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"Charizard, use Heat Wave! Torkoal, Eruption!" Roger's commanding voice echoed across the mountainside. Despite facing numerous poachers, he showed no signs of fear. Instead, he boldly commanded his Pokemon to unleash devastating Fire-type area attacks.
"Everyone spread out and fall back!" Facing the combined assault of two King-level Pokemon, Tomas shouted urgently to his subordinates.
He gestured for them to retreat and create distance to ensure their safety. Simultaneously, Tomas threw out his Poke Ball with determination. "Go, Slowking and Frosmoth! Frosmoth, use Wide Guard immediately!"
The King-level Torkoal, blessed with the Drought ability, unleashed Eruption at maximum power. The attack instantly illuminated the entire Sky Mountain as endless Fire-type energy erupted from Torkoal's shell-covered body.
Meanwhile, Charizard's Heat Wave swept across the battlefield like a scorching tsunami. The blazing flame waves instantly melted the accumulated snow on the mountain slopes, spreading outward in all directions.
However, as the Heat Wave and Eruption approached Frosmoth and Slowking, they encountered an invisible barrier. The Wide Guard's protective energy shield, formed by concentrated Rock-type energy, completely blocked both devastating attacks.
As the scorching heat gradually dissipated, Frosmoth and Slowking emerged completely unharmed. Despite the tremendous power behind Charizard and Torkoal's coordinated assault, the defensive barrier had protected them perfectly.
All thanks to the tactical use of Wide Guard.
Wide Guard is a Rock-type status move that belongs to the protective skill family, similar to Protect and Quick Guard. However, unlike other defensive techniques, Wide Guard specifically counters area-of-effect moves while remaining ineffective against single-target attacks.
Both Charizard's Heat Wave and Torkoal's Eruption were wide-ranging area attacks, making them perfectly suited to be countered by Frosmoth's expertly timed Wide Guard.
"Slowking, use Chilling Water now!" Tomas commanded immediately after the successful defense.
Slowking's body began surging with Ice-type energy, which condensed into a brilliant Ice-type energy orb above its head. The orb shot skyward like a frozen meteor. The weather, previously altered by Torkoal's Drought ability, shifted once again as delicate snowflakes began falling from the darkening clouds.
After executing Chilling Water successfully, Slowking transformed into red energy and returned to its Poke Ball.
Chilling Water represents one of Slowking's signature moves, exclusive to both regular Slowking and Galarian Slowking. This powerful technique changes the battlefield weather to snow while simultaneously allowing Slowking to return safely to its Poke Ball, enabling a strategic Pokemon switch.
The move proves incredibly versatile, especially when combined with Slowking's natural Regenerator ability. Not only does it establish favorable weather conditions, but it also allows Slowking to recover while bringing a snow-specialized attacker safely onto the battlefield.
The Regenerator ability ensures that whenever a Pokemon returns to its Poke Ball, it recovers a significant amount of HP automatically.
As Slowking disappeared in the red light, Mamoswine emerged to take its place on the snowy battlefield.
Now Frosmoth and Mamoswine faced off against Charizard and Torkoal in what had become an epic confrontation between a specialized Snow Team and a formidable Sun Team.
Tomas stared coldly at Roger, his expression hardening with each passing moment.
As Vice President of the Dawn Society, Tomas had already established himself as a veteran Heavenly King-level Trainer. While his strength might not quite match the legendary Elite Four, the gap had narrowed considerably over the years.
Roger, too, was a seasoned Heavenly King-level Trainer. He had already achieved this prestigious rank when he first became Patrol Team Captain. After countless years patrolling the Wilderness Areas, his true strength remained largely unknown but undoubtedly formidable.
"Roger, don't push your luck here," Tomas warned, his voice carrying deadly intent. "You're completely outnumbered. Don't force me to take extreme measures."
"Feel free to try," Roger replied with unwavering confidence. "Let's see who eliminates whom first."
Even with the weather conditions now favoring his opponent, Roger displayed no signs of panic. His calm, confident demeanor suggested he possessed hidden advantages.
The more composed Roger appeared, the more unsettled Tomas became.
"Charizard, Fire Blast!"
"Torkoal, use Overheat!"
"Frosmoth, Blizzard!"
"Mamoswine, Icicle Spear!"
The intense battle raging at the base of Sky Mountain generated no significant attention from the outside world. All media focus and public interest had shifted entirely toward the ongoing High School Cup tournament.
Embermere City - High School Cup Battle Arena
"Charizard, finish this with Blast Burn!" Jacob's voice rang out with finality.
Charizard's entire body erupted with spectacular flames that swept across the arena floor, completely engulfing the opposing Leafeon in a torrent of fire.
"ROAAAAAR!"
When the flames finally subsided, Leafeon lay motionless on the battlefield, clearly unable to continue.
"Leafeon is unable to battle! Jacob wins this match! Congratulations to Jacob for advancing to the Top Four!" the referee announced.
With only Leafeon remaining in his lineup, Nikolas found himself unable to mount any significant comeback, especially since Jacob had strategically switched to Charizard, which held a clear type advantage.
Jacob's cautious approach, despite holding such a commanding lead, demonstrated perhaps excessive prudence, but it had secured his victory.
The match's outcome surprised many spectators. Most observers had anticipated an intense, closely contested battle between Jacob and Nikolas. Instead, Jacob had dominated the match with surprising ease.
Throughout today's competition, Jacob's three Pokemon had all revealed newly learned moves: Charizard's Scorching Sands, Noibat's Draco Meteor, and Sceptile's Rock Slide.
These recently acquired techniques had played decisive roles in the match, serving as key factors in Jacob's swift victory.
Without access to these new moves, Jacob would certainly have faced a much more challenging battle. Even if fortune had favored him with a narrow victory, it wouldn't have come so effortlessly. This experience reinforced Jacob's understanding of how crucial financial resources could be in Pokemon training, and his thoughts inevitably turned to Julia.
Considering Julia's substantial wealth, her Pokemon likely possessed extensive movesets that most trainers could only dream of affording.
After defeating Nikolas, Jacob successfully secured his place in the Top Four. Now he needed to overcome just one more opponent to qualify for the prestigious National Finals. The upcoming match would prove absolutely critical for all remaining contestants.
To provide the Top Four competitors adequate preparation time and rest, tournament organizers granted them a valuable three-day break before the semifinals.
Back at the Hotel
Jacob returned to his accommodations and immediately began focusing on preparation for the semifinals scheduled three days later. At this advanced tournament stage, every remaining contestant represented elite-level competition, having fought through countless opponents to reach this point.
Jacob's next opponent would be Chandler, another leading championship contender in this year's West Province High School Cup tournament.
Chandler possessed formidable strength; every Pokemon in his team had achieved at least Overlord Class status, with his ace Pokemon being a Gym Leader Level Garganacl.
This particular Pokemon served as Chandler's absolute trump card, demonstrating incredible power throughout the tournament while maintaining a perfect win record in every appearance. The devastating combination of Salt Cure and Recover had allowed Garganacl to dominate opponents with apparent ease.
Due to Chandler's exceptional capabilities, most tournament analysts believed the championship would ultimately be decided between Ariana and Chandler.
Although Jacob had also reached the Top Four, many considered him to face a significant strength disadvantage compared to these two favorites.
As Jacob studied Chandler's detailed battle records, he scratched his head in frustration. This would likely represent the most challenging match he had encountered since the tournament began.
Chandler's strength extended beyond just his powerful Garganacl; his entire team demonstrated remarkable versatility and tactical depth.
Pokemon like Sylveon, Palafin, Rabsca, and Arcanine all possessed considerable individual strength, and maintaining such a diverse roster provided numerous tactical combination possibilities.
The question remained: How could Jacob possibly defeat Chandler?