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After Charizard and Kingdra fought to an exhausting draw, Nathaniel calmly removed a Poke Ball from his belt and released his second Pokemon: Altaria.
Nathaniel had decided to send out Altaria after careful strategic consideration. Jacob now only had two Pokemon remaining—a small Noibat wasn't much of a threat, and only Sceptile posed any real danger. Altaria's quadruple resistance to Grass-type moves, combined with its Flying-type advantage over Grass-types, would be more than sufficient to handle Sceptile effectively.
Altaria would be perfectly capable of defeating both remaining opponents. Nathaniel couldn't help but think to himself that today would be the day he, Nathaniel, would finally become famous throughout the region.
What scientific research genius? What so-called prodigy dragon trainer? They were nothing compared to his tactical prowess, Nathaniel thought confidently.
"Go, Altaria!" Nathaniel called out with unwavering confidence.
"Go, Noibat!" Jacob responded without hesitation.
Jacob made the same strategic choice and sent out Noibat first. His reasoning was sound—Altaria possessed many troublesome support moves that could completely change the flow of battle.
Cotton Guard could greatly increase its defense capabilities, Feather Dance would drastically reduce an opponent's attack power, Dragon Dance boosted both attack and speed simultaneously, plus the sleep-inducing Sing, and the devastating Perish Song that could end battles in a fixed number of turns.
This vast and versatile movepool was extremely annoying to deal with effectively, so Jacob could only send Noibat out first to use Taunt and completely seal away those dangerous status moves.
He had to admit, having a Pokemon that knew Taunt was incredibly useful in competitive battles. Jacob now genuinely wished that all Pokemon could learn this valuable move.
Taunt! Truly a godsend for any trainer facing status-heavy opponents!
"Noibat, use Taunt!" Jacob commanded with authority.
"Altaria, Dragon Claw!" Nathaniel countered immediately without missing a beat.
After seeing Noibat appear on the battlefield, Nathaniel decisively abandoned any plans to use status moves. Considering Noibat's exceptional long-range evasion abilities that had been demonstrated earlier, he chose to have Altaria use Dragon Claw to eliminate Noibat at close range where it would be more vulnerable.
Jacob's heart sank when he heard Nathaniel's swift command. Noibat, which hadn't evolved yet into its more powerful Noivern form, had absolutely no chance of fighting Altaria head-on in direct combat.
"Noibat, use U-turn!" After successfully using Taunt to prevent status moves, Jacob had Noibat use U-turn again, intending to switch in his powerful Sceptile.
Bug-type energy wrapped around Noibat's small body as it collided with Altaria, dealing minor damage before immediately retreating back into its Poke Ball according to the move's effect.
"Altaria, use Flamethrower!" Nathaniel called out strategically.
Taking advantage of Jacob's Pokemon switching, Nathaniel immediately had Altaria use Flamethrower to catch the incoming Pokemon off-guard.
"It's your turn, Sceptile!" Jacob announced with determination.
Sceptile appeared on the battlefield with an imposing presence, and just as its massive form materialized completely, Altaria's Flamethrower erupted from its beak, flying toward Sceptile and dealing significant super-effective damage due to the type advantage.
"There it is—Jacob's giant Sceptile!" an excited voice called from the commentary booth with obvious enthusiasm.
"The last time Jacob's Sceptile appeared in public, it simply made its debut and instantly defeated Caleb's Infernape with overwhelming power. Today, we can finally get a proper look at this remarkable Sceptile in extended action!"
"However, Sceptile is at quite a type disadvantage here against the Flying-type Altaria, and I wonder if it can overcome this challenge to defeat its opponent," another commentator observed analytically.
As Jacob's ace Pokemon and trusted partner, Sceptile had rarely engaged in serious battles since evolving into its final form. This would be its first real competitive fight against another experienced trainer's Pokemon.
Sceptile possessed perfectly developed champion-level potential, and its current strength was rapidly approaching the peak of the lord level. Jacob had absolute confidence in his Sceptile's abilities. It was highly unlikely that any Pokemon at the lord level could truly rival it in terms of raw power.
Even if there were such a Pokemon somewhere, it certainly wouldn't be Nathaniel's Altaria.
The intense flames scorched Sceptile's tough hide. Despite being hit by a super-effective Fire-type attack, Sceptile endured the considerable pain without making a single sound, its piercing eyes locked onto Altaria with unwavering focus and determination.
"Sceptile, let everyone witness your true power! Use Swords Dance!" Jacob's voice rang out powerfully across the entire battlefield.
This battle would serve as Sceptile's perfect stage to demonstrate its incredible strength to all the spectators!
"Altaria, keep using Flamethrower!" Nathaniel commanded, feeling unconsciously anxious after watching Sceptile's imposing appearance.
The overwhelming presence emanating from this particular Sceptile was far too intense, especially after it began using the attack-boosting Swords Dance technique.
Sceptile wasn't particularly skilled at the complex Swords Dance technique and couldn't rotate its body while simultaneously dodging attacks like Jonah's agile Beedrill could. It could only perform the most basic version to drastically increase its attack power, but even so, Nathaniel began to feel genuine panic.
Another powerful Flamethrower struck Sceptile directly, but the Pokemon remained completely motionless, continuing to endure the fire damage while executing its Swords Dance with perfect focus.
It was becoming obvious that Sceptile's enormous size didn't just make its physical power terrifying—its stamina, defensive capabilities, and energy resistance were all equally formidable and impressive.
If this had been any other ordinary Sceptile with the typical thin arms and legs, it might have been seriously injured after taking two consecutive Flamethrowers. But Jacob's Sceptile was fundamentally different—it acted as though nothing significant had happened after being hit by two of Altaria's powerful Flamethrowers.
"Sceptile, continue with Swords Dance!" Jacob ordered with perfect calmness.
Hearing Jacob's confident command, Nathaniel truly began to panic for the first time. If Sceptile really continued strengthening like this, neither his Altaria nor his remaining Tyrantrum would be able to defeat it effectively.
"Altaria, use Brave Bird!" Nathaniel shouted desperately, his voice betraying his growing anxiety.
After watching Sceptile complete its second Swords Dance boost, Nathaniel was genuinely terrified of what would happen next.
This situation was like a petite, cute girl meeting her online boyfriend for the first time, only to discover that the man sitting across from her was a muscular giant who was six feet tall and kept eating strength-enhancing foods like protein supplements throughout their dinner. If you were in her position, wouldn't you panic completely?
Well, Nathaniel was experiencing that exact same panic right now. The pressure Sceptile was radiating was already overwhelming enough, and now, after two consecutive Swords Dances, he was feeling extremely anxious about his chances.
Therefore, he chose to have Altaria use its most powerful and dangerous move: Brave Bird. Combined with Flying-type's super-effective damage against Grass-types, Nathaniel believed Altaria should be able to seriously injure even this intimidating Sceptile!
Following Nathaniel's desperate command, Altaria became wrapped in intense Flying-type energy. It folded its cotton-like wings and shot toward Sceptile like a guided missile.
A brilliant white streak flashed across the sky as Altaria, empowered by the reckless Brave Bird technique, moved at tremendous speed, bombarding toward Sceptile like a falling meteor ready to cause massive damage.
"BOOM!"
"Impossible!" Nathaniel stared at the scene unfolding before him and let out a shocked cry of disbelief.
With a thunderous crash that echoed throughout the arena, everyone's attention focused intensely on Sceptile, only to see that the Pokemon had blocked Altaria's devastating attack with just one massive hand. It hadn't even moved a single step backward, simply standing there completely unmoved by the impact.
Although Nathaniel knew that Altaria was definitely weaker than Sceptile in terms of raw power, he never expected the difference between them to be this absolutely enormous.
"Dragon Claw, Sceptile!" Jacob commanded with authority.
"Fly up, Altaria!" Nathaniel called out frantically, his voice cracking with desperation. Given Sceptile's incredible physique and the fact that it had already used Swords Dance twice, if Altaria was really hit by those enhanced Dragon Claws, the consequences would be completely unthinkable.
Altaria flapped its wings desperately, trying to take flight and escape, but it only felt an enormous force gripping it firmly. Its delicate feet were caught in Sceptile's grasp, and then its body was dragged uncontrollably toward the ground with overwhelming strength.
Sceptile pressed Altaria firmly to the ground with one massive hand, while with its other hand, a huge Dragon Claw formed from concentrated dragon energy struck directly into Altaria's vulnerable body with devastating force.
Brutal! Absolutely brutal in its efficiency!
Altaria's agonized cries echoed throughout the entire battlefield, causing many spectators to wince at the sound.
The referee stopped the match at the appropriate moment for Altaria's safety. There had been no advanced technique involved in this battle whatsoever. To put it simply, it had become pure domination through overwhelming strength—a completely one-sided massacre that was difficult to watch.
"Altaria is unable to battle!" the referee announced officially.
The entire venue fell into complete and stunned silence, the whole arena plunged into an eerie quiet that was almost unsettling. When everyone finally processed what had just happened, they found the scene absolutely shocking. Altaria had lost countless feathers and lay unconscious on the ground, clearly and thoroughly defeated.