It's hard to say who had the upper hand. Although Honchkrow has strengthened by using the Nasty Plot twice, it can only damage Ferrothorn with Dark Pulse. Meanwhile, the advantage of having set up three layers of Spikes hasn't shown any effect yet.
Ferrothorn's defense was incredibly strong. Without the Nasty Plot's boost, Honchkrow's move wouldn't have been able to damage Ferrothorn at all. But in this back-and-forth battle, with the strengthened Dark Pulse, Honchkrow slowly wore down Ferrothorn by virtue of its superior speed, even after being hit by Leech Seed. However, the moment the battle ended, Honchkrow also lost its ability to continue fighting.
"It's now 2 vs. 2, but there's still a layer of Spikes on the arena..."
The battle continued, and this time both Trainers quickly threw out their Poké Balls. Joya sent out a Braviary, while Shiro sent out Emboar again.
"Roar..." Standing on the ground, countless beams of light suddenly burst out from the ground, directly piercing into Emboar's body, causing it to cry out in pain.
"Now, Braviary, Crush Claw—"
Taking advantage of Emboar being in pain, Braviary slashed its powerful and sharply glowing claws, which were capable of lifting cars and flying with it the sky, towards Emboar.
"This move is going to be lethal for Emboar, who has already been hurt!"
"Yeah, Joya's Braviary can crush rocks with its claws without even using a move."
The members of the Castelia Club watched as Braviary rapidly descended to deliver the fatal blow to Emboar.
"There's no time to react, Braviary's descending speed is too fast—"
Hogan's pupils contracted as Braviary's claws were about to strike Emboar, but then Emboar did something completely unexpected.
At that moment, Emboar suddenly curled its body into a round shape, using its back to take the hit from the Crush Claw.
"Defense Curl?"
Seeing Emboar's action, many people thought of this move. But for Emboar, which has such a rotund body, performing such a difficult maneuver was as impressive as dodging Braviary's attack with sheer speed.
"It's useless," Joya said. Emboar was already at a disadvantage against Braviary. Even though it managed to withstand one attack with Defense Curl, its stamina must be nearly depleted. Recognizing this, Joya quickly ordered, "Keep attacking."
Upon hearing the command, Braviary changed its flight trajectory and descended again, with its powerful claws glowing sharply as it attacked Emboar once more.
But in the next moment, Emboar suddenly stood up straight. The flames around its neck began to spread across its entire body, the red rings on its wrists erupted into raging flames, and the pattern on its belly was also dyed with fiery energy. At this moment, Emboar seemed to have fully recovered, and the naive look on its ferocious face faded away, its most primitive claws and teeth revealed as it spat out a huge mouthful of flames.
Boom, boom, boom!
A large burst of fire struck Braviary head-on, scorching most of its feathers. After the explosion, Braviary fell down without surprise, lying unconscious in the arena.
"Return, you did well. I was careless," Joya looked at Emboar's current state and one word flashed in her mind: Blaze!
The damage Emboar took from the Spikes and the Crush Claw triggered its Blaze ability, temporarily bringing it back to peak condition.
"It should have exhausted all its strength," Joya murmured softly.
The onlookers were astonished by the explosive power of Emboar in its Blaze state. That Fire Blast was impressive in both speed and strength. Additionally, Emboar's control over Blaze seemed highly skilled, easily entering and utilizing it. It was clear that Shiro had planned for this from the start.
"In that case, Darmanitan, you're up."
Emboar, cloaked in flames, faced its new opponent—a fire-type Pokémon resembling an orangutan.
"Darmanitan, it doesn't have much stamina left. Use Earthquake to finish it!"
Darmanitan slammed its fists onto the ground, and flames passed through its hands. A wave of heat entered the ground, sending out massive shockwaves. Cracks filled with flames instantly appeared on the Standard Terrain, spreading directly towards Emboar.
Meanwhile, under Shiro's command, Emboar curled into a ball once again and rolled to the side. Then, the flames all over its body suddenly exploded, generating tremendous power. Enveloped in blazing flame, its heavy body leaped into the air and charged toward Darmanitan.
Heat Crash—
Seeing this, Joya didn't want to prolong the battle, but Emboar's condition in its Blaze state was unexpectedly good. Although it was clearly overexerting itself and couldn't last much longer, the combination of Emboar's weight and the speed of its descent was surprisingly fast. Darmanitan had no choice but to use its bare hands to generate a wave of flames and meet the attack with a Fire Punch.
Boom!!
A massive explosion occurred, sending up clouds of dust. Everyone's vision was momentarily obscured. As visibility gradually returned, the people from both clubs focused their attention. They saw that Emboar, after the attack, had its flames extinguished and was lying unconscious on the ground. On the other hand, although Darmanitan had defeated its opponent, it was covered in injuries, showing that the Heat Crash had been very powerful.
"I almost messed it up….." Joya broke out in a cold sweat. Thinking back to his mission, he couldn't help but feel a wave of fear.
"That Joya... Even though we told him to go all out, he didn't even send out his strongest Pokémon. He's definitely getting punished when we get back!" one of the Castelia Club members joked.
"Whatever, as long as he has made preparations for Kaveh, it doesn't matter. One battle isn't a big deal anyway."
Seeing the situation, Shiro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sent out a Pokémon with a mainly brown body with some red—Excadrill!
As soon as Excadrill entered the arena, it quickly used Rapid Spin. When countless beams of light emerged from the ground, Excadrill spun faster, drawing the light around itself. Then, it suddenly stopped, scattering the light. Watching this, the corner of Joya's mouth twitched.
The battle resumed with Excadrill and Darmanitan locked in a fierce struggle. However, due to Darmanitan's weakened state, it couldn't withstand the incoming Rock Slide and eventually fainted.
"Wait, what's that light..." Although Shiro had won the first round, and the Frontier Club was overjoyed, the flash of light that appeared under the Rock Slide just before Darmanitan fainted caught the Frontier Club's attention.
"It's Sunny Day," Terrance said, looking at the sky above the battlefield, where an Energy Ball shaped like the sun was shining down on the entire arena.
"First round, Shiro wins. The battlefield will be changed," Hogan, on the referee stand, immediately announced. He also glanced at the Sunny Day, his brow furrowing. What is Castelia planning? Are they setting up for the next battle?
Weather conditions like the one currently in the sky do indeed comply with the rules they've set. However, strategies like Terrance's Altaria, where a Pokémon's stats are repeatedly boosted, won't work in this scenario.
When the battlefield changes, the Pokémon need to be withdrawn and returned to their Poké Balls. The mysterious electric wave transmitted by the Poké Ball will dispel any status condition. However, weather conditions, even after the Pokémon leaves the arena, can still be maintained.
For the second round, the battlefield switched to Grassy Terrain, and from the Castelia Club's side, out came the bald-headed boy who had been the most noticeable from the start—Kaveh.
"That's Kaveh."
Terrance and his team had gathered information on Kaveh. He was the only Trainer from Castelia who had qualified for the Champion League. At just thirteen years old, he was already one of the pillars of the Castelia Club's new generation.
"I'll be your opponent next," Kaveh said as he stepped in the area, his gaze calm as he looked at Shiro, offering a slight smile.
"Let's have a good match," Shiro replied.
As the second round began, Shiro once again sent out his last remaining Pokémon, Excadrill.
Kaveh, on the other hand, threw out a Poké Ball adorned with a flame symbol. Instantly, the energy from the sun in the sky intensified, its light pouring onto the arena. As everyone looked on, a majestic Pokémon with three pairs of reddish-brown moth wings and a mane of white fur around its neck appeared, gracefully flying above the arena.
"Volcarona—"
There's a legend that when the ground is shrouded in darkness due to volcanic ash, Volcarona's flames take on the role of the sun. Some say it is believed to be the embodiment of the sun, appearing during harsh winters to save Pokémon from freezing. Ancient people even referred to Volcarona as the "the rage of the sun." From these legends, it is clear that Volcarona holds a legendary status in the Unova region.
As Volcarona appeared, the sunlight from Sunny Day began to fade, all its radiance being absorbed by Volcarona as if it was a holy ritual.
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