"Garchomp, get ready. Use Dragon Rush!"
Instantly, Garchomp lunged forward.
With a heavy stomp, it shot ahead.
At the same time, while running at full speed, its body suddenly became wrapped in Dragon-type energy, and it executed the move Dragon Rush using the momentum!
"Sandslash, Spin Drive!"
Although Garchomp's movements were extremely fast, Sandslash was not far behind either.
The moment it entered battle, Sandslash very naturally used the move Defense Curl.
This habit had been kept since it was a Sandshrew, allowing it to naturally increase its defense.
And just like now—when Sandslash executed the move Rollout, the previous effect of Defense Curl immediately activated, causing the Rock-type energy in its body to concentrate even more.
At the same time, it also put the move Rapid Spin into practice. With the accelerated rotation, the power of Rollout did not need to accumulate over time—it reached its peak in an instant!
Wrapped in terrifying Rock-type energy that theoretically reached a power of 960, but which far exceeded that level thanks to the increased rotation speed, the combined move Spin Drive launched directly toward Garchomp.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rang out.
Spin Drive and Dragon Rush collided head-on!
Unexpectedly, the powerful Dragon-type move Dragon Rush did not gain any advantage against the combined move Spin Drive!
One must know that Garchomp's current strength had already reached the peak of the professional level, far above Sandslash. In addition, with the speed boost, the power of Dragon Rush had also increased considerably.
Yet even so, Garchomp failed to overpower Sandslash. That alone showed how devastating the combined move Spin Drive was!
"It's Sandslash's famous rapid-rotation combined move!"
Seeing that scene, those who knew Ethan even a little narrowed their eyes.
In reality, so-called "combined moves" also exist, but most are nothing more than the simple coordination of two moves.
However, Sandslash's rapid-rotation combined move was different—it used two moves simultaneously, perfectly fusing two independent energies. That was a true combined move!
BOOM!
After the collision between the high-speed spinning sphere and Dragon Rush, both Pokémon were pushed backward.
But what was puzzling was that the Dragon Rush energy surrounding Garchomp did not disappear—it still covered its body!
"Dual Chop!"
At the same time, Adrian gave the command.
Maintaining the Dragon Rush state, Garchomp rushed forward again.
Dragon energy overflowed as its two claws slashed alternately.
"Heavy Spin!"
In the distance, Sandslash, which had stopped moving, remained curled into a ball.
Steel-type energy surged violently, and it executed the move Gyro Ball in place.
Driven by the high-speed rotation, Gyro Ball emitted a terrifying whistling sound.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The two strikes of Dual Chop slammed against the combined move Heavy Spin.
Wrapped in Steel-type energy, Sandslash seemed to benefit from the Steel-type advantage against Dragon-type, resisting Garchomp's attack head-on.
At the same time, a powerful rebound force erupted from the sphere, shaking Garchomp and forcing it to retreat repeatedly.
"It stopped it!"
"What a terrifying Gyro Ball!"
The audience burst into discussion.
"Are these two moves even stronger now?"
"Could it be related to Excadrill's training method?"
Lucas watched carefully, his gaze fixed.
Previously, the most commonly used combined moves of Ethan's Sandslash were Crush Spin, Metal Spin, and Furious Spin.
But today he had chosen the combined moves Spin Drive and Heavy Spin, and his combat power seemed to have increased enormously.
In terms of pure power, the combined move Spin Drive was not inferior to the combined move Furious Spin.
"It seems the recent training has produced good results."
Seeing this, Ethan smiled.
With the training of "steel muscles and copper skin," Sandslash's physical condition had improved significantly.
Moreover, after consuming large amounts of special Steel-type food formulas and specific supplements, its body weight had increased considerably.
And to a certain extent, that also increased the power of the moves Rollout and Gyro Ball.
However, the main goal of training these two moves was to prepare for future battles after a possible transformation into a Totem Pokémon.
If Sandslash managed to become a Totem Pokémon, these moves based on direct ramming would undoubtedly surpass more technical combined moves like Crush Spin.
Just imagining a Sandslash several meters tall launching a Spin Drive was simply spectacular!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The battle continued.
From the start, Sandslash had been using the combined moves Spin Drive and Heavy Spin. For a time, even Garchomp, covered by the silhouette of a dragon, could not deal with it.
At that moment, Sandslash was like a hedgehog... but one with extreme aggression!
"From the looks of it, its ability must be Rough Skin."
While fighting, Ethan observed Garchomp.
Every time it attacked, its rough skin clearly revealed it.
Garchomp has two abilities: one is Sand Veil, which allows it to hide in sandstorms; the other is Rough Skin, which damages opponents upon contact.
"Then, Sandslash—Sand Spin Whirl!"
After confirming Garchomp's ability, Ethan ordered the activation of the sandstorm.
Now that Sandslash had mastered the move Sandstorm, when combined with its power and rotation, the Sand Spin Whirl was not something that could be underestimated.
In an instant, the storm began roaring across the battlefield, and with the accelerated rotation it transformed into a rain of sand and stones sweeping in every direction.
Garchomp paused for a moment. Although as a Ground-type Pokémon it could resist or even be immune to sandstorm damage, the sand and rocks propelled by the rotation acted like a Rock-type move, forcing it to defend itself.
"Now, Spin Drive!"
Under the sandstorm, Sandslash once again executed the move Rollout.
Thanks to its ability Sand Rush, its speed increased by 50% in that weather.
"What a terrifying attack. Then we won't hold back either—use Giga Impact!"
Garchomp roared and unleashed its ultimate move.
The move Giga Impact consists of ramming the opponent with the full force of the body, leaving the user immobile on the following turn. Like Hyper Beam or Rock Wrecker, it belongs to the category of ultimate moves with the greatest power.
Now, still wrapped in the dragon silhouette of Dragon Rush, using Giga Impact made it seem as though it had turned into a Dragon-type move.
BOOM!
Garchomp charged forward like a dragon emerging from the sea, confronting Sandslash head-on.
In an instant, both attacks collided in the center of the field.
The deafening explosion shook the entire stadium; the ground trembled and dust filled the sky.
"That Sandslash is incredibly strong!"
"It already has professional-level power. With the rapid-rotation combined move, it has reached the peak of the professional level. And with the momentum of the sandstorm, its power approaches the Quasi-Elite level."
At the guest table, the commentators accurately evaluated the level, astonished.
Garchomp's strength came purely from itself.
But Sandslash's strength was something no one had anticipated.
As he revealed his hidden cards, Ethan's Pokémon displayed bursts of power close to the professional peak. Added to Slowking and Vibrava, capable of unleashing Quasi-Elite level power...
Ethan's team had reached a truly terrifying level.
With his command ability, he now had what it took to challenge the weaker trainers of the Elite Tournament.
In simple terms: possessing the strength to participate in the Elite Tournament means that Ethan already has, at the very least, Quasi-Elite level power.
(End of Chapter)