"Stomping Tantrum."
Tetsuya attacked first.
This Shadow Team member had his basics well trained and was also very clear about the clever uses of Stomping Tantrum.
Precisely because he understood it, he fell into an even more difficult dilemma…
Avoid it?
Then upon landing, Rapidash would inevitably have to endure the second stage of Stomping Tantrum with doubled power.
Not avoid it?
Then it would still have to endure the first stage of Stomping Tantrum, and without a good counterattack, the second stage of Stomping Tantrum would still have to be endured as well.
"Flare Blitz!"
Rapidash endured the first stage damage of Stomping Tantrum and charged toward Golett.
This was indeed the most reasonable judgment. In this way, Golett would have absolutely no opportunity to use the second stage of Stomping Tantrum again.
"Avoid it first, then use High Horsepower."
Flare Blitz carried fierce momentum, while High Horsepower required a certain amount of acceleration distance. Under such tense circumstances, it was difficult to use successfully.
Now that Golett possessed the power of three layers of energy, its abilities in every aspect were not inferior. However, facing a volcanic Flare Blitz, wanting to retreat unscathed was almost impossible.
Golett leaped, already forming the rolling momentum that served as the prelude to High Horsepower, but it was still injured by Rapidash's soaring flames.
After successfully avoiding Rapidash, Golett rolled toward the rear. With a turn, it launched High Horsepower toward Rapidash.
Rapidash, whose attack had missed, was not affected at all and turned around to continue attacking.
At a glance, it was obvious that it had been excellently trained.
Flare Blitz and High Horsepower collided!
Rapidash and Golett were both knocked backward, and neither side gained any advantage.
"Gravity."
Golett used this move every day, and there was not the slightest pause in its control over it.
Suddenly, heavy pressure descended upon Rapidash's body, causing it to bend sharply.
"High Horsepower!"
Tetsuya had to launch the attack at this very instant. A Pokémon like Rapidash could not possibly be excessively affected by the Gravity field.
Golett charged forward once again, and sure enough, Rapidash had already stood back up.
"Fire Blast."
The Shadow also remained completely calm as Rapidash opened its mouth and launched a Fire Blast forward.
"Turn."
Unfortunately, Rapidash had used Fire Blast slightly too early. Golett still had enough space to make a turn while using High Horsepower.
One curved turn also weakened some of High Horsepower's force.
At this moment, Rapidash had already completely ignored the suppression of Gravity. With a leap, it successfully avoided Golett's High Horsepower.
This Rapidash really wasn't simple...
At this moment, Golett and Rapidash had formed a standoff on the battlefield, both understanding that the other was a difficult opponent.
It seemed that conventional tactics were already ineffective against this Rapidash. There was only the option of injuring the enemy while suffering heavy losses oneself.
"Golett, charge over!"
Tetsuya shouted.
"Flare Blitz."
The Shadow Team member was completely unafraid of Golett's frontal assault as Flare Blitz directly rushed toward Golett.
"Jump up and ride onto Rapidash!"
Just as Rapidash was about to strike, Golett jumped and rode onto Rapidash's back, followed immediately by Golett's painful cries.
The scorching flames covering Rapidash's body burned Golett!
"Dynamic Punch!"
This was precisely why Tetsuya had allowed Golett to endure such damage.
Golett smashed down with one punch, directly causing Rapidash to see stars and fall into a Confused state.
"Golett, quickly get down!"
The objective had already been achieved. Golett hurriedly jumped of from Rapidash's back, finally escaping from that mountain of flames.
"Shadow Punch."
With a STAB move combined with the Iron Fist Ability, it could now deal the highest possible damage!
Rapidash, having fallen into a Confused state, could no longer listen to its Trainer's commands.
Golett threw punches at astonishing speed, continuously smashing all parts of Rapidash's body, but each strike also caused it to suffer burns from the flames.
Rapidash thus lost its combat ability in a state of total confusion, but multiple burn injuries also appeared across Golett's body.
"My fourth Pokémon… Come out, Crobat!"
The four-winged Crobat possessed speed so fast that it was nearly eerie, practically an assassin of the darkness!
Golett, already exhausted, indeed found it difficult to deal with Crobat's elusive attacks and quickly fainted.
"Houndoom."
Tetsuya also sent out his fourth Pokémon. At this point, even Tetsuya could not help admiring the Shadow Team's power.
With Tetsuya's current level, reaching the top eight of the League Conference would absolutely not be a problem. Yet these Shadow Team members could actually fight him to such a fierce stalemate, while Raven's strength was even more unfathomable. It seemed that during the coming year, he truly needed to undergo even more intense training.
"Double Team!"
The Shadow's objective was obvious. It was still speed-based interference followed by attacks from behind.
This was precisely the tactic his Beedrill often used. However, dealing with the current Houndoom was not so easy.
"Smog, Flamethrower."
Purple poisonous fog spread outward, followed immediately by Flamethrower. Driven by the flames, the poisonous fog began wrapping Crobat.
Although this poisonous fog had no real effect on Crobat, the heat waves within Flamethrower prevented Crobat from approaching.
" 'Howl'."
Taking advantage of the instant Crobat was blocked by the heat waves, Houndoom used [Blazing Howl].
The howl piercing through the clouds made Crobat's entire body feel uncomfortable!
"Crobat, there are hidden moves within this Howl! Quickly use Air Cutter!"
Crobat successfully unleashed Air Cutter, naturally causing its body to feel much better.
However, the sun in the sky became exceptionally intense, even dazzling. Crobat, which normally moved within darkness, felt a trace of discomfort.
"Flamethrower."
Under Sunny Day weather, the power of Fire-type moves sharply increased. Houndoom's Flamethrower swept toward Crobat like a prairie fire seeking to devour it!
"Fly upwards!"
The Shadow also realized the situation was bad. Houndoom's firepower was now too terrifying, leaving retreat as the only option.
"Tehaha…"
Tetsuya slightly smiled. The entire battle could already come to an end.
"Houndoom, Nasty Plot!"
As you retreat, I advance. This instead gave Houndoom an opportunity to increase its stats.
Red light suddenly flashed within Houndoom's eyes as its Special Attack received a boost. Now that both of Houndoom's attacks had increased under Sunny Day weather, the battlefield had completely become Houndoom's domain.
On top of its original base, Houndoom once again used Flamethrower. This time, together with the poisonous gas, the flames formed a gigantic fire vortex under Houndoom's control!
With a single moment of carelessness, Crobat was swept into the fire vortex…
By the time the flames ceased, Crobat had also lost its combat ability.
At this moment, Tetsuya could no longer conceal the excitement within his heart. Since Houndoom could also use such fire techniques… it seemed that Sunny Day and Nasty Plot could strengthen Houndoom's control over Fire-type energy as well!
Now the Shadow Team member only had one Pokémon remaining, and it was facing Houndoom in its cheat-mode state. The only one to blame was himself for being careless and giving Houndoom the opportunity to increase its stats.
Houndoom in this state made even Tetsuya himself feel afraid!