Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

Blastoise, caught in Charizard's ground-assault Fire Blast, took a hard hit.

Despite being a Water-type, the intense attack left it badly damaged.

Charizard's Fire Blasts, even though they were rapid-fire versions, were amplified by its Fire affinity, making them even stronger than a typical Charizard's attack.

Had Blastoise not been a Water-type, it might have been taken out completely. Now, it was just left with singed, blackened skin, a dazed head from the shockwaves, and some minor burns.

"Blastoise, are you alright?"

Gary called out to Blastoise, his worry evident.

"Blastoise!" Shaking its head to clear the dizziness, Blastoise locked eyes on Charizard, now descending to the ground, signaling that it was still in the fight.

After its fierce barrage, Charizard stopped its pursuit, though not by choice—it was simply out of breath.

Even with its rigorous training, Charizard needed a moment to recover, unlike a machine that could just keep going.

"Alright!" Gary breathed a sigh of relief as Blastoise responded. Looking up at Charizard, his eyes sharpened as he gave the next command:

"Charizard looks exhausted! This is our chance, Blastoise—use Skull Bash!"

The battle had already shown just how agile Charizard was in the air, proving its natural talent for flight. So, Gary abandoned long-range moves, deciding to engage Charizard in close combat.

When it came to melee, Gary couldn't help but think of Arcanine in its Pokéball.

Why did he always have to choose between long-range and close-range attacks in battles against Luo Yuan?

Pushing these thoughts aside, Gary watched as Blastoise followed his command.

Blastoise hunkered down, tucking its head and limbs into its shell, boosting its defenses.

Then, with a powerful burst of water from its hind legs, it propelled itself forward like a cannonball, hurtling toward Charizard.

Charizard raised an eyebrow, a fiery snort flaring from its nostrils.

So, despite taking a hit from its Fire Blasts, Blastoise was charging in?

"Roar!"

Charizard let out an intimidating roar, but Blastoise didn't falter, continuing its path straight toward Charizard.

And Charizard's response?

"Brick Break!"

With a gleam of white light, Charizard's fist struck the incoming Blastoise.

Thud!

The impact momentarily slowed Blastoise's advance.

But Brick Break alone wasn't enough to completely halt Blastoise's Skull Bash.

Blastoise thrust its head out, aiming for Charizard's abdomen in a final push to deal some real damage.

Suddenly, Charizard's tail glowed with a metallic sheen, flames crackling around it as it swung its Steel Tail at Blastoise.

Bam!

The heavy blow reverberated back through Charizard's tail, causing it to stumble.

But force always has a reaction.

If even Charizard was knocked back, how could Blastoise escape unscathed?

Blastoise, encased in its shell, was knocked back like a baseball, skidding across the ground in a series of bounces, leaving it seeing stars.

Charizard gave its tail a quick rub, then opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of Flamethrower toward Blastoise, who was just emerging from its shell.

Fwoosh!

The flames surged forward.

Unfazed, Blastoise retaliated with a Water Gun.

Steam filled the air.

Charizard beat its wings, sending compressed Air Slashes slashing toward Blastoise.

Thwack thwack thwack!

The blades of air forced Blastoise to take some minor hits, but it blocked them one by one. However, Charizard wasn't resting during this pause.

With a quick intake of breath, Charizard let loose a purple Dragon Breath toward Blastoise.

"Dragon Breath!"

The paralyzing energy surged toward Blastoise, hitting it squarely.

Crackle

A numbing paralysis crept over Blastoise, starting from its limbs and working its way inward.

"This is bad...!" Gary thought, alarmed. "Blastoise, use Muddy Water!"

Gary hoped to get in one last powerful attack before the paralysis fully took hold, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible and narrow the gap between his paralyzed Blastoise and Charizard.

But Gary had overestimated his luck.

Though Muddy Water launched successfully,

Charizard simply flapped its wings, soaring out of range with ease.

They were back to square one.

Blastoise's Muddy Water couldn't reach the agile Charizard, and even if a stray splash made contact, it barely scratched Charizard.

Charizard's stamina was waning, its movements a bit more sluggish than before.

But things were worse for Blastoise.

The paralysis debuff now hampered its mobility, making it a sitting duck for Charizard.

"Charizard, Fire Blast!"

This time, Charizard didn't need to carpet-bomb the field—Blastoise was in no shape to run.

Following Gary's orders, Blastoise withdrew into its shell, hoping to weather the attack.

But as the first Fire Blast landed, Gary knew he'd lost the match.

The explosion engulfed Blastoise's shell completely.

The ground trembled.

Shockwaves from the blast rattled through Blastoise's shell, penetrating to its core.

Professor Oak, observing from the sidelines, could see it too—Luo Yuan had this battle locked down.

As the smoke cleared, the result was undeniable.

Luo Yuan looked across the field, spotting Blastoise at the center of the crater, covered in soot.

What a beating!

At the end, Blastoise had nowhere to dodge and took the brunt of the impact.

Gary recalled Blastoise back into its Pokéball.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself.

Though he had lost both rounds, Gary felt a spark of hope—a sense that he was close to victory.

So close...

That lingering hope, as well as the desire to learn from Luo Yuan, kept him in the fight.

Now, it was down to the final match.

Eyeing the imposing Charizard on the field, Gary felt his confidence waver. Luo Yuan's Charizard was simply too strong. What could he bring to the field to counter it?

His initial choice for this round had been Exeggutor.

But with Charizard as the opponent, sending out Exeggutor would be like handing over an easy win.

If he wanted to play it safe…

"Rhydon, I choose you!"

With its Ground and Rock typing, Rhydon's Ground-type moves wouldn't do much to Charizard. But Rock-type moves had a quadruple effectiveness against Charizard—that was why Gary chose Rhydon.

As soon as Rhydon entered the field, Gary didn't waste a second.

"Rhydon, use Rock Slide!"

This move was the perfect counter to Charizard.

Facing such an effective attack…

Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Charizard, Steel Wing!"

---

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