With Nidoking joining the battle, the previously hesitant Arbok and Golbat immediately became much more confident.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!"
"Golbat, Air Slash!"
The two Arbok and the Golbat launched their attacks first in order to create an opening for Nidoking.
"Skorupi, use Acupressure. Houndoom, provide cover with Flamethrower."
Right now, Tetsuya only wanted to give Skorupi an opportunity to train. Otherwise, if he had sent out all of his Pokémon, there was no way he would have allowed these kids to run wild until now.
The attacks from the Arbok and Golbat were completely swallowed up by the Flamethrower. By then, Skorupi had already finished using Acupressure. Its pressure points had been stimulated throughout its body, increasing its Attack. It waved its pincers eagerly, itching for a fight!
"Skorupi, go. Just deal with the two Arbok."
As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Skorupi charged. Under their Trainers' commands, the two Arbok used Poison Sting to block Skorupi's advance.
Skorupi weaved its way forward without losing any speed.
"Arbok, use Crunch!"
Seeing that Arbok could not hit Skorupi no matter what, one of the Trainers ordered Arbok to engage in close combat. Skorupi was nothing more than a tiny Pokémon. A massive Pokémon like Arbok could swallow it in a single bite, so there was naturally nothing to fear.
By then, Nidoking had already charged in. Houndoom unleashed Fire Blast and Flamethrower simultaneously. Nidoking thrust forward with Poison Jab. A loud explosion followed!
Although Nidoking had prepared itself in time, it was still forced backward. Flames splashed across its body, causing it to let out a pained roar.
Relying on its exceptional speed, the Golbat launched attacks whenever it found an opportunity, making itself extremely troublesome.
"Golurk, crush that bat."
The Golbat had already begun interfering with Skorupi's ability to fight properly, so this nuisance had to be dealt with.
The moment Golurk appeared, its height was already level with the altitude at which Golbat was flying. Golbat's first reaction upon seeing Golurk was to fly higher and widen the distance.
Harassing Golurk from the sides was one thing, but trying to compete with it in flying speed was simply a death sentence.
Golurk kicked off with both legs, using rocket propulsion. In the blink of an eye, it caught up to Golbat. Frost gathered around its fists, and the moment Ice Punch landed, Golbat was instantly frozen into a solid block of ice.
Borrowing the momentum, Golurk turned around in midair and hurled the frozen Golbat straight down toward the ground!
Fortunately, Golbat's Trainer reacted quickly enough to recall it into its Poké Ball before it hit the ground. Otherwise, it would have been smashed to pieces together with that block of ice.
Golbat's Trainer could not help letting out two deep sighs of relief. At least the Pokémon he had worked so hard to raise had not been lost.
Meanwhile, Skorupi darted about nonstop. The two Arbok were unable to trap it, and both had already been stung several times by Skorupi. However, Skorupi could only sting once before immediately retreating.
After all, Arbok had tremendous raw strength. If either one managed to wrap around it, it would truly be finished.
The battle between Houndoom and Nidoking was a completely head-on confrontation. After only a few moves, Houndoom had already suppressed Nidoking completely.
"Houndoom, [Blightfire Assault]. Finish it."
As soon as Tetsuya gave the order, Houndoom let out a long howl. The power of King's Rock immediately intimidated Nidoking.
The lead Trainer could not help but be stunned. His Nidoking had always possessed the bearing of a king~ and had never been intimidated into flinching by an opponent. Yet today, it had actually been suppressed by this Houndoom!
The instant Nidoking flinched, blazing flames burst outward from Houndoom. Smog spread through the area, and then ten Houndoom clones scattered and charged into the flaming haze.
"W-What is this!?"
The lead Trainer's eyes were filled with fear. He had only ever seen a scene like this when Asea was practicing move combinations. His own Nidoking was nowhere near that level. By now, he was certain that Tetsuya's capacities were far beyond anything they could handle.
No wonder Asea had forbidden them from coming into conflict with this Tetsuya!
While he was still hesitating, what appeared before his eyes were already ten volcanoes.
"Earthquake… Nidoking, use Earthquake!"
The lead Trainer hurriedly gave the order. Nidoking also recovered from its Flinch, leaped into the air, then stomped down on the ground with all its might. The shockwaves of Earthquake spread outward, successfully destroying the two weakest remaining Double Team clones.
Houndoom leaped into the air and pounced toward Nidoking!
---◓---
With overwhelming force, after eight consecutive collisions, Nidoking was sent flying twenty to thirty meters away.
Nidoking's bones had probably been battered to the point of falling apart. It lay motionless on the ground. There was no way it would recover in less than half a year.
The Trainer recalled Nidoking and shouted, "Retreat!"
Only the two Arbok remained. Without Nidoking holding the line, the two Arbok also lost much of their confidence.
Seeing that three of their companions had already gone down, the remaining two Trainers nervously took out their Poké Balls to recall their Arbok, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not press the button.
The reason Tetsuya had spent so long dealing with them was, first, to humiliate them, and second, to let Skorupi train. He intended to accomplish both goals, so how could he allow these two to ruin his plan?
The other three Trainers saw that the two had been restrained and wanted to go over and help them. However, Houndoom and Golurk rushed forward and blocked their path. The three could only remain where they were, not daring to move.
The battle between Skorupi and the two Arbok also reached its climax.
One of the Arbok lashed out with its tail, which immediately curled up, about to Wrap around Skorupi. Skorupi thrust out the stinger on its tail and viciously stabbed Arbok's body. Crying out in pain, Arbok opened its enormous jaws and bit toward Skorupi, while the other Arbok rushed over to rescue it.
That Arbok lunged straight at Skorupi with Crunch. Skorupi swiftly pulled out its tail stinger, flipped over, and brought down an Iron Tail squarely onto Arbok's head!
By the time the other Arbok arrived to help, Skorupi was already standing on the first Arbok's head, waving its pincers triumphantly.
Now Arbok's Trainers could only watch helplessly as their Pokémon were bullied. Large beads of sweat rolled down their faces, yet they remained frozen and unable to do anything.
The other Arbok charged forward, but Skorupi was already prepared.
Pin Missile shot out!
However, the greater the force behind Arbok's charge, the greater the power of Pin Missile became. With both forces combined, every one of those needles would pierce completely into Arbok's body. If they struck its eyes, it would be completely finished.
The two Arbok Trainers could only watch anxiously, frozen.
"Arbok, quickly! Roll on the ground to dodge!" The lead Trainer shouted.