After the three companions passed the evaluation one after another, it was Alex Baxter's turn.
Having witnessed the strength of his teammates, Alex Baxter swallowed nervously.
With the toss of his Poké Balls, Charizard, Magnezone, and Skarmory appeared on the field.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Charizard extended its hand, grabbed the device from the ground, and placed it on its back, while Magnezone floated up to stabilize the device.
Once ready, Charizard flapped its wings and, carrying the energy meter, quickly soared into the sky. Skarmory followed closely behind like a shadow.
"What...?" Everyone laughed at Charizard's maneuver, holding their foreheads.
Using a flying mount to lift the device into the sky was no doubt an ingenious evasive tactic, but...
"Go, Talonflame! Use Flare Blitz!"
Seeing Charizard take to the air, Daniel Harper sent out Talonflame, a Fire/Flying-type, and ordered it to go straight in with Flare Blitz.
BOOM!
The sky lit up with fire as Talonflame, its wings blazing, cloaked itself in fierce flames and dove violently toward Charizard.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
"Magnezone, use Thunderbolt!"
"Skarmory, use Gust!"
Seeing the overwhelming blaze of Talonflame, Alex Baxter panicked and gave quick commands.
BOOM!
Flames, wind, and electricity clashed chaotically in the sky, colliding head-on with the Flare Blitz.
Charizard's Flamethrower and Magnezone's Thunderbolt intertwined, dimming part of Flare Blitz's radiance, but still failing to fully stop its advance.
Just as Talonflame was about to hit Charizard, a strong gust struck it, halting its path in midair for a moment.
Charizard seized the instant, flapped its wings hard, and rose even higher, narrowly dodging the Flare Blitz.
"Alex Baxter, the evaluation is barely a pass," said Daniel Harper, eyeing the three Pokémon still facing Talonflame in the sky.
Though the result was positive, that "barely" made Alex Baxter's face darken. It was clear his performance hadn't been fully satisfactory to the team captain.
"I'll keep working hard," Alex Baxter sighed in disappointment.
Despite being an academic genius, it was evident he still had a long way to go in Pokémon training.
"Go train seriously again. Next, Ethan Black," ordered Daniel Harper, turning his gaze toward him.
Ethan Black nodded, gave Alex Baxter a pat on the shoulder to encourage him, then pulled out three Poké Balls and calmly walked to the battle zone.
With a flash of white, Sandslash, Cacnea, and Shellder appeared on the field.
"Ethan, let me see if you've got what it takes to be captain," Daniel Harper thought as he tossed out his Poké Ball. From it emerged Breloom once more.
"Breloom, huh?" murmured Ethan Black, watching carefully.
Breloom was a Grass/Fighting-type Pokémon, with a kangaroo-like body, green-and-beige coloring, a mushroom-like cap on its head, and red claws on its limbs, along with a tail tipped with green orbs.
At a glance, it was clear Daniel Harper's Breloom was well-trained: the muscles on its arms were prominent, and as it warmed up with jumps and punches, its body radiated explosive power.
"Looks like this Breloom specializes in close combat," Ethan Black analyzed, immediately positioning his three Pokémon.
Shellder jumped straight onto the energy meter, while Sandslash and Cacnea took positions on either side of the device, staring intently at Breloom.
"Alright then, Breloom, attack!" ordered Daniel Harper.
Breloom leapt forward at high speed, its fist glowing with Fighting-type energy, building overwhelming force.
"Shellder, use Barrier!"
"Sandslash, use Crush Claw!"
"Cacnea, use Ingrain!"
No sooner had Shellder activated Barrier than Breloom was already in front of it, shattering it with a single punch!
At that instant, Sandslash lunged in with Crush Claw, clashing directly with Breloom's fist.
The strength of Daniel Harper's Breloom was astonishing: without even using additional moves, it sent Sandslash flying with a single punch.
But Shellder had already raised new barriers, and when Breloom came in for another strike, the barriers managed to block its offense once again.
"Not done yet?" Ethan Black muttered with a frown, seeing Daniel Harper show no signs of letting up.
"Sandslash, use Sand Spin Whirl!"
Shhhhhh!
Shhhhhh!
Sandslash cried out twice, then spun rapidly on its axis, merging with its natural energy to generate a violent sandstorm.
Thanks to Professor Harris's guidance, Sandslash had perfected this special move Ethan Black called "Sand Spin Whirl," to distinguish it from Sandstorm or the ability Sand Stream.
Fwoooosh!
The sandstorm took shape, unleashing gales and clouds of dust across the field.
But as a Ground-type Pokémon, Sandslash absorbed the sand's energy into its sturdy carapace without harm.
Cacnea, with its Sand Veil ability, let the storm pass through its body as though it were a ghost.
Finally, Shellder shimmered faintly as the storm reached it: its Overcoat ability completely nullified the sandstorm's effect, protecting the energy meter beneath it as well.
Seeing Shellder use its Overcoat ability perfectly to shield the device, Ethan Black smiled in satisfaction.
Thanks to training with Professor Harris, Shellder's ability had been refined. If Ethan Black held onto it right now, it would be like wearing protective goggles: he could completely ignore the effects of the sandstorm!
(End of chapter)