"Apart from his talent for training Pokémon, his ability as a trainer is extremely high..." That thought crossed Jorge's mind, and his expression became even more serious.
However, when he saw that Tyranitar, the one responsible for the weather, had fallen, he let out a small sigh of relief.
Even if Kommo-o's secret had been discovered, as long as it could defeat Tyranitar, the trade was worth it.
Now that Ethan's two cores—Tyranitar and Cacturne—had fallen, his sandstorm strategy was practically dismantled.
"With this, the score is even!"
"What an incredible battle, both sides are going all out!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
So far, the battle had been a constant back-and-forth, pushing the tension to its peak.
"Yes... I was careless. But that chained combination was difficult to foresee. And under Kommo-o's full assault..."
"Come back, Tyranitar. Now it's your turn, Sandslash."
After recalling the weakened Tyranitar, Ethan sent out his next Pokémon.
"Is that... Sandslash?"
Upon seeing Sandslash's stiff and rather peculiar red spikes, the spectators couldn't help but hesitate.
"It is a Sandslash, that's for sure... but can it really face Kommo-o?"
Looking at the two figures confronting each other on the field, many frowned. The impression they gave was completely different—Sandslash looked far too small and weak in comparison!
"It's Ethan's starter Pokémon."
On the other side, Jorge did not dare lower his guard.
According to the information he had, that Sandslash was Ethan's ace!
"Let the battle continue! Kommo-o, charge!"
Jorge's eyes shone with determination as he gave the command.
At this moment, Kommo-o's Attack and Speed had already been boosted to the maximum; recalling it was not an option.
Therefore, he ordered it to charge head-on, determined to finish the battle in an instant with its speed and explosive power.
"Sandslash, Furious Spin!"
Upon hearing Ethan's command, Sandslash began spinning rapidly in place.
Taking advantage of the Speed increase granted by the sandstorm along with the move Rapid Spin, it dashed straight toward Kommo-o.
Immediately afterward, it executed the move Fury Swipes. With the momentum of the accelerated spin, the attack transformed into a rain of claw shadows that pounced on the opponent.
Boom, boom, boom!
A violent collision exploded across the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, before the audience could react, the two Pokémon had already separated.
"Did... it end?"
Seeing the two figures standing motionless, everyone held their breath.
The next second, with two nearly simultaneous thuds, both collapsed to the ground!
"A... tie?"
The audience was stunned before bursting into murmurs.
That Kommo-o, with such outrageous speed and attack, had tied against a Sandslash?
"No... wait."
"Sandslash hasn't lost the ability to battle!"
"It's getting up! Sandslash won!"
Suddenly someone shouted, triggering another wave of exclamations.
The result was completely unexpected. No one imagined a Sandslash could be so strong.
Although, seeing it panting heavily, it was clear it hadn't escaped unscathed either; the clash had left it severely injured.
"A narrow victory?"
"That Kommo-o is truly terrifying... Against an average professional-level trainer, that Kommo-o with extreme speed and attack could have swept the entire team."
Ethan clicked his tongue inwardly. If this were a turn-based game, that Kommo-o would truly have the ability to "sweep."
But this was reality. No matter how high the speed and attack were, in a frontal clash you would always suffer damage.
Moreover, the reason Kommo-o had reached such a level of speed and power was at the cost of its Defense and endurance. That was precisely why it couldn't sustain a direct confrontation.
Fortunately, Ethan had a Sandslash whose speed could match Kommo-o's. With the combination of Rapid Spin and Fury Swipes, its instant burst wasn't inferior, and in endurance and defense it had the advantage. Only then was he able to achieve that narrow victory.
With any other Pokémon, he might not even have had time to react and would have been defeated instantly.
"Did he figure it out...?"
"That Kommo-o was neutralized?"
Among the six competitors at the back, several showed surprise.
Without exaggeration, some of them had previously been swept by that same Kommo-o.
Precisely because of that, they knew how terrifying it was; seeing it fall like this left them shocked.
"Even the sweeping strategy was dismantled?"
"Using Sandslash against Kommo-o... it was completely read..."
Jorge showed a bitter smile. In a frontal battle, he had been suppressed by that younger student.
"But the battle doesn't end here. If you want to defeat me, you'll first have to defeat this Pokémon."
After taking a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination.
He threw his Poké Ball, and Dragonite appeared floating in the air.
"It's the Dragonite that came out at the beginning. What Pokémon will Ethan send now?"
The spectators watched expectantly as Ethan recalled Sandslash.
Amid those eager gazes, the Poké Ball opened and a green figure appeared.
"Huh? That Pokémon is... Vibrava?"
Everyone stood there dumbfounded.
They had imagined many possibilities, but no one expected him to send out Vibrava.
"Did he send the wrong Poké Ball?"
"I thought the same... but earlier he already sent Litwick to battle. I'm not sure..."
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Naira, Lucien, and Marcus immediately recognized Vibrava.
Their gazes turned toward the field that had turned into a desert, and they smiled bitterly.
With the double intensification of Tyranitar's and Cacturne's sandstorm, the battlefield had already become a genuine desert.
Under such conditions, Vibrava's technique Ryū: Odoshi would reach its maximum power.
"Vibrava?"
Jorge frowned. He didn't believe Ethan had made a mistake.
If he sent it out, it was because he believed it could face Dragonite.
"Dragonite, Dragon Dance!"
Dragonite began moving rapidly.
As it danced, a powerful current of air formed around it.
Although the sky was still covered by the sandstorm, under the effect of Dragon Dance, the airflow forcibly opened a clear space around its body.
"Dragon Dance combined with wind control?"
Ethan showed a serious expression.
That team seemed specialized in sweeping teams. He couldn't allow Dragonite to keep boosting itself.
"Vibrava, make the earth rise!"
Vibrava let out an excited cry.
Its figure dived downward and, just before touching the sand, spun in the air while activating its Levitate ability.
Immediately, the desert sand began to stir.
The entire ground flipped over and transformed into a gigantic wave of sand that rose into the sky, ready to devour Dragonite!
"What is that?"
"All the sand on the field is being lifted!"
The audience was stunned as the tide of sand rose like a colossal wave.
"Dragonite, Hurricane!"
Without time to continue using Dragon Dance, Jorge ordered a counterattack.
Flapping its wings, Dragonite unleashed a terrifying gale that crashed into the sand wave.
Sky and earth collided violently, causing a massive explosion and a rain of sand.
"Ryū: Odoshi!"
Ethan gave another command.
The overturned sand gathered around Vibrava, forming in the air a gigantic sand dragon that rose as if flying into the sky and slammed into Dragonite.
Boom!
Dragonite failed to react in time and was struck head-on, sent flying.
At that moment, the entire stadium fixed its gaze on the sand dragon, stunned.
It was all the sand of the desert... controlled by a Vibrava and turned into a dragon!
No one could understand how it was possible.
"There it is again, that terrifying Sand Dragon!"
Even though they had seen it before, Lucien, Marcus, and Naira were still shaken.
"That power... it must be at the Quasi-Elite level."
"A Vibrava at Quasi-Elite level? What am I even seeing?"
Even the high-ranking guests were left speechless.
They could clearly perceive the level of power of that "Ryū: Odoshi."
They knew that Vibrava originally only had ordinary professional-level strength.
That it had now temporarily reached the Quasi-Elite level through some method was what truly shocked them.
The increase in power was simply inconceivable.
(End of Chapter)