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"Your remaining Pokemon isn't that Charmeleon, is it? If so, you stand no chance against me. It's best to just give up now."
Sia glanced at Kalia's Charmeleon behind her and advised dismissively. Initially, he had anticipated this Trainer to be quite skilled, expecting her to earn two badges, but surprisingly, her first Pokemon was easily defeated.
The remaining Charmeleon, although slightly larger in size, faced insurmountable odds against Gyarados, a Water-type Pokemon, due to type disadvantage.
Kalia clenched her fists firmly; she wouldn't surrender. Abandoning a battle before its conclusion was not the way of a true Trainer.
Even if she were to lose, it would have to be meaningful. At the very least, she aimed to defeat this Gyarados, leaving the task solely to her Charmeleon.
Charmeleon was significantly stronger than Grovyle, especially with Hidden Power (Rock) at its disposal, giving it a fighting chance against Gyarados.
"Charmeleon, it's your turn now," Kalia whispered, turning towards Lian.
Lian couldn't wait any longer. He swiftly approached, leaped onto a rock by the pond, and felt remarkably unbothered by the water since gaining resistance to it—a testament to Kalia's effective training during their time together.
Gyarados appeared massive even submerged underwater; once it surfaced, towering at around five to six meters, its presence was overwhelmingly intimidating.
However, Lian remained unfazed. Apart from Gyarados's water-type moves, with his current defense and stamina abilities, he could withstand other attacks head-on. This provided some room for error during the battle.
Seeing Kalia determined to continue fighting with her Charmeleon, Sia refrained from further persuasion, knowing that soon, she would witness a severely injured Charmeleon.
"Charmeleon, use Smokescreen on Gyarados!"
This time, Kalia focused primarily on defense, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. Otherwise, Charmeleon had no chance of defeating Gyarados.
Lian initially pondered how to evade Gyarados's moves, considering whether to employ Explosive Power, almost forgetting that his Smokescreen skill had reached its maximum potential, making it significantly more effective than a typical Smokescreen.
Simultaneously, Sia commanded, "Gyarados, approach Charmeleon and use Waterfall."
The Waterfall move is one of the few aggressive water-type attacks, incredibly powerful. Sia held nothing back, aiming for Gyarados to swiftly defeat Charmeleon.
Kalia's expression turned grim; Sia was being excessively aggressive. Combining a move like Waterfall with Gyarados' formidable attack power far exceeded the expected level for a novice Trainer.
Even if Charmeleon had evolved into Charizard, it might not withstand such a maneuver, let alone without evolution.
As Lian unleashed Smokescreen, thick plumes of dark smoke poured from its mouth, enveloping Gyarados completely. Some of the dense black fog even extended into the water, turning the surface pitch-black.
Normally, Smokescreen wouldn't produce this much smoke, but Lian's Smokescreen had reached its maximum potential, effectively becoming an enhanced version.
Gyarados instantly lost visibility due to the intense smog, making it impossible to see or execute any moves.
"Gyarados, dive underwater!" Despite his surprise at Charmeleon's potent Smokescreen, Sia quickly reacted and instructed Gyarados accordingly.
However, even after diving, Gyarados found itself surrounded by darkness as some of the smoke followed it into the water. With visibility impaired, Gyarados hesitated, unable to launch an attack due to disorientation.
Kalia was stunned; had Charmeleon specifically trained to master Smokescreen? Is this truly the extent of its capability?
"Great job, Charmeleon! Use Hidden Power now!" Seeing Gyarados struggling underwater, Kalia recognized it couldn't immediately counterattack, making this the perfect opportunity for her command.
"Gyarados, fly up!"
Realizing even underwater visibility was compromised by the smoke, Sia instructed Gyarados to take flight.
In the next moment, Gyarados burst out of the water, propelling itself upward with powerful jets from its scales' sides.
Gyarados could only achieve low-altitude flight. Despite being Flying Type, lacking wings, it relied solely on the force generated by water jets to maintain limited aerial mobility.
Consequently, many flying-type moves were inaccessible to Gyarados, rendering its Flying Type attribute somewhat underutilized.
As Gyarados ascended above the water, leaving behind the dense black smoke, remnants still lingered at the surface, continuing to impair its vision, albeit not as severely as before.
Meanwhile, Lian had already unleashed his Hidden Power move without hesitation, regretting not having maximized Hidden Power (Rock)'s potential beforehand.
The pale brown aura of Hidden Power (Rock) surged towards Gyarados. With its vision obscured, it couldn't react promptly, and Sia also failed to instruct Gyarados to dodge in time. Lian's move was too swift; he unleashed his attack just as Kalia began speaking.
The awakened energy repeatedly struck Gyarados' sturdy scales, producing crisp collision sounds.
Gyarados boasted exceptionally high Special Defense due to its robust scales, with a base stat reaching 100.
Lian couldn't determine the exact damage caused by Hidden Power (Rock), but considering his Special Attack ability points combined with the double-type effectiveness, even with Gyarados' high Special Defense, it must have taken significant impact.
After fully enduring the Hidden Power (Rock) move, Gyarados maintained its low-altitude flight, seemingly unaffected or sustaining minimal injury.
"Haha, such a basic Hidden Power move has little effect on Gyarados," Sia quickly identified the move's attribute. If it had been an Electric-Type Hidden Power, he might have shown more concern, but given that it was merely Charmeleon's Fire-Type Hidden Power, he dismissed it easily.
"Gyarados, attack quickly!" Due to the Smokescreen move, Gyarados had yet to launch its assault, causing Sia's impatience to grow as he urged it on.
Gyarados roared, equally agitated. Despite the smoke obscuring its vision, by flying higher, it managed to barely discern its surroundings and spotted Lian ahead.
In the next moment, Gyarados charged directly towards Lian, its massive body surging with astonishing momentum, aiming for a direct collision.
The Waterfall move, fueled by the energy required to leap over waterfalls, carries a forceful stream of water, delivering a powerful impact upon opponents.
"Charmeleon, dodge!"
Kalia's voice echoed, but even without her warning, Lian was already prepared to evade; he lacked the strength to withstand the Waterfall move head-on.
As Gyarados lunged, Lian instantly burst forth, leaping high into the air.
With water surrounding the battlefield and Gyarados' enormous size leaving few hiding spots, jumping into the air was the only viable option to avoid its attack.
Gyarados missed, catching everyone off guard, as no one anticipated Charmeleon could jump so high. Typically, Charmeleons do not possess such strong leaping abilities.
After reaching his peak height, Lian swiftly descended onto a rocky surface, wobbling precariously and narrowly avoiding falling into the water.
Kalia smiled faintly as she watched Charmeleon evade Gyarados's attack. Her Charmeleon never disappointed her, always proving to be incredibly reliable.
"Charmeleon, use Smokescreen!"
Kalia continued with her previous strategy, first disrupting Gyarados's vision with smoke before launching an attack - a reliable tactic.
Understanding Kalia's plan, Lian once again expelled a dense cloud of black smoke towards Gyarados.
However, Sia seemed prepared this time and promptly commanded, "Gyarados, use Twister to gather the smoke."
Twister is a unique dragon-type move. Earlier, Sia felt it was unnecessary to waste an offensive opportunity on Twister, which isn't Gyarados's strongest ability, just for dealing with smoke. But now, it became crucial.
With a roar, Gyarados conjured a whirlwind on the water surface. As it intensified, the surrounding smoke was drawn inward, forming a small black twister that swiftly headed towards Lian's position.
"Uh-oh! Charmeleon, quickly dodge!"
The Twister had gathered all the smoke together. If Charmeleon were hit, not only would he suffer damage from the attack, but his own Smokescreen would also impair his visibility.
Lian didn't anticipate Sia's countermove, effectively neutralizing the Smokescreen and turning it against him, causing visual interference.
While the Twister itself wasn't particularly strong, being blinded could lead to similar consequences as what Gyarados experienced earlier - unable to see its surroundings and taking continuous hits.
Gyarados could withstand several of Lian's attacks, but Lian couldn't afford to take even one direct hit from Gyarados' Waterfall move.
As the approaching Twister neared, Lian chose to dive straight into the water. Although Charmeleons fear water, it doesn't mean they cannot enter it at all.
As Lian submerged himself underwater, he felt extremely uncomfortable but had to endure it until the Twister dissipated.
He couldn't hold on any longer.
After waiting for a while, Lian sensed that the Twister should have vanished, and promptly leaped out of the water, completely drenched. However, his tail's flame remained unaffected, still burning fiercely.
The Twister gradually dispersed, and Lian emerged unscathed by the smoke, successfully evading the attack.
Sia's expression shifted with disbelief. He found it astonishing that this Charmeleon could avoid moves simply by diving into the water—did it not fear water at all?
"Charmeleon, go! Use Dragon Rage!" Kalia grew increasingly confident as she witnessed her Charmeleon effortlessly entering the water. Fire-type Pokémon typically have a strong aversion to water; only highly independent or exceptionally trained Fire-types would willingly enter it voluntarily.
Seeing Charmeleon's determination to win, even stronger than her own, ignited a fierce competitive spirit within Kalia.
Dragon Rage had consistently been Charmeleon's most reliable move. Seeing that Hidden Power (Rock) did not have much effect, Kalia promptly decided to use Dragon Rage.
Since Smokescreen was proving ineffective, Kalia abandoned it and opted for direct attacks with her Charmeleon.
As Charmeleon repeatedly evaded Gyarados' assaults, Kalia's fighting spirit reignited, regaining her confidence.
Lian shook off the water droplets from his body, gazing at the distant Gyarados and taunting, "You're trash! Not even one hit on me."
Gyarados roared furiously; this was the first time a Pokemon dared to provoke it during battle, causing its temper to flare uncontrollably.
"Come at me if you dare!" Lian, unfazed by Gyarados' rage, intentionally provoked further. With Gyarados' volatile nature, it could easily become frenzied, sometimes disregarding even its Trainer's commands when enraged.
Capitalizing on Gyarados' fury, Lian unleashed Dragon Rage. The intense shockwave surged directly towards Gyarados, requiring no anticipation as the enraged creature ceased caring about dodging moves.
Sia, witnessing Gyarados suddenly spiraling out of control, was puzzled, unable to comprehend the language between Pokemon. He hastily commanded, "Gyarados, calm down! Use Whirlpool to trap Charmeleon."
Sia had devised a strategy; since this Charmeleon enjoys evading so much, he would trap it with Whirlpool, leaving it unable to dodge.
However, the enraged Gyarados disregarded Sia's command. Its usual low favorability towards Sia meant it was unlikely to obey him during such fury.
Gyarados charged wildly at Lian, its eyes turning bright red as if losing all rationality.
This indicated the start of Gyarados' Thrash move. Lian had completely infuriated the Pokémon, causing it to lose control and unleash frenzied attacks.
The shockwave from Dragon Rage collided directly with Gyarados. Although it didn't halt the creature's charge, Dragon Rage visibly inflicted damage on Gyarados, even chipping some scales.
After Dragon Rage struck Gyarados, Lian felt a surge of anger momentarily, followed by a significant boost in power. He recognized this as the additional effect of Dragon Rage triggering, although it wouldn't be fully useful unless activated multiple times.
Now, Lian faced the furious Gyarados head-on. The sight of a rampaging Gyarados was indeed terrifying, akin to a mad dog devoid of reason.
Lian swiftly leaped across stones, evading Gyarados's various lunges and bites. Thrash is not a specific move but rather a continuous barrage of uncontrolled attacks on the opponent, essentially a chaotic onslaught.
This actually worked to Lian's advantage; as long as he avoided being caught by Gyarados, his speed allowed him to dodge all incoming assaults.
Most importantly, Thrash exhausts Gyarados significantly, leading it to enter a confused state once finished. By enduring this initial wave of attack, Lian could then freely unleash his moves without hindrance.
Although a frenzied Gyarados was intimidating, it wasn't particularly stronger. Lian managed to calmly handle its wild onslaught.
Sia's face turned pale, realizing that Gyarados had stopped obeying his commands. Thrash is a sustained move, and unless forcibly interrupted by an opponent's attack, Gyarados will continue until completely exhausted. During this period, Sia could only watch helplessly, unable to issue any further directives.
The most frustrating aspect was that Gyarados couldn't land a hit on Charmeleon. Despite the vast battlefield, Gyarados failed even to touch Charmeleon's tail.
"Charmeleon, keep going! Use Dragon Rage again!"
Kalia's expression lit up with surprise, as a Pokemon disobeying its Trainer indicated a lack of strong bond between them. Clearly, Sia did not regularly engage or communicate with his Gyarados.
While evading Gyarados, Lian searched for an opportunity to use Dragon Rage. However, Gyarados was too frenzied; simply avoiding its attacks required all his focus and energy. If he stopped, Gyarados would instantly catch up.
Lian couldn't risk using Dragon Rage at this moment—it wasn't the right time.
Seeing that Charmeleon hadn't launched any counterattacks, Kalia realized it likely didn't have a chance to unleash Dragon Rage yet. She grew anxious, eager to defeat Gyarados swiftly. The most stable strategy now was to wait until Gyarados became exhausted, providing the perfect opening for Charmeleon to strike.
Time ticked away, leaving Sia increasingly frustrated. Had he been able to command Gyarados, using Whirlpool first to trap Charmeleon, they could have easily defeated it by now. He remained puzzled about why Gyarados suddenly went berserk, unsure of the cause.
Sweat trickled down Lian's back, feeling incredibly close to disaster—just narrowly escaping Gyarados' bite moments ago. Despite Gyarados losing its rationality, the Water Gym battlefield severely limited his speed. If not for his agility surpassing 700 ability points, Gyarados would have caught up and pummeled him mercilessly.
Suddenly, Lian sensed that Gyarados seemed to slow down. Turning quickly for a glance, he noticed the exhausted Gyarados gradually decelerating, its breathing labored.
Gyarados's eyes began transitioning from red back to normal but soon turned chaotic again.
The side effects of Thrash were taking effect, inevitably plunging Gyarados into confusion.
Confusion state causes a Pokemon's thoughts to become disoriented, making it unable to distinguish directions and highly unresponsive to Trainer commands.
"Gyarados, return!"
Sia recognized the dangerous situation, promptly opened a Poké Ball, and recalled Gyarados.
Seeing Sia withdraw Gyarados early, Kalia had no objections. There was no prior agreement on using elimination or rotation rules; by default, League regulations assume rotation-based battles.
Thus, Sia's decision to switch out Gyarados was not only acceptable but also a standard move. Even Kalia, under similar circumstances, would replace her Pokémon with another, allowing Gyarados to rest inside the Poké Ball while simultaneously alleviating its confused state.
During the interval when Trainers swap their Pokémon, Kalia seized the opportunity and swiftly commanded, "Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!"
Lian understood Kalia's point; he had also been closely observing Sia's actions and commands. Sia's second Pokémon was Starmie, making Dragon Rage still the most effective move.
Although it was unfortunate that Gyarados wasn't defeated, Lian himself remained unscathed while inflicting significant damage on Gyarados, so it wasn't entirely disadvantageous.
However, Starmie was formidable, especially with its Recover move. Under normal circumstances, Lian might have gone crazy with joy, knowing it would be perfect for grinding Combat Points.
But currently, he couldn't approach the battle solely focused on gaining Combat Points; doing so would surely lead to defeat.
Starmie moved swiftly, and compared to Gyarados, it knew numerous Water-type special attack moves, including some highly powerful ones.
The one favorable aspect was that Starmie's Special Attack wasn't exceptionally strong. Lian could potentially withstand a regular Water-type move, although there were no guarantees. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't take the risk and instead aimed to dodge as much as possible.
As soon as Starmie emerged from the Poké Ball, Lian decisively unleashed Dragon Rage. The shockwave rushed directly towards the newly released Starmie, striking it accurately.
There was no chance for evasion since Starmie had just exited the Poké Ball, its consciousness not yet fully adjusted to the battlefield.
Splash!
The impact sent Starmie flying, crashing directly into the water and causing ripples with numerous visible wounds on its pale purple body.
"Starmie, use Light Screen," Sia commanded without concern for Starmie's injuries. Knowing that Starmie possesses the Recover move, he prioritized defense by having it cast Light Screen first.
Light Screen reduces the effectiveness of Special moves by half, including Dragon Rage-type attacks. Since Charmeleon exclusively uses Special moves, as long as Starmie hides behind the Light Screen, recovers health using Recover, and counters with ranged moves, victory would be assured.
"Charmeleon, continue using Dragon Rage."
Despite understanding Sia's strategy, Kalia had no immediate countermeasure; she could only instruct Charmeleon to repeatedly unleash Dragon Rage. Charmeleon was not proficient in physical attack moves, and even its recently learned Slash technique lacked mastery.
Lian felt slightly disappointed, as one Dragon Rage should have been enough to defeat Starmie. With its low Stamina base stat and likely being under level 30, two Dragon Rages should suffice.
Unexpectedly, Starmie had learned the Light Screen move. As Lian unleashed another Dragon Rage, Starmie utilized Psychic energy to create a shimmering, transparent barrier in mid-air, taking cover behind it.
The shockwave from Dragon Rage collided with the Light Screen. Upon penetration, its power significantly weakened and speed slowed down. Starmie dove into the water, effortlessly evading the diminished shockwave.
"Starmie, use Recover!" Sia's lips curved slightly, indicating that not only could her Charmeleon dodge moves, but her Starmie could also evade effectively.
Lian was surprised by the strength of Light Screen; not only did it weaken the move's power, but it also reduced its speed, indirectly enhancing his opponent's evasion rate.
However, he noticed that the thickness of the Light Screen decreased over time. Apparently, its weakening effect is strongest immediately after casting, gradually diminishing thereafter.
While continuing to unleash Dragon Rage, Starmie began using Recover to heal its injuries.
Similar to Roost, Recover differs by regenerating cells to mend wounds on the body.
Visible changes occurred as Starmie's scars rapidly disappeared, revealing a revitalized purple body, now glowing with renewed vibrancy.
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