The rock fragments exploded outward, and the smoke began to clear. Haxorus shook its head slightly—the Stealth Rock attack didn't seem to have much impact on it.
However, Giselle didn't mind. Stealth Rock wasn't meant to deal heavy damage. The most important thing was to slowly wear down the opponent's stamina.
"Dragon Dance!" But having just endured the Stealth Rock attack, Ash didn't hesitate and called out the command again.
After hearing its trainer's voice, Haxorus's body began glowing with the light of Dragon Dance once more. Watching this unfold, Giselle's expression grew even more serious.
"This is the third time. We can't just sit back and let this happen. Golem, use Rollout!"
The third Dragon Dance—that meant if Haxorus completed it, the Pokémon would be boosted three times over. If this continued, even with Golem's exceptional defense, it wouldn't be able to withstand Haxorus's attacks.
Golem acted immediately upon hearing the command. It pulled its arms and legs tight against its body, bounced slightly, then curled into a tight sphere. Landing on the ground, it began rolling directly toward Haxorus.
The heavy Golem generated tremendous momentum as it rolled forward. Even the grass on the field looked like it had been flattened by a lawnmower.
Carrying astonishing power, Rollout was a move used by many Pokémon, but few could execute it as effectively as Golem. Thanks to its incredible weight, once it built up speed, its own mass made it nearly unstoppable.
"Block it!"
Facing the offensive that resembled an oncoming freight train, Ash didn't order Haxorus to dodge. With Haxorus's current speed after two Dragon Dances, avoiding the attack wouldn't be too difficult.
But if it dodged now, this Dragon Dance would be interrupted and wasted. His opponent wanted to drag out the battle, but Ash needed to end it quickly—otherwise, hazard moves like Stealth Rock would continue piling up.
BOOM!
Haxorus spread its arms wide, and in the next moment, it reached out and caught the rushing Golem, its claws wrapping around Golem's body with a resounding impact.
Under the force of the high-speed Rollout combined with Golem's enormous weight, Haxorus's body slid backward uncontrollably.
Golem's weight was truly not something most Pokémon could handle. Even after being strengthened by Dragon Dance twice, Haxorus still couldn't completely stop it.
As Haxorus was pushed backward, long drag marks formed beneath its feet. Although Golem's Rollout was losing speed and power, Haxorus continued being pushed toward the edge of the battlefield.
ROAR!
At that moment, the blue light surrounding Haxorus converged and flowed into its body, and Haxorus's eyes flashed with renewed intensity.
The third Dragon Dance boost was complete. Haxorus's claws suddenly applied more force, and its strength—which had already reached impressive levels—was enhanced once again.
Golem's spinning speed began to slow noticeably, and Haxorus's backward momentum decreased. After a few moments, Golem's movement was completely halted by Haxorus.
"Amazing! Golem's fierce Rollout attack has been stopped completely!"
Rather than dodging, Haxorus had chosen to face the attack head-on. While catching Golem directly would have been extremely difficult due to its weight, blocking it from the front while bracing itself was much more manageable than trying to lift it.
Giselle frowned as she watched the scene unfold. She'd been just a moment too late. Not only had Haxorus received another Dragon Dance boost, but this particular Haxorus possessed exceptional raw power to begin with.
It had blocked the attack to buy time for Dragon Dance to complete its enhancement. The moment it successfully stopped Golem's assault, Ash launched his counterattack.
"Haxorus, use Dragon Claw!"
ROAR!
With a fierce cry, Haxorus raised its right claw as green light began to glow around it. After three consecutive stat boosts, the green energy surrounding the claw intensified dramatically—even the Dragon Claw's power seemed to have grown stronger.
BOOM!
Haxorus struck Golem's body with its claw, creating an explosive impact. Despite its massive weight, Golem's body was sent flying backward.
CRASH!
It landed heavily on the ground, its considerable bulk carving out a large crater in the battlefield.
"Keep attacking!" Ash watched Golem hit the ground and prepared to press the advantage.
But at that moment, just as Haxorus was about to move, it took a single step forward before seeing bursts of light emerge from the grass surrounding the field. Tiny glowing points began rising up from the vegetation.
The instant they reached the air, the lights transformed into numerous small stones, then flew directly toward Haxorus.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rock fragments struck Haxorus like a shower of projectiles. The continuous impacts sent up clouds of smoke that quickly engulfed the Dragon-type Pokémon.
"At this critical moment, Stealth Rock has been triggered again! What perfect timing!" The announcer clearly hadn't expected the entry hazard to activate at such a crucial juncture, successfully interrupting Haxorus's pursuit.
"Now! Golem, use Stone Edge!"
RUMBLE!
Golem quickly pushed itself back to its feet. Although Haxorus's attack power had continued to increase, Golem's defense was strong enough that it wouldn't be defeated in a single hit.
Seizing the opportunity, Golem launched its counterattack. It roared as light surrounded its body, and many sharp stone blades materialized in the air. With a thrust of its arms, all the stones shot toward the smoke cloud ahead.
Stealth Rock's fragments continued their assault while Stone Edge attacks followed immediately after. The sound of explosions rang out continuously. Ash's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the situation develop.
"Haxorus, use Outrage!"
ROAR!
Facing the relentless barrage of attacks, Ash called out his command. Within the dust and debris of the explosions, Haxorus—enduring the combined assault of Stealth Rock and Stone Edge—heard Ash's order.
Its scarlet pupils suddenly flashed with crimson light, and in the next moment...
BOOM!
A red shockwave burst forth from the smoke, and the rocks from both Stone Edge and Stealth Rock were shattered by the violent force.
RAAAWR!
Haxorus spread its claws wide and roared toward the sky, releasing a surge of scarlet energy. The overwhelming power enveloped its entire body, and Haxorus's arms began to tremble with barely contained fury.
The sharp, crimson-tinged claws tensed and made a threatening sound as Haxorus clenched them tightly.