The battle began with no preamble—straightforward and direct!
At Cain's command, Swampert powered up its back legs and jumped straight into the attack.
As a Pokémon whose strength in its back legs surpasses even its front limbs, its power is not to be underestimated. The back legs are incredibly strong, so why would the front ones be any less powerful? Of course, they aren't.
Swampert quickly closed the distance to Beartic, closing in within moments.
"Beartic, Ice Beam!" Brycen's command came right after Cain's.
With its eyes locked on the swiftly approaching Swampert, Beartic crossed its arms in front of its chest and opened its mouth wide. A beam of blue and white light shot out toward its opponent.
The Earth Hammer move that Swampert was executing combined two moves: the Ground-type move Earthquake and the Fighting-type move Hammer Arm.
Hammer Arm amplifies the power of Earthquake, while the vibrations generated by the latter reinforce the impact of the Fighting move, creating a devastating blow from both above and below simultaneously.
Beartic's Ice Beam struck Swampert's arms, but Swampert, with a fierce look in its eyes, seemed to feel no pain from the attack. Its speed remained constant, and the execution of the move continued uninterrupted.
During its training on the mysterious island, Swampert had faced opponents much stronger than Beartic. It had gone from being unable to withstand even a single hit to enduring several attacks before going down. Its stamina had drastically improved.
Though Ice Beam caused significant damage, it wasn't enough to stop Swampert.
Seeing Swampert's defiant look, Brycen knew things were not looking good. He hurriedly shouted, "Beartic, Shadow Claw! Use all your strength to block it!"
Boom!
A cloud of dust rose from the impact. The battlefield, mostly made up of rocks, offered no specific advantages to either Pokémon.
Beartic crossed its massive white claws in front of its chest, blocking the attack with all its strength as Swampert's arm descended like a hammer onto Beartic's crossed claws.
The ground around Beartic, from its central position, cracked.
It seemed both Pokémon were evenly matched in terms of strength. However, one detail revealed the difference.
Beartic's back legs sank into the ground under the pressure of the attack, while Swampert remained standing. Moreover, Beartic used both claws to block a single arm of its opponent.
Although the attacker usually has a slight advantage in such confrontations, it was clear that Swampert outmatched Beartic in raw strength.
"Swampert, Earthquake! Then follow up with Earth Hammer!" Cain shouted enthusiastically.
Since Beartic was partially embedded in the ground, its evasive movements were limited. The Earthquake move, combined with its trapped legs, could knock it out.
Brycen, stunned by the scene, couldn't believe what he was seeing.
After all, Beartic was a bear, and a bear shouldn't be physically outmatched.
Swampert, standing at 1.8 meters tall, appeared as tall as Beartic, which stood at 2.6 meters, due to how deeply the latter was embedded in the ground.
Beartic showed signs of pain but endured the attack with determination. Meanwhile, Swampert, with a defiant smile, ignored the injuries on its frozen arms.
Bracing one of its hands on Beartic, Swampert lifted a leg and slammed it into the ground with all its strength. The yellowish energy of the Ground-type concentrated in its limbs.
"Beartic, Protect! Then use Stone Edge!"
Just as Swampert's foot struck the ground, a thin layer of green energy enveloped Beartic, blocking the Earthquake move. However, Swampert still had one arm free.
Another Earth Hammer blow descended with force.
Though Beartic managed to avoid the damage from the Earthquake move, it could barely react before Swampert's arm struck it once more.
Boom!
The impact lifted a new cloud of dust. The cracks in the ground became more pronounced, and half of Beartic's body was now buried in the earth.
Although Beartic managed to execute Stone Edge, dealing considerable damage to Swampert, the latter resisted the attack thanks to its double resistance to Rock-type moves.
"Swampert, use Muddy Water and finish it off!"
"Swamp!"
Swampert roared, summoning a torrent of muddy water that engulfed Beartic. Its white fur was stained, and it finally lost consciousness.
Seeing his Pokémon defeated, Brycen sighed and withdrew Beartic into its Poké Ball. "Return, Beartic. You did well," he said in a calm voice, though visibly worried.
"Swamp!"
Swampert, seeing its opponent had been recalled, beat its chest with one of its hands, letting out a roar that echoed throughout the stadium.
Since its first battle, Swampert had begun to enjoy the attention and cheers from the crowd. This recognition fueled its determination.
The crowd adored it. Its powerful and relentless fighting style made it stand out.
Brycen, with a somber look, hesitated for a moment before throwing another Poké Ball.
From the glow emerged a blue Pokémon with white rings around its neck and an impressive white mane on its face. Its long tusks and powerful fan-like tail made it unmistakable: Walrein.
Pokémon: Walrein (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 50
Type: Ice + Water
Ability: Thick Fat
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Water Sport, Aqua Ring, Rollout, Sleep Talk
Basic Moves: Ice Fang, Swagger, Crunch, Defense Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun, Encore, Ice Ball, Brine, Aurora Beam, Body Slam, Rest, Snore, Hail, Blizzard
Learned Moves: Water Pulse, Iron Tail, Aqua Tail, Icy Wind
TM Moves: Protect, Ice Beam, Earthquake, Frost Breath, Giga Impact
This Walrein was clearly one of Brycen's trump cards. Though Swampert had proven formidable, it was injured and wouldn't be a match for a level 50 Pokémon in its prime.
Cain knew it wouldn't be an easy battle, especially with consecutive days of fights still ahead.
(End of chapter)