Dakota's second Pokémon was Salamence, almost the same lineup order he had used against Conway in the previous match.
By continuously sending out overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon, he kept his opponents under constant psychological pressure, leaving them perpetually nervous.
Luther and Lucian waited for a moment. Only after the referee raised the flag to signal the continuation of the match did they realize something surprising…
"He's not switching?" Both of them were stunned.
The battle between Forretress and Darkrai had only cost Forretress some stamina. It hadn't accumulated much actual damage, so it could have stayed in and gambled on waking up.
But Salamence, despite being a Dragon/Flying-type, genuinely possessed Fire-type moves like Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, and Fire Fang. A Bug/Steel-type like Forretress simply couldn't withstand more than a couple of hits.
"Betting on Sleep Talk?" Luther asked curiously.
Lucian pondered for a moment before replying, "It's more likely that he trusts his Pokémon's ability to recover. Of course… another possibility is that he's being greedy."
Luther couldn't understand what Lucian meant by "greedy," because the battle had already resumed.
As expected, Dakota wasn't interested in playing mind games with Etorre. Regardless of why Etorre refused to switch, Dakota decided to crush him head-on.
"Fire Blast."
The Fire Blast released by Salamence scorched the battlefield, leaving a blazing trail across the ground as it charged toward Forretress.
"Sleep Talk."
Etorre's strategy was almost exactly what Luther had expected. Although Forretress's moves included Rock-type and Electric-type attacks, those only mattered if Sleep Talk happened to select them.
A faint glow appeared around Forretress's body as Sleep Talk's random selection took effect. This time, Forretress actually rolled a Rock-type move: Rock Slide.
However, Forretress was clearly not a Pokémon specialized in offense. Even though Rock Slide countered Salamence effectively, Salamence merely narrowed its eyes slightly after being hit.
Wrapped in flames from the Fire Blast, Forretress was scorched awake by the intense heat.
"Don't give him any chances. Fire Blast."
Salamence fired a second Fire Blast.
Watching Forretress begin spinning within the flames, Luther suddenly realized something.
Forretress's Ability was Sturdy. If it suffered an overwhelmingly powerful damaging move, it could endure the hit without falling immediately.
Toxic Spikes scattered into the air, drifting down across the battlefield like floating fluff.
This time, without Sturdy to protect it, Forretress could only "smile in the face of danger" as the incoming Fire Blast closed in.
"Forretress is unable to battle. Salamence wins."
Seeing Etorre recall Forretress with a smile still lingering on his lips, Luther finally understood what Lucian meant by greed.
This really had been a gamble. What if Dark Void's effect had lasted longer and Forretress never woke up?
"You can't really call it gambling," Lucian said with a smile. "That's his Pokémon. He understands Forretress's condition and Ability better than anyone. On the battlefield, some things are called gambling… while others are called bonds. He trusted his Pokémon, so he dared to be greedy."
"Only a Pokémon Trainer can truly explain that feeling. Outsiders can't understand it. Since you've made it this far, you've probably experienced it too, right? Those moments when it feels like you can hear your Pokémon's thoughts."
What Lucian described sounded mystical, yet it was undeniably real.
Cynthia once said that during battles, she could often hear the voices of her Pokémon, while Lance claimed he could understand every movement his Pokémon made.
Come to think of it, Luther occasionally heard strange things during battles as well. He wasn't sure whether that counted as what Lucian had described.
Regardless, Etorre's Forretress had exceeded expectations in accomplishing its mission. The only question now was whether Dakota had any way to remove the Toxic Spikes.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have Rapid Spin or Defog," Lucian said. "Didn't you and Ash Ketchum already set a good example for all Pokémon Trainers? If battlefield hazards are affecting the terrain… then just destroy the battlefield itself."
Etorre's third Pokémon was Kingdra, a Dragon/Water-type. Against Dakota's Dragon/Flying-type Salamence, it became a true Dragon-type civil war, with both sides countering each other.
The moment Kingdra appeared, Luther noticed the space surrounding the battlefield flickering faintly, its outline growing blurry.
It was the sign that Trick Room was about to expire.
After the battle between Kingdra and Salamence, Etorre would have to send out another Pokémon capable of setting up Trick Room and stabilizing the field. Otherwise, his entire space-control team would be forced to finish the rest of the match through brute force against Dakota.
Most likely, the next Pokémon would determine the flow of the entire battle.
"Use Flamethrower continuously on the battlefield," Dakota ordered, pointing toward the ground to signal Salamence.
The officials at the sidelines covered their heads in despair, while Aegislash cursed under its breath and moved to shield the referee.
"Who started this terrible trend in the first place? Was it that contestant named Luther, or the one called Ash? Why does everyone keep trying to destroy the battlefield at every opportunity? Why are all the trainers in this tournament so violent? When will referees finally be freed from this suffering? I'm furious, terrified, and freezing!"
The referee rattled off the complaints at machine-gun speed before quickly hiding behind Aegislash.
A terrible precedent really had been set. Ever since Luther and Ash Ketchum demonstrated unconventional battlefield-clearing tactics, everyone had fallen in love with this violent approach.
Defog and Rapid Spin were considered too soft and took up a valuable move slot. Destroying the battlefield consumed stamina, sure…
…but it felt amazing.
As the two trainers closest to Luther and Ash, Dakota and Etorre had naturally been heavily influenced as well.
If Dakota wanted to destroy the field, then Etorre would simply repair it.
Hydro Pump surged across the scorched battlefield created by Salamence's flames. While Salamence prepared another Flamethrower, Kingdra aimed directly at its wings and fired an Ice Beam.
The moment Ice Beam was launched, Lucian immediately praised it.
That execution had been clean and precise, clearly the result of rigorous training.
Salamence could feel Kingdra's strength more clearly than anyone. After its wings were struck by Ice Beam, Salamence charged straight at Kingdra under Dakota's command.
Destroying the battlefield was meant to prevent Etorre from controlling the pace of future battles. Now that half the field on Dakota's side had been ruined, it was enough, as long as his Pokémon wouldn't land on Toxic Spikes.
Dragon Rush barreled directly toward Kingdra. Intimidated by the overwhelming momentum of the attack, Kingdra only managed to move aside at the very last moment.
Broken chunks of rock scattered across Kingdra's body. Sent flying backward through the air, spinning and unable to stabilize itself, Kingdra gathered all its remaining strength and unleashed Blizzard, covering the entire area below with the widest possible range.
Facing the Blizzard head-on, a brilliant beam of light shot into the sky.
Salamence raised its head and endured the full force of the Blizzard. Barely standing, it narrowed its eyes and glared furiously at Kingdra in the distance.
It was waiting.
Then Draco Meteor erupted in the sky, countless meteors crashing down upon the battlefield.
Dakota had chosen the timing perfectly. Trick Room had just disappeared, leaving Kingdra unable to use moves for rapid repositioning. Usually graceful and agile in water, Kingdra now resembled a bird with clipped wings on the battlefield.
A series of deafening explosions echoed across the arena, spraying the referee with sand and debris.
Just moments ago, the attempt to burn the battlefield had failed, and the referee thought disaster had been avoided.
Turns out he had celebrated too early.
Salamence looked gleefully at the battered Kingdra being pummeled by Draco Meteor. Watching Kingdra collapse, it burst into loud laughter.
But while laughing, the poison coursing through Salamence's body suddenly took effect. Its body stiffened mid-laugh, mouth still open, before it collapsed straight onto the ground.
Luther watched this brief Dragon-type civil war in astonishment and couldn't help but sigh.
When Dragon-types fought each other… it was truly violent.
And the battlefield had been destroyed once again.
(End of Chapter)
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