"It looks like Naira is going to lose!"
Seeing this scene, the entire stadium fell silent.
Although they had already anticipated it, the thought that Naira could lose was still difficult for them to accept.
"What exactly is this Ethan's relationship with Champion Leo?"
"First it was the Sunny Day Dragon, and now Explosive Step and Explosive Punch..."
At that moment, some spectators began to speculate about Ethan's identity.
"Lose?"
Off the field, Patrick Mills, who had witnessed the entire battle, suddenly felt that everything seemed a little unreal.
He knew Ethan's real situation perfectly well; after all, before arriving in Solaris City, they had been training Pokémon together at the university.
He clearly remembered that before coming to Solaris City, Ethan should only have had a Charmeleon, right?
But now, his Charmeleon had already successfully evolved into Charizard and, moreover, had learned the Sunny Day Dragon in such a short time!
And there were also Litwick and Magmortar; he could be certain that Ethan had captured those two Pokémon in Solaris City.
In just a few months, those two Pokémon had been trained to such a level! Although there was a certain element of luck—for example, that Magmar was already very strong even without training—compared to now, they were simply on two completely different levels.
"Lose?"
"How is that possible?!"
At that instant, Naira suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Then, it could be seen that the Magmar knocked down on the ground slowly stood up, with flames burning violently all over its body.
Crack, crack!
Suddenly, the sound of crackling lightning could be heard.
Streams of electricity suddenly flashed around Magmar's fists and then ran through its entire body, completely enveloping it in electricity.
"This is...!"
"Thunderflame Dragon Mode!"
"It's the Thunderflame Dragon Mode of Champion Leo's Magmar!"
Seeing this scene, the spectators became excited once again.
Just when they thought Ethan's Magmortar was about to win, Naira's Magmar had activated Thunderflame Dragon Mode, making the outcome uncertain once more.
"It can even use Thunderflame Dragon Mode?"
Seeing the lightning and flames intertwined around Magmar's body, Ethan gently shook his head.
But giving up like this was not an option. Even though the opponent's Magmar had mastered Thunderflame Dragon Mode, his Magmortar also had mastered Explosive Punch.
"Come on, Magmortar! Use Explosive Punch with all your strength!"
With Ethan's order, Fighting-type energy began to gather in Magmortar's fist, executing Explosive Punch first. Then, it could be seen that flames began to gush endlessly from the cannons on its arms, wrapping around its fist and turning it into a fire-covered Explosive Punch.
Boom!
After that, Magmortar used Explosive Step again, and its figure vanished in an instant.
At the same time, Magmar on the other side, after activating Thunderflame Dragon Mode, with lightning and flames intertwined all over its body, stomped the ground and charged forward.
In the center of the field, both figures appeared abruptly and, at the same time, swung their fists with full force.
BOOM!!!
Explosive Punch and the Thunderflame Fist collided violently with each other.
Almost instantly, the ground beneath the two Pokémon's feet caved in sharply, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, as spiderweb-like fissures suddenly appeared beneath them.
Explosive flames and raging lightning began to run wild uncontrollably around both Pokémon, until they finally erupted into a violent explosion. A terrifying energy roared across the field, transforming into a shockwave that spread in all directions.
Fortunately, Champion Leo's four Charizard were stationed on the field, directly blocking the frontal impact of the energy. Only some scattered currents reached the stands, tossing the spectators' hair about.
"How was it?"
"Has the winner been decided?"
The spectators, somewhat disheveled, hurriedly tidied themselves up and directed all their gazes toward the field.
Little by little, the smoke from the explosion dissipated, revealing the silhouettes of the two Pokémon.
"It's Magmar, Magmar won!"
Suddenly, the spectators erupted into shouts of surprise.
It could be seen that Magmortar had already fallen to the ground, while only Magmar remained standing.
However, just as the voices of the crowd died down, it was seen that streams of electricity suddenly surged out from Magmar's body.
Under the lashing of the electricity, Magmar let out a painful groan, and its body also slowly collapsed.
"It's the side effect of Thunderflame Dragon Mode."
"Magmar also fell!"
Seeing this, the spectators were left stunned.
Although Magmar had defeated Magmortar thanks to Thunderflame Dragon Mode, it also fell due to the side effects of that mode.
Therefore, this battle ended in a draw!
"A draw—you really did well, Magmortar."
Faced with this result, Ethan did not feel too disappointed.
There was no alternative; after all, Naira's Magmar had received the guidance of a champion and rigorous training.
By comparison, Magmortar had only evolved from a wild Magmar, and in such a short time it was impossible to subject it to systematic training.
That Magmortar could fight Magmar to this extent already demonstrated how strong it was. It would only take a series of training sessions for its strength to increase rapidly.
"Oh, oh, oh, the battle has ended!"
"Since all three Pokémon of competitor Ethan have lost the ability to battle, and competitor Naira still has a Ninetales that has not been defeated, the winner of this match is Naira!"
Seeing that the result was already decided, the announcer immediately picked up the microphone to announce it, triggering a wave of cheers throughout the entire stadium.
However, Naira, on the field, did not feel even a bit of joy. Although she had won the match, she was not the protagonist at that moment.
She could clearly feel that the cheering spectators had directed almost all of their gazes toward Ethan; even the guests in the VIP area, including her own master, were doing the same.
The Sunny Day Dragon, Explosive Step, and Explosive Punch, as well as the appearance of Magmortar, had turned Ethan into the true protagonist of this battle.
She looked down from the stage and clearly saw those reporters so excited that they seemed ready to rush onto the field at any moment. She knew very well that they were not after her, the victor, but after Ethan.
The method of Magmortar's evolution was undoubtedly the issue that concerned everyone present the most.
After this battle, the names of Ethan and Magmortar would surely spread throughout the entire League, drawing everyone's attention, while she, the victor, would only end up becoming an insignificant accompanist.
(End of chapter)