Chapter 429:
With the Psychic Terrain laid down, covering the entire ice sheet, all Mr. Rime could sense was the pressure from the raging blizzard above. There was no other change.
This meant Alolan Ninetales was likely hiding somewhere, not moving, or... flying in the air?
The latter was clearly impossible. So, it must be lying in wait somewhere!
Realizing this, Mr. Rime didn't panic.
Now that Psychic Terrain was active, whether the opponent moved or not, or even used a move, it would be detected immediately.
But as the biting snowstorm grew heavier and heavier, even Mr. Rime began to feel restless.
Despite its resistance to Ice, enduring this storm wasn't pleasant.
Ultimately, it still needed to find that Alolan Ninetales!
But now, the thick layer of snow made its movement very inconvenient.
"Use Dark Pulse!"
At that very moment, Kaede's command cut through the howling wind.
That voice made both Mr. Rime on the ice and Rosaline in the sky instantly focus.
An attack command meant Alolan Ninetales was about to act.
If they could pinpoint its location the moment it moved, there might still be a chance to counter.
'Where? Where is it?!'
Rosaline's gaze swept desperately through the blizzard. Mr. Rime did the same.
But no matter how hard they concentrated, they couldn't detect any movement on the ice.
And then, Mr. Rime suddenly felt a faint vibration beneath its feet on the ice. It was puzzled, but in its heightened state of alertness, it didn't focus its attention directly below.
But that moment of oversight was all it took. The ice beneath its feet shattered and fell away. Next, a jet-black beam of energy surged up from the sea below and struck Mr. Rime squarely, catching it in an expression of utter shock and disbelief!?
Fzzzt...
The dark waves of Dark Pulse crackled over Mr. Rime's body. A cry of pain echoed across the ice field.
Leaping from the broken ice, Alolan Ninetales emerged, shaking off the ice crystals formed from seawater, a streak of pure white light.
Beyond Fairy and Ice-type moves, Alolan Ninetales could also easily learn Dark and Psychic-type moves!
And as a Dark-type move super effective against Psychic-types, this hit was absolutely devastating for Mr. Rime.
"In the sea?!"
Rosaline in the sky and Satoshi observing from the side were both completely stunned.
Especially Rosaline.
With such a fierce Blizzard, she had naturally assumed Alolan Ninetales' Ability was Snow Warning. Then, when even Mr. Rime's full-field Psychic Terrain failed to detect it in the snow, she wondered if its Ability was Snow Cloak.
While confused, she had considered that possibility and thus had Mr. Rime focus its attention on the ice surface.
But now, she was being told Alolan Ninetales was in the seawater?!
When did it go down there?
Don't tell her it entered the water before Psychic Terrain was deployed. This blizzard had been raging for over ten minutes!
It wasn't a Water-type Pokémon. How could it hold its breath underwater for so long?
Mr. Rime, having taken that Dark Pulse, was struggling to stand.
Despite her lingering confusion, Rosaline recalled her Pokémon first. "Return, Mr. Rime."
Up above, Satoshi, who had stubbornly endured at the blizzard's edge for over ten minutes and was now shivering violently, couldn't help but shout excitedly into his phone upon seeing Alolan Ninetales emerge from the sea, his professional instincts kicking in.
"In the sea! Oh my—achoo!—who would have thought Alolan Ninetales was hiding in the sea for a surprise attack! No wonder Elite Four Rosaline's Mr. Rime couldn't find it!"
"One Dark Pulse, and Elite Four Rosaline's Mr. Rime is down! Indeed, Kaede's Pokémon strength has reached Elite Four level! The score is now tied, 1 to 1!"
Truth be told, his thinking had been similar to the Ice-type Elite Four member's. That's why seeing Alolan Ninetales leap from the sea was so astonishing, and he couldn't fathom what Kaede, atop that Dragonite, had been thinking.
"Holy crap, how did he pull that off?"
"So strong, but I don't get it... Still, Alolan Ninetales looked so cool leaping out at the end... I kinda want one now..."
....
"Ninetales~!"
Seeing its victory, Alolan Ninetales let out cheerful cries, happily spinning in place.
"A very impressively raised Alolan Ninetales."
Rosaline couldn't help but offer a word of praise. Then, instead of sending out a second Pokémon, she gently shook her head toward Kaede.
Kaede was taken aback. "Not continuing?"
So she really just wanted to see Alolan Ninetales?
"Mhm. I've seen what I needed to see. If we continue and your Gardevoir comes out, I don't have much hope of winning."
She still remembered Gardevoir's performance at the Pokémon League Conference.
Just that display of Psychic power... even the Psychic-type Elite Four member's Gardevoir... no, even that Metagross... might not necessarily compare.
Probably only Kazephyr's Moltres could face it in battle.
It was hard to imagine such a powerful Gardevoir willingly following someone as young as this boy.
But seeing the bond between that Gardevoir and Kaede, their relationship seemed exceptionally strong.
That look of affection Gardevoir gave him, glancing back, was still a topic of fond discussion among netizens.
"Well... alright then."
Kaede didn't press further.
He just had Dragonite and Pidgeot land and signaled Alolan Ninetales to stop the Blizzard.
Now Hayashi Kaede understood why Elite Four Rosaline wore that white trench coat over a cream-colored wool sweater in this 30+ degree Celsius weather.
Battles with Ice-type Pokémon could easily drop the surrounding temperature by dozens of degrees. If you didn't dress warmly, wouldn't you freeze stiff?
Over there, Satoshi, frozen nearly solid, couldn't stop sneezing. But after seeing Alolan Ninetales defeat Mr. Rime, he was still buzzing with excitement, eagerly anticipating the next battle.
But now, the two of them were stopping again?!
Wasn't this torture for the viewers?
However, since they had already landed on the ice and the blizzard had stopped, he didn't dare shout, "What's the meaning of this!? You get the livestream audience all hyped up and then just stop!? Keep fighting!"
The livestream audience shared his sentiment.
"They're stopping again?! No way! We followed from the League Conference to the Breeding House, from the Breeding House to the sea, and now you're stopping again?!"
"Come on, Satoshi! Go over there, make them continue! I'll send you more gifts!"
Satoshi's mouth twitched...
That was one gift he really didn't dare accept.