"Magmortar, use Explosive Step!"
Seeing the acceleration technique that Blaziken used, Ethan immediately gave the order.
Although he did not know exactly what the principle behind that Blaziken acceleration technique was, he was clear about one thing: he could not give the opponent time to keep accumulating speed.
Boom!
Upon hearing Ethan's order, Magmortar's body crouched slightly.
Then, supporting itself on one leg, it stomped the ground hard and, amid an explosion of fire, its figure disappeared in an instant!
In the next second, Magmortar suddenly appeared in front of Blaziken and threw a brutal punch.
At the critical instant, Blaziken struck the ground with both legs and suddenly leapt very high, pushing its speed to the extreme.
Boom!
Magmortar's fist smashed into the ground, making the entire surface tremble.
"What incredible speed! So it really is the Ability Speed Boost!"
Seeing that Blaziken displayed a speed even greater than Magmortar's Explosive Step, Ethan's gaze sharpened.
"Although the time was short, it is already enough. Blaziken, get ready! Use Quick Attack!"
In the air, Blaziken stabilized its body and dived down at full speed.
On the ground, Magmortar also moved at the same time. It used Explosive Step again and disappeared from its place amid an eruption of flames.
In barely a flash, both Pokémon pushed their speed to the limit, leaving the spectators completely dazzled.
"That is Blaziken's acceleration technique. I already encountered that move in the Elite Tournament. It is truly very strong."
Seeing the speed that Blaziken had shown, one of the Elite Tournament participants commented with admiration, arms crossed.
But in the next second, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
That Magmortar in front of him had managed to keep up with Blaziken without falling behind in the slightest!
The reason why Blaziken could show that speed was the Ability Speed Boost, but then... what was Magmortar relying on?
"It's Explosive Step, the famous Explosive Step of Champion Leo Cross's Magmar."
At that moment, a Trainer specialized in Fire type suddenly spoke.
"Champion Leo Cross?!"
Hearing that, many people were surprised. And immediately afterward, their expressions became even more serious.
Explosive Step was, without any doubt, a technique of the very highest level. They had never imagined that Ethan's Magmortar could master it!
Boom, boom, boom!
Several rumblings were heard again, and the two Pokémon separated quickly.
"I didn't expect it to be Explosive Step. But my Blaziken's speed still hasn't reached its limit."
"Blaziken, use Flame Charge!"
Blaziken's body moved again, wrapped in bright flames.
Boom!
In the next moment, an explosion resounded.
And immediately, Blaziken was seen suddenly appearing in front of Magmortar, sending it flying with a single punch.
"What speed!"
Seeing that, the spectators were suddenly startled.
They looked toward the place where Blaziken had been an instant before and saw that its figure was slowly fading away.
"It's an afterimage!"
"That Blaziken's speed has reached the point of leaving behind a residual trail!"
When they realized that, everyone opened their eyes wide.
When speed was so high that it left persistent afterimages, it meant that it had reached a certain limit.
"So it can become that fast... It seems that, under normal conditions, Blaziken's speed can no longer be followed. But... afterimages?"
Ethan stroked his chin while thinking.
"Well done, Blaziken. Again, Flame Charge!"
Seeing that scene, Gabriel's face showed an expression of certain victory.
When his Blaziken's Ability Speed Boost and the move Flame Charge acted at the same time, Blaziken's speed became practically unsolvable among opponents of the same level.
"Magmortar, Double Team!"
Ethan's voice immediately sounded from behind.
Then, Magmortar's body trembled slightly, and more than ten illusory doubles separated from it.
Blaziken was about to attack, but upon seeing such a large number of Magmortar copies, it was stunned for a moment.
"Blaziken, destroy them all!"
Seeing that, Gabriel gave the order again.
Although the opponent had used the move Double Team, in front of absolute speed, that was not a problem.
Without making a sound, Blaziken's body suddenly appeared in front of one of the Magmortar.
And, accompanying the swing of its fist, the punch struck Magmortar head-on.
"It hit!"
Seeing it, Gabriel's face filled with joy. But, when he raised his gaze, he suddenly saw that Ethan was also smiling.
Gabriel immediately shuddered, but before he could react, a sudden explosion was heard.
And immediately afterward, another and then another, in a chain of explosions that raised an enormous cloud of dust over the entire field.
"What the hell was that?"
"Could it have been Self-Destruct?"
"But then, what's with that series of explosions?"
Looking at the smoke covering the stadium, the spectators began discussing heatedly.
"If we talk about destructive power, that attack undoubtedly reached the level of Self-Destruct."
Even the tournament participants themselves frowned at that moment.
If that had really been the move Self-Destruct, setting aside the chain explosions...
Why on earth would Magmortar have done that?
After using the move Self-Destruct, the user itself also lost the ability to battle.
Even if it had defeated Blaziken with that move, the final result could only have been a draw!
And according to the tournament rules, a draw also counted as a failure in defending the ring!
If Magmortar had done that, it made absolutely no sense!
And besides, Magmortar had not yet reached the point of being forced to stake everything on a single card.
While the entire stadium was still sunk in debate, the smoke began to slowly dissipate, revealing the scene on the field.
The first thing everyone did was look toward where Magmortar was.
"Magmortar has not fallen! Then... what happened before wasn't Self-Destruct?"
Seeing that Magmortar was still standing, the spectators frowned.
Then they directed their gaze toward the other side, and their pupils contracted sharply.
"How can this be?!"
"Blaziken, which had pushed its speed to the maximum, was defeated in a single blow!"
In the next second, all the spectators shouted at once, showing faces full of disbelief.
"Impossible... what attack was capable of defeating Blaziken in one blow?"
"Could it really have been Self-Destruct? Only a move like that should be able to take out an opponent of the same level at once!"
"But if it really was Self-Destruct, why does Magmortar look completely fine?"
The spectators continued discussing without reaching a conclusion. At the same time, the way they looked at Magmortar was already full of wariness.
"Magmortar's compressed explosive flames really have terrifying power. That level of power is no longer very far from the true move Self-Destruct."
Looking at Blaziken, which had been taken out in one blow on the field, Ethan smiled broadly.
Throughout all this time, Magmortar had been developing its abilities around its own fiery explosive capability.
(End of chapter)