The nine masses transformed into nine Meltan, each firing the move Thunderbolt toward Delphox.
At the last instant, Delphox disappeared again.
"It dodged it," a spectator sighed.
But at that moment, a beam pierced through the void.
It struck Delphox directly and sent her flying into the air.
"Electromagnetic Cannon!"
Eight of the Meltan were wrapped in electricity. Their bodies transformed into swords and shot forward.
Delphox sensed the danger and released all her fiery power.
Boom!
The explosions shattered the flames.
Amid the sparks, Delphox fell heavily to the ground.
"Delphox... also fell."
The spectators of the Federal League were in shock.
Stefan, considered invincible among his peers, had lost two Pokémon in a row at the very start of the battle.
"Delphox loses the ability to battle..."
The referee began to announce.
But before finishing, a flame appeared in the sky.
Like a meteorite, it fell directly onto Meltan, engulfing it in a sea of fire.
"It's Future Sight!"
"Delphox used Future Sight at the end, and the attack fell now!"
The crowd exclaimed in unison.
When the smoke cleared...
"Delphox and Meltan lose the ability to battle at the same time."
Seeing this, the referee quickly corrected his words and announced the final result.
"Even so, it still managed to take one... Future Sight, huh?"
"But you did very well, Meltan."
Ethan smiled slightly. A one-for-two trade; Meltan had already fulfilled its mission.
Then he directed his gaze toward Stefan and slightly curled his lips.
The moment he saw Delphox disappear instantly, Ethan had already guessed his strategy.
As far as he knew, Delphox could not use the move Teleport. The reason it could perform that kind of spatial shift was clearly the move Ally Switch.
However, Stefan's Delphox was very well trained. She was already capable of locking onto the flames she herself launched and, through them, executing the move Ally Switch, switching her position with the fire.
But that usage also had a great weakness: if the flames in the air were located, it was easy to deduce where she would appear.
Of course, this time the weakness was so evident because, in the middle of the battle, Delphox only had time to launch two flames.
If she had had enough time, she could have placed multiple fire "coordinates" using the move Will-O-Wisp and other Fire-type moves, thus obtaining extreme mobility on the field.
It could only be said that Ethan's eye was too sharp. He reacted in the very first instant and allowed Meltan to execute its attack with lightning speed, giving her no opportunity at all.
That said, the use of the move Future Sight was something he had not anticipated, and it ended up knocking out the already fatigued Meltan.
"Damn it... I underestimated him."
Stefan clenched his fists. Losing two Pokémon left him at a clear disadvantage.
Moreover, Ethan's strategic vision and command ability had deeply surprised him. He could no longer afford to be careless.
"Since Delphox lost the ability to battle first, the next to send out a Pokémon will be Trainer Stefan."
After hearing the referee, Stefan thought for a moment and threw another Poké Ball. The figure of Medicham appeared on the field.
"Medicham, huh... it seems he wants to cover against my Tyranitar."
"If this Medicham has the ability Pure Power, its Attack doubles. In addition, it's a Fighting-type. Added to the fact that Tyranitar takes quadruple damage from Fighting-type moves... if it takes a single punch, not even its rock armor could save it."
Seeing Stefan's choice, Ethan understood that he was now serious. That Medicham completely blocked Tyranitar as a weather summoner; it was a brilliant choice.
After thinking for a moment, he threw Sandslash's Poké Ball and decided to face Medicham directly.
"It's a Sandslash... a rather common Pokémon."
The spectators began to comment.
But after Ethan's previous performance—and with the precedent of Litwick—no one dared to underestimate Sandslash. Who knew if in the next second they would end up looking ridiculous again?
Moreover, any Pokémon in Ethan's hands seemed extraordinary. That had already been proven.
"Medicham, Meditate!"
As soon as it appeared, Medicham sat down with its legs crossed.
As psychic energy flowed, its body began to levitate, further increasing its offensive power.
"Sandslash, Sand Spin Whirl!"
At the same time, Ethan gave his order.
Sandslash began spinning rapidly, releasing the power of the sandstorm within it, causing the sandy weather to return to the field.
But it did not stop there.
The Rapid Spin move continued, combining with the storm to condense a gale, dragging the sand Tyranitar had left earlier and recreating the devastating attack of the Sandstorm move.
"Go, Sandstorm!"
Sandslash advanced wrapped in the gale toward Medicham.
"Focus Punch!"
When the storm formed, Medicham opened its eyes.
It descended gently to the ground and entered a state of concentration.
Psychic energy could clearly be seen wrapping around its hands.
As it charged the Focus Punch move, Fighting-type energy surged and fused with the psychic energy.
Just as the storm reached it, Medicham threw its punch.
The fusion of energies formed an illusory shadow of a fist that struck the storm directly.
Boom!
The roar was deafening.
The storm stopped abruptly.
It did not last much longer.
Under that punch, the storm disintegrated and Sandslash itself was sent flying.
"What terrifying strength!"
Even Ethan was surprised.
The Attack doubled by the Pure Power ability, added to the boost from the Meditate move...
And on top of that, the fusion of psychic energy with the Focus Punch move...
The power of that strike had reached a monstrous level.
If Tyranitar had taken that impact directly, with the quadruple weakness included, Ethan had no doubt it would have been defeated instantly.
Fortunately, the sandstorm absorbed much of the damage, and the Rapid Spin move acted as a second defense, allowing Sandslash to retreat without falling.
(End of chapter)