During lunch, Flint seemed somewhat distracted.
In the afternoon, Blaine brought Tetsuya and Flint to the crater of Cinnabar Island's volcano. Below was scorching magma, churning with waves of heat.
Dozens of stone pillars stood above the magma, each about one square meter thick.
"This will be your final battlefield. Use the stone pillars as footholds. If you fall into the magma, you lose," Blaine said.
Tetsuya and Flint nodded. A battlefield like this was really one of a kind. Pokémon with even slightly inferior agility would be completely incapable of handling such a battle. To win, they not only needed to leap freely between the pillars, but also launch effective attacks.
"Go, Houndoom." Tetsuya threw out a Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, Houndoom leaped out and landed on the nearest stone pillar.
…However, Flint did not send out a Pokémon for quite some time, looking extremely anxious.
"...int? Flint!? What's wrong?" Blaine asked.
Only then did Flint come back to his senses. He was mainly worried about Infernape's condition. Even if he could not use Infernape in battle, asking a man as fiery and passionate as him to simply give up was impossible.
"Flareon… I'm counting on you!" Flint threw out a Poké Ball. Flareon also landed on a stone pillar.
There was no doubt that Infernape was Flint's strongest Pokémon, but Tetsuya also had some impression of this Flareon, as it frequently appeared in Flint's various battles.
Although it was strong, it had not reached "that" level. Moreover, Flint had not yet become an Elite Four, so with Houndoom's strength, dealing with his current Flareon would definitely not be a problem.
Flint already knew that Tetsuya's Houndoom had the Ability Flash Fire, so Flareon would not use Fire-type moves against it either. If it had been Infernape, Tetsuya would have found it very difficult to win. As both a Fire- and Fighting-type, Infernape could learn an extremely wide range of moves.
Moreover, Fighting-type moves were super effective against the Dark-type Houndoom, and Infernape was also exceptionally agile. It would have been extremely difficult for Houndoom to win!
Fortunately, Tetsuya had prepared in advance. Flareon was nothing to worry about. Aside from Fire-type moves, it basically had no other moves worth using. The hardest thing to overcome was still Flint's indomitable will.
"Flareon, Quick Attack!" Flint launched the first attack. Sure enough, it perfectly matched his battle style, beginning with an offensive as fierce as a raging storm.
There was nowhere to dodge on a battlefield like this. The only way out was to confront it head-on.
"Feint Attack!"
Flareon bounded across the stone pillars like the wind. Just as it was about to attack Houndoom, Houndoom kicked off with both legs and retreated to a stone pillar beside it. Flareon's first attack missed, and its second immediately followed without the slightest pause.
Houndoom was no pushover either. Its movements across the stone pillars were not the slightest bit inferior to Flareon's.
The essence of Feint Attack was to be fast, accurate, and ruthless. The moment it caught an opening in the opponent's defenses, it had to unleash the fiercest attack!
Houndoom once again leaped onto another stone pillar, with Flareon following closely behind. This time, however, the distance between the stone pillars was considerable, so after Flareon jumped, it remained in midair slightly longer.
Houndoom seized the opportunity and leaped straight toward Flareon's exposed abdomen. With just this single Feint Attack, it sent Flareon flying, while Houndoom used the momentum to land on the stone pillar.
"Flareon!"
After being knocked away, Flareon crashed into the side of a stone pillar.
Fortunately, Flareon was exceptionally agile. It braced both legs against the side of the stone pillar and used the rebounding force to return to the pillar once again, though a dull pain was already throbbing through its abdomen.
"Dark Pulse!"
Naturally, Tetsuya pressed his advantage. Dark Pulse spread toward Flareon, forcing it to leap backward from pillar to pillar. However, its movements were no longer as fluid as they had been at the beginning, and it did not even dare attempt some of the more distant pillars. The damage Houndoom had dealt just now had been quite considerable.
Although Flareon successfully avoided Dark Pulse, doing so had also consumed a great deal of its stamina, leaving it panting continuously.
Although Flint was filled with unwillingness, he was completely helpless against Houndoom's Ability Flash Fire. Most of Flareon's moves were Fire-type, and they could not affect Houndoom in the slightest.
" 'Howl'."
Tetsuya smiled slightly. This would completely widen the gap between them. If Houndoom's attack was increased even further, its next offensive would completely overwhelm Flareon.
Flint naturally understood this as well. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Flareon, use Quick Attack to stop it!"
Flareon also gritted its teeth and charged forward.
However, even as Flareon drew closer, Tetsuya showed no intention whatsoever of having Houndoom stop.
This did not surprise Flint. After all, using moves that increased one's capabilities always came at a price. Some Pokémon would even endure an opponent's attack in order to complete the boost.
Tetsuya's confidence did not come from "sacrificing one to protect thousands", but from the offensive move hidden within [Blazing Howl].
Just as Flareon was about to reach Houndoom, it was assaulted by powerful force. Had Flareon not been so well trained, it would have fallen into the magma right then and there. Flareon flipped through the air and returned to the stone pillar it had just left.
Houndoom had accumulated a considerable amount of power by now. The instant Flareon returned to the stone pillar, Houndoom followed right behind it, leaping forward and pouncing fiercely on Flareon, pinning it down on the pillar.
Opening its enormous jaws, Houndoom used Crunch and bit down on a vital area. As the toxins secreted from Houndoom's gums seeped in, Flareon finally stopped struggling and collapsed.
"Whew… Burnt right down to cinders..."
Flint did not say anything more and directly recalled Flareon.
"I lost. From now on, I'll train even harder. If we get the chance, let's battle again." After saying this, Flint nodded to Tetsuya and Blaine before leaving alone.
Even now, Flint already carried himself like someone at the very top. He did not say anything like what would have happened if he had used Infernape. Instead, he focused more on analyzing himself.
Watching Flint's departing figure, Blaine sighed. "What a pity…"
Perhaps a passionate, driven young man like Flint was the candidate Blaine truly had in mind. Tetsuya had merely resorted to underhanded means.
For Tetsuya, watching someone who knew he'd stand above an entire region lose so easily felt a bit anticlimactic, even knowing it was his fault
"Congratulations on achieving the final victory. Have you decided to leave this Houndoom here to train?" Blaine asked.
"Yes. My Houndoom has been stuck for a long time. It longs to become stronger, but I no longer have the ability to help it do so. That's why I brought it here. When it comes to Fire-type Pokémon, I believe no one has more authority on the subject than you," Tetsuya said.
As for Houndoom, Tetsuya had already explained everything to it clearly. Houndoom naturally also wanted to stay and train for a year. It wanted to become stronger, and even more than that, it wanted to see just how far it could go.