"Then I won't hold back, Sandshrew, use Rapid Spin!" ordered Ethan Black with a firm gaze.
This time, instead of giving the usual Rollout command, he told Sandshrew to use the much faster Rapid Spin, charging directly at the Scyther that still stood in place.
"Has it learned a new move in this time?" Mantis gave a faint smile of approval. For a civilian trainer without backing, managing to get his Pokémon to master so many powerful moves on his own was worthy of praise.
However, despite the great speed of Rapid Spin, Scyther didn't seem fazed. Its figure blurred slightly just before impact, dodging with bold ease, showing clear disdain in its gaze.
"Huh? Does it have a proud and arrogant personality?" murmured Ethan Black, narrowing his eyes.
He immediately gave another command: for Sandshrew to keep using Rapid Spin to chase the opponent.
As expected, Scyther, eager to show off its speed, avoided impact at the very last second, making the crowd's hearts stop with every move.
Scyther was incredibly fast—the spectacle was electrifying!
"Sandshrew, use Rapid Spin again!" Ethan Black's voice sounded slightly irritated, as if unwilling to accept that his strategy wasn't working. He kept insisting, seemingly refusing to give up.
"It's useless! Even if it feels like an unfair fight, with your Sandshrew's speed, it will never manage to catch my Scyther," the rival trainer stated calmly.
From the start, he already knew Sandshrew had no chance of winning. Between Scyther's speed and flight advantage, he had full control.
"Now! Rapid Spin plus Sand Attack!"
Just as Scyther tried to apply the same tactic to dodge, Sandshrew's body began spinning furiously. Around it, a whirlwind of sand and stones surged, enveloping everything and rushing straight at Scyther, which was dangerously close.
"What!?" everyone exclaimed in unison, shocked by the sudden attack.
Scyther, who had grown overconfident and wanted to toy with its opponent, was swallowed by the powerful current of Rapid Spin plus Sand Attack. Its body was caught by an upward draft that sent it spinning out of control.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Meanwhile, the stirred-up sand particles struck Scyther's body mercilessly, producing sharp cracking sounds. It was being assaulted nonstop!
"React, Scyther! Get out of there!" The rival trainer, Mantis, who had been so calm before, could no longer pretend. He shouted desperately, trying to regain control.
"Haah!"
Scyther let out a cry and spread its wings, trying to forcibly stabilize itself.
"Now, throw it, Sandshrew!"
Ethan Black's eyes shone with determination. He couldn't let this chance slip! If Scyther managed to break free, the battle would become much harder.
Sandshrew responded with a low growl, unleashing all its energy. Spinning violently, it shifted its trajectory with a hip twist and flung the sandstorm like a whip, dragging Scyther toward the arena's side barrier.
PAM!
Fueled by the incredible speed of Rapid Spin, the whirlwind cracked like a furious whip. In an instant, the current collapsed with a roar, striking the protective barrier with a deafening sound.
BOOM!
And at that very moment, Scyther was hurled violently. Its body smashed into the protective wall, embedding itself into it. The stage even trembled three times!
At that moment, the entire stadium fell into absolute silence.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Scyther stuck in the wall. They were completely in shock!
How could that Scyther, which had seemed invincible just moments before, now be lying there like a rag doll?
Everything had happened far too fast!
The contrast was so extreme that no one could understand what had just occurred.
"This is a joke!"
"How could that attack be so strong? Was that a sandstorm? What the hell was that?"
"Aaaah! I don't get it! Is that some kind of unregistered move? What kind of power is that?!"
"No way! That even surpasses Hurricane! And the speed... it was impossible to dodge!"
"My god, this is ridiculous! One single move and Scyther's out! Is that kid already at a high level?"
After a few seconds of silence, the stadium erupted with exclamations of disbelief. Everyone was dumbfounded.
"Hey, hey! Was the battle just over like that?"
"What move was that?!"
Even in the champions' rest area, no one could stay seated. They all stood up with their eyes locked on the field, between Sandshrew and Scyther.
"Tyrant, what was that? A Ground-type move?"
After a moment, the Electric-type Ring Leader, Electric Beast, came back to his senses and turned to his Ground-type colleague, looking for answers.
"I'm not completely sure either. But it looks like a combined move: Rapid Spin plus Sand Attack. The power must come from the momentum of Rapid Spin," Tyrant replied with some doubt.
"A combined move?"
"So it first uses Rapid Spin and Sand Attack to form that whirlwind, and then launches it like a whip? Is that where all that force comes from?"
"If that's the case, then that kid is a genius!"
The other leaders turned pale at that deduction. It might sound simple, but the difficulty was extreme.
First, it required using two moves at the same time, which only Pokémon with special training could achieve. Among those present, only the Fighting-type leader's Machoke could do that—and only with simpler moves like Fire Punch and Ice Punch at the same time.
Moreover, precise control of Sand Attack was crucial. Without it, the whirlwind would dissolve before forming.
And finally, to achieve the whip effect, total mastery of Rapid Spin and the sand was needed.
Even Ethan Black himself hadn't expected this combined move to be so hard to pull off!
(End of Chapter)