"Your Blaziken has mastered Flamethrower?" Lith expressed slight surprise. Although Blaziken could learn Flamethrower through a Move Disk, Trainers typically did not teach it to them. This was due to its difficulty in mastery and Blaziken's natural proficiency in close combat moves.
With their slender legs and agile physique, Blazikens were inherently designed for melee battles. While they possess decent Special attack capabilities, few Trainers focus on developing their long-range abilities, making Dual Blades Blazikens quite rare.
Most Blazikens specialize in close combat, not only showcasing impressive style but also demonstrating formidable strength in such engagements.
Instead of charging forward, Kalia's Blaziken unleashed a Flamethrower, sending a scorching blast directly towards Wigglytuff.
The power of Flamethrower is substantial, especially since Lian had already increased Blaziken's Special Attack ability value to its maximum, with the Pokémon reaching around Level 45.
The Flamethrower hit Wigglytuff squarely, despite its high Stamina ability value, causing significant discomfort.
Lith's Defense Curl strategy proved ineffective as he watched Wigglytuff being hit by Flamethrower. His expression changed swiftly, and he quickly called out to switch Poké Balls: "Return, Wigglytuff."
Lith recalled the injured Wigglytuff, realizing it was no match for Blaziken in terms of speed and offensive capabilities.
Wigglytuff's advantage lay in its numerous supportive moves, but it had significant drawbacks - slow speed and weak attacking power. Recognizing that it couldn't compete with Blaziken, Lith promptly minimized further damage by recalling Wigglytuff.
"Go, Snorlax." Identifying the Poké Ball, Lith sent out a Snorlax. Although similarly slow like Wigglytuff, Snorlax differed significantly with its formidable attack strength. Despite Normal Type Snorlax being vulnerable to Fighting Types, its superior Stamina base stat compared to Wigglytuff allowed it to withstand Blaziken's Fighting moves without much concern.
Thud.
Snorlax landed heavily on the ground, emitting a dull sound. Sitting upright, Lith's Snorlax appeared massive, making Blaziken seem tiny in comparison, almost like a chick.
"Blaziken, use High Jump Kick," Kalia commanded.
Kalia suggested, "The best move against Snorlax is High Jump Kick." Due to Snorlax's slow speed, it would struggle to evade close-range attacks, ensuring Blaziken's High Jump Kick would land accurately.
High Jump Kick is a highly dangerous move where the Pokemon concentrates all its power into its leg, jumping high and delivering a forceful kick with immense strength.
If it connects with the opponent, the damage inflicted is absolutely terrifying. However, if the kick misses, due to the unreleased energy, the recoil effect can severely injure the attacking Pokemon itself.
"Snor... High Jump Kick? It actually mastered this move," Lith exclaimed, quickly halting his impending command. Initially, he planned to have Snorlax charge directly at the opponent, but with Blaziken using High Jump Kick, he couldn't miss such an excellent opportunity.
If the High Jump Kick missed, a single hit from Snorlax would likely render Blaziken unable to continue battling effectively. This chance was too valuable for Lith to overlook.
Even if they failed, it wouldn't be catastrophic. With Snorlax's formidable stamina, Blaziken could not instantly defeat it, making room for error quite high.
"Snorlax, use Protect to block it!" Lith commanded. The Protect move is a versatile technique for Pokemon, capable of countering numerous attacks, including High Jump Kick.
If Blaziken's High Jump Kick were blocked by Protect, its side effects would still take effect, which was why Lith halted his previous command - he had identified a better option.
At that moment, Blaziken leaped, fully prepared to execute the High Jump Kick. Its elongated leg brimmed with explosive power as it aimed fiercely at Snorlax.
"Oh no!" Kalia's expression changed abruptly. Even if Protect blocks High Jump Kick, the side effects remain because the shield generated by Protect cannot absorb the force of the kick. Instead, it would be akin to striking a solid steel plate, causing all the impact to rebound onto the Blaziken itself.
If the kick lands on Snorlax, the entire force disperses without issue for Blaziken. However, if blocked by Protect, Blaziken must endure the full backlash from the High Jump Kick's side effects.
Snorlax, highly proficient in Protect, successfully cast the move immediately upon receiving the command. A protective barrier rose around Snorlax, impenetrable and robust, rendering any attempt to breach it futile.
With a painful cry, Blaziken forcefully struck the protective barrier and endured the High Jump Kick's recoil as the force reverberated back into its body, eliciting agonizing screams.
"Right now, Snorlax! Use Body Slam!" Lith swiftly issued his command, seizing the perfect opportunity. With Blaziken weakened by the recoil, Snorlax's immediate attack could undoubtedly defeat it.
Lith indeed demonstrated exceptional timing in battles. Snorlax quickly rose to its feet and then leaped into the air, not very high but sufficient to overpower Blaziken.
The shadow loomed larger, indicating that Snorlax was about to crush Blaziken. The immense power of Body Slam would surely render Blaziken unable to continue fighting.
Boom!
A deafening sound shook the entire arena, sending dust swirling upwards. Lith hastily looked beneath Snorlax, only to find no trace of Blaziken.
"How is this possible? It dodged?" Lith was utterly astonished, realizing that despite enduring intense pain moments ago, Blaziken still had enough energy to evade.
Unbeknownst to Lith, Blaziken's Acceleration Ability had already kicked in, significantly increasing its speed. Although Snorlax executed Body Slam swiftly, for Blaziken, it might as well have been moving at a snail's pace.
"Return, Blaziken."
Seeing Blaziken evade successfully, Kalia sighed with relief and prepared to recall her Pokémon. The High Jump Kick's recoil was severe; the heavily injured Blaziken needed rest.
"Go, Sceptile! Defeat Snorlax."
Sceptile, Kalia's second-strongest Pokémon, rivaled only by Charizard, excelled in integrating various close combat moves into its Fighting Technique. Anyone witnessing Sceptile's battles would readily believe it could be classified as a pure Fighting Type Pokémon.
With mastery of Brick Break and exceptional evasive capabilities, Sceptile should effortlessly handle Snorlax.
Kalia didn't intend to prolong this match; if Sceptile fell, she'd immediately send out Charizard to end it decisively. Despite Lith's powerful Pokémon, Charizard far surpassed them all.