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Flame Spiral!
Lian opened his mouth and unleashed spinning flames, directing the intense inferno towards Machamp. As he observed its movements, he noticed that Machamp indeed activated Wide Guard, creating a massive protective barrier covering their battlefield, safeguarding both itself and the floating Chandelure.
This was Wide Guard, effective against area-based moves but unable to defend against single-target attacks. It's akin to cracking an egg; if you apply force evenly across its surface, it won't easily break due to the distributed pressure. However, striking the egg directly with concentrated force shatters it effortlessly. The principle behind Wide Guard is similar.
When Kalia saw Charizard unleash Flame Spiral, she felt slightly bewildered, and her confusion deepened as Machamp deployed Wide Guard. Although she had considered the possibility of Aurora using Wide Guard, it seemed highly unlikely.
To her surprise, not only did Machamp use Wide Guard, but more importantly, Charizard anticipated this move and countered with Flame Spiral, perfectly exploiting Wide Guard's weakness.
The scorching flames erupted, slamming fiercely into the muscular Machamp. Wide Guard's protective shield appeared almost nonexistent, instantly shattered by the onslaught.
Machamp struggled to resist the onslaught of flames with its arms, enduring the continuous impact from Flame Spiral. Forced backward step by step, pain from burns was evident on its face.
However, Machamp is inherently known for its resilience and managed to withstand the assault. Suddenly, its eyes lit up, and the red band wrapped around its body began to glow before disappearing in the next moment.
"That's...a Focus Sash?" Kalia was taken aback; Focus Sashes are rare and single-use items.
Legend has it that some Fighting-type Pokemon, upon their death, imbue their strong will into the bands they wear. If a Pokemon carries a Focus Sash, once subjected to an attack severe enough to knock them unconscious, the sash activates, allowing the Pokemon to maintain a sliver of consciousness and avoid fainting.
The Focus Sash is highly valued, primarily due to the residual fighting spirit it contains, which can aid in the training of Fighting-type Pokemon. Generally, such sashes are not used casually, so seeing one equipped by Machamp came as a surprise.
"A waste," Kalia murmured. After activating, the powerful will embedded in the Focus Sash dissipates, rendering the item useless.
However, Machamp was barely conscious at this point, and Ninetales had already unleashed its Flamethrower, indicating that the Focus Sash did activate but failed to turn the tide in Aurora's favor. Instead, Machamp still faced imminent defeat.
With the No Guard Ability, Ninetales didn't need to worry about accuracy; within the range of No Guard, opponents cannot defend or dodge attacks.
"Lost it," Aurora felt a pang of distress. Typically, Machamp never required the Focus Sash since no Pokemon could instantly defeat it. Instead, Machamp often used the sash for training exercises.
A single mistake led to the loss of the valuable Focus Sash, which troubled Aurora deeply, especially as she gained nothing from the encounter.
Under the effect of the No Guard Ability, Ninetales' Flamethrower directly targeted Machamp, draining away its last remaining strength.
Machamp's defeat could be attributed to luck, yet it also showcased Lian's prowess. If his move hadn't been powerful enough, Machamp would not have fallen.
Without Machamp, the No Guard Ability ceased, allowing Lian the opportunity to evade attacks. Otherwise, with No Guard active, he wouldn't have stood a chance to avoid them.
Similarly, now with Chandelure's Shadow Ball move, a black wave of dark energy swiftly headed towards Lian. Despite his burst of speed, he couldn't evade it; as soon as Machamp lost its fighting capability, Lian was immediately confronted by the Shadow Ball.
Lian folded his wings defensively before him, but unfortunately, this proved ineffective. Instead, he felt the impact and force from the Shadow Ball directly hit his wings, sending him flying.
From now on, I won't take any more damage.
With that thought, Lian flapped his wings again, appearing slightly unsteady. The aftermath of the Shadow Ball's impact caused a lingering pain each time he moved his wings.
Looking down, Machamp had already been incapacitated, leaving only Chandelure and Bouffalant remaining.
"Go, Bouffalant!" Aurora acted swiftly, switching to Bouffalant just as Machamp fell, ensuring it wouldn't be targeted if she delayed even a moment longer.
When Trainers switch their Pokemon, quickness is crucial to prevent opponents from capitalizing on the transition.
As soon as Bouffalant entered the field, Lian took action. Although Shadow Ball is powerful, it alone was insufficient to defeat him. The Solar Power's side effects necessitated that Lian swiftly end this battle.
Chandelure being both Ghost and Fire Type, Lian immediately unleashed Air Slash, sending an invisible gust of wind directly towards the opponent.
He couldn't quickly follow up with Flame Spiral, despite its similar energy consumption to Flamethrower. At his current level, releasing two consecutive Flame Spirals would be impractical; perhaps at higher levels, he could train to use multiple Flame Spirals or even explore further applications for the move.
For now, after using Flame Spiral, he had to switch to moves from other attributes.
Lian anticipated that Air Slash alone might not defeat Chandelure, but that wasn't a concern. He could follow up with a Dragon Pulse if needed.
In terms of speed in executing moves, only top-tier Trainers' Pokemon could potentially match him in this world, and Aurora's Chandelure fell significantly short.
With the system on his side, Lian had maxed out proficiency and maintained high control over his moves. If he still couldn't execute faster than other Pokemon, he might as well give up and call it quits.
An invisible Air Slash streaked towards Chandelure. Although lacking No Guard protection, it barely affected Lian's strategy. With a 20% flying type Control Rating, unless his opponent used moves like Double Team or other evasive techniques, detecting this swift Air Slash would be challenging, let alone avoiding it.
Whish!
The Air Slash effortlessly pierced through Chandelure, causing its flames to momentarily flicker as if stunned.
Unconcerned with Chandelure's state, Lian mercilessly unleashed Dragon Pulse. Immediately after casting Air Slash, he opened his mouth and emitted a powerful azure shockwave.
As Lian released Dragon Pulse, Bouffalant continued stomping its hind legs vigorously. However, since Lian was airborne, it could only target Ninetales.
Rumble.
Bouffalant charged forward, generating an impressive momentum. Its sturdy horns, hidden beneath the fluffy explosion-like mane, created a forceful impact as it sprinted straight towards Ninetales.
Simultaneously, the intense cyan energy wave surged towards Chandelure, which had just been struck by Air Slash. The battle progressed rapidly; before Aurora could even react, Chandelure endured consecutive hits from both Air Slash and Dragon Pulse. Unable to maintain its floating ability, it slowly descended to the ground.