Chapter 196: Battle Ends
After Growlithe landed, it intended to keep moving, gradually recovering while running. However, before it could react, a powerful tremor shook the ground.
In the air, every high-pitched cry from Altaria caused the arena to tremble. Growlithe had just lifted its foot when its power was seemingly drained away, and before it had taken two steps, it almost stumbled to the ground.
"It should have been used earlier."
Terrance's gaze didn't linger on Growlithe, letting it figure out how to overcome the trembling ground on its own. Instead, he looked towards the sky, perking up his ears to listen to Altaria's cries.
"So that's it."
The intense trembling only occurred in the rocky and sky terrain of the arena, with the shaking of the arena becoming increasingly pronounced. However, Terrance wasn't affected by further disturbances.
It seemed that the source of the tremors was within the arena. Terrance only felt a slight ripple.
Without any command from Terrance, Growlithe attempted to evade the Earthquake by running in a jumping fashion. However, it was futile. The frequency of Earthquake's tremors followed Altaria's cries. Every time Growlithe landed, the rhythm of Earthquake's tremors would change, making it agonizingly difficult for Growlithe to control its body coordination.
Body coordination was Growlithe's strength. Its control over its legs was not only extremely meticulous, it was also very proficient. However, in this ever-changing Earthquake, Growlithe's control became utterly useless. The undulating ground became like a blade hanging over Growlithe's neck, rendering it unable to resist.
Without stable and solid ground, Growlithe's coordination once again revealed a weakness, one that even Terrance hadn't anticipated...
"If the terrain was a swamp or some other complex situation...Growlithe still doesn't have a way to handle it."
Terrance made a mental note. Pokémon weaknesses needed to be exposed through continuous battles so that as a Trainer, he could conduct relevant training afterward.
However, none of these were Terrance's main purpose for being here. What he wanted to see was this Earthquake.
The technique of creating Earthquake using sound!!
This could be said to be the weakest Earthquake Terrance had ever seen, lacking any power. It was nothing like the numerous cracks and aftershocks that accompanied the stomping of "Tyranitar," "Nidoking," or "Rhydon." It was just a simple vibration. Yet, it caused Terrance' eyes to widen and look at Altaria with admiration.
How difficult is it for a Flying Type Pokémon to learn Earthquake?
Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!
Using sound to trigger Earthquake...
Terrance observed Altaria. Its cry seemed to have a special frequency, one that Terrance wanted to figure out.
Growlithe made its final struggle. After enduring one Earthquake, its stamina was almost depleted. Along with a Dragon Breath from Altaria, Growlithe lost its agile coordination and couldn't evade the continuous onslaught of moves. With a "bang!" Growlithe was unfortunately hit and sent flying, losing consciousness.
"Um... The winner is...Hana of Fortree Gym," Winona awkwardly announced the result. It was her first time serving as a referee, but she had already made her judgment on the battle's outcome long before.
Previously, many challengers had lost to the teacher in this manner. If the opponent wasn't a Flying Type Pokémon, they would inevitably be disrupted by this ever-changing Earthquake, losing their usual rhythm, then step by step fall into a trap. In such a situation, being a Flying Type Pokémon already gives an absolute advantage.
However, when dealing with previous challengers, Hana usually had Altaria use Earthquake early on. But this time against Terrance, she waited until the very last moment when Growlithe was almost out of stamina to use the blocking tactic. This was very rare.
"A very good Trainer," Seeing Terrance deep in thought, Hana recalled her Altaria. It seemed that Terrance had come to challenge her with this intention.
"Thank you, Gym Leader Hana," Terrance walked over and said.
"You're welcome," Hana replied. She expected Terrance to ask some questions or express his doubts, but to her surprise, Terrance excused himself from Fortree Gym to take Growlithe to the Pokémon Center.
"Teacher... why did you wait until the end to let Altaria use Earthquake? If you had used it from the beginning, wouldn't Growlithe have lost earlier?" Winona asked, puzzled.
"It's not that simple," Hana smiled. "If Growlithe hadn't been so exhausted at the end, it would have been difficult to hit it with ordinary attacks. Its agility, even I have rarely seen. Besides, this isn't a Gym Battle; there's no need to reveal too much too soon."
There had been Trainers who challenged Fortree Gym before. Faced with Hana's Earthquake tactic, a very small number of Trainers were able to assist their Pokémon in finding opportunities on the spot and overcome the Earthquake, and they even used Earthquake to counter attack, successfully earning the Feather Badge.
Of course, there was an element of Gym Leaders going easy, but those who could quickly react in battle and resolve dangerous situations, were all naturally talented Trainers.
While Winona didn't know much about Terrance, Hana didn't underestimate him. To prevent Terrance from assisting Growlithe in breaking through the Earthquake during the battle, she chose to first deplete Growlithe's stamina. Then, when Growlithe slowed down, she used Earthquake to deliver the fatal blow, trapping Growlithe and rendering it powerless to resist.
"I still have some doubts, though." Through her glasses, Hana revealed a hint of confusion in her sky-blue pupils. Terrance's intention seemed to be Altaria's Earthquake, there was no mistaking his focused and attentive gaze when Altaria unleashed Earthquake. It seemed that victory or defeat at that moment was no longer important to Terrance...
Watching the teacher pondering, Winona tilted her head, puzzled.
**************
Fortree City, Pokémon Center.
Terrance handed Growlithe over to Nurse Joy. With Growlithe's recovery ability, those injuries would soon heal.
Sitting in the Pokémon Center, Terrance began to reflect on the battle just now.
Using sound to trigger Earthquake...The train of thought behind this was similar to "Erase" but different.
Erase was based on the Mirror move, swiftly copying the opponent's move and calculating the resonance frequency to trigger vibrations and disrupt the energy structure within the move.
But this technique of using sound to trigger Earthquake... Terrance had seen it on Exploud. Its power was much stronger than the one Altaria unleashed. With the strength of Altaria's voice, the traditional method still couldn't trigger Earthquake, and Terrance had some understanding of the reasons behind this.
"In the rocky and sky terrain, the rocks shook violently, but I didn't feel the same tremors, even though I was on the edge of the rocky terrain. In other words, these tremors were just the rocks swaying."
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