"Bulldoze. Inferno."
As Sato gave the command, Tyranitar stomped violently on the ground, sending shockwaves fanning out toward the enemy in a rippling arc.
In an instant, the area around Alolan Ninetales split with jagged black fissures, as a chilling wind howled up from below.
But before that cold wind could spread, a surge of searing purple flames erupted from the earth, engulfing Alolan Ninetales in one sweep!
Bulldoze: locking onto the target precisely, collapsing all the surrounding terrain and creating a dense network of fractures.
Inferno: said to be a flame from the depths of hell, extremely hot, highly adhesive, and almost impossible to extinguish.
Normally, Inferno spread slowly. But with Bulldoze clearing the path, the flames reached Alolan Ninetales almost instantly.
The ground trembled, flames roared.
For a moment, Alolan Ninetales was completely unable to escape.
"Ninetales, Blizzard! Pidgeot, boost it with Hurricane!"
Miyamoto gave the order at the most critical moment.
Pidgeot's Hurricane struck first, descending in a spiraling wind from the sky. It avoided Alolan Ninetales but suppressed the erupting flames from underground.
Taking advantage of that brief breathing room, Alolan Ninetales released an icy blue Blizzard of extreme low temperature. With the added force from Hurricane, the move instantly froze everything within a hundred meters.
"Nineeeee~!"
Alolan Ninetales let out a high-pitched cry, venting its fury within the snowstorm it had created.
Not far away, two "ice sculptures," one tall and one short, stood motionless, seemingly frozen solid by the Blizzard.
Those two sculptures were none other than Sato's Houndoom and Tyranitar!
The ice from Alolan Ninetales was clearly not ordinary. The dazzling blue sheen exuded a chilling aura, and something more…
[Extreme Freeze]!
"GEOOOT!"
A shriek echoed across the sky as Miyamoto's Pidgeot turned into a streak of blue light, diving straight at Houndoom.
The blue glow surrounding the Flying Pokémon was unmistakable; blue flames formed by intense friction with the air, enshrouding the body to deliver a devastating blow.
Brave Bird!
Crack… cr-crack…
On the other side, the ice around Houndoom began to fracture rapidly, faint red light flickering underneath. It looked like it would break free at any second.
Would it make it in time…?
…BOOOOOM!!
In the blink of an eye, Pidgeot dove and slammed… straight into a massive wall of rock!
Tyranitar's Stone Edge!
Even though Blizzard's [Extreme Freeze] had restricted Tyranitar's movements, it hadn't severed its connection to the ground.
As long as Tyranitar's feet touched the earth, it could continuously draw and transmit energy through it!
Crack… cr-crack… CRASH!
At that moment, Houndoom broke free of the ice and immediately turned to unleash a blazing, unstoppable Inferno toward Tyranitar.
Chunks of ice covering Tyranitar melted away visibly, under the extreme heat.
But just then… Ninetales arrived.
"[Iron Tail: Ninefold Fan Strike]!"
"Niiine!"
Alolan Ninetales rushed to Houndoom's side, its nine ice-blue tails all glowing with a silver-white light.
Nine Iron Tails swung in sequence, each strike building on the rebound force of the last, accumulating power with every motion.
After eight strikes, the final tail could even shatter space itself!
BANG!
The first Iron Tail landed hard on Houndoom's shoulder blade. The bone beneath was already beginning to crack.
Just one strike had already injured Houndoom, let alone the remaining eight!
As soon as the first Iron Tail landed on Houndoom, it rebounded instantly.
At that moment, Alolan Ninetales was like a graceful Pidgey in flight, twisting midair with the momentum of the rebound. The next second, it used that force to lash at Houndoom again; heavier, fiercer, and even more vicious!
"Will-O-Wisp!"
At the critical moment, Sato didn't flinch, giving Houndoom the perfect command.
Ninetales was far too fast. Houndoom couldn't compete in speed at all.
But at such close range, a single Will-O-Wisp was all it took. Hitting the opponent almost instantly.
Alolan Ninetales was now burned, and its Attack was halved!
The second Iron Tail came crashing down, but its power was clearly weaker than the first. Houndoom withstood the hit again.
In the next instant, the third Iron Tail spun into view, and flames were already surging from Houndoom's mouth.
Fire Blast!
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion echoed out. Smoke scattered, leaving the black and white Pokémon staring at each other, scorched and battered. This melee round ended with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Pidgeot was nearly skewered by the never-ending barrage of Stone Edge from Tyranitar.
Its Brave Bird had failed, and the intense recoil nearly finished it off.
But before it could recover, Tyranitar summoned another swarm of jagged rocks, all hurtling toward Pidgeot in a deadly barrage.
Spinning, diving, flipping… Pidgeot displayed its agility and finesse to the limit, weaving through the storm of rocks without getting hit once.
Until…
Tyranitar stepped out of the melting ice, dripping wet, staring into the sky, then clenched its fist and roared.
"TY… RAAAAAAN!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…
A series of deafening explosions erupted. The rocks surrounding Pidgeot suddenly detonated like bombs!
Dodging rocks was one thing. But Tyranitar's close-range detonations caught Pidgeot completely off guard.
For a Pokémon that relied on precise evasion, this was a hard counter.
By the time Pidgeot finally escaped the explosion zone, it was a wreck.
Covered in soot, feathers scattered, and its once-elegant crest plume was blown to half its size.
Clearly, Tyranitar had completely dominated Pidgeot, while Houndoom and Alolan Ninetales remained deadlocked.
---◓---
The other three battlefields weren't one-sided either.
The two former Elite Four level Trainers stationed in Violet City, Richie and Abe, weren't particularly strong, nor weak. Against Kaiser and Ariana, they were slightly outmatched.
But Elite Four level battles rarely ended quickly. Richie and Abe would have no problem holding out a bit longer.
Meanwhile, Lance's side was just as intense. The deeply hidden "female boss" of Team Rocket had remarkable power.
Her Arbok and Weezing fought in perfect sync. Even facing Lance's strongest Pokémon -Dragonite and Charizard- they held their ground with ease.
Glancing around at his teammates' situations, Sato suddenly realized that his side might be the one with the best chance to break through.
But Miyamoto wasn't stupid. Seeing Pidgeot get overwhelmed, she immediately sent out her third Pokémon without hesitation.
Sato frowned. The battle couldn't be allowed to drag on like this.
This wasn't Violet City. If Team Rocket happened to send one more Elite Four level reinforcement, tonight's operation could end in failure.
"Can't let you get away with that…"
•.
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Hey everyone, confession time… I haven't had the chance to read your comments yet. The start of the year at work always eats up my free time, and for the first time ever, that precious little time has been hijacked by side projects like these books…
But don't worry, I'll get to your messages soon, reply properly, and of course drop the almighty like for the EXP, bro!