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Brian was filled with confusion and frustration.
The members of the Capital University team understood this very well...
They frequently trained together, and they knew the quality of Brian's Marowak. In this battle, Marowak hadn't displayed even half its usual strength...
More accurately, it had been unable to show it.
—It was like playing a MOBA game where you have your abilities, flash, and healing ready, but somehow can't press the keys, leading to accusations of throwing the match.
Anyone who had experienced something similar knew how unfair this situation felt—enough to make you want to smash your keyboard.
'There's something unusual about this Vulpix.'
Baby-Doll Eyes and Charm—moves that weaken attack—were too powerful!
Why? Just because it looked so adorable?
'And how did it learn Blizzard?'
The more experienced Trainers at the scene came to their senses and noticed something extraordinary.
No one had developed the strategy of 'charm' so thoroughly before, and they couldn't immediately understand the principle behind it.
"Trainer Brian , please send out your second Pokémon immediately."
The referee's voice snapped Brian out of his disbelief. He took a deep breath and, with a serious expression, pulled out his second Poké Ball.
"Go, Rhydon!"
The light flickered, and a gigantic gray Pokémon appeared—resembling a prehistoric creature with a horn like a drill on its head.
"RHYYY-DON!"
The Drill Pokémon roared loudly upon entering the battlefield.
This wasn't an attempt at intimidation, but rather using its cry to alert itself and strengthen its resolve.
It had observed what happened to Marowak. To be honest... it was quite embarrassing, and Rhydon would certainly tease Marowak about it later.
Now fully vigilant, Rhydon glanced at Vulpix and, although its hostility softened slightly at the sight of the adorable Pokémon, it would not let its guard down easily.
Brian waved his hand and commanded:
"Bulldoze!"
Rhydon raised its foot and stomped on the ground. Earth energy spread outward, creating spider web-like cracks, and a shockwave swept across the field.
The move was executed with extreme speed. Despite Vulpix's strong mental capabilities allowing it to react mentally, its body simply couldn't respond quickly enough.
It was too late to jump and evade—the shockwave knocked Vulpix to the ground.
"Vul~pix!"
Vulpix, experiencing its first real hit in battle, let out a pained cry.
The audience didn't applaud this beautifully executed Bulldoze. Instead, both men and women united in anger, expressing their disapproval.
"How could you hurt such a cute little thing!"
"That's cruel. Vulpix is so small—it's just a baby!"
"Rhydon, you heartless brute!"
Rhydon suddenly felt as though it had committed some terrible crime. The entire stadium seemed filled with disapproval, frustrating the Pokémon.
It hesitated momentarily, not immediately following up with another attack that could have finished Vulpix.
Roy seized this opportunity:
"Spite!"
Following the command, Vulpix's eyes met Rhydon's, filled with momentary sorrow.
Invisible Ghost-type energy attached itself to Rhydon, sealing its 'Bulldoze' move.
Immediately afterward, a red laser beam struck Vulpix, recalling it to its Poké Ball.
"Great job, Vulpix."
Roy's praise made the Poké Ball twitch slightly in acknowledgment.
Though Vulpix had defeated Marowak without taking damage, this was ultimately a battle against a much stronger opponent. Every move Vulpix executed required maximum effort to be effective against a significantly stronger adversary.
The most draining had been the powerful Ice-type move, Blizzard...
With energy nearly depleted, taking damage from 'Bulldoze' was especially significant.
The level gap was simply too great. If not for the type advantage, Vulpix would have fainted long ago, unable to maintain consciousness or use that final Spite move.
On another note, Roy felt a slight unease about Vulpix's charm effect.
Even spectators outside the arena were influenced to this extent...
This kind of interference from external factors was common in competitions and didn't violate any rules.
In international competitions especially, trainers often competed in their opponent's home territory, facing tens of thousands of people booing and jeering them...
If a Pokémon couldn't handle such pressure, it wasn't ready for professional competition.
Rhydon's hesitation could only be blamed on its inexperience.
Roy soon sent out his second Pokémon, Squirtle.
Looking at the energetic Water-type, Brian felt a headache developing.
Roy's known Pokémon were Riolu and Squirtle. If possible, Brian really didn't want his Rhydon facing Squirtle...
The type disadvantage was too severe.
Rhydon was both Ground and Rock-type.
And these two types happen to be weak against Water and Grass...
Combined, this weakness was magnified even further.
Water and Grass-type moves would deal quadruple damage to Rhydon!
Even a lion uses all its strength when fighting a rabbit.
Though he didn't believe he would lose, Brian didn't underestimate Roy at all. His original plan had been to use Marowak against Squirtle. Despite the type disadvantage causing double damage, the significant difference in strength would have made this acceptable.
But this plan had been completely disrupted by Roy's mysterious Vulpix.
—The battle resumed.
"Drill Run!"
"Dodge with Water Gun!"
Rhydon turned and leaped, its massive body transforming into a rapidly spinning drill as it charged toward Squirtle.
The terrifying momentum seemed capable of piercing a mountain without difficulty.
Tempered by "infinite" Calm Mind training, Squirtle reacted with impressive speed, launching a Water Gun at the ground. The water pressure propelled it skyward, avoiding the Drill Run.
"Water Pulse!"
In mid-air, Squirtle gathered energy between its hands, forming a large orb of water. With the assistance of gravity, it launched this attack down toward Rhydon.
With the quadruple damage multiplier, a direct hit would cause severe damage.
However.
"Megaton Punch!"
Rhydon roared and delivered an uppercut into the air.
The tremendous force compressed the air, creating an invisible shockwave that smashed the Water Pulse into droplets.
Water splashed down, mixing with the snowdrifts covering the ground.
As Squirtle landed, Rhydon pursued with another attack—"Thunder Punch!"
Squirtle withdrew into its shell, using Rapid Spin to slide with extreme agility across the snow-and-water mixture, dodging again!
After missing two consecutive attacks, Rhydon grew increasingly frustrated. With a thunderous roar, electricity crackled across its body.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Protect!"
Squirtle successfully blocked the electric attack.
The move Protect guarantees safety only the first time it's used in battles between equals.
But although Rhydon's level was higher, it was using a non-STAB Electric move. Thunderbolt was an 'energy attack,' not Rhydon's specialty...
If Squirtle had taken a Thunder Punch with its physical damage, the Protect might not have been sufficient.
In the auditorium, Elon looked surprised: "Squirtle's reaction speed is impressive!"
This was somewhat different from the Squirtle he remembered.
Rhydon's strength lay in its terrifying physical power and defense.
Speed was not its strong suit.
However, even with the obvious difference in level, Rhydon's speed was still formidable—yet Squirtle's reactions kept pace perfectly, executing moves in rapid succession to evade.
Elon analyzed: "The situation has evolved into a war of attrition... Vulpix's 'Spite' before switching out was critical, sealing Rhydon's 'Bulldoze.' That was its best area-of-effect move. The rest of its attacks are close-range, but it simply can't catch Squirtle."
The battlefield situation developed exactly as Elon predicted, turning into a cat-and-mouse chase.
Rhydon rampaged violently across the field, devastating the terrain, but couldn't land a hit on Squirtle.
This Squirtle wasn't particularly fast, but its move execution speed was remarkable, compensating for its lack of raw speed.
Standing beside Elon, the only female member of the school team commented: "Even so, Rhydon will eventually win... We all know that regardless of how good Squirtle is, a prolonged battle favors Brian."
"Besides, the level gap is significant. Rhydon can make many mistakes, but Squirtle will lose if it makes even one."
The rest of the school team nodded in agreement, but Elon remained doubtful.
If he recalled correctly, Squirtle had always displayed exceptional endurance...
On the battlefield, Roy was also impressed by Rhydon's strength.
'It's been well-trained.'
Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt, Megaton Punch...
None of these were natural moves for a Ground and Rock-type like Rhydon.
Such a diverse movepool meant that Rhydon had extensive attack options, allowing it to fight effectively even when facing type disadvantages.
Moreover, physical stamina seemed to be one of Rhydon's strengths.
'In a pure contest of endurance, I'm not certain Squirtle would prevail.'
Roy thought to himself.
The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.
'The time is almost here...'
Both Pokémon demonstrated exceptional stamina, with their high-intensity battle lasting a full three minutes.
Everyone expected this from Rhydon, but no one had anticipated that Squirtle's endurance would be equally impressive, matching the larger Pokémon stride for stride.
But Squirtle must be nearing its limit...
Just as this thought crossed everyone's minds, all experienced trainers present were stunned simultaneously.
Because, surprisingly, the first to show fatigue was Rhydon—
Rhydon's speed noticeably decreased, and exhaustion was evident in its movements.
"What's happening?"
"How is Rhydon tiring first?"
"It's the ice! It's the weather!"
Someone soon discovered a thin layer of frost accumulating on Rhydon's muscles and joints...
The two had been battling in harsh hail conditions.
With intense physical exertion and prolonged exposure to low temperatures, the cold air had gradually infiltrated Rhydon's body, invisibly increasing its energy consumption.
A vicious cycle.
The cold had accumulated until now, when Rhydon found it difficult to recover, suffering from the effects of frostbite.
'Why isn't Squirtle affected?'
The answer came immediately to all trainers with basic education.
It was the type advantage.
Water-type Pokémon had inherent resistance to ice—
Conversely, ice energy was one of Rhydon's weaknesses.
Moreover, Roy's Squirtle apparently had high affinity with ice energy, reducing the hail's effects to negligible levels...
"Brilliant," Elon couldn't help but admire.
The 'Spite' and 'Hail' left by Vulpix had become advantages for Squirtle.
This tactical groundwork had been beautifully laid.
"Now it's time for Squirtle's counterattack!" Elon declared confidently.
On the field, Squirtle used Water Gun to avoid Rhydon's charge once more.
Finally, seizing the moment when its opponent stiffened, Squirtle launched another Water Pulse.
This time, Water Pulse struck Rhydon with precision.
Its painful howl confirmed the effectiveness of the attack.
Roy pressed his advantage, not missing the opportunity to strike while his opponent was vulnerable: "Again, Water Pulse!"
At that moment, Brian's calm voice rang out.
"Endure this move, then Self-Destruct."
A flash of determination appeared in Rhydon's eyes as it suddenly channeled all the energy in its body, causing it to glow brightly.
At the cost of absorbing a second Water Pulse, it executed Self-Destruct.
Self-Destruct—an extremely powerful move that comes at the price of fainting.
BOOM!!
A deafening roar echoed, audible even kilometers away.
A terrifying shockwave of energy bloomed across the field, completely engulfing and destroying the battlefield, which was as large as a football field.
If not for the stadium's safety system activating energy shields to contain the blast, the entire structure might have been damaged.
Thick smoke rose, obscuring the audience's view of the battlefield.
After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke cleared.
The arena had been transformed into an enormous crater.
And within this deep pit lay two Pokémon, both fainted.
A mutual knockout.