"Contestant Taji, can you explain how your Fire Spin suddenly exploded like that?"
After staying serious for a while, Airi finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked the question.
"Haha, Airi, you want Poliwag to learn it too, don't you? But I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I only managed to create it by combining the principles of Inferno. As for the exact method… even Houndoom itself doesn't fully understand it."
Icarus chuckled after immediately seeing through Airi's thoughts and gave her an honest explanation.
Truthfully, he genuinely had no intention of hiding anything.
The problem was that he honestly didn't know how to explain it clearly either.
"So that's how it is… what a shame~"
Airi didn't doubt him at all. She trusted Icarus, and since he said he couldn't teach it, she naturally wouldn't keep pestering him about it.
"But at least this helped us figure out Brother Stone's strength too! Brother Stone, you absolutely have to win later! Go for it!"
"Airi, I'm honestly not very confident. I just hope I don't lose too badly."
Stone waved his hands awkwardly and smiled bitterly.
He had always been a straightforward person and genuinely believed he wasn't a match for Icarus.
Putting aside the fact that Houndoom's energy level was already slightly higher than Sandslash's, the biggest problem was that he still didn't have a Mind Contract with Sandslash.
If Sandslash got trapped in thick fog, Stone wouldn't even be able to command it properly without direct sight.
At that point, his commands might even become less useful than Sandslash's own instincts.
Not to mention Sandslash lacked any powerful finishing move capable of turning the battle around.
Victory seemed unlikely from every angle.
Of course, he had no intention of giving up.
After all, this was his first real Trainer battle. Even if he lost, it would still be valuable experience.
"Come on then, Stone. Let's have another match."
After letting Houndoom rest for a while and confirming its condition had mostly recovered, Icarus looked toward Stone and spoke.
"Alright. Then I'll trouble Airi with being the referee."
Stone nodded before turning toward Airi, who had quietly hidden to the side to watch the battle.
"Ah?! But I don't know how! Do I just repeat what Brother Stone said earlier?"
Airi looked troubled the moment she heard she would be refereeing.
"Uh… Airi, didn't you watch battle recordings or play Trainer games when you were younger?"
Icarus looked at the girl speechlessly.
No wonder she had rushed ahead earlier. She didn't even know the basic battle procedures.
"I-I think I only played once when I was really little… and then… then…"
Airi lowered her head awkwardly as she explained in a soft voice.
"Oh… right. Sorry, Airi."
The moment Icarus saw her stammering, he immediately understood.
After that incident in her childhood, her life had become increasingly difficult.
Living under someone else's roof meant she naturally didn't have the luxury to casually watch League recordings or play Trainer games like other children.
So not knowing official battle rules was completely understandable.
"Alright, then I'll explain the basics to you first.
It's actually pretty simple.
The referee first introduces both Trainers, then confirms both sides are ready, and finally signals the first Trainer to send out their Pokémon. Once both Pokémon are on the field, you just announce, 'Battle Start!'"
Since it was common knowledge, Icarus quickly explained the process clearly.
"Ohhh~ So that's how it works! Wait… does that mean I jumped the gun earlier?"
After understanding the rules, Airi suddenly realized what she had done in the previous battle and immediately looked toward Stone awkwardly.
"Yes. According to official rules, you technically should've been disqualified immediately."
Stone, as straightforward as ever, nodded seriously and stated the fact directly.
"Ah… um… s-sorry… I'll be more careful next time…"
Airi instantly became flustered.
Wasn't the normal response supposed to be something polite like, "It's okay, just remember next time"?
Of course, after spending so much time together, Airi already understood Stone's personality.
Only he could say something so bluntly.
So while she was embarrassed, she wasn't really angry.
Well… not very angry, anyway.
"Alright, alright. Airi, you know the basics now, so why don't you try refereeing this battle and see how well you learned?"
Seeing the speechless Airi and the completely oblivious Stone, Icarus immediately stepped in to smooth things over.
"Then watch me carefully! Both Trainers, take your positions!"
Hearing that, Airi quickly changed the subject.
"Thump thump~"
Icarus and Stone quickly moved to opposite sides of the battlefield.
"On my left is Ordinary Level Trainer Stone from Aoki Town!
On my right is Ordinary Level Trainer Icarus from Aoki Town!
This battle will be a one-on-one match. Victory will be decided when one side surrenders or their Pokémon loses the ability to battle.
Both Trainers, please prepare yourselves!"
Airi repeated the same introduction Stone had used earlier while trying her best to imitate an official referee.
"Ready."
"I'm ready too."
Both immediately responded.
Actually, in larger League competitions, this step was often skipped.
The referee usually judged readiness automatically after the introductions.
Still, some referees kept the tradition, so Trainers would simply nod in response.
"Uh…"
At this point, Airi suddenly froze.
She had forgotten to ask who would go first.
"I'll take the first move."
Stone spoke directly.
"Mhm! Then, the Trainer on the left, please send out your Pokémon!"
Airi gave him a grateful look before quickly continuing.
"Go, Sandslash!"
Stone immediately released Sandslash onto the battlefield.
"Kuga~"
Sandslash leapt forward energetically, staring at Icarus with intense fighting spirit.
"Houndoom, you're up too."
Looking at the healthy-looking Sandslash, Icarus secretly nodded to himself.
There was no trace left of its formerly malnourished appearance.
"Woof~"
Houndoom trotted confidently onto the field and let out a long howl.
"Battle start!"
Seeing both Pokémon in position, Airi immediately announced the beginning of the match.
"I'll make the first move. Sandslash, use Defense Curl, then immediately follow up with Rollout!"
Right from the start, Stone ordered a combo attack.
Perhaps influenced by Geodude, he had specifically trained Sandslash in this tactic.
"Swish Rumble rumble"
Sandslash immediately curled into a ball and began rolling rapidly across the battlefield.
What confused Icarus was that Sandslash didn't seem to be charging directly at Houndoom.
"Houndoom, use Nasty Plot!"
Even though he didn't understand Stone's intentions yet, Icarus calmly decided on one thing:
As long as Houndoom kept getting stronger, any trick would eventually become useless.
Since this was only a sparring match, Icarus also intentionally avoided using Smog.
He knew Stone lacked a Mind Contract with Sandslash. If he obscured Stone's vision, the battle would become far too one-sided and meaningless.
"Sandslash, Poison Sting volley!"
Seeing Houndoom boosting itself, urgency flashed through Stone's eyes.
He had originally intended to close the distance first.
"Swish swish~ WHOOSH!"
Thanks to Rollout's acceleration, Sandslash launched Poison Sting after Poison Sting at incredible speed.
Even more impressively, it could continue firing while rolling without disrupting its momentum.
"Dodge, Houndoom! If you can't dodge, block them with Ember!"
Hearing the sharp whistling sounds cutting through the air, Icarus's expression changed immediately.
He was willing to bet that the real danger of these Poison Stings wasn't the poison itself—
—it was the terrifying piercing force behind them.
"Woof! Bang bang!"
Houndoom immediately began dodging while occasionally firing Embers to intercept the attacks.
"Puff! Puff!"
Unfortunately, as Sandslash's rolling speed increased, the speed of the Poison Stings increased as well.
Unable to react in time, Houndoom was struck directly by two projectiles and staggered backward.
Extreme speed created terrifying penetrative power.
The poison itself meant almost nothing to Houndoom, but the force behind the attacks still pierced small bloody holes into its body.
However, by now, Sandslash had nearly exhausted its Poison Stings and had also closed the distance.
"Sandslash, switch moves! Use Slash!"
Seeing Houndoom forced back, Stone's eyes brightened as he immediately pressed the advantage.
"Kuga!"
Sandslash instantly uncurled, using the momentum from Rollout to launch itself toward Houndoom.
Its claws glowed with bright white light.
"Houndoom, use Scary Face!"
Seeing Sandslash suddenly appear at close range, Icarus immediately reacted.
"WOOF!!"
Houndoom opened its mouth and let out a terrifying roar directly at Sandslash while baring its ferocious face.
After evolving, Houndoom naturally looked far more intimidating than it did as a Houndour, making Scary Face significantly more effective.
"Ku…!"
Caught completely off guard by the sudden roar and terrifying face at point-blank range, Sandslash froze instinctively.
"Houndoom, Fire Spin, then continuously use Small Flame!"
Seeing the opening, Icarus immediately ordered a combo attack.
"WHOOSH~"
Houndoom first trapped Sandslash inside a Fire Spin before retreating and launching two consecutive Small Flames.
"Sandslash, Sand Shield!"
Realizing escape was impossible, Stone immediately ordered a defensive maneuver.
"Kuga Swish swish"
Sandslash recovered from its fear and rapidly kicked sand into the air while spinning quickly.
In moments, a rotating shell of sand surrounded its body.
"Houndoom, detonate it!"
Fearing the two Small Flames alone wouldn't deal enough damage, Icarus immediately ordered the explosion.
"BOOM!"
The Fire Spin instantly exploded while the two Small Flames slammed into the Sand Shield simultaneously.
"Kuga!!"
The already-thin Sand Shield shattered under the triple attack.
Worse still, the burning hot sand blasted directly into Sandslash's body, causing a second wave of damage.
As the flames faded, Sandslash reappeared covered in multiple burn marks.
Although it wasn't critically injured yet, its movements were clearly affected.
"Looks like Sand Shield actually has pretty solid defensive power.
Unfortunately for you, Houndoom is a Fire-type. Against Water-type attacks, that defense would probably be even stronger. After all, sand naturally absorbs water."
Looking at the injured Sandslash, Icarus didn't even order another attack.
In his eyes, the outcome was already decided.
A Sandslash suffering from burns and reduced mobility simply couldn't defeat a Fire-type Houndoom.
So instead, he looked toward Stone questioningly while mentally analyzing the Sand Shield technique.
"I surrender."
As expected, Stone calmly conceded after seeing Sandslash's condition.
"Victory goes to the Trainer on the right, Icarus! Congratulations on becoming today's champion! Clap clap clap~"
Hearing the surrender, Airi immediately announced the result while enthusiastically clapping.
"Airi, stop messing around already."
Icarus looked both amused and helpless.
"What kind of 'champion' is there in a three-person practice tournament?"
Without hesitation, he sent Airi to help treat Sandslash's burns with ice packs while he personally handled Houndoom's injuries.
Soon, both Pokémon were treated, and the three sat together chatting while waiting for them to recover.
"Stone, you've got quite a few creative ideas. Were Sand Shield and that enhanced Poison Sting volley your own inventions?"
Icarus asked curiously.
"No. The Poison Sting technique came from a breeding manual. Sand Shield was inspired by that same manual."
Stone honestly shook his head.
"That's still amazing, Brother Stone! I feel like Sand Shield would be even stronger against Water-type moves!"
Airi immediately jumped into the conversation.
"Exactly."
Icarus nodded in agreement.
"I only won because of the type advantage.
The flames shattered the Sand Shield, heated up the sand, and then the burning sand hit Sandslash directly. It created an effect where one plus one became greater than two."
"Yes. Sand Shield was originally designed to counter Water-type attacks.
I thought it would also work well against other moves, but now it seems Fire-type attacks are a pretty bad matchup for it."
Stone nodded while mentally recording the flaw in the technique.
After all, this was practically his own custom move, so he cared deeply about improving it.
"Can my Staryu learn something similar too?
Staryu also knows Rapid Spin!
If it controls water with Water Gun while spinning, maybe it could create a water sphere around itself!"
Sometimes all it took was one small spark of inspiration.
After hearing their discussion, Airi immediately began making connections.
"We can try it later.
But first, you two still need to battle for second place."
Seeing Airi's increasingly excited expression, Icarus smiled and reminded them of the unfinished match.