A massive amount of flames completely enveloped both Blaziken and Gengar.
Blaziken had indeed been hit by Confuse Ray and fell into an abnormal state, but unfortunately for its opponent, Blaziken was not completely unprepared for this move. Moreover, during its usual training, it had carried out specific adaptation exercises against Confuse Ray.
Now that Gengar had been restrained by both of Blaziken's hands, it no longer had any chance to dodge.
Blaziken raised its leg, loaded with a large amount of golden flames, and violently kicked Gengar in the face.
Bam!
Gengar was sent flying by the kick, tracing a beautiful arc through the air before crashing heavily into the ground and losing its ability to fight.
However, after delivering that kick, a patch of purple coloration appeared on Blaziken's body. The moment that coloration emerged, Blaziken instinctively frowned; one of its eyes even closed involuntarily, as if it were enduring pain that was difficult to withstand.
The Toxic move that Gengar had used before falling began to take effect.
In addition, Koga was an expert in the use of poison, and the Gengar he had trained possessed an unusually high mastery of toxic power. Therefore, even though it was only the first activation of the poison, Blaziken already felt extremely unwell.
Koga took out a Poké Ball and withdrew Gengar. Although Blaziken had been afflicted with severe poison, from the perspective of the current situation, it was clearly more unfavorable for his own side.
After all, Blaziken still retained its ability to fight, while he had already lost one Pokémon, and the Venomoth that had been sent out first had also suffered heavy energy consumption.
With just a single Blaziken, he had already fallen into a disadvantage. Therefore, how much the next Pokémon to take the field could contribute would be a crucial point.
In the end, Blaziken was only affected by severe poison, which did not mean that it had lost its ability to fight. A Blaziken that had used Swords Dance three times was not something that could be easily ignored.
After hesitating for a moment, Koga took out another Poké Ball and threw it directly onto the field.
"Toxicrrookk!"
A dark-blue Pokémon appeared in the arena. It had two yellow eyes, a red vocal sac on its chin, and only three fingers on each hand.
The muscles in its legs were highly developed. It had three toes on each foot, with a red central toe and a sharp spike protruding from the heel.
Toxicroak!
The Pokémon Koga had summoned this time was a Poison-type Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, the evolution of Croagunk: Toxicroak.
Pokémon: Toxicroak (Light Purple)
Gender: Male
Level: 80
Types: Poison + Fighting
Ability: Poison Touch
Held Item: Black Sludge
Egg Moves: Feint, Fake Out, Cross Chop, Counter
Basic Moves: Astonish, Mud-Slap, Poison Sting, Taunt, Pursuit, Feint Attack, Revenge, Swagger, Mud Bomb, Sucker Punch, Nasty Plot, Poison Jab, Mud Bomb, Belch, Flatter
Learned Moves: Gunk Shot, Ice Punch, Snore, Drain Punch, Throat Chop, Bounce, Low Kick, Icy Wind, Thunder Punch
TM Moves: Toxic, Bulk Up, Venoshock, Protect, Earthquake, Double Team, Rock Tomb, Low Sweep, Swords Dance, X-Scissor, Dark Pulse
A Champion-level Toxicroak!
Seeing Toxicroak's data, Cain raised an eyebrow slightly.
It seemed that Koga was getting serious. The position of this Toxicroak within his team was probably comparable to the role that Blaziken played in Cain's team.
The Poison Touch ability of this Toxicroak fit perfectly with Koga's combat style and personality.
The Poison Touch ability allowed for a chance to poison the opponent through physical contact.
With the level of training Koga had in his Poison-type Pokémon, once poisoned, the most likely result would be severe poison.
However, Blaziken was already in a state of severe poison, so no matter how hard Toxicroak tried, there would be no significant additional increase in that regard.
But when Cain saw that Toxicroak also mastered the move Swords Dance, he immediately understood his opponent's intention.
"Blaziken, the opponent is strong. It's exactly the kind of rival you wish to face. Fight with all your strength!" Cain said to Blaziken through telepathy.
Hearing this, Blaziken's eyes lit up. Ignoring the poison coursing through its body, it slowly straightened up and fixed a sharp gaze on Toxicroak.
Although Toxicroak's expression did not change and its yellow gaze remained cold and emotionless, the aura unique to a Champion-level Pokémon rose without restraint.
"A Champion-level Pokémon! Elite Four Koga has summoned a Champion-level Pokémon!" With the help of the technical staff, the announcer excitedly proclaimed Koga's Toxicroak.
After all, these challenge battles primarily served to allow the new Elite Four of the Johto region to demonstrate their strength and composure, ideally earning everyone's recognition.
Now that Koga had brought out a Champion-level Pokémon, it was only natural that it received great publicity.
"Blaaazk!!"
"Toxicrrookk!!"
Blaziken and Toxicroak locked eyes once more before charging straight at each other.
Both were Fighting-type Pokémon, with unquestionable physical condition and mobility.
Although in terms of raw strength Toxicroak clearly surpassed Blaziken—one was Champion-level and the other quasi-Champion-level—Blaziken had used Swords Dance three times, and with the support of its Speed Boost ability, it did not lag far behind Toxicroak in speed and offensive power.
Boom!
Blaziken's flame-wreathed fist collided with Toxicroak's fist charged with purple energy.
At the point where their fists met, a large cloud of black smoke rose, the result of the contact between poison and fire.
After the impact, both immediately separated due to the recoil force and retreated several steps.
The fighting intent and excitement in Blaziken's eyes grew increasingly intense, while a faint emotional fluctuation finally appeared in Toxicroak's otherwise unchanging gaze.
No sooner had they touched the ground and stabilized their stances than both Pokémon clashed again at maximum speed, fists meeting fists and kicks crossing endlessly.
Throughout the fight, it was clear that Toxicroak's techniques and fighting style were not inferior to Blaziken's. In terms of skill and energy control, it did not give way in the slightest.
Toxicroak was like an emotionless ninja: every joint of its body could become a weapon. Without a doubt, this was the result of Koga's usual training.
However, the surprise on Koga's face was even greater.
In Blaziken's previous battles against Venomoth and against Gengar, there had been no direct confrontations of pure strength, so Koga had not known that Blaziken possessed techniques capable of matching those of Toxicroak.
One must remember that he was a ninja, and that he had trained Toxicroak strictly according to ninja methods.
In assassination missions and real combat, Toxicroak was his assistant and, on many occasions, his main attacker. And yet, this Blaziken could face it head-on without falling into a disadvantage.
Since when had Cain been able to train his Pokémon's techniques to such a high level?
(End of chapter)