"Swampert, Scald! Jump and pull Gyarados down!"
Since Gyarados was flying, Ground-type moves were ineffective. The only option was to force it to descend.
"Gyarados, Dragon Pulse!" Clair ordered.
"Roooaaar!"
Gyarados roared loudly, and a wave of bluish-purple energy shot out of its mouth, aimed at the approaching Swampert.
But just before the Dragon Pulse hit, Swampert pushed off with his legs and leapt upward.
With a length of over six meters, Gyarados was massive compared to Swampert, who was only 1.8 meters tall.
In the air, Swampert launched a stream of boiling water from his mouth. This hot water had a chance of causing a burn status on the opponent.
However, since both were Water-type Pokémon, Gyarados wasn't too affected.
The hot water soaked Gyarados's face, which only served to enrage it further.
"Gyarados, use Dragon Pulse again!"
This time, Swampert was in the air, with no place to land, and had no choice but to take the hit.
"Protect!" Cain ordered quickly.
Swampert used his one chance to use Protect to block the attack.
Cain knew that Swampert had to bring Gyarados down, or he wouldn't stand a chance. If he couldn't nullify its flying ability, Swampert's strengths wouldn't shine. With Gyarados's type and level advantage, the battle clearly leaned in its favor.
The green energy shield generated by Protect successfully neutralized the Dragon Pulse.
Meanwhile, by jumping, Swampert finally managed to get close to Gyarados.
With both hands, Swampert grabbed the blue horns on Gyarados's head. (A scene reminiscent of the Hulk from the Avengers fighting the Leviathan.)
"Swamp!"
With both hands tightly gripping Gyarados's horns, Swampert used the momentum of his jump and the force of his fall to drag it down to the ground.
"Fighting on the ground is way more fun. What's the point of flying and showing off?" Swampert thought.
Boom!
Both Pokémon crashed violently to the ground.
"Gyarados, Iron Tail!" Clair shouted.
Cain gave a slight smile. Now things were getting interesting.
"Swampert, Earth Hammer!"
Gyarados's tail glowed with a metallic shine.
As a Pokémon that evolved from Magikarp, Gyarados knew well how to use its body for propulsion.
With an agile motion, it used its tail to strike Swampert with great speed.
However, Swampert didn't flinch. With one hand, he held onto Gyarados's horn, the muscles in his arm visibly tensing from the effort.
With the other hand, Swampert formed a fist, his muscles swelling to their maximum as he focused all his strength.
Boom!
Boom!
Both attacks landed at the same time.
Swampert's fist smashed into Gyarados's head, cracking the ground beneath and pushing its position several centimeters downward.
Meanwhile, Gyarados's tail struck Swampert's body with full force.
Gyarados's tail, barely smaller than Swampert's body, dealt considerable damage.
Despite the pain, Swampert didn't let go of Gyarados's horn. He knew that if he let go and Gyarados took to the skies again, the battle would be lost.
"Swampert, keep going," Cain said in an unchanging tone.
Clair, on the other hand, was beginning to show a worried expression. Although Gyarados had the type and level advantage, it had been forced to fight on the ground, losing its flight capability and much of its edge.
Still, Clair wasn't ready to give up.
"Gyarados, Protect! Then use Thrash!"
Clair decided to go all in.
Thrash is a Normal-type move with a power of 120. For a time, the user enters a state of uncontrollable rage, attacking relentlessly but losing the ability to receive orders.
It's similar to the move Outrage, but without the Dragon-type bonus.
"Then let's go for a head-on clash. Swampert, keep hitting!" Cain exclaimed.
The first attempt at using Earth Hammer was blocked by Protect, but Gyarados, its eyes bloodshot, began to use Thrash.
Now completely out of control, Gyarados attacked with unrestrained ferocity.
Despite the relentless attacks, Swampert didn't let go of Gyarados's horn.
Many spectators wondered if Swampert might end up breaking Gyarados's horns.
It was a brutal battle, blow after blow.
Though Gyarados was female, that didn't matter to Swampert. He didn't discriminate by gender.
Both Pokémon were covered in wounds. While Gyarados, in her rage state, felt no pain, Swampert endured each blow with determination.
Boom!
Boom!
Swampert's fists continued pounding Gyarados's head, while Gyarados's tail kept striking his body.
Bang!
Bang!
Finally, both Pokémon fell to the ground at the same time, unable to continue.
"Gyarados and Swampert are no longer able to battle! Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!" the referee announced.
Cain was satisfied with Swampert's performance. Despite the disadvantage, achieving a one-for-one trade was an excellent result.
Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and prepared their next choices.
Cain sent out Drapion, while Clair chose Charizard.
Pokémon: Charizard (Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 52
Types: Fire + Flying
Ability: Blaze
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Bite, Metal Claw, Dragon Pulse, Air Cutter
Basic Moves: Wing Attack, Flare Blitz, Heat Wave, Dragon Claw, Shadow Claw, Air Slash, Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, Scary Face, Fire Fang, Flame Burst, Slash, Flamethrower
Learned Moves: Blast Burn, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Iron Tail
TM Moves: Protect, Roost, Earthquake, Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Shadow Claw, Dragon Tail
It was clear that this quasi-elite-level Charizard was Clair's starter Pokémon.
Drapion, at level 53, was not at a disadvantage. Furthermore, its Poison and Dark type combination made it less vulnerable to Charizard.
However, Clair had chosen Charizard very deliberately for this battle.
Knowing that Cain might use Florges, Clair had analyzed his previous battles and concluded that Charizard would be the best choice to face Florges.
But to her surprise, Cain sent out Drapion, throwing her plans into disarray.
Now, Clair faced a tough decision: continue with Charizard or change strategy.
(End of chapter)