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Typhlosion is the final evolved form of the "Cyndaquil" Pokemon, one that everyone in the Pokemon world recognizes instantly.
This was Mateo's ace Pokemon, his trump card in battle.
"Did you reveal your true power right from the start? It seems Mateo is quite confident!"
The voice of commentator Shaun resonated throughout the arena through the sound system. He spoke eloquently: "Roy sent out Elekid instead of his ace Pokemon... I expected he would lead with a weaker Pokemon to gather intelligence, but I didn't anticipate that Mateo would immediately counter with his trump card!"
A Pokemon's strength can never be judged by appearance alone.
But in everyone's eyes, Elekid was merely a basic Pokemon that hadn't evolved, and its potential seemed far inferior to Typhlosion, which had already reached its final evolution.
This difference was perceived as evidence of Elekid's lower strength.
After all, if Elekid had reached its full potential, why hadn't it evolved yet?
The commentator clearly believed Roy had sent out Elekid just to scout Mateo's strategy, but Mateo had responded by immediately deploying his strongest Pokemon, as if to crush his opponent outright.
Mateo chuckled to himself.
...Would it be too impolite to crush a rookie trainer in his debut battle?
The next moment, the referee shouted "Begin!" and swiftly brought down his flag.
In that instant, Typhlosion's back erupted with a ten-meter-high pillar of flames. Heat waves billowed outward, causing solar flames to appear all around.
Typhlosion is one of the few Pokemon born with the ability to transform emotions into flames, using a special type called 'Rage'.
Mateo issued his command:
"—Flame Charge with Stockpile!!"
The flames gushing from Typhlosion's back enveloped its entire body, covering it with what looked like flaming armor.
Typhlosion's powerful limbs struck the ground, cracking the surface as flames propelled it forward like a rocket launching toward its enemy!
"Wow—!"
A sudden uproar filled the stadium.
Mateo initially thought the crowd was admiring Typhlosion's impressive display, but then he caught sight of Elekid, which had somehow acquired extra protection.
-An armor of lightning!
Cyan-blue thunder!
What kind of strange lightning was this?
Mateo's heart sank.
The next moment, the rushing flames collided horrifically with the flashing thunder.
Elekid, wearing its Thunder Armor, executed a perfect 'Brick Break'!
The collision of these two violent energies produced an overload reaction, triggering a massive explosion.
BOOM!
Smoke, gravel, and powerful winds scattered in all directions.
Both Pokemon were thrown backward from the center of the explosion, each suffering serious injuries.
'A non-evolved Elekid actually matching Typhlosion in a direct confrontation?'
Mateo couldn't believe it.
His Typhlosion excelled at head-on battles and powerful fighting.
But what did it matter?
Mateo remained confident and shouted:
"Again! Flame Charge with Stockpile!"
"Counter with Brick Break."
Roy commanded coldly.
Typhlosion roared as the flames on its back intensified, charging forward once more.
Elekid, half-excited and half-grimacing in pain, executed another Brick Break, meeting its opponent head-on.
The two Pokemon collided again without hesitation.
As the explosive impact subsided, Typhlosion managed to catch Elekid's right arm in a Fire Fang attack. Elekid ignored the pain in its right arm, raised its left hand, and struck Typhlosion's head with a devastating Mega Punch.
Typhlosion was sent flying, taking a piece of Elekid's flesh in its mouth. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its vision swam, but nothing could stop its boiling fighting spirit. Typhlosion let out another violent roar and charged forward once more.
Power versus power!
Force against force!!
Strength confrontation at its finest!!!
Thunder and flames, two incompatible forces, continued to wreak havoc across the arena, presenting a visual feast that showcased pure 'violence' for the audience.
Battles between two Pokemon skilled in direct combat and overwhelming power are often simple and straightforward.
Breaking all conventional tactics with raw strength was truly the path of champions.
In the Capital team's reserve bench, Anya frowned and said: "It's over. Roy's been pulled into the opponent's rhythm."
When she first saw that Elekid was matching Typhlosion's strength, she had felt hopeful about the match, but after seeing Roy continue to engage in head-on confrontations, she had a premonition that things would turn bad.
Typhlosion's special flame ability—Rage—was a power that grew stronger with each exchange.
The worse its condition became, the more intense its rage, and the stronger its attacks would be!
Not to mention, Mateo occasionally commanded Typhlosion to use "Flame Charge with Stockpile"—
This combination move, as its name suggested, allowed Typhlosion to strengthen itself while attacking its opponent.
Typhlosion became faster with every use!
Were Mateo and Typhlosion's fighting style reckless?
Yes! Absolutely!
But they weren't fools.
Typhlosion wasn't limited to simple "brute force" tactics; its strength lay in "calculated recklessness." There was a significant difference between the two.
Elon also sensed something was wrong, but after frowning and observing for a while, he said in surprise:
"Wait, that's strange."
"Why is Elekid's power increasing too?"
Indeed.
While Typhlosion's rage grew stronger, the blue lightning surrounding Elekid was also intensifying.
This defiance of common sense stunned all the trainers watching the match.
"Incredible lightning!" The commentator slapped the table and shouted: "What kind of power is this? Why does the voltage increase every time it contacts the flames! Player Roy is smiling—could all of this be according to his plan?"
Cold sweat broke out on Mateo's forehead, and his confidence began to falter. Sending out his ace Pokemon and engaging in a battle of raw power was not turning out as he had expected.
This Elekid appeared to be a 'berserker' type that grew stronger with each exchange?
But why did its lightning become stronger?
What principle explained this?
Mateo mentally searched through every electric-type specialist in the league, but couldn't recall anyone with similar abilities.
This was understandable.
This power came from Zekrom.
When affected by flames, Zekrom's lightning greatly increased in power.
Its 'Fusion Bolt' was the counterpart to another legendary dragon's 'Fusion Flare'—the two moves were mirror aspects of each other.
Although Elekid couldn't use "Fusion Bolt," and its lightning was far inferior to Zekrom's, it still possessed the natural quality of becoming stronger when encountering fire.
"ROAR-!!!"
Typhlosion let out a furious cry, the flames on its body now almost crimson.
Mateo knew that Typhlosion's rage had reached its peak—meaning its condition had reached its limit.
Elekid also appeared to be in pain, covered in wounds and looking like it was approaching its breaking point.
But if this continued, it was difficult to predict which Pokemon would fall first...
A ruthless look flashed in Mateo's eyes.
Under the knockout battle format, sometimes even when victory seemed impossible, a trainer had to inflict maximum damage on the opponent for the team's sake.
...This Elekid was too unpredictable. Its limits were unknown, which meant it couldn't be allowed to continue.
"This one cannot remain standing!" Mateo thought to himself before issuing his final command:
"—Burn Up!"
Burn Up was a move that temporarily removed the user's Fire-type status after use, rendering it unable to control fire anymore.
As soon as the command was given, everyone understood his tactical intention.
A mutual knockout!
Roy responded decisively:
"Endure!"
The two commands were issued almost simultaneously.
In the next instant, the flames covering Typhlosion's red body suddenly intensified several times.
Typhlosion, having lost its Fire-type status, was consumed by its own flames. Its eyes lost focus as it entered a near-death state.
The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power.
Driven by the Pokemon's final determination, the crimson rage transformed into a flaming beast that rushed toward Elekid.
Elekid crossed its arms in front of its body to execute Endure.
In game terms, Endure ensures the user will survive any attack with at least one HP remaining.
In reality, the principle behind Endure was concentrating willpower into a shield to protect the last bit of vitality—regardless of the injury suffered, the Pokemon would cling to life.
Elekid wasn't highly proficient with this technique, only at an intermediate level.
But its willpower was extraordinary.
The flaming beast engulfed both Elekid and its Thunder Armor.
The collision of thunder and flames created an energy overload, triggering an astonishing explosion that consumed half the arena, incinerating the mud, vegetation, rocks—everything.
The stadium, packed with tens of thousands of spectators, fell silent. The audience held their breath, staring at the center of the explosion hidden beneath thick smoke.
—Had Elekid survived?
After a while, the smoke dissipated.
A severely wounded Pokemon, devastated to the point where many feared it might suddenly collapse, came into view.
Elekid's eyelids were half-closed, its pupils unfocused, yet it remained standing, trembling but upright.
"It's still moving! It's still standing!"
Commentator Shaun's voice was filled with wonder.
"Indomitable will! I must apologize for what I said earlier about Elekid! Its strength and spirit deserve all of our applause!"
"WOOOOW!!!"
The audience, deeply moved, erupted in thunderous applause.
"What kind of lightning is that?"
"This is probably the strongest Elekid I've ever seen."
"That Elekid seems familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."
"You too? So it's not just my imagination."
On the battlefield, Mateo recalled his Typhlosion with its Poke Ball, bowed his head to kiss the ball, and then looked at Elekid with amazed eyes.
There was no shame in being overwhelmed by a worthy opponent.
However, acknowledging an opponent's strength didn't mean giving up the fight.
Mateo summoned his second Pokemon.
The flame-horse Pokemon—Rapidash.
Having lost his ace to his opponent's non-ace Pokemon, Mateo no longer aimed for victory against Roy. Instead, he planned to exhaust as much of Roy's battle strength as possible.
—This wasn't about giving up or poor sportsmanship.
—If victory was possible, you pursued it; if not, you sacrificed yourself for the team's benefit. This was basic strategy for a fifth-position battler.
...After Elekid fell, what would Roy's second Pokemon be? Probably not Lucario, which would be at a disadvantage against fire-types, but perhaps Squirtle from the intelligence reports. How far had it evolved?
Mateo had already started predicting Roy's next Pokemon.
As for Elekid still on the field?
Everyone assumed it couldn't continue fighting in its condition.
However.
The referee shouted:
"Second round, begin!"
"WHAT?!"
Everyone looked at Roy in astonishment.
He wasn't switching Pokemon?
What was he doing?
Was this Pokemon abuse?
Mateo suddenly grew angry and commanded:
"Flame Wheel!"
Rapidash transformed into a flaming chariot and charged toward Elekid without hesitation.
"—Endure!" Roy commanded resolutely.
Elekid's unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened as it crossed its arms in front of its body.
The fire chariot crashed into Elekid, lifting it up and carrying it toward the arena wall.
CRASH!!
When the dust cleared, a large hole was visible in the wall, with Rapidash's horn impaling Elekid's stomach.
Just when everyone thought Elekid had been defeated by this devastating blow, it suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Rapidash's slender head.
"What?!"
Before Mateo could express his surprise, blue lightning flashed from Elekid once again.
Rapidash's body twitched violently, unable to break free from Elekid's grip, and screamed in pain.
The power of Elekid's high-voltage attack, still enhanced from earlier battles, was far greater than normal.
The thunderous assault lasted for fifteen full seconds before Rapidash's legs gave out and it fainted.
Only then did Elekid release Rapidash. It stood up shakily, then suddenly dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
"R-Rapidash is unable to battle!"
The referee stammered slightly, appearing somewhat dazed.
Mateo recalled Rapidash in disbelief. As he reached for his next Poke Ball, seeing that Roy still wasn't substituting Pokemon, his hands suddenly trembled.
...Impossible?
White light flashed.
Mateo's third Pokemon appeared.
It was a giant crab about half the height of a person.
Kingler, a Water-type Pokemon.
In terms of raw strength, Kingler ranked second among Mateo's three main Pokemon, stronger than Rapidash.
But regarding type matchups, Kingler was clearly at a disadvantage against Electric-type Elekid, which is why Mateo hadn't chosen it for the second round...
Yet unexpectedly, Kingler still had to face Elekid.
"Ice Beam!"
Mateo reflected on his tactical error in the previous round.
He had thought he could defeat Elekid with a single hit, so he'd ordered Rapidash to charge directly, giving Elekid the opportunity to counterattack.
But who could have predicted that Elekid would still have fighting strength in its condition?
Against such a weakened opponent, the best strategy was to eliminate it with ranged attacks, giving it no chance to retaliate!
"KOOKIE-KOO!!"
Kingler raised its massive left pincer, concentrating ice energy before firing a beam.
"Protect!" Roy commanded.
Elekid spread its arms, raising a protective barrier that blocked the Ice Beam.
So it still had energy... Mateo silently cursed this Pokemon's resilience while continuing his long-range strategy.
"Bubble Beam!"
Kingler maintained the Ice Beam with its left pincer while raising its smaller right pincer to fire countless bubbles.
The Bubble Beam shattered the ice forming on Elekid's shield, turning the fragments into Ice Shards that attacked Elekid from the side.
—A perfect Ice and Water combination technique.
Elekid had no energy left to defend. After enduring this attack, its Protect failed, leaving it vulnerable to the full force of the Ice Beam.
BOOM!
Elekid, now frozen all over, completely lost focus in its eyes and collapsed.
"Finally... it finally fell!" Commentator Shaun expressed the audience's collective shock: "I almost thought this Elekid was immortal."
The referee looked closely and confirmed that Elekid had indeed fallen before starting the countdown.
"Three—!"
Roy sighed, realizing it was over.
It was a shame. Elekid had pushed its limits but still couldn't evolve.
If it had evolved into Electabuzz, with the power boost from evolution, it could have potentially defeated all three opposing Pokemon.
But it had fallen just short.
Roy raised his Poke Ball, ready to recall Elekid.
But at that moment, his hand suddenly stopped.
"What...?"
The referee abruptly halted his count.
"It's standing up again!"
Elekid's body trembled as its hands pressed against the ground, slowly rising. Not only that, but the wounds on its body were gradually...healing?!
Mateo was completely speechless. Truly, he had never witnessed anything so extraordinary.
This went beyond what 'willpower' alone could accomplish. Healing injuries required some form of life energy.
—Where was this vitality coming from?
Roy was equally surprised. He recalled the 'Sleep Combat' strategy they had been practicing and looked into Elekid's eyes.
To his further surprise, Elekid wasn't asleep at all. It stared directly at its opponent, its eyes burning with unyielding determination.
At the VIP table, Sebastian was stunned:
"—That's not Sleep Combat?"
But if not Sleep Combat, how was Elekid still able to fight?
Mateo gritted his teeth and commanded, "Concentrate all your power into Ice Beam!"
Kingler raised both pincers simultaneously, focusing a massive amount of ice energy.
Roy temporarily put aside his questions and chose to trust Elekid.
"Wild Charge!"
Elekid once again summoned its armor of thunder.
The battle had already lasted more than three minutes, and the pain of using electric attacks beyond its limits had nearly destroyed Elekid's consciousness.
But in the final moment before losing awareness, Elekid launched itself toward Kingler.
Wild Charge, while not exclusive to legendary Pokemon, channeled the same devastating power.
The raging high-voltage electricity overwhelmed Kingler's Ice Beam with terrifying force, completely engulfing the Water-type Pokemon.
Thunder roared across the battlefield.
The sound of a thousand birds singing in unison filled the air.
When all the dust settled, what greeted everyone's eyes were two Pokemon that had fallen simultaneously, both at the brink of exhaustion.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the arena filled with tens of thousands of people, only the sound of smoke and dust settling across the battlefield.