"Lairon, use Iron Head!"
Seeing the terrifying attack Cubone was preparing, Lairon let out a low roar. Under its trainer's command, it concentrated Steel-type energy in its head and charged fiercely at Cubone.
Boom!
In midair, the bone and the head collided violently. The two energies clashed with force, forming an energy storm that spread across the field.
Followed by another crash, the energy of the bone suddenly exploded, directly overpowering the energy of Iron Head. The blow struck Lairon's head squarely.
Boom!
With another loud explosion, Lairon's body was smashed into the ground. From the impact point, cracks spread out like a spiderweb in all directions.
"How is that possible!?"
"Lairon was knocked down with a single strike from Cubone's bone?!"
Seeing Cubone's destructive power, Lucas Silver and his partner's eyes widened in shock.
"This power... was it Bone Rush?"
"Looks like Cubone used a charging technique, concentrating the force of five Bone Rush hits into a single attack. That's why it was so terrifying!"
Ethan Black was also surprised. He recalled the five swings Cubone had made in the air before attacking, and began suspecting the principle behind the technique.
At the same time, on the other side of the field, Lucas Silver's Lairon finally managed to break free from Cacnea's roots using a built-up charge technique.
Just as Lairon roared in excitement, ready to punish Cacnea, it suddenly found it couldn't move: Grumpig had immobilized it with Psychic.
At that moment, the announcement was also heard from outside the field that Lairon had lost the ability to battle.
"This is incredible!"
"A Rock and Steel-type Pokémon like Lairon, a true tank, defeated in a single strike!"
After the referee declared the final result, a wave of comments erupted among the audience.
In their impression, neither Cubone nor Cacnea were considered powerful Pokémon. On the contrary, Lairon had always been a symbol of strength.
Yet in this battle, everything was reversed. Both Cacnea's terrifying roots and Cubone's finishing blow left a deep impression on everyone present.
"Lost to this guy again!"
Lucas Silver, frustrated, grabbed his hair with both hands, completely messing up his hairstyle. His displeasure was clearly visible.
"Sorry, Lucas."
His partner apologized quietly upon seeing him like this.
"Bah, it's not the first time I've lost."
"Besides, this guy's on the same university team as me. There'll be plenty more chances to face him."
After a brief moment of frustration, Lucas Silver recomposed himself and let out a light sigh.
"The way you used Bone Rush was impressive."
On Ethan Black's side, both trainers recalled their Pokémon and exchanged a knowing smile.
"It was nothing, just a little trick."
Sarah Anderson replied with a calm smile when she noticed Ethan Black had guessed the principle of the attack.
Then she adjusted her glasses with a finger, and her previously serious expression returned to a relaxed, carefree look.
"Split personality, maybe?"
Ethan Black, noticing the contrast in Sarah Anderson's attitude before and after the battle, rubbed his chin and thought of Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four member from the Kanto Region in the anime.
As they say: "calm as water outside battle, cold as ice in combat."
"Sarah, Ethan, you were amazing!"
At that moment, Hailey Blake ran over excitedly after the battle and hugged Sarah Anderson.
"Good job."
Kyle Miller also gave Ethan Black a thumbs-up, though his gaze toward Sarah Anderson carried a hint of complexity.
Not long after the competition ended, Ethan Black and Sarah Anderson went up on stage to receive the champion's prize: a Nidoran♂ egg and a Nidoran♀ egg.
Sarah Anderson immediately gifted the Nidoran♀ egg to Hailey Blake, who cried out excitedly: "You're the best friend in the world!"
...
"Uh, Ethan..."
"Can we talk? How about transferring the Nidoran♂ egg to me?"
After returning to the Pokémon Nightstar Club following the event, Kyle Miller approached him.
"You want me to hand over the Nidoran egg to you?"
Ethan Black narrowed his eyes, scanned Kyle Miller up and down, and thought.
The truth was, he was also concerned about that egg.
Although it came from a Secret Kingdom and had good potential, the problem was its ability.
If Nidoran had the hidden ability Hustle, upon evolving into Nidoking, it would become Sheer Force.
The ability Sheer Force boosts the power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but cancels out those effects. With this ability, a Nidoking can deal massive damage, making it ideal as a strong attacker in a sandstorm team.
Even if it didn't have the hidden ability, if it was Poison Point, that would still be acceptable.
Poison Point has a 30% chance of poisoning the opponent upon being hit by a contact move.
A Nidoking with that ability could become a very dangerous close-combat poison fighter.
But if the ability was Rivalry... Ethan Black frowned.
The ability Rivalry increases move power by 25% if the opponent is the same gender, but lowers it by 25% if the opponent is the opposite gender. If either's gender is unknown, there's no change.
That's why this ability can even be detrimental. For Ethan Black, it was completely useless.
What concerned him most was precisely which ability this Nidoran would have.
"That's right. If you give me the Nidoran egg, I can offer you another form of compensation."
Seeing Ethan Black deep in thought, Kyle Miller quickly added.
"Alright. I can give you the Nidoran egg, but I want a Scyther bred by your family."
Ethan Black's eyes lit up as he spoke.
If there was one thing he desired most from the Bug-Catching Zone, it was definitely a Scyther.
(End of chapter)