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Jacob's heart sank as he witnessed the devastating effectiveness of the Stealth Rock attack. In the video games, Stealth Rock would only activate when switching Pokemon, dealing damage to the incoming Pokemon. However, in real battles, Stealth Rock proved to be an excellent counter against Flying-type Pokemon.
The situation before them was dire. The sky was filled with countless invisible rocks scattered densely throughout the air, creating a treacherous obstacle course that would severely hamper any airborne Pokemon's movement. If Charizard dared to continue flying and collided with these hidden stones, deep cuts would instantly appear across its body. The faster Charizard flew, the more severe the damage would be from striking the invisible barriers.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of invisible rocks floated menacingly in the air above them. Charizard didn't dare make a single movement, trapped in a deadly aerial minefield.
The battle had turned against them. Jacob's expression darkened as he realized the truth - Caleb had deliberately waited for Charizard to smash the rocks earlier, using those fragments to set up this devastating Stealth Rock trap.
"Infernape, charge forward and use Rock Slide continuously to force it down!" Caleb commanded with confidence.
After successfully restricting Charizard's flight with the Stealth Rock, Infernape dug another massive boulder from the ground and hurled it toward the trapped Fire-type Pokemon.
Jacob frowned deeply. Charizard was now completely hindered by the invisible rocks and couldn't fly freely. Facing Infernape's relentless Rock Slide attacks, Charizard, which wasn't particularly strong in physical combat, could use its Metal Claw to defend for a short time, but it definitely wouldn't last long under this barrage.
"Charizard, land now! Avoid the Rock Slide and use Heat Wave!" Jacob called out desperately.
Charizard heard its trainer's command and began its descent. While dodging the falling rocks, the sharp invisible stones sliced through Charizard's body like invisible blades, creating countless small wounds across its orange scales.
The injured Charizard let out a pained roar, then opened its massive jaws wide, taking a deep breath. A scorching heat wave erupted from its mouth, sweeping toward Infernape with tremendous force.
Watching his wounded Charizard, Jacob felt a pang of sympathy, but he knew this was the nature of Pokemon battles - no one could avoid getting hurt during intense combat.
"Mach Punch!" Caleb shouted, seizing his opportunity.
Seeing Charizard forced to the ground, Caleb knew his chance for victory had arrived. Infernape charged directly through the blazing Heat Wave attack, rushing into the scorching flames and pushing forward to strike Charizard. The Fighting-type Pokemon powered through the intense heat and launched its lightning-fast punch.
"BOOM!"
The Mach Punch connected with a thunderous impact. Charizard's face contorted in agony as the powerful blow sent it staggering backward several steps. The devastating force of the attack was clearly evident.
A gleam of confidence flashed in Caleb's eyes. Once his Infernape got into close range, it would be absolutely unstoppable.
"Another Mach Punch!" he commanded.
Infernape clenched its right fist tightly, suddenly accelerating its body forward. It stepped out with its left leg in perfect form and threw another punch - a textbook example of martial arts technique.
Infernape's movements were incredibly precise and swift. This didn't feel like a simple Pokemon move, but rather like disciplined martial arts training put into practice.
The punch came so fast that Jacob could barely track it with his eyes. Charizard had no time to react and took the blow directly to its stomach. Another expression of pure pain crossed its face. Despite Charizard's impressive weight of nearly 130 kilograms, the impact sent it sliding backward several meters. It only managed to stop by frantically flapping its wings for balance.
Such an incredible display made Jacob question what he was witnessing. Was this really just the Mach Punch move being used by Infernape? Charizard, with its Flying-type, should have natural resistance to Fighting-type attacks, taking only half damage. Mach Punch was known for its speed rather than raw power. How could Charizard be suffering such severe injuries?
"Are you okay, Charizard?" Jacob looked at his Pokemon, which was clearly in bad condition, and couldn't help but ask with concern.
"Char..." Charizard responded with a pained grunt. It was obviously struggling. The Pokemon felt its stomach churning from the impacts. It glared at the opposing Infernape with fierce, determined eyes while breathing heavily.
After sustaining these injuries, Charizard's expression became more ferocious as it stared at Infernape with murderous intent burning in its eyes.
Similarly, Infernape's condition wasn't much better. Although its attacks were effective, the Fire-type Pokemon had taken significant damage from enduring the Heat Wave and other flame attacks throughout the battle.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave at maximum power!" Jacob commanded, knowing his Pokemon could probably only endure one or two more attacks.
Charizard took a deep, labored breath as intense heat began building up in its throat. Then it raised its head high and suddenly unleashed a torrent of flames with everything it had left.
"Infernape, charge forward!" Caleb ordered without hesitation.
Infernape pushed off powerfully with its feet, its body launching forward like a compressed spring. It rushed directly toward Charizard through the scorching heat wave. The flames covering Infernape's body burned more intensely than ever. Even as a Fire-type Pokemon, it couldn't completely withstand the extreme temperatures of Charizard's maximum-power Heat Wave, and its fur began to catch fire.
Infernape, with its body literally ablaze, seemed completely unaffected by the pain of being burned. With unwavering determination in its eyes, it closed the distance to Charizard and dropped into a half-crouch that resembled a horse stance from martial arts.
The Fighting-type Pokemon pushed forward with both hands and elbows, unifying its waist and stance. It generated power from its feet, moved its shoulders with its hands, clenched its five fingers into tight fists, and drove an iron-hard punch directly into Charizard's belly. Suddenly, an incredible force erupted with such power that the sound of air being split could be faintly heard. Charizard was sent flying backward by the devastating punch.
This movement, this stance, this technique - it definitely belonged to a trained martial artist!
After witnessing this final attack, Jacob was now one hundred percent certain that both this Infernape and Caleb had definitely practiced martial arts. The precision and power were unmistakable.
If that punch had hit a human, Jacob thought, asking for two hundred thousand Pokedollars in medical compensation wouldn't be unreasonable.
After this final exchange, both Infernape and Charizard had reached their absolute limits. The outcome of the battle now hung by a thread.
Looking at Caleb, who wore only a thin coat and rough cloth even in the harsh winter cold, Jacob deduced that Caleb was likely a civilian trainer whose life was probably quite difficult financially.
Under such challenging circumstances, it was remarkable that he had managed to capture and train a champion level Infernape to this incredible standard all by himself.
His name was Caleb? Jacob found himself thinking about talent recognition. Trainers like Caleb shouldn't be allowed to remain hidden in obscurity. Otherwise, in a dozen years or so, he might become the next Ryan- another prodigy who rose from nothing to greatness.
"Caleb, after this battle is finished, wait for me. I have something important to discuss with you," Jacob said, looking directly at his opponent.
Then Jacob turned his attention back to his wounded Pokemon. "Charizard, you've done an excellent job. You deserve a good rest now."
Looking at his injured Charizard with genuine affection and concern, Jacob carefully returned the Fire-type Pokemon to its Poke Ball.
"Don't you want to see my trump card?" Jacob asked with a confident smile spreading across his face as he reached for Sceptile's Poke Ball.
Although he had originally planned to keep Sceptile hidden from public exposure, trainers like Caleb were worthy of witnessing his true strength.
The power of many trainers didn't come from their own abilities and hard work, but rather from the wealth and connections of their parents. Jacob didn't admire those kinds of trainers at all. Only civilian trainers like Caleb, who had risen from complete obscurity through their own dedication and skill, were truly worthy of Jacob's respect and admiration.
"Go, Sceptile!" Jacob called out as he released his ace Pokemon.
The moment the three-meter-tall Sceptile appeared on the battlefield, an overwhelming presence filled the air that made everyone feel almost suffocated. Its massive size forced everyone present to crane their necks upward just to see it properly. The regal, king-like eyes looked down imperiously at Infernape below. The 1.75-meter-tall Infernape appeared tiny and insignificant when compared to the towering Sceptile.
"Is that really a Sceptile?" someone whispered in amazement.
"Holy shit, normal Tyranitar are only two meters tall, right? Is this Sceptile actually a Tyranitar in disguise?" another spectator gasped.
"No wonder Jacob dared to say that everyone here was trash. It turns out I really am trash compared to this," a trainer muttered in defeat.
The crowd was absolutely stunned by the sight of Jacob's enormous Sceptile. Its presence alone seemed to shift the entire atmosphere of the battle, and everyone could sense that they were witnessing something truly extraordinary. The difference in scale between the two Pokemon was so dramatic that it seemed almost unfair, yet this was the reality of high-level Pokemon training - some trainers and their Pokemon simply operated on a completely different level than others.
The battle had taken an unexpected turn with the appearance of this magnificent Sceptile, and everyone present knew they were about to witness something special.