"I really let my guard down..." murmured Ethan with a sigh.
"In university, I never saw any training method for the move Earthquake. I thought no Pokémon could actually learn it..."
"But now I see that, besides systematic training, sometimes Pokémon can also master moves on their own—through their own understanding."
"Of course, it's also possible that Brandon's family possesses a special training method for Earthquake. Many of those are considered family secrets and never revealed to the public—just like the Slowpoke breeding techniques at the Slowpoke nursery."
Seeing Sandslash badly injured from Golem's attack, Ethan drew in a deep breath, his expression turning serious. It seemed there was no one he could afford to underestimate; in the end, "fortunate opportunities" weren't his privilege alone.
Boom!
On the field, Sandslash and Golem were already engaged in close combat. After taking that devastating blow, Sandslash's speed and power had dropped significantly, and now Golem clearly had the upper hand.
"Return, Sandslash."
Ethan withdrew his Pokémon immediately, closing his eyes briefly as he thought things through.
In this three-on-three battle, he had already used Sandslash and Cacturne. That meant the third choice would be crucial.
"With a Rock- and Ground-type Golem, and a Fire-type Typhlosion, the logical move would be for Ethan to send out his Shellder, right?"
"Yeah, back in university, Ethan's Shellder already had nearly full power. I wonder if it's evolved into Cloyster by now."
Outside the battlefield, Lucas Silver and the others were carefully analyzing Ethan's every move. Indeed, at this point, the most rational choice would be a Water-type Pokémon—it would be effective against both Golem and Typhlosion.
Ethan, of course, understood that reasoning... but there was one problem: he didn't want to reveal Slowking publicly.
"I could use him, yes... but it's not yet time to risk everything just for a win."
His hand slid over several Poké Balls before stopping on Cacturne's.
"Cacturne again?"
"Return, Golem. Typhlosion, you're up!"
Seeing Ethan send Cacturne back out, Brandon reacted instantly, switching to his Typhlosion as well.
"We'll attack first! Cacturne, use Growth!"
Ethan's eyes gleamed as Typhlosion appeared, ordering Cacturne to use a boosting move.
The effect of Growth was to enlarge the body and raise both Attack and Special Attack.
But this time, facing a Typhlosion that commanded blazing flames, Ethan decided not to establish his defensive root field. Instead, he went all-in on a frontal assault.
"He didn't use Ingrain?"
"A smart call. Typhlosion, use Flamethrower!"
At Brandon's shout, Typhlosion roared. The flames on its back flared up violently, and a column of searing fire erupted from its mouth.
"Defend with Magical Leaf!"
Boom!
The leaves shot through the air, but the moment they touched the flames, they were consumed and turned to ash.
"Go! Use Flame Wheel!"
Typhlosion pushed off with its legs, charging forward at high speed, its body wrapped in fire, turning into a massive flaming wheel.
"Spiky Shield!"
Faced with the attack, Cacturne let out a low growl, brought its fists together, and released green energy that condensed into a spiked barrier surrounding its body.
Boom!
The fire and shield collided violently.
Crack.
Cracks spread across the energy barrier, and Typhlosion let out a grunt of pain—it had taken the reflected damage from Spiky Shield.
"Now! Grab it and use Toxic!"
Ethan's eyes flashed. In that instant, Cacturne took advantage of Typhlosion's recoil and seized it. From its hands, purple thorns shot out, stabbing into its body and injecting deadly poison.
"What—!?"
Seeing the purple glow spreading across Typhlosion's body, Brandon froze. He had never imagined that Cacturne had learned Toxic—and even less that it would be this potent. In mere seconds, Typhlosion was already severely poisoned.
"It worked. With help from the Toxic Orb, Cacturne's thorns aren't laced with ordinary poison," Ethan murmured with a faint smile.
Ever since Cacturne had mastered Toxic, Ethan had made it train relentlessly to strengthen the move.
Moreover, since Meltan had focused its training on developing control over magnetic fields—seeking results similar to Magnet Rise—Ethan had temporarily lent it the Toxic Orb. This allowed Cacturne to refine the Poison-type energy within itself to an alarming level.
Training the Toxic move was simple: absorb and condense Poison-type energy over and over. And the Toxic Orb was without a doubt a priceless treasure for that purpose—its Poison-type energy was so pure that it had elevated Cacturne's attack power to a terrifying degree.
"Looks like I'll have to finish this quickly..." growled Brandon. "Typhlosion, use Lava Plume!"
Brandon's face was tense as he commanded a desperate move. He knew that if the poison kept corroding Typhlosion's body, it would soon lose all its strength.
"Return, Cacturne."
Just as Typhlosion launched its attack, Ethan swiftly withdrew Cacturne. Its mission was complete—Typhlosion was poisoned.
"Sandslash, use Dig and buy some time!"
After recalling Cacturne, Ethan sent Sandslash back out. The Pokémon immediately burrowed into the ground, giving Typhlosion no chance to unleash its fury.
"You... damn it... Return, Typhlosion."
"I'm counting on you once more, Golem! Use Earthquake!"
Seeing Ethan's tactic to stall for time, Brandon gritted his teeth and switched back to Golem, commanding it to use Earthquake.
But all three of Brandon's Pokémon had already been revealed. With Poliwrath down and Typhlosion just withdrawn, Ethan gave his command at precisely the right moment—Sandslash emerged from the ground before the Earthquake took effect, leaping high and dodging the impact.
Huff... huff...
As it landed, Sandslash took a deep breath. After its brief rest inside the Poké Ball, its condition had improved considerably.
(End of Chapter)