Daisuke had formulated his plan in advance.
He knew that even if Golduck fired Ice Beam after closing the distance, Roserade would undoubtedly find some way to defend against it.
Since that was the case, he would have to attack from an unexpected angle.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to target Roserade directly.
His true target was the ground beneath it.
By freezing the battlefield, he had trapped Roserade's feet and roots firmly inside the ice.
The intense cold would most likely prevent Ingrain from continuing to function properly as well.
Roserade was not particularly outstanding in terms of stamina.
Breaking free from such a situation would undoubtedly require time.
If Golduck launched a relentless offensive during that interval, its chances of victory would remain extremely high.
Denjiro had developed a plan of his own.
After seeing that Roserade could block Psybeam at close range, he knew Golduck would probably seek an opportunity to engage in close combat.
The moment Golduck approached, Roserade would use Grass Knot to bind it before finishing it with a direct attack.
To ensure that Golduck could not break free through brute strength, Denjiro had Roserade expand the move's range and extend the vines as far as possible.
The stamina continuously supplied by Ingrain made this possible.
Both sides had devised their own strategies.
Both strategies had also been successfully executed.
As a result, Golduck was now suspended above the ground, tightly bound by Grass Knot and unable to exert its full strength.
Roserade, meanwhile, had its feet and roots frozen inside the ice, leaving it unable to move or maintain Ingrain.
"Psybeam!"
"Energy Ball!"
The two Pokémon were less than three meters apart.
At such close range, with neither side capable of dodging, both attacks were certain to hit.
Psybeam and Energy Ball collided directly.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion erupted between them.
However, the powerful shock wave neither tore Roserade free from the ice nor broke the vines restraining Golduck.
The two Pokémon remained trapped in their awkward positions, continuing their standoff.
Furthermore, both of them had suffered considerable damage from the collision.
Neither Pokémon appeared to be in good condition.
"Hyper Beam!"
"Hyper Beam!"
At that moment, Daisuke and Denjiro made the same decision.
They both intended to end the battle quickly and determine the victor with one final attack.
Golduck gathered a sphere of energy in front of its mouth.
Roserade brought its hands together and began concentrating energy between them.
A moment later, two yellow beams erupted and collided head-on.
An unimaginably violent explosion engulfed the battlefield.
Both Pokémon were blasted away by the resulting shock wave.
They traced two arcs through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Golduck and Roserade have both lost the ability to battle!"
The referee raised both flags.
No one had expected the confrontation to end in a double knockout.
"They took each other down. I certainly wasn't expecting that."
Denjiro spoke calmly.
However, there was no trace of regret on his face.
The reason was simple.
Even after the double knockout, the current situation remained four against two.
The advantage was still firmly in his hands.
As the battle concluded, the rain gradually began to weaken.
However, because of Golduck's earlier Ice Beam, the entire battlefield had now become a frozen field.
"Let's keep going!"
After recalling the unconscious Roserade, Denjiro immediately sent out his next Pokémon.
"Go! Garchomp!"
"Roar!"
Following a terrifying roar, a dark blue Dragon-type Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
The sight of the powerful pseudo-legendary Pokémon caused Daisuke's breathing to stop for an instant.
He had never imagined that Denjiro still possessed a Pokémon like this!
Denjiro had never once sent Garchomp out during any of his previous matches.
It seemed he had been hiding his true strength remarkably well.
Without question, Garchomp had to be Denjiro's ace Pokémon.
The spectators were equally astonished when they saw Garchomp enter the battlefield.
They had not expected Denjiro to possess such a powerful Pokémon.
The atmosphere throughout the arena immediately erupted.
Witnessing the appearance of such a formidable Pokémon was an extraordinary surprise.
It appeared that Denjiro would most likely secure another victory.
However, when Daisuke sent out his own Pokémon, the excitement in the arena climbed to an even greater height.
"Go! Aerodactyl!"
A gray, winged Pokémon emerged from the Poké Ball.
It shot directly into the sky and stared down at Garchomp.
Aerodactyl!
Compared with a pseudo-legendary Pokémon such as Garchomp, Aerodactyl was even rarer.
It was an ancient Pokémon revived from a fossil.
Daisuke had been hiding an impressive card of his own.
Inside the VIP viewing area, Shiko watched the two Pokémon enter the battlefield with intense interest.
The battle between these two Trainers had truly been spectacular.
He wondered what kind of sparks would fly from the clash between Garchomp and Aerodactyl.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The two Trainers made the same decision.
In the next instant, both Pokémon released thunderous roars.
The terrifying cries of the two Pokémon echoed throughout the arena.
Daisuke and Denjiro were both forced to cover their ears.
At such close range, the sound might otherwise have ruptured their eardrums.
In the next instant, Aerodactyl and Garchomp were transformed into red light and forcibly returned to their Poké Balls.
Daisuke had intended to use Aerodactyl's flight and exceptional mobility against one of Denjiro's Pokémon that could not fly.
Against Garchomp, however, he did not believe Aerodactyl had particularly favorable odds.
Denjiro appeared to have reached a similar conclusion.
As a result, Daisuke's final Pokémon was forcibly sent into battle.
It was the first partner he had received when he began his journey as a Trainer.
A powerful Blaziken!
On Denjiro's side, the Pokémon forced onto the battlefield was Lucario.
With Lucario's appearance, five of Denjiro's six Pokémon had now entered the battle.
Blaziken and Lucario were both Fighting-type Pokémon.
However, Blaziken was also a Fire type, while Lucario's secondary type was Steel.
This gave Blaziken a considerable type advantage.
As long as Denjiro chose to confront it head-on, Daisuke still had an excellent chance of winning this round.
The only problem was the frozen battlefield.
The slippery ice somewhat reduced Blaziken's advantage.
It was still difficult to determine which side would ultimately win.
"Extreme Speed!"
Denjiro clearly had no intention of switching Pokémon.
He had chosen to confront Blaziken directly.
Lucario lowered its body and assumed a charging stance.
In the next instant, its outline vanished from its original position.
It appeared directly in front of Blaziken almost immediately.
An explosive punch was already flying forward.
Blaziken reacted with remarkable speed.
It instantly raised its arm and blocked Lucario's left fist.
(End of Chapter)
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