"Be careful, he's likely going to switch to Volcarona," Ethan warned as he handed over the battle to Terrance.
"Got it," Terrance nodded.
Terrance's entrance didn't cause much of a stir on the Castelia Club's side. After all, they weren't very familiar with the Frontier side's participants. However, they were extremely confident in the strength Kaveh had shown.
"It's useless. When Ethan lost, Kaveh took advantage of the loophole."
At this time, the arena was set to a combination of rocky and water terrain. Although the two participants hadn't taken their positions yet, an energy sun stood high in the sky, giving the Castelia side a sense of assured victory.
This was the same Sunny Day that Hydreigon had created in the final moments of its battle with Sceptile under Kaveh's command after defeating Ethan.
The reappearance of the Sunny Day environment was one of the reasons the Frontier side was lacking confidence. Neither Troy nor Saki had figured out a way to counter the Sunny Day while also suppressing Volcarona.
But then, Terrance had volunteered to step in, leaving Scott with no choice but to trust him as their best option.
As he stepped onto the arena, Terrance looked over at Kaveh. The shiny bald head of his opponent, which would have been amusing under other circumstances, now appeared almost dazzling.
When Terrance entered the arena, Kaveh politely smiled. After Terrance returned the gesture, and as the referee announced the start of the battle, both of them sent out their Pokémon.
On Kaveh's side, as expected, Volcarona was chosen. The Sunny Day set up by Hydreigon at the last moment was clearly paving the way for Volcarona!
"Interesting," Terrance thought with a smile. The rocky and water terrain wouldn't really affect Volcarona much, nor would it offer any advantage, and it was the same for Terrance. When his large, flaxen-furred Pokémon appeared, it let out a mighty roar, exuding an aura not inferior to Volcarona's.
"Arcanine, huh..." Kaveh's heart skipped a beat as he quickly recalled information about Arcanine.
This was a Pokémon that was not inferior to Volcarona and could have one of three possible Abilities. If it had Flash Fire...
No, over 60% of Arcanine typically had Intimidate as their Ability, making Flash Fire less likely. But since Terrance had sent out Arcanine, Kaveh couldn't help but remain cautious.
At the same time, he couldn't discern Arcanine's Ability just from its entrance. Although this Arcanine appeared incredibly imposing and tried to "Intimidate" Volcarona with its roar, that couldn't be taken as a definitive indication of its Ability. It could also be a trick by Terrance to lull him into carelessness.
As a Trainer nurtured by the club, Kaveh quickly gathered all this information in the instant their gazes met and promptly formulated a strategy.
"Sunny Day was prepared for Volcarona. Although it would also benefit Arcanine, it certainly wouldn't be able to capitalize on the weather boost as well as Volcarona can. I have full confidence regarding this."
"No need to rush to defeat the opponent. The first priority is to figure out Arcanine's Ability. If it's Justified, it could pose a threat to Hydreigon. Either way, this Arcanine can't be allowed to remain."
"Volcarona, Fire Spin!"
It was an old opening move, but one that always left the Frontier side with no way to fight back.
Volcarona's suppressive power was overwhelming. Don't underestimate it just because it's a Fire Spin; when combined with the dual boost from its flaming scales and Hurricane, it transforms into a terrifying blaze that could engulf enemies like a massive flaming maw. Many had underestimated this move... and the Pokémon who had previously fallen to Volcarona were a testament to that.
"Fire Spin, huh..."
Seeing his opponent's move, Terrance felt a moment of relief. He had to admit, Kaveh's order was a cautious one.
But that's assuming Kaveh had correctly guessed Terrance's strategy.
Luckily, Arcanine's approach was different from that of most Pokémon, and Terrance, facing such a formidable opponent, wasn't planning on playing any games.
Outrage, activate!
Extreme Speed.
Just as Volcarona was about to form its Fire Spin, a flash of red glinted in Arcanine's brown eyes, growing more intense by the second as if Arcanine was suppressing it to the limit. Finally, Arcanine made its move. With a single step, it turned into blur—no, it was even faster than a blur. Seeing this, Kaveh's expression froze for a moment, taken aback.
But he quickly regained his composure when he saw Arcanine dashing straight for Volcarona.
"Not afraid of Fire Spin, huh?"
Kaveh instantly made his decision. Seeing Arcanine charging forward as if unafraid of the Fire Spin, his eyes flashed, and he abandoned the idea of enhancing the Fire Spin with flaming scales and Hurricane. Instead, he quickly commanded Volcarona to use a combination of Quiver Dance and Bug Buzz!
Quiver Dance was a move Terrance was familiar with, as it was the most effective way to boost Beautifly's attack power.
And Bug Buzz was an attack that utilized vibrations to emit sound waves.
In the Quiver Dance state, Volcarona's wing-flapping frequency would reach its peak, allowing Bug Buzz to be unleashed at its greatest power.
"Can it be done..."
The moment Volcarona and Kaveh made their choice, Arcanine, propelled by the explosive force of the flames surging through its body, leaped towards Fire Spin and Volcarona. With unwavering determination and fierce fighting spirit, it charged forward without hesitation.
Compared to the imposing dance of Volcarona's Quiver Dance, Arcanine's movements were straightforward. As countless cracks and burn marks appeared on the ground, Arcanine dove headfirst into the Fire Spin, its eyes glowing with a fierce red light, aiming a full-force attack straight at Volcarona.
"Awoo!~"
Boom!
As Arcanine plunged into the Fire Spin, flames immediately engulfed its body, swirling around the fire already covering it, trying to pierce through Arcanine's flame barrier and scorch its body.
"What?"
Kaveh was stunned once again... He realized he had made a miscalculation. He had assumed that Arcanine's Ability was Flash Fire and had already prepared Volcarona to unleash a Quiver Dance-empowered Bug Buzz to deliver a heavy blow to Arcanine. But what he didn't expect was that Fire Spin was actually affecting Arcanine!
Even though both were Fire-types and Fire Spin's power wasn't strong enough, it still caused some trouble for Arcanine. In this situation, if Volcarona's flaming scales and Hurricane followed up, Arcanine would undoubtedly be blown away, but—
Due to a mistaken judgment, Kaveh chose a different approach. Quiver Dance required time, and Kaveh worried that a simple Bug Buzz wouldn't significantly affect Arcanine, who had been sucked into Fire Spin. While confident in Volcarona's combo move, Kaveh didn't anticipate that although mid-air, Arcanine would once again burst out with astonishing speed.
The flames around Arcanine merged with the Fire Spin's flames, leading to another massive explosion. Under the intense shockwave, somehow, Arcanine managed to coordinate its body, using the momentum to crash into Volcarona at an incredible speed.
It was too late...
Kaveh immediately shouted for Volcarona to cancel its current action and dodge, but it was already too late. Propelled by the tremendous momentum, Arcanine's speed became terrifyingly fast, giving Volcarona no chance to react. With a loud "bang," the two collided in a blaze of flames. Flames scattered, sparks flew, creating a spectacular scene.
"Kaveh fell into a trap. This Arcanine is different from a normal one—its main attack is Tackle."
"If Volcarona had kept up the continuous Fire Spin attack, it wouldn't have been hit."
On the referee stand, the Castelia Club's referee looked down and analyzed in his mind. This Arcanine's Ability should not be Justified, but rather the most common Intimidate.
In fact, that was the case—Terrance's Arcanine had the Intimidate Ability.
"A weakened version of Intimidate made Kaveh suspect the opponent was hiding another Ability... In reality, the opponent just didn't fully utilize its Ability. Kaveh, with his scheming mind, thought too much."
The Castelia Club's Trainer remained calm, as he didn't believe that Volcarona would suffer irreparable damage from a single attack. At least the Sunny Day still hung in the sky above the arena, which meant...
Before he could finish his internal monologue, the scene in the arena clearly appeared before everyone's eyes, causing their eyes to widen in disbelief and fall silent at the utterly illogical sight before them.
In mid-air, both Volcarona and Arcanine fell heavily to the ground, neither showing any signs of struggle. They both crashed down in a miserable manner, the heavy thud of their fall making everyone's heart skip a beat.
Kaveh stared at the arena in silence for a long time, while Terrance calmly observed Arcanine's condition.
"Volcarona and Arcanine have both lost the ability to battle?!"
After a while, the two referees finally reacted, incredulously announcing the result.
Both lost the ability to battle at the same time... How-how could this be? How much power did Arcanine use in that last attack? How much power did it accumulate to knock itself out with the recoil?
Seeing Volcarona's tragic state, the Trainers present couldn't help but shudder. This Arcanine really fought as if its life depended on it!
Volcarona had appeared so majestic and domineering at the start, using its powerful Fire-type moves and flaming scales to suppress its opponents.
But this majestic Pokémon was taken down with a single attack due to an unexpected mistake. This outcome was something not only Kaveh couldn't accept, but also the Castelia Club, which had invested so much in raising Volcarona.
A lot of resources had been invested into Volcarona, maybe not an enormous amount, but still substantial. Yet, it was defeated in such a brutal way by a wild Pokémon attacking like a mad beast. No one associated with Volcarona could accept such an outcome.
"I might not be as strong as you, I might not be your match, but if you want to defeat me, then I'll have no choice but to go down with you..." Hogan murmured to himself on the referee stand, smacking his lips. Then he suddenly laughed, realizing that Terrance's Arcanine was even more interesting than what it showed in previous battles.
Before, it had been brave, but now with this added determination to "go down together," it had a more captivating charm.
"Yes!" Scott punched the air with a fierce glare, regaining the spirit he'd lost earlier.
Round two.
Although Arcanine had taken down Volcarona with it, Kaveh's strength was still unfathomable. The Hydreigon of his was at least on par with Volcarona.
The Frontier side, which had just been feeling happy, calmed down. It was far too early to feel happy—victory was still a long way from being decided.
Phew!~
By this time, Kaveh had already calmed down. His strong mentality allowed him to quickly analyze the cause of his earlier mistake.
The opponent had been unexpectedly cunning, from the very beginning planning to use Arcanine to take down his Volcarona.
This Arcanine, although impressive, was overall slightly weaker than Volcarona. Kaveh could see that if there was one area where Arcanine surpassed Volcarona, it was in explosive power. While Volcarona's explosive power was already top-tier among Pokémon, this Arcanine was extraordinarily unique, defying common standards. It was precisely this aspect where Arcanine surpassed Volcarona that Terrance had relied on to deliver a fatal blow to Kaveh.
"Terrance, right?..." Kaveh recalled his opponent's name, committing it to memory before sending out his next Pokémon, Hydreigon.
On Terrance's side, he threw out a Poké Ball, and a bluish white figure appeared in the sky, forming a stark contrast with the floating Hydreigon.
If Hydreigon was the epitome of ferocity and aggression, then Terrance's Pokémon was the embodiment of elegance and beauty!
Altaria!
"Dragon Type, Flying Type..."
"Hydreigon is Dragon Type and Dark Type..."
As soon as the two Pokémon appeared, the Trainers immediately noticed a similarity to the previous battle...
One of the types overlapped, and it was a type that could counter each other as well.
In a clash between two dragons, one must fall.
"What is he planning?" The boss of Castelia, who was familiar with Hoenn's Pokémon, wondered aloud. In his memory, Altaria and Hydreigon were not on the same level of dragon-type Pokémon.
A Pokémon like Altaria, with impure dragon blood, couldn't compare to the likes of Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence, and Hydreigon...
As the battle began, both Trainers immediately ordered their Pokémon to launch a frenzied attack with their moves.
Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse!
Altaria, Dragon Pulse!
The moment the dark purple and bluish-purple dragon-shaped beams collided, the energy beams exploded with tremendous force, creating a cloud of smoke between the two Pokémon that obscured their vision.
A stalemate!
"Impossible!!" On the referee stand, the Castelia referee, who had been smiling, gripped the railing tightly and exclaimed.
Hydreigon couldn't overpower Altaria with its Dragon-type move?! This Altaria didn't seem to be at a higher level than the Hydreigon they had raised in the club—this didn't make sense.
Indeed, as a Pokémon carefully nurtured by the club, it should be stronger than one raised by an individual Trainer. But Terrance's Altaria, while it might fall short in other areas compared to Hydreigon, could confidently claim that in terms of Dragon-type bloodline, it wouldn't bring shame to any dragon.
The culture solution wholeheartedly made by a top-level Breeder—how could it be inferior to something wholeheartedly raised by a club?
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