"Go, Houndoom!" After recalling Xatu, Han Ye threw a fourth Poké Ball.
"Awooo!" The moment Houndoom appeared, it let out a chilling howl, making the already sinister surroundings even more terrifying.
"Gengar, come back!" None of Gengar's moves would work well against Houndoom, so Liu Qing immediately took out its Poké Ball to recall it.
"Houndoom, Pursuit!" Han Ye suddenly commanded.
At the command, Houndoom rushed toward Gengar, which had already turned into a ball of red light, and lashed it hard with its black-glowing tail. Gengar's face twisted in pain within the red light before it returned to its Poké Ball.
"Oh, an unexpected move! As you'd expect of a Dark-type move, it's every bit as tricky as a Ghost-type move. It actually struck Gengar as it was returning to its Poké Ball! It was super effective, and thanks to the nature of this move, its power was twice what it would normally be..." The Announcer certainly wasn't going to miss the chance to explain such an unexpected move. He immediately launched into a stream of chatter, and the crowd grew even more excited.
"That did a lot of damage." Liu Qing frowned at Gengar's Poké Ball in his hand, then looked at Han Ye. "I didn't expect you to prepare two Pokémon specifically to deal with Gengar."
"Of course. I came thoroughly prepared to face you!" Han Ye said smugly.
"Oh, since you're using a canine Pokémon from the Johto Region, I'll use one from the Kanto Region." Liu Qing threw his fourth Poké Ball. "Arcanine, I choose you!"
"Roar!" Arcanine's cry wasn't as frightening as Houndoom's, but it carried an air of majesty. Standing over two meters tall compared with Houndoom's roughly one and a half meters, it looked even more imposing, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
This Arcanine is even stronger than it was in Fuchsia City, Reggie thought as he watched from the stands.
He does have an Arcanine after all. That means Han Ye made the right choice for the next Pokémon, Xiao An thought.
"Liu Qing's fourth Pokémon is Arcanine, making its first appearance on the battlefield in this year's Indigo League... With canine Pokémon on both sides, what fierce clash awaits us? This is certainly a moment to look forward to..." The Announcer's voice once again rang throughout the stadium.
"So you do have an Arcanine. In that case, come back, Houndoom." Seeing Liu Qing send out Arcanine, Han Ye took out Houndoom's Poké Ball to recall it. Houndoom dodged the red beam, however, and let out another long howl at Arcanine. Arcanine answered with a howl of its own.
"You want to fight?" Han Ye considered it briefly. "All right, Houndoom. Have a proper showdown with Arcanine and see who's stronger."
"Good. Arcanine's fighting spirit is fully fired up, too." Seeing Arcanine take an attacking stance, Liu Qing seized the initiative. "Arcanine, Fire Blast!"
"Roar!" Arcanine roared, gathering fire energy in its mouth.
"Here's our chance! Houndoom, Sucker Punch!" Han Ye shouted.
"Awooo!" Houndoom let out a long howl and charged up to Arcanine, striking it with its black-glowing tail. The tremendous force sent Arcanine sliding backward. At the same time, Future Sight struck it as well.
But this couldn't make Arcanine submit. Instead, it only stoked its fighting spirit. Even after being hit, it continued gathering fire energy. Once it steadied itself, it fired a Fire Blast at Houndoom, which had just finished attacking. The flames struck instantly, forming a giant 大 shape and blasting Houndoom away. Houndoom tumbled several times through the air before swiftly landing on the ground, fixing its gaze on Arcanine and letting out another long howl. Neither side had gained much from this first exchange.
It doesn't have Flash Fire, so it must have Early Bird! Seeing that Houndoom hadn't absorbed Fire Blast's flames and had taken damage instead, Liu Qing immediately reached his conclusion.
I didn't expect Arcanine to be this strong. It could still counterattack after taking both Sucker Punch and Future Sight, Han Ye thought.
"Why did my brother use Fire Blast instead of Bulldoze, which is super effective against Fire-types?" As far as Liu Yuan knew, it was best to attack a Pokémon with a move that was super effective against it. Why had his brother used a Fire-type move that would accomplish less with more effort?
"Houndoom has two possible Abilities: Early Bird and Flash Fire," Mili explained. "Your brother used a Fire-type attack to test Houndoom's Ability so he could plan the rest of the battle."
"I see. Then why didn't his opponent test Arcanine's Ability?" Liu Yuan asked.
"That's the difference in skill between Pokémon Trainers. Your brother is very good. He's only just started his journey, yet he already understands this. Remember it when you set out on your own journey," Mili said with a sigh. "That's the difference in natural talent. Some people realize it very quickly, while other Pokémon Trainers might never understand it in their entire lives."
"Houndoom, Flamethrower!" A new round of attacks began on the battlefield.
"Arcanine, jump!" Liu Qing called out as the flames roared toward it.
The instant Liu Qing finished speaking, Arcanine leaped high into the air, and Flamethrower passed beneath it.
"Damn it! Houndoom, don't let it get away!"
At Han Ye's command, Houndoom abruptly directed its flames toward Arcanine in the air, engulfing it in an instant.
"It's over!" Mili declared from the stands when she saw Arcanine swallowed by the flames.
"Why?" One of Liu Yuan's strengths was his eagerness to ask questions.
"Liu Qing had Arcanine jump to prepare for Earthquake, while giving Han Ye the impression that it was trying to dodge Flamethrower. Han Ye was bound to chase Arcanine while it was in the air, so this was another trap your brother set. Arcanine absorbed Houndoom's flames. After Bulldoze, it'll definitely finish the battle with a greatly strengthened fire attack," Mili explained patiently.
"My brother is so sneaky!" Liu Yuan sucked in a breath, then smiled. "But you're even better, Mom. None of his plans get past you."
"It's easier to see clearly from the sidelines. If I were battling, too, it wouldn't be so easy to notice amid all those split-second changes," Mili said with a smile. "A Pokémon Trainer's goal should be to maintain an observer's perspective even during a battle."
"Oh no, Flash Fire! Houndoom, stop Flamethrower, now!" On the battlefield, Han Ye's expression changed in alarm as he saw that Arcanine was completely unaffected within the flames and was steadily absorbing them instead.
"Too late. Bulldoze!"
At Liu Qing's command, Arcanine sucked in all the flames around it and crashed to the ground. The entire battlefield rippled and shook. Terrifying shock waves swept up dust and spread outward from Arcanine. Battered repeatedly by those waves, Houndoom grimaced in pain and howled.
"Flame Wheel!" Immediately after Bulldoze, Arcanine unleashed Flame Wheel, racing across half the field and striking Houndoom. It drove Houndoom all the way into the stadium wall before stopping, then let out a triumphant howl and ran back to Liu Qing.
"Houndoom is unable to battle." Looking at Houndoom, which was steaming all over, the referee couldn't help feeling his heart jolt. Flame Wheel had passed right beside him, and its terrifying heat had made him feel as though he was about to be incinerated. He quickly lowered his flag to announce the result.
The battle had been decided so quickly that the spectators froze for a moment. Only when the Announcer's voice rang through the stadium did they erupt into enthusiastic cheers.
"Come back, Houndoom. You did very well." Han Ye silently recalled Houndoom, took out a fifth Poké Ball, enlarged it in hand, and threw it. "Feraligatr, come out!"
"Roar!" Feraligatr let out a thunderous roar as soon as it appeared, glaring ferociously at Arcanine.
"Han Ye's fifth Pokémon is Feraligatr, one of the Johto Region's starter Pokémon! Known for its huge jaws and sharp fangs, it's said to be capable of crushing even rocks. It has a clear type advantage over Arcanine. Can Han Ye turn things around? And will Liu Qing switch to another Pokémon with an advantage?" The Announcer's voice rang out again.
"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump!" Han Ye gave the first attack command. Feraligatr opened its enormous mouth and blasted out a powerful jet of water, which raced across half the field straight toward Arcanine.
"Fire Blast!" Liu Qing wanted to test Feraligatr's strength as well. At his command, Arcanine opened its mouth and spat out flames that formed a 大 shape and collided with Hydro Pump. The two attacks immediately locked in a stalemate, sending out vast clouds of steam that soon filled the entire battlefield.
"Arcanine, locate your opponent." Liu Qing had nothing to fear from battles where visibility was obscured. Arcanine's nose was so keen that a single sniff could reveal its opponent's position.
"Whoosh..." As Arcanine searched for Feraligatr, a sound like crashing waves reached Liu Qing's ears, drawing steadily closer.
Oh no, Surf! Feraligatr can't see Arcanine, but it can cover the whole area with this wide-range attack. Liu Qing's heart jolted. Looking up, he could indeed make out the hazy outline of a wave, with Feraligatr standing right at its crest.
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