Although the trap set by the Cianwood team was precise, it was more than sufficient to deal with ordinary Pokémon, but against Houndoom it was somewhat inadequate.
Houndoom and Houndour both had extremely well-developed senses of smell, and their actions were always group-oriented. They were very cautious, so after so many Houndour gathered, they did not act immediately. They must have detected something unusual and were just waiting for their leader, Houndoom.
After Houndoom appeared, its eyes were fixed on the piece of fresh meat ahead. It slightly moved its nose, then called out to the Houndour beside it, seemingly giving some kind of command.
After receiving the command, the six Houndour all opened their large mouths and used Flamethrower toward the bushes on both sides.
The blazing flames instantly engulfed the bushes!
Tetsuya let out a cold snort. Now there would be a good show to watch. They had truly brought trouble upon themselves.
The ten people from Cianwood City quickly jumped out from the bushes. Some of them were already on fire. Fortunately, there were two Water-type Pokémon in the team, otherwise they would have been burned.
"Damn it! These dogs are too cunning!"
All ten people were constantly cursing.
With Houndoom's next roar, the six Houndour rushed out and pounced toward the team.
"Quiiick, prepare to fight!"
The leader of the Cianwood City team shouted in panic.
Except for the leader who had not made a move, fifteen Pokémon were fighting against six Houndour, holding a significant advantage in numbers. However, Pokémon like Houndour often hunted in the forest, and their movements were very agile. As they leaped and darted around, the fifteen Pokémon could not gain any advantage.
The battle fell into a deadlock.
Houndoom's level was clearly higher than that of these Houndour. Among them, three Houndour were being surrounded by three Pokémon and were somewhat struggling to cope.
Houndoom launched an instant assault!
Inferno, Flamethrower.
Flamethrower eliminated the three weakest Pokémon. The battle now turned into a standard two-on-one, with two Pokémon fighting one Houndour.
At this moment, the team leader could no longer sit still and sent his Pokémon.
Machoke, Hitmonchan, and Hitmonlee, three Fighting-type Pokémon. Chuck was well known across various regions for his Fighting-type Pokémon and had also opened a Gym in Cianwood City. As a citizen of Cianwood City, it was natural for there to be blind admiration, and learning to raise Fighting-types was normal.
'Ohh! It seemed this person had some knowledge of Fighting-types.'
Machoke had the most robust physique and relatively abundant stamina, directly confronting Houndoom. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were very fast, with quick attack speeds, moving around Houndoom and Machoke, ready to launch sneak attacks at any time.
A crafty red light flashed in Houndoom's eyes…
"Hmm… Nasty Plot."
Tetsuya said softly. This move could quickly stimulate the brain¹[1], greatly increasing the Pokémon's Special Attack. This Houndoom was indeed not simple. It had already raised its Special Attack without anyone noticing.
And the leader of the Cianwood City team had not yet noticed anything unusual.
Houndoom launched a Flamethrower. It was thicker and hotter than before. Machoke was not weak either. It swung its arms in Karate Chop, forming an invisible airflow, fighting while retreating. Although it could not fully resist this Flamethrower, it used the increasing distance to gradually weaken its power.
Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan attacked from both sides, attempting a sneak attack.
Houndoom was extremely agile. It leaped into the air and spat out a fireball.
It was Inferno!
Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan hastily retreated from their positions, but unexpectedly, after the fireball hit the ground, it instantly exploded!
The scattered flames splashed onto Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan.
The scorching fire caused them great pain!
Looking at the deep red marks on Hitmonlee's body, it had already fallen into Burn status.
With Hitmonlee in Burn status, its physical Attack power would be greatly reduced. With any movement, it felt as if its entire body was burning.
After watching the battle from a distance for a long time, Tetsuya now had a general conclusion. No matter which side won, both would suffer heavy losses. Now he needed to make a timely judgment and prepare for a decisive strike.
Now they could approach boldly. Under Tetsuya's lead, the three found a patch of forest nearby and hid, then Tetsuya began assigning tasks.
"You two keep an eye on these nine people, their twelve Pokémon, and the six Houndour. As soon as you see which side has a member fall first, immediately subdue the winning side. What I need is not who wins or loses, but for all of them to go down. Neither side can pose a threat to us!"
After Tetsuya finished speaking, Takuya and Haruto gripped their Poké Balls tightly, ready to act at any moment, while Tetsuya closely observed Houndoom's battle.
---◓---
Hitmonlee was already unable to hold on. The damage from the burn was not easy to endure, and Hitmonlee was the fastest among the three Pokémon. Although it had managed to land two kicks on Houndoom with its exceptional speed, the attacks were limited and did not deal heavy damage.
Machoke was stronger than Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, but speed was its weakness, so it had to rely on Hitmonchan's support.
Machoke's muscles bulged as it brought down a Karate Chop. Houndoom repeated the same trick, using another Inferno. Fortunately, this time Hitmonchan acted in time and used Fire Punch to block the move, avoiding Burn status.
---◓---
Hitmonlee finally could not withstand the continuous damage from the burn and collapsed. Houndoom had also expended a large amount of energy. Now facing Machoke and Hitmonchan, it was not easy, and Fighting-type moves were naturally very effective against Houndoom.
Machoke stepped forward, with Hitmonchan beside it, preparing to launch contact Fighting-type moves against Houndoom.
Houndoom suddenly spread its forelimbs, its pupils deep and focused. Facing the approaching Machoke and Hitmonchan, it showed no fear.
Just as Machoke and Hitmonchan were about to close in…
Houndoom spat out a mass of purple gas, directly enveloping Machoke and Hitmonchan!
"Hm? Smog."
What a clever Houndoom, to have saved this Poison-type special move until now.
They could hear Machoke and Hitmonchan coughing continuously as the purple gas began to invade their bodies. Only then did they realize it was Smog.
They ran outward together. Although the power of this move was not high, it was effective against the Fighting-type Machoke and Hitmonchan, and its range was quite large. The chance of Poisoning was also high, as it was gas directly inhaled into the body.
Seeing that Machoke and Hitmonchan were about to escape, Houndoom unleashed a Flamethrower. Driven by the flames, the Smog spread even further, completely shrouding a large area!
Such tactics were indeed ingenious, but Pokémon in the wild mostly used them by chance rather than deliberate planning.
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¹. Bulbapedia: the user stimulates its brain by thinking bad thoughts. This sharply boosts the user's Sp. Atk stat.
[1] Bulbapedia: the user stimulates its brain by thinking bad thoughts. This sharply boosts the user's Sp. Atk stat.