"Burn with passion! Magcargo!"
A fiery red snail appeared on the battlefield, its shell covered in molten lava that rippled across its back. Sparks danced along the lava-covered shell, crackling with heat. It was impossible to tell whether this Magcargo possessed the Magma Armor or Flame Body ability from sight alone. The safest strategy would be to avoid making direct contact.
"Stomp!" Steven called out, waving his hand to signal the attack.
Magcargo was a Fire and Rock-type, making it four times weak to Ground-type moves!
"Earth Power!" Asa's eyes blazed with intensity. She was getting into the rhythm of battle now.
Lairon, similarly, shared the same four times weakness to Ground-type attacks.
Two waves of energy collided beneath the surface, and the ground began to tremble violently. Suddenly, a small crater exploded from a spot on the vibrating battlefield, sending sand spraying into the air.
"Flamethrower!"
"Protect!"
Magcargo opened its viscous mouth, and its magma-like body glowed bright red. The temperature around it spiked.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from Magcargo's mouth, stretching out in a continuous stream. The fire formed a tail behind the attack as its head charged forward like a rocket, aimed directly at Lairon!
A transparent protective barrier materialized in front of Lairon, successfully blocking the flames from making contact.
"Rock Tomb!"
"Kua!"
Lairon stomped its foot heavily, and several large rocks suddenly erupted from beneath Magcargo, rising up to trap it in place.
Magcargo's face contorted in pain. Being doubly weak to Rock-type moves meant the direct hit dealt considerable damage.
"Increase your body heat!"
Sizzle—
The rocks imprisoning Magcargo began to hiss and smoke. White steam rose steadily from the stone! The sections of rock touching Magcargo's body started showing signs of melting, turning soft and pliable!
"Is that for real..." Steven muttered, feeling the temperature rise even from where he stood.
"Rock Slide!"
Even if Magcargo managed to break free from Rock Tomb, its low speed meant it wouldn't be able to escape the range of Rock Slide in time!
Bang, bang, bang!
Multiple rocks crashed down on Magcargo, burying it beneath the upright stones of Rock Tomb that stood scattered across the battlefield.
"Keep burning! Magcargo! Use Overheat!" Asa pointed toward the sky and shouted with fierce determination.
Within the pile of rocks on the field, red light began seeping through the gaps between the stones, growing brighter by the second.
Boom!
The concentrated fire energy from Magcargo violently blasted the rock pile apart!
"That's it, Magcargo!"
"Unleash Overheat!"
A terrifying aura radiated from Magcargo as its fiery red skin began releasing scorching flames that engulfed its entire body!
"Form a defense with Rock Tomb!" Steven's instincts warned him of danger, and he quickly gave the order.
"Kua!"
Lairon controlled the ground in front of itself, raising stone pillars continuously to form an impressive defensive wall!
A wave of blistering heat surged directly toward them!
"Go! Magcargo!"
"Rock Slide!"
Rather than relying on the defensive wall it had just created, Lairon manipulated the surrounding ground, lifting several small and medium-sized stones into the air.
Magcargo unleashed a blaze far more ferocious than any it had released before!
Bang!
The flames broke through the first layer of rock defense after only the briefest resistance!
"Kua!"
Lairon hurled the floating stones at Magcargo with all its strength!
Bang, bang, bang—
The Rock Tomb stones shattered on impact! The blazing Overheat continued straight toward Lairon!
All the Rock Slide stones also crashed down onto Magcargo!
Boom!
After a deafening explosion, the heart-stopping flames slowly dissipated. Lairon lay on the ground, its steel armor burned to a crimson red.
Lairon struggled to support its body weight. Steven frowned deeply. In Lairon's current condition, it was essentially unable to continue battling. It was only staying conscious through sheer willpower.
The extreme heat had severely affected Lairon, rapidly draining its stamina. Moreover, Lairon's low special defense made it vulnerable to such attacks.
"Come back, Lairon. You worked hard," Steven said, looking at the Poké Ball in his hand with a hint of apology in his voice.
"I'll treat you to a big meal when we get back!"
With burns this severe, it would take some time for Lairon to recover properly.
Steven looked up at the pile of rocks still scattered across the battlefield.
Rumble...
A small pebble rolled down, triggering a chain reaction. The topmost stones began tumbling downward, thudding heavily onto the ground.
Magcargo inside had already fainted.
"You did your best, Magcargo," Asa said, recalling Magcargo to its Poké Ball.
However, Magcargo hadn't lost this exchange!
Although Lairon was technically still standing, it had no capacity left to fight. This round was, at best, a draw.
Steven still had two Pokémon remaining, while Asa only had one. The outcome of this match was becoming increasingly clear.
"Let's have the final burn of this battle! Camerupt!"
Asa's enthusiasm remained undiminished as she sent out her third Pokémon!
With a heavy thud, Camerupt landed on the field, its expression calm and collected.
Camerupt's appearance was primarily orange-red with pale skin around its mouth. Three bright blue circles marked each side of its body. The humps on its back had a rock-like structure, with three upturned tufts of hair on its head and hooves on its feet. It was a Fire and Ground dual-type Pokémon.
"Go, Skarmory!"
Bang!
Skarmory's gaze was sharp and focused, locked intently on Camerupt. Skarmory could clearly sense that this opponent was formidable.
After Magcargo's Overheat, the entire battlefield's temperature remained extremely high, which could quickly lead to exhaustion for both people and Pokémon alike.
Steven's face was covered in sweat, but in contrast, Asa only had a few simple beads of perspiration on her forehead.
"It seems you're a Trainer who specializes in Steel-type Pokémon," Asa observed, noting Steven's two consecutive Steel-type choices. She gave a hearty laugh.
"To achieve this level of strength with Steel-type Pokémon alone proves your excellence as a Trainer!"
"However, I still intend to win!"
Asa waved her hand and shouted with passion:
"Camerupt! Use Flamethrower!"
Steven's expression changed suddenly. A full-powered Flamethrower?!
"Agility! Be careful to dodge!"
Camerupt stomped its feet firmly, and two fiery red orbs of concentrated energy shot out from the humps on its back. They rose into the sky like miniature suns!
Bang! Bang!
The two energy orbs exploded violently in midair, scattering into dozens of fireballs!
Like falling meteors, each fireball trailed a long tail of flames as they descended.
Skarmory's gaze remained sharp. Using Agility to boost its speed, it desperately weaved between the falling fireballs at an incredible pace!
While dodging the fireballs, Skarmory seemed to dance gracefully through the air, avoiding each projectile at precarious angles.
Boom, boom, boom!
The fireballs that missed their target crashed into the ground, causing explosions on impact!
The explosive heatwave swept across the entire battlefield. Each time Skarmory had to get dangerously close to a fireball to dodge another, the intense heat gradually wore down its precision. This continuously consumed Skarmory's stamina at an alarming rate.
"Yo!"
Skarmory suddenly cried out in surprise. Unable to dodge in time, it was struck directly by a fireball.
Boom!
Fireworks bloomed brilliantly in the air, but Steven had no time to appreciate their beauty. His heart was filled only with worry for his Pokémon.
Skarmory's special defense was also low. After taking such a powerful Flamethrower attack head-on, it probably wouldn't be able to continue.
Whoosh, whoosh...
Skarmory's figure fell from the black smoke in the air, with streaks of dark smoke trailing behind it like ribbons.
"Come back, Skarmory."
Steven raised the Poké Ball and recalled Skarmory.
"It's my fault. I made you suffer, Skarmory," Steven said, his eyes filled with genuine regret.
Under the relentless high-temperature conditions, Steven's thoughts had become somewhat muddled, and Skarmory's stamina had been rapidly depleted. These factors combined had led to this outcome.
Steven's eyes gleamed with renewed determination as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Next, it's all up to you."