Bang—bang!
Tyranitar began to run at full speed. Although it was heavy, it had more than enough strength, so it was not as slow as one might imagine.
Accurately calculating the place where Reuniclus was going to fall, Tyranitar ran there in advance.
A single attack was not enough to defeat Reuniclus in one blow, so Tyranitar needed to finish it off.
"Reuniclus, hold on! Use Pain Split!" Alder shouted toward Reuniclus, who was still in the air.
Reuniclus was still somewhat dazed and had not reacted yet, but upon hearing Alder's voice, it forced its eyes open.
A dark purple glow lit up within those innocent-looking eyes of its.
If it could successfully execute the move Pain Split, then for Reuniclus the previous attack would not only not have been a disadvantage, but could even have become an advantage.
Because on its own it found it difficult to inflict much damage on Tyranitar, but if it shared the pain with it now, then it would be able to inflict enough damage.
However, after seeing Reuniclus's moves, how could Cain not know what tactic Alder would use in a situation like this?
Tyranitar ran to the area where Reuniclus was going to fall, bent its knees like springs suddenly being released, and at the same time violently struck the ground with its thick tail.
Boom!!!
A huge crack appeared beneath Tyranitar's feet, because the force of its tail directly split the battlefield into two.
What shot into the sky was that enormous beast.
Could a Pokémon like Tyranitar actually possess such jumping ability as well?
That was a skill the real Groudon did not have!
"Crunch!" Cain's voice sounded in Tyranitar's mind, but even before that Tyranitar had already understood his intention and had its mouth open, prepared long ago.
Although Pain Split was a rather abnormal and very powerful move, it had one major flaw: its execution speed was quite slow.
Awooo—
Upon seeing that scene, that sound appeared simultaneously in the minds of all the spectators.
It was incredibly vivid and perfectly timed!
Just as Reuniclus was about to use Pain Split, it saw an enormous bloodstained mouth bite down on it without hesitation in a single gulp.
That wave of energy that tormented it the most was injected into its body, and in an instant its eyes rolled back and it fainted directly.
Tyranitar, biting down on Reuniclus, fell vertically at a speed even greater than its ascent. It looked like a human missile!
Boom!!!
Crack, crack, crack, crack—
A tremendous roar resounded across the entire field, and the spectators seated in the stands felt their hearts jolt and their backsides tingle.
For the first time, for the very first time, they felt that watching a battle from the stands was such an unsafe thing!
At that moment, the entire battlefield was completely wrecked just from Tyranitar's jump and fall.
It was only after the sand raised by the impact began to settle slowly that the spectators could see the scene inside: Reuniclus lay beside Tyranitar, having lost the ability to battle, while Tyranitar stood amid the ashes, looking like a true prehistoric beast.
"Reuniclus has lost the ability to battle! Please, Champion Alder, send out another Pokémon!" The announcer's voice rang out once more, overflowing with excitement. After all, the home Champion had won the first round!
Alder looked at Reuniclus lying beside Tyranitar, and he also showed a trace of helplessness.
There was no helping it: he had sent out his Pokémon first, and Cain had countered it with type advantage.
And now, he had also seen it clearly: the strength of that Tyranitar had already surpassed the second barrier of the Champion level; in brute force, it stood above Reuniclus.
"Are you really not holding back even a little?" Alder said, shaking his head in resignation.
Cain smiled bashfully. There was no helping it: it was true that he had taken advantage of an edge, so he could not really say much.
But since the battle between Tyranitar and Reuniclus had already set the tone for the entire match, then what came next would surely be even more explosive.
At that moment, whether the spectators present or those watching the battle on television or on their computers, all of them were completely hooked.
It was only a battle, and yet they had directly destroyed the battlefield!
This was what a battle should be!
This was what a Champion-level battle should be!
"Cain's current strength... really is becoming more and more terrifying."
In one corner of the stands was the observation box of Steven and the other geniuses from several regions. From there, one had the best angle and the clearest view, and the one who had spoken was precisely Steven, Cain's best friend.
At his side, Cynthia nodded in approval. Then she looked at Steven with a thoughtful expression, and in her gaze there was, to a greater or lesser extent, a trace of sympathy.
"Eh, Cynthia... what kind of look is that?" Steven's expression froze.
"A mocking look. Don't you still understand what Cynthia meant? Although all of us are of the same generation as Cain, more or less we all feel quite a bit of pressure, but you, who are even from the same region as him, should be the one feeling the most pressure, right?" Lance, at one side, smiled as he helped explain the meaning of Cynthia's expression.
But just as Lance finished his joke, Lorelei, seated on the other side, shot him a sidelong glance. "And one wonders who it was that trained desperately every single day, and even in his sleep shouted: 'Cain! Cain! Come fight me!'"
As she had gradually become familiar with everyone, Lorelei no longer seemed as cold as she had at first. This time, imitating Lance, she really did it quite well.
"Hm? Lorelei, you..." Lance's expression turned awkward. He had not expected someone to expose his past.
At that moment, another ill-timed voice sounded: "Eh, by the way, Sister Lorelei, how do you know that Lance talks in his sleep while he's sleeping?"
The one who spoke was Phoebe, and her words struck right on target.
For an instant, everyone's gazes became a little strange, although the target was the same: they went back and forth between Lance and Lorelei.
For once, Lorelei's cheeks flushed red. She cast another sidelong glance at Lance. "This guy fell asleep in the middle of a battle with me. I really don't know to what extent he's been training lately."
"Oh~~~!" Everyone responded in unison.
Although, judging by their expressions, whether they believed it or not was already left to each person's interpretation.
The battle continued!
Alder withdrew Reuniclus and immediately handed it over to the staff standing at one side to help restore his Pokémon's condition.
But at the same time that Alder recalled his Pokémon, Cain also took out a Poké Ball and returned Tyranitar.
What Alder would do next was, without a doubt, send out a Pokémon capable of countering Tyranitar, and Cain was not willing for Tyranitar to lose the ability to battle so soon.
Seeing Cain's actions, Alder smiled in understanding.
(End of Chapter)