With a powerful push of its legs, Blastoise launched itself off the ground.
Its massive body shot sideways like a cannonball.
Fire Blast whistled past, crashing into where Blastoise had just been.
A series of thunderous explosions rocked the ground, with smoke and debris engulfing the entire field.
Watching the aftermath, Gary felt a chill of relief.
"That was close..."
Had he opted for Blastoise to brace and endure it, it would have been either out of commission or seriously injured.
But Gary quickly collected himself.
Firing off five consecutive Fire Blasts surely took a toll on Charizard's stamina, right?
With that in mind, Gary signaled to Blastoise, "Blastoise, use Muddy Water!"
This move wasn't only significantly stronger than Water Gun and Water Pulse, trailing only Hydro Cannon in power—it also had a chance of lowering the target's accuracy. It was one of Blastoise's most formidable moves.
Gary had saved up for nearly half a month to buy the TM to teach Blastoise Muddy Water.
"Show them your strength!"
With Gary's spirited command,
A murky, brown torrent erupted from Blastoise's cannons.
The sludge-colored water shot toward Charizard.
Gary watched Charizard intently, hoping it would underestimate the Muddy Water and try to tank the hit head-on. He was certain Blastoise's Muddy Water would give Charizard quite a surprise.
However, Charizard's pride didn't make it reckless.
As fierce as the Muddy Water looked, Charizard didn't need Luo Yuan's reminder to know this attack was no joke.
This time, Charizard took Blastoise's attack seriously.
With a quick beat of its wings, it soared into the sky.
"...?"
Watching his attack miss, Gary's face was a mixture of confusion and frustration.
Where was the anticipated showdown?
Why did Charizard dodge just as he brought out Blastoise's big move?
Unwilling to back down, Gary continued directing Blastoise to fire Muddy Water at Charizard in the sky.
To prevent Trainers from stalling matches by keeping their Flying-type Pokémon out of reach, the league imposed rules against staying at excessively high altitudes for too long.
So, Blastoise kept firing Muddy Water, trying to pin down Charizard.
But after its evolution, Luo Yuan had trained Charizard not to just be a stationary powerhouse.
During a recent retreat to the Cinnabar Island hot springs, Luo Yuan had enlisted Dragapult to coach Charizard on high-altitude combat and evading attacks in the air.
Although the training was brief, Charizard had mastered enough to elude a Pokémon like Gary's Blastoise.
Charizard darted gracefully through the air like a butterfly weaving through the Muddy Water, making Blastoise's relentless efforts fruitless and leaving it increasingly agitated.
Eventually, it was Gary who couldn't bear the wasted effort any longer.
"Blastoise, let's use Rain Dance!"
Gary had witnessed how Slowbro's Rain Dance had turned the tide in its favor.
Now he aimed to mimic Slowbro's strategy and summon rain again.
As long as rain poured down, Charizard's movements in the air would be restricted, or at the very least, it would be forced down to face Blastoise on the ground.
On the field, Blastoise began an odd Rain Dance that didn't quite match its heavy frame.
Cold winds kicked up, and clouds started to gather in the sky.
But did Luo Yuan look like the kind of Trainer who would just stand by and let them summon rain?
His Charizard was no Arcanine!
"Charizard, use Sunny Day!"
With a loud whoosh, Charizard glowed brightly, the flames on its tail surging higher.
Sunlight intensified across the sky, scattering the clouds that had begun to gather.
The ground basked in renewed warmth as Charizard firmly took control of the weather.
Witnessing this, Gary was tempted to smack himself.
Why had he tried to play the weather game? Now, not only had Rain Dance failed, but Luo Yuan's Charizard had also managed to activate Sunny Day!
The power boost Sunny Day provided to Fire-type moves more than offset the disadvantage Charizard faced against Blastoise.
Moreover, with each exchange, Gary was forming a clear picture of Charizard's strengths.
In terms of speed, Blastoise couldn't match Charizard. In raw power, Charizard had the edge. Even in endurance, he had to admit Blastoise fell short.
"This battle is… really tough..."
Gary racked his brains, strategizing.
When outclassed on all fronts, tactics became even more crucial.
But would Luo Yuan, who held the upper hand, allow Gary the luxury of planning?
"Charizard, Fire Blast—Ground Assault!"
Luo Yuan called out to Charizard.
"Rooaar!"
Charizard roared back.
Its wings beat powerfully as it ascended to a height of several hundred meters, becoming a tiny speck in the sky from the field below.
Then, amidst the howling wind, Charizard plunged down, unleashing consecutive Fire Blasts from its mouth.
As Charizard dived, a barrage of fiery symbols expanded and descended upon the field.
Boom!
The first Fire Blast struck the center of the field, far from Blastoise.
This sight gave Gary a glimmer of hope.
From the looks of it, Charizard's accuracy was off? Gary felt a twinge of optimism.
But sometimes, the sweeter the hope, the harsher the reality.
Luo Yuan, who had orchestrated Charizard's strategy, remained calm, watching the first Fire Blast with an unwavering expression.
Why?
Because he knew this was just the calibration shot.
With a subtle smile, Luo Yuan looked up.
In the sky, more Fire Blasts appeared, raining down in bursts.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Starting from the centerline and sweeping to one half of the field, Charizard's Fire Blasts created a continuous barrage on Blastoise's side of the arena.
The ground shook violently.
Blastoise's side of the field was consumed by explosions, and there was no escape for Blastoise.
Professor Oak, watching from the sidelines, was left speechless.
Today, he had witnessed more unconventional tactics than he had in years of officiating battles.
"Blastoise, dodge!" The spectacle left Gary's mind feeling as if it had been hit by its own explosion, momentarily unable to think. He could only shout a vague command to dodge.
Blastoise didn't need to be told—it had every intention of evading.
The problem was it couldn't entirely avoid it!
Even though Blastoise scrambled frantically to evade the raining Fire Blasts,
As the primary target, Blastoise bore the brunt of this "special treatment."
Ducking and weaving, Blastoise still couldn't escape the explosive waves of Charizard's Fire Blast barrage.
Scorched and battered, Blastoise's charred body was thrown across the field, landing heavily on the ground.
---
T/N: Nuke Charizard when :D
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