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"You actually used the same strategy as me? But your Magmortar is different from Tyranitar. Tyranitar isn't particularly vulnerable to Fire-type moves, but your Magmortar is weak to Ground-type attacks!"
Indeed, Eddie had confidently allowed Tyranitar to tank that earlier attack because he knew Tyranitar could handle Fire-type moves. But Magmortar couldn't do the same. As a Fire-type Pokémon, it would normally take double damage when hit by a Ground-type move.
"It can't be helped. This is still better than taking the full force of Tyranitar's Earthquake. Since we can't dodge the attack, we can only minimize the damage."
Blaine responded to Eddie. Of course he understood what Eddie was saying, but he had no other choice under these circumstances. If Tyranitar's Earthquake had landed completely, Magmortar would definitely have been critically injured, and continuing the battle would become impossible.
While the two trainers exchanged words, the battle on the field had already reached its conclusion.
Neither Tyranitar nor Magmortar were Ground-type Pokémon. Although Tyranitar's pre-evolution Pupitar was part Ground-type, after evolving it became a Dark and Rock dual-type Pokémon.
In other words, neither of them received a Same Type Attack Bonus when using Ground-type moves.
However, Earthquake was a physical attack, and Tyranitar's Attack stat far exceeded that of Magmortar. Therefore, Tyranitar won this clash of energies.
Its Earthquake energy easily overpowered Magmortar's, and then the energy geyser struck Magmortar directly, launching it several meters into the air.
Of course, Tyranitar's Earthquake had been significantly weakened in the process, but when Ground-type moves hit Fire-type Pokémon, the damage doubled. So Magmortar didn't handle the attack nearly as well as Tyranitar had handled Fire Blast earlier.
While it couldn't be called a critical injury, Magmortar had lost roughly a quarter of its health.
Don't underestimate losing a quarter of its health. This Magmortar was a Pokémon with Gym Leader level strength. Inflicting such damage wasn't easy, but as a pseudo-legendary, Tyranitar's Attack was simply that powerful.
"Tyranitar! Seize the opportunity and use Stone Edge!"
Magmortar was still airborne at that moment, and Eddie naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by. He immediately had Tyranitar press the attack.
"Not so fast! Magmortar, use Smokescreen!"
Blaine naturally understood Eddie's intention. If he were in Eddie's position, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity either. He immediately implemented a countermeasure.
The airborne Magmortar was still falling when it immediately sprayed thick smoke toward Tyranitar, directly obscuring the latter's vision.
"No matter! Tyranitar, continue with Stone Edge!"
"Roar!!!"
Although Tyranitar couldn't see anything through the smoke, it continued channeling its energy into the ground and launched Stone Edge the moment Eddie gave the command.
On the battlefield, particularly at Magmortar's position, thousands of sharp rock spikes erupted from the ground under the influence of Tyranitar's energy.
These pointed rock projectiles obviously possessed high damage potential and covered a wide area, making Stone Edge a highly practical move.
"Damn! I forgot that this move has such a large attack range. Even with obscured vision, it can still strike Magmortar effectively."
"In that case, we'll do the same as before and minimize the damage!"
"Magmortar, use Fire Punch to destroy as many of the stone spikes as possible!"
When Blaine saw what Tyranitar had done, he remembered that Stone Edge had an extremely wide attack range. He spoke with a hint of regret.
But he was also an experienced trainer and still had methods to deal with this attack.
Of course, the situation remained similar to before. Even if Magmortar could shatter many of the stone spikes, a significant number would still manage to hit it.
So what Blaine meant was still to minimize the damage—not to completely nullify the attack or anything of that sort.
Magmortar continuously used Fire Punch to smash the sharp rocks beneath it, though it was still struck by various stone spikes to some degree. However, during this process, it had already descended to the ground, so the damage it sustained wasn't as severe as anticipated.
"Hmm? Something's not right..."
Blaine should have been pleased to see that Magmortar hadn't been critically injured, but he inexplicably felt something was amiss.
After all, by this point, Blaine understood that every single one of Eddie's attacks carried deeper meaning. Sometimes it was to prevent his own Pokémon from taking serious damage, sometimes it was to quickly defeat the opponent, and sometimes it was even to set up for the next attack.
Wait! Setting up for the next attack? Could it be?!!
"Oh no! Magmortar, get away from there!"
Blaine realized this final point and instantly understood Eddie's true intention. He immediately ordered Magmortar to leave its current position!
However, Blaine's warning came just a moment too late.
At that very instant, Tyranitar had already charged directly in front of Magmortar. Tyranitar, who stood considerably taller than Magmortar, looked down at its opponent with a menacing grin, then glared fiercely at the Fire-type.
This was Leer—a move designed to intimidate the opponent with a fearsome expression, thereby lowering their Defense.
"Stone Edge served as both an attack and a diversion. After using that move, no matter how I responded, Tyranitar would have sufficient time to close the distance to Magmortar."
"It even used Leer to lower Magmortar's Defense. This feels like the beginning of the end."
When Blaine witnessed what Tyranitar had accomplished, he felt that this battle was about to conclude unfavorably once again.
"Exactly. After using Stone Edge, regardless of your response, Tyranitar would have time to charge directly at Magmortar."
"While I was somewhat surprised you used Smokescreen, it didn't matter! Because your Magmortar would still need to deal with Stone Edge and use moves to break the stones—and that would create sound. Tyranitar simply needed to charge toward the source of that sound."
Eddie displayed a satisfied smile. This was precisely how he always battled. While his Pokémon were exceptionally powerful, he still employed an endless variety of tactics to overcome his opponents in every match.
Eddie had always adhered to the principle of 'even when hunting a rabbit, a lion uses its full strength.' Therefore, he never became careless when facing any opponent.
And this particular opponent wasn't weak either. Even with Tyranitar at his disposal, he wouldn't simply charge in recklessly.
"Alright! This battle should be over now!"
"Tyranitar, use Giga Impact to finish off Magmortar!!"
"Roar!!!"
Tyranitar roared with excitement, then cloaked its entire body in energy, gathered all its strength, and charged toward the nearby Magmortar with devastating force.