"What a terrifying energy fluctuation... is that the move Focus Energy?!"
Watching the fireball continuously compress and condense, Ethan's expression changed slightly.
The effect of the move Focus Energy is to take a deep breath and concentrate the mind, increasing the probability of landing critical hits.
But in the hands of Leader Brandon Jones, this move meant to increase the critical hit rate had been turned into a method for compressing and condensing fireballs!
It was easy to imagine that as Magmar continued to focus and compress energy, the power of that fireball would reach an extremely terrifying level.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Ethan did not dare to hesitate and gave the order immediately.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard had also sensed the threat coming from Magmar.
Opening its mouth, it spewed an incomparably fierce torrent of flames, capable of sweeping everything away.
"Magmar, go—use Fling and Focus Energy!"
Brandon smiled faintly and ordered Magmar to throw the fireball reinforced by the move Focus Energy.
Amid the spreading dark energy, the fireball shot forward, leaving a long flaming trail in the air, like a comet crashing directly into Charizard's terrifying Flamethrower.
Boom!
In midair, the Flamethrower and the fireball collided violently.
Immediately afterward, both offensives were locked in the air, facing each other as terrifying energy erupted uncontrollably.
"The Flamethrower has been stopped!"
Seeing this, Ethan could not help but feel shocked.
One had to know that this Flamethrower had been executed under the Dragon state of Sunny Day!
With the combined support of Sunny Day, the ability Solar Power, and temperature control, it had still been blocked so easily!
It was obvious that in order to fully display the power of Magmar's Fling and Focus Energy, Brandon had not held back at all.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the fireball reinforced by Focus Energy detonated in the air, dispersing like fireworks.
"What do you think of this way of using Focus Energy?"
Brandon smiled faintly, causing Ethan's expression to tense up once more.
...
Ruuuumble!
Just as Ethan was reflecting, a violent rumble suddenly spread throughout the entire gym.
In the next instant, the entire ground began to shake; not only the floor, but everything around them seemed to be trembling.
"What's going on?"
"Is this... the move Earthquake?"
Confusion appeared on Ethan's face.
"Hmm?"
"Has it already started?"
"Why now of all times?!"
Brandon frowned slightly, though he quickly relaxed again.
He looked at Ethan, the referee, and the staff of the Pokémon Trainers' Guild, who were still stunned, and shouted urgently, "This isn't the move Earthquake, it's a real earthquake!"
"Quick, find a corner and take cover!"
Hearing Brandon's words, Ethan was startled and immediately recalled Charizard, who was in the air.
Relying on his knowledge of earthquake evacuation learned from drills, he immediately searched for a safe angle to take shelter.
Even so, he still wasn't completely at ease and opened a Poké Ball. Vibrava appeared behind him.
"Viiibbrraa!"
The moment it came out, Vibrava's expression suddenly became serious.
Boom, boom, boom!
At that moment, the earthquake intensified even further.
The sounds of objects falling to the ground followed one after another without end.
"It's an earthquake, a real earthquake!"
After shouting for everyone to take cover, Brandon suddenly took out a Poké Ball and opened it, releasing an Arcanine.
"Leader Brandon, where are you going?!"
The staff of the Pokémon Trainers' Guild asked anxiously.
"You all stay safe. I must go help the ordinary civilians!"
With that, Brandon mounted Arcanine and dashed out of the gym.
Ruuuumble...
The shaking continued.
Suddenly, roof tiles began to fall.
Fortunately, Arcanine reacted quickly. Using Flamethrower, it cleared the obstacles in front of them, and they shot straight out through the door.
Outside on the streets, Brandon's voice could be heard organizing order and coordinating the people.
Later, the earthquake seemed to gradually weaken, allowing Ethan to let out a slight breath of relief.
"Viiibbrraa!"
But at that moment, Vibrava beside him cried out loudly again.
"You're saying the earthquake isn't over yet?"
Ethan's expression changed once more. As a vibration-based Pokémon, Vibrava was extremely sensitive to earthquakes!
Ruuuumble!
Just as Vibrava indicated, the ground shook again, and this time with even greater intensity than before.
Crack, crack, crack!
At the same time, the sounds of cracks forming in the walls of the gym could be heard.
"Damn it, this gym is going to collapse!"
Seeing stone fragments falling from the walls, Ethan's face turned pale.
"Viiibbrraa!"
Vibrava shouted loudly.
Immediately afterward, a tornado suddenly formed beside Ethan, grinding all the falling debris to pieces.
As the tornado gradually dissipated, Ethan could be seen within it, firmly supported from behind by Vibrava as they rose rapidly.
Upon reaching the air, Vibrava directly used the move Sonic Boom to open a huge hole in the roof and carried Ethan flying into the sky.
Suspended in the air, Ethan looked down at the land below.
He discovered that the city was already plunged into chaos: countless civilians were screaming in terror.
The constant rumbling, the endlessly shaking ground, and the buildings beginning to collapse had become the source of panic, creating a scene worthy of the end of the world.
Fortunately, this was a world with Pokémon. Many trainers, like Leader Brandon, could already be seen releasing their Pokémon and participating in rescue efforts, easing the situation somewhat.
"Come out, Charizard!"
"Let's help with the rescue as well."
Without hesitation, Ethan made his decision, released Charizard, and flew down toward the city.
Boom, boom, boom!
The earth continued to roar.
Suddenly, a five-story building began to sway violently.
Accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, the entire building seemed to tilt and collapse.
"Gengar, save the people!"
Ethan was startled and shouted immediately.
A shadow flickered behind him, and Gengar's figure shot forward.
A blue light flashed across Gengar's eyes, and a powerful psychic force spread out, directly stabilizing the building that was about to fall.
Fortunately, they detected it in time and managed to stabilize it before it collapsed. Moreover, Gengar's strength was truly astonishing: although this quasi-Elite-level Gengar was not a Psychic-type, its mental power was still extremely strong, and it barely managed to hold the building upright.
(End of chapter)