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Blaine's thinking was not wrong, and the defensive measure he chose was relatively sound.
Amnesia was indeed a good move. After using this technique, Mega Camerupt would greatly enhance its Special Defense. This way, even if it was hit by a Hyper Beam, it should still be able to withstand the attack.
As for why he didn't use Substitute instead, it was because Blaine believed that since Eddie had launched the attack, he must have been able to confirm the location of Mega Camerupt.
And knowing how cautious Eddie was, he would naturally anticipate the possibility of Mega Camerupt using Substitute and would take corresponding countermeasures.
In this situation, Blaine thought it would be better not to rely on luck, but rather to take defensive measures and endure the blow head-on. As long as Mega Camerupt could survive, he would win this battle.
Therefore, it was completely natural for Blaine to think he had a tremendous advantage and would definitely win this match. Any reasonable person would think that Blaine was going to win.
However, Blaine forgot one thing—or rather, he subconsciously dismissed the possibility that Eddie would use that particular move in such a situation.
In this scenario where everything was obscured by smoke, Blaine assumed that even if Eddie could confirm Mega Camerupt's location, in order to ensure he could accurately hit his target, Eddie should have Mega Garchomp use some kind of long-range attack.
Therefore, Blaine had Mega Camerupt use Amnesia to defend against Mega Garchomp's special attack.
If he had known that Eddie would use a close-combat physical attack, he would have definitely countered it in a different way.
Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in this world.
Mega Garchomp used its last bit of strength to strike down the Mega Camerupt on the ground!
"Fall like a meteor! Dragon Rush!"
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Mega Garchomp roared, first releasing a murderous aura that was almost tangible. Then it folded its wings in mid-air, positioned its body, and locked onto Mega Camerupt.
In the next instant, it tore through the sky like a meteor, diving down from above and crashing into Mega Camerupt with lightning speed.
"That sound! It's actually Dragon Rush!"
"Eddie! Are you insane?! Do you want to destroy yourself by using that move in this situation?!"
Although Blaine wasn't a Dragon-type specialist, as both a researcher and a trainer, he had studied Dragon-type Pokémon extensively. He also knew about Dragon Rush, one of the most powerful Dragon-type moves.
At the very least, he could tell at this moment that Eddie's Mega Garchomp was using that very move.
But it was precisely because of this that he shouted at Eddie, questioning whether he had lost his mind.
In this situation where everything was filled with smoke, if Mega Garchomp used this move and failed to hit Mega Camerupt, instead crashing into the ground, it would be injured by the recoil force generated from the impact.
Given Mega Garchomp's current condition, if it sustained additional injuries at this point, it would definitely lose its ability to battle and collapse.
However, all of this would only happen if Mega Garchomp failed to hit Mega Camerupt.
Eddie's advantage was that he could determine the exact location of Mega Camerupt!
With an earth-shattering roar, Mega Garchomp had flown to an even greater height, and the acceleration generated from diving downward was enough to further enhance the destructive power of Dragon Rush.
In Blaine's eyes, a meteor fell from the sky, blowing away the smoke and crashing into Mega Camerupt as it cried out in terror.
"BOOM!"
Smoke and dust erupted, and a massive crater two meters deep and several meters wide appeared on the battlefield floor.
Setting aside the battle outcome for a moment, the Cinnabar Gym arena had been completely destroyed after five rounds of combat between Gym leader-level Pokémon and this final attack from Mega Garchomp. Blaine would definitely have to rebuild it afterward.
Mega Camerupt fell into the pit without even having time to scream. It reverted to its normal Camerupt form, covered in wounds all over its body, and lost consciousness.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
Mega Garchomp wasn't feeling well either. It was almost completely exhausted after forcing itself to attack while in a weakened state. However, it still had some strength remaining and roared toward the sky, clearly celebrating its victory.
"Ding! Camerupt has been defeated... Dragonair gained experience! Level increased by 1, reaching level 65!"
"Ding! Dragonair and Dragonair gained experience! Level increased by 1, reaching level 63!"
"Ding! You defeated Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, and obtained the Technical Machine for Hydro Pump!"
At the moment it was confirmed that Camerupt was completely defeated and unconscious, the game system notification sounded.
"As expected, I finally reached level 65. My goal has been achieved."
"Although there's only one reward for defeating the Gym Leader this time, it's a powerful move like the Water-type ultimate technique Hydro Pump, which seems pretty good."
"But Blaine is a Fire-type specialist. It's ironic that defeating him rewards me with a Water-type move. Is the system suggesting I should use this move to beat Blaine even worse next time?"
Eddie found it amusing when he thought about it. Was this hinting that Blaine would suffer an even more devastating defeat if they battled again?
"I lost despite having such a tremendous advantage. Have I really been away from battle for too long?"
Blaine recalled his Camerupt. It was clear that he had been beaten so thoroughly by Eddie that he was beginning to question himself.
"Forget it. Before fighting Team Rocket, I need to train harder. Otherwise, I'll just be a burden on the battlefield."
Blaine shook his head, feeling that he needed to undergo serious training again, or else he wouldn't be able to fight properly when it mattered.
"Eddie, you are the winner of this Gym battle. Take this—it's the Volcano Badge you rightfully earned."
After sighing for a while, Blaine walked through the badly damaged gym. While secretly lamenting the reconstruction costs, he took out a flame-shaped crimson badge from inside his coat and handed it to Eddie.
"This is my sixth badge. The only ones left are Sabrina's Marsh Badge and Giovanni's Earth Badge. The first person to collect all eight badges will receive a system reward. I wonder what the reward will be this time."
Eddie accepted the badge and couldn't help but look forward to what reward he would receive after obtaining all eight badges.
He could obtain the Marsh Badge from Sabrina after the battle with Team Rocket. As for the Earth Badge, he planned to visit the Gym in Viridian City after the conflict. He remembered there was a basement built by Giovanni there, and there should be some badges stored in that location.