But this was an official battle. Making the opponent lose the ability to fight didn't always mean defeating them through brute force.
If Cacturne was completely frozen inside a block of ice and the referee confirmed it couldn't free itself, it would also be considered unable to battle.
That was the perfect strategy Derek Ashford had devised to counter Cacturne — and so far, everything was going smoothly.
"Cacturne, use Absorb!"
Suddenly, Ethan's voice rang out.
Then, from within the block of ice, Cacturne's body began to glow with a faint green light. That energy spread across the frozen surface, and soon after, the shards of ice began to melt, being directly absorbed into its body.
Boom!
In the next instant, Cacturne gathered all its strength and burst free from the ice.
"What!?"
"Absorb can be used like that!?"
Seeing Cacturne escape the freezing state by using Absorb left Derek completely stunned.
"Well done, Cacturne."
Ethan couldn't help but praise it. As a Pokémon born in the desert, Cacturne's greatest strength was precisely its ability to absorb.
After countless battles for survival, it had perfected Absorb — not only could it drain life energy from its prey, it could even extract blood directly.
"Hmph! This isn't over yet! Poliwrath, keep going with Ice Punch!"
"Cacturne, it's time to strike back! Release all the accumulated damage! Use Revenge!"
Both trainers shouted their orders almost simultaneously.
The two Pokémon took their stances, and in the next moment, they both launched their fists forward with full force.
Poliwrath, using Ice Punch, generated a freezing current so intense it left a trail of frost in the air.
Cacturne, on the other hand, let out a low growl; all the damage it had endured condensed into its fist, wrapped in a Fighting-type glow, and it threw the punch toward its opponent.
BOOM!
The two fists collided midair with a deafening explosion.
However, since Poliwrath was a Fighting-type Pokémon, it possessed much greater physical strength. Though Cacturne's Revenge had tremendous power, it was completely overwhelmed by the impact — its body was sent flying and crashed hard into the ground.
"Excellent! Keep attacking!"
Derek clenched his fist, but before Poliwrath could move again, its body suddenly trembled. A purple glow surrounded it, and its face twisted in pain.
"Poison?! When did it get poisoned!?"
Derek's expression changed drastically as he saw the toxic gleam coursing through his Pokémon's body.
"Ugh... finally worked."
Though Cacturne had also been badly injured in the close-quarters fight, Ethan smiled in satisfaction. Through Cacturne's poisonous spines, Poliwrath had been successfully poisoned.
It was worth remembering that in the games, Cacturne carried an item called Poison Barb, and those barbs were the natural spines covering its body.
When Ethan obtained the Toxic Orb, he began using it to strengthen the poison within Cacturne's spines. Over time, they became saturated with increasingly potent toxins — to the point that any physical contact with them caused immediate poisoning.
"No way... it's poisoned!"
"So what is Ethan planning now?"
"Poliwrath, don't stop! Use Ice Punch again!"
Derek ordered through gritted teeth.
"Cacturne, Revenge once more!"
Ethan clenched his jaw and countered the command.
Poliwrath's Swift Swim ability activated — its figure blurred and appeared right in front of Cacturne in an instant.
BOOM!
Poliwrath's fist struck before Cacturne could complete its attack, shattering the Fighting-type energy gathering in its hand and sending it hurtling violently against the field's protective barrier.
Cacturne fell to the ground, completely drained of strength, losing its ability to fight.
But at that same moment, Poliwrath also collapsed. Cacturne's Destiny Bond had activated, dragging it down together.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Even in its weakened state, Cacturne had used that final move. Derek, it seemed, had anticipated that Ethan still had something hidden up his sleeve, so he chose not to take any chances and accepted the direct trade — avoiding a situation like his battle against Lucien Foster, where one Pokémon ended up poisoned without being able to take revenge.
"Looks like Derek overthought it. But that's fine. Now it's two versus two."
Ethan took a deep breath. Under rainy conditions, a Poliwrath with Swift Swim was a formidable threat. Eliminating it alongside Cacturne wasn't a loss.
"Then... it's your turn. Go, Meltan!"
Looking up at the sky where the rain still fell, Ethan decided to send Meltan into the field.
He could have chosen Sandslash to try changing the weather, but his opponent clearly wouldn't give him the time.
If Sandslash couldn't alter the climate instantly, it would be at a severe disadvantage due to its Ground typing. That's why Meltan was the smarter choice.
"A Steel-type Pokémon... but with an immense Electric-type energy."
Derek pondered briefly, then sent out Ludicolo, who didn't suffer a type disadvantage against Meltan.
"Then I'll attack first. Meltan, fly into the clouds!"
Ethan commanded, his eyes gleaming.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan looked curiously at the dark clouds above. It tilted its metallic head and, using its magnetic levitation, propelled itself upward into the sky, disappearing into the dark mass.
Crack!
Crack!
Instantly, a roar of thunder filled the air. From within the clouds, powerful surges of electricity burst from Meltan's body, turning the entire cloud bank into a raging thunderstorm.
Serpentine bolts of lightning snaked across the sky, filling it with overflowing electric energy.
(End of chapter)