The Fierce Battle with Mutant Phanpy

The gravel was engulfed in flames, forming new little fireballs more destructive than either Fire-type or Ground Type attacks alone.

This wasn't a simple case of one plus one equaling two. The result was greater than that.

Perfect Evasion.

Shiny Cubone had far more battle experience than Mutant Phanpy.

Besides, Mutant Phanpy had gone berserk and had completely lost control of itself.

It attacked wildly, burning through its strength.

The fireballs fell without pause like a meteor shower, blanketing the entire area.

"Pretty to look at, but they pack a punch, too."

Each spark left a palm-sized crater. One alone wouldn't have amounted to much.

The problem was that Phanpy had launched more than a dozen at once, packed tightly together.

Shiny Cubone's Perfect Evasion was interrupted, and the little stones covering its body shattered.

Its Battle Armor couldn't withstand an interruption during an evasive maneuver. Once that happened, the armor was gone.

"Cuba, cuba!"

Annoyed, it patted the flames off its body, its gaze sharpening.

It gripped its bone club tighter and watched for every move its opponent made.

Flame Charge!

Mutant Phanpy became a ball of fire and charged straight at Shiny Cubone.

It was even faster than Rhyhorn or Ponyta. Impressive.

Liu Xin gritted his teeth and shouted, "Use Endure!"

"Take this hit no matter what, then hit it back!"

Shiny Cubone planted its bone club in front of itself as a shield.

Endure activated.

Boom!

The impact exploded. Sparks flew, and the gravel on the ground shattered.

Flames spread across Shiny Cubone's body, mercilessly eating into it.

Wounds opened, its HP plummeted, and a brutal struggle began.

Phanpy showed no sign of stopping. With its advantage in Special Attack, it poured out every bit of flame it had.

The already dazzling blaze flared brighter, forcing Shiny Cubone back a step. Even its bone club began to char.

"Cuba, cuba."

More wounds appeared across its body. It was a Burn.

Ordinary flames wouldn't have done much to a Ground-type Pokémon, but these flames were strange. They bypassed its defenses and burned its flesh.

"Damn it. Is it really no match for Phanpy?"

Flames covered Shiny Cubone from head to toe, but it did not fall.

Its eyes were stubborn and resolute. It had no intention of surrendering.

It tightened its grip on the bone club and advanced one step at a time, as though it were gradually adapting to the flames.

"Ding! Shiny Cubone gained the Ability Flameproof (can resist all fire damage)."

Liu Xin was stunned when he heard the system notification.

Its growth really has no limits. Lightning Rod was already incredible, and now it has Flameproof too?

Wouldn't Shiny Cubone be able to crush Fire-type and Electric-type Pokémon from now on?

Even with Flameproof, it still couldn't fully resist Armor-Breaking Fire.

But it could push back now, at least, instead of being completely overwhelmed.

Endure reached its limit. Chunks of stone began to cover Shiny Cubone's body, one after another.

Earth-brown stone spread across it, forming a thick layer even around its bone.

Its bone club was completely encased, with flames burning along it. It looked magnificent.

"I've had enough."

"Time to fight back."

"Cuba, cuba!"

Speed and strength erupted together. With power it had never shown before, Shiny Cubone knocked the charging Phanpy away.

The bone club in its hand looked even more striking, stone and flame fused into one formidable weapon.

Phanpy reacted instantly. The moment it was knocked back, it righted itself and charged again.

Shiny Cubone's physical attack had reached a terrifying level, all thanks to pushing Endure to its limit.

"Boomerang!"

It was its most damaging attack, the one that could bring its physical attack to its fullest potential.

"Cuba, cuba!"

With a low roar, it hurled its bone club.

The club whistled through the air. Even Liu Xin, standing several meters away, felt the blast of wind.

The powerful Boomerang flew straight at the charging Phanpy.

Gray-red and bright red collided, sending dazzling sparks everywhere.

Countless little flames scattered across the grass, reducing it to a charred clearing.

After a few breaths of struggle, the clash exploded, throwing up a mushroom cloud.

Boom!

The thunderous blast rang out in every direction and forced Liu Xin several steps back.

"Ding! Shiny Cubone used Boomerang. It's super effective."

"Ding! Mutant Phanpy used Flame Charge. It's super effective."

When the smoke cleared, Shiny Cubone and Mutant Phanpy were both still standing.

But both were covered in wounds and could barely fight on.

They stared at each other, panting. Mutant Phanpy took a step forward on its short legs, still intent on attacking.

Shiny Cubone refused to retreat. It walked toward the bone club lying between them.

The two slowly approached each other.

Neither moved quickly, but both were determined.

Mutant Phanpy seemed to still be under the influence of the flames. It hadn't regained its senses.

Shiny Cubone was different. Its gaze was clear and determined, its steps steady as it made its way toward the bone club.

"Cuba, cuba!"

"You really do have limitless potential. Hang in there!"

With injuries like these, even if it won, Shiny Cubone would need to recover at a Pokémon Center.

Still, this battle would be invaluable experience.

Shiny Cubone retrieved its bone club, but it barely had the strength left to swing it.

Phanpy could still charge. The faint flames on its body surged, blazing brightly one last time.

But before it could launch itself forward, a Poké Ball struck it square in the face.

A powerful red light sucked it in. The flames that had just flared up vanished into the Poké Ball with it.

Ending the match like that was practically an ambush. It wasn't exactly honorable.

Then again, this was hardly Liu Xin's first time doing it.

One look at Mutant Phanpy's interrupted attack made it easy to guess how Shiny Cubone had been caught.

As the Poké Ball rocked back and forth, Liu Xin grew nervous.

"Please work!"

"Shiny Cubone can't fight anymore. If this fails, I'll have to catch it myself."

If it came to that, he might as well train until he could catch Pokémon barehanded. What would he need Pokémon for?

The ball kept rocking. At last, it gave a crisp click, and Liu Xin jumped for joy.

Shiny Cubone, meanwhile, toppled straight over, unconscious and badly injured.

"Thanks for the effort."