After Weavile swiftly took down Marowak, it immediately turned toward Ninetales to support Houndoom.
"Ninetales, ignore Houndoom! Iron Tail on Weavile!"
Seeing Weavile charging in so quickly, Alder decisively commanded Ninetales to shift its target to Weavile, even while still under Houndoom's assault.
"Huuh!"
Houndoom sank its fangs into Ninetales's front left leg. The added Dark-type energy from Crunch made the pain even more unbearable.
But Ninetales remained determined. Knowing it couldn't win against the synchronized assault of two opponents, it ignored the pain and whipped its nine long tails, each glowing silver, all aimed at Weavile.
"Weavile, Brick Break to absorb the impact. Houndoom, switch to Thunder Fang."
The nine shimmering Iron Tails whistled through the air, but Weavile didn't back down in the slightest. It swung its cold claws forward to meet the attack head-on.
At the exact moment the tails clashed with the claws, Weavile subtly adjusted its angle, allowing the tails to graze past the edges of its claws and deflect off to the side.
Sparks flew as Weavile, using a technique it had never shown before, deflected the force using both paws, nullifying all nine Iron Tails!
"Awoo!"
Houndoom's attacks only grew fiercer. Lightning crackled from its Thunder Fang as it bit down hard on Ninetales's soft underbelly, holding nothing back.
"NIIIIINE!"
Another agonized cry rang out. The Thunder Fang not only inflicted immense damage but also sent electric currents surging through Ninetales, severely impairing its movement.
But the next second, as if in a final burst of strength, Ninetales locked eyes with Weavile. Its crimson eyes were terrifyingly intense.
It suddenly opened its jaws wide, red-and-white high-temperature energy erupted and roared straight toward Weavile.
Because it was an instinctive counterattack, both Houndoom and Weavile reacted half a beat too slow.
And in that brief hesitation, Weavile was hit squarely by Ninetales's blast.
Sato's heart sank… he immediately recognized the desperate move: a Fire-type move even more terrifying than Fire Blast.
Overheat!
"Houndoom, attack!"
"AWOOO!"
Seeing its teammate suddenly assaulted triggered a feral rage in Houndoom. Its fangs, which had never released their grip, now tore in deeper with renewed force, flooding Ninetales with even more Dark-type energy and intensifying the agony.
Splurt!
As Overheat faded, Weavile was nearly reduced to a blackened crisp. At the same time, Ninetales' head tilted to the side and it collapsed, unconscious.
Ninetales fainted… but Houndoom still refused to release its bite. The sight of Weavile's scorched state had left it overwhelmed with guilt.
"Houndoom, let go! Weavile isn't seriously hurt!"
Sato shouted, simultaneously recalling Weavile with its Poké Ball. He then handed the ball to the Ralts on his shoulder and said, "Send it to Rose."
"Leave it to me." Ralts replied softly. Her eyes flashed red, and the Poké Ball vanished from her hand.
Back on the battlefield, when Houndoom heard Sato's voice, its ears perked up and its jaw instinctively loosened.
"Houun…"
Houndoom, mouth still bloodied, ran back to Sato's side, eyes filled with concern.
Smart as it was, it knew very well, Weavile had extremely poor resistance to Fire-type attacks.
And Ninetales's Overheat was so powerful… it would take Houndoom's Mega Evolution just to barely match it.
"Ralts already sent Weavile to Rose. Focus on the battle. Once it's over, you'll see it again."
"Ral~" Ralts nodded seriously in reassurance.
"Hooown~"
Houndoom gave a soft whimper, then turned and walked back to the battlefield. Its fierce eyes and blood-covered mouth must've terrified quite a few kids watching on TV…
On the other side, Alder also returned to the field, his expression dark as he looked at Houndoom and Sato.
Ninetales's injuries weren't any lighter than Weavile's. He had just sent both Ninetales and Marowak to the medics for treatment.
"Trainer Alder, please send out your next Pokémon!" the referee urged to keep the match moving.
"Lapras, avenge Ninetales!"
"Praaas!"
Alder's third Pokémon was none other than the powerful Water/Ice-type: Lapras.
"Battle continues!"
"Houndoom, Thunder Fang."
"Lapras, Surf!"
Houndoom wasn't slow, but Lapras unleashed Surf right from where it stood, and it was faster. Houndoom had no choice but to back off and avoid the oncoming wave.
"Lapras, Blizzard!"
"Houndoom, Heat Wave. Raise the field temperature!"
Surf + Blizzard… Sato could figure out the opponent's plan with his eyes closed. He wanted to turn the battlefield into an icy terrain.
Not gonna happen!
Heat Wave and Blizzard collided in the middle of the field, and due to type advantage, Heat Wave slowly pushed Blizzard back.
But having already used up a lot of stamina in the previous round, Heat Wave quickly lost power and was gradually overwhelmed by Blizzard in return.
Eventually, neither side could hold on. Houndoom stopped its Heat Wave first and began preparing to retreat.
But Lapras wasn't in good shape either. Once Houndoom stopped, it too halted its attack, unable to chase any further.
After the clash, Lapras's side of the field was fully frozen, a perfect Ice battlefield. Lapras's mobility had greatly increased.
Houndoom's side, however, was covered in rising steam. All that water left behind by Surf evaporating into the air. No advantage at all.
"Lapras, Hydro Pump. Sweep the field!"
Lapras had exceptional movement on ice, and now it could freely roam across half the field. Without hesitation, it began a counterattack.
"Houndoom, Sucker Punch."
Sato knew that it wouldn't be easy for Houndoom to reach Lapras first, he had to take a bit of a risk.
Thanks to the unique priority of Sucker Punch, Houndoom instantly turned into a black flash and appeared beside Lapras. The attack landed before Hydro Pump could go off.
But it didn't stop the move from launching.
"Praaas!"
Enduring the pain, Lapras lowered its head and fired a Hydro Pump at point-blank range.
Houndoom reacted with a jolt, kicking off with its hind legs and leaping behind Lapras.
The Hydro Pump missed!
"Now! Thunder Fang."
"Heh… Lapras, Sheer Cold!"
"Back off! QUICKLY!"
Sato shouted, but it was too late. The entire field was covered in ice, and Houndoom couldn't run fast enough.
Seeing this, Houndoom gave up retreating. It opened its bloodstained jaws wide and bit fiercely into the side of Lapras's neck.
The next moment, Lapras unleashed rings of blue-white Ice-type energy in all directions, freezing everything in its path.
And naturally, Houndoom on its back was no exception.
"Houndoom has lost the ability to battle! Lapras wins! Trainer Sato, please send out your next Pokémon!"
With a flash of red light, Sato recalled the frozen Houndoom and handed the Poké Ball to Ralts.
No words were needed, Ralts immediately send the Poké Ball to Rose Joy.
"Next up… are you going?"
"I'm going, I'm going! Just watch me avenge Blackie, hmph!"
With a sharp humph, Ralts instantly teleported onto the battlefield.