t ideal.
“Close the distance,” Kaveh commanded in a deep voice. Haxorus immediately stepped forward on its three-toed feet, swinging its thick tail with surprising agility.
Naturally, Terrance wasn’t going to just sit by and watch Haxorus approach. He commanded Altaria to use Dragon Pulse to stop it. If it was at its peak, Altaria’s Dragon Pulse would have been powerful and fast enough to blast Haxorus away before it could even get close. But in Altaria’s current weakened state, the move lacked its usual power, giving Haxorus a chance to dodge.
Nimbly dodging the attack, Haxorus slowly approached Altaria from below. With a leap, the axe-like fangs on its head began gathering dark green energy as it unleashed Dual Chop.
Use Dragon Claw!
The bluish-purple Dragon Claw collided with Dual Chop, and the force of the impact sent both Pokémon flying. Terrance stared up at the sky in disbelief. Dragon Claw had almost been cut in half by Dual Chop?
Just how sharp is Haxorus’ fang-based move?
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~
Altaria used Feather Dance for the second time, trying to disrupt Haxorus’s movements. At the same time, it retreated, forming an Energy Ball. As soon as the Energy Ball left Altaria’s control, it rapidly expanded in size, solidifying into a boulder radiating bizarre energy. Then, it violently exploded while following its set trajectory as it plummeted toward the ground below.
Haxorus first used Dragon Claw to sweep away the Feather Dance, but then its eyes widened as it sensed the terrifying power coming from above. It quickly retreated as countless small stones rained down onto the arena, with the massive impact sending Haxorus flying once again. But it wasn’t over yet. As Haxorus tried to recover and counterattack, it realized that Altaria’s battle instincts were incredibly sharp. It felt as if it was locked onto by an aura and watched in panic as Altaria shot toward it at high speed.
“Again?!”
Kaveh’s expression changed. This Terrance, once again, had the mindset of going down together, ordering Altaria to use a move that would severely affect both itself and Haxorus.
“Don’t go head-to-head with it!”
From Kaveh’s perspective, Altaria was already at its limit, and fighting against such a reckless opponent wasn’t worth it. Haxorus dug its three claws into the ground, and with a bang, the ground cracked as Haxorus unleashed an astonishing burst of power, launching itself away.
However, even in the Dragon Rush state, Altaria was still able to control its body despite the immense momentum. Its mastery over its body coordination had reached an almost miraculous level. The moment Haxorus decided to dodge, Altaria instantly adjusted its trajectory and charged straight toward it.
Haxorus was stunned and immediately countered with Dragon Claw. The two immense energies collided again, causing another explosive shockwave. Amidst the cloud of dust, everyone stared blankly at the arena as they watched the two figures get sent flying.
Moments later, the two referees announced the result…
“Altaria and Haxorus have both lost the ability to battle. Since Kaveh has lost all three of his Pokémon, Castelia Club must send out its next participant.”
We won…
Troy and Saki couldn’t believe it as they stared at Terrance, who had volunteered to fight. They hadn’t expected him to actually win, and with such a minimal cost…
To outsiders, swapping Arcanine and Altaria for Kaveh’s three Pokémon might seem like a small price to pay, but Terrance didn’t see it that way.
After the battle, both Arcanine and Altaria needed immediate treatment.
The injuries Arcanine and Altaria sustained in this battle were far beyond what you’d expect from a regular match. As a Breeder, Terrance could tell at a glance the extent of his Pokémon’s injuries. Arcanine had countless external wounds of varying sizes, and its rear paws were severely deformed from the force of two powerful flame bursts. Despite being a Fire-type Pokémon, Arcanine’s paws were severely burned. On top of that, the unprecedented collision inflicted significant internal injuries as well. Arcanine was completely exhausted, pushed to its very limit. At that time, it could have sent even an Onix coiled on the ground flying, let alone Volcarona.
The two bursts of flame gave Arcanine immense power, but its own body had to be strong enough to endure it. Otherwise, it would end up injured all over like now.
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