Suddenly, the flames on Blaziken's wrist shot up half a foot, the crimson flames pulsating violently.
Then, Blaziken let out a clear, sharp cry at Tyrantrum, the fighting spirit in its voice almost tangible, as if saying, "Come and fight!"
Seeing this, Moore's lips curled into a playful smile: "It seems my Blaziken wants to have a go at your Tyrantrum."
He deliberately emphasized the word "go at," his tone slightly enticing: "My Blaziken excels at close combat. I've seen your battle videos before; your Dragon-type Pokémon's close-combat abilities are also quite ferocious. Why don't we let them fight?"
"Let's see if your Dragon-type Pokémon is stronger, or my Blaziken."
Moore paused deliberately, emphasizing the "fairness" of the duel: "Perfectly, your Tyrantrum's Rock-type moves are super effective against my Blaziken, and my Blaziken's Fighting-type moves are super effective against your Tyrantrum. Type advantages are mutually exclusive, isn't that an interesting coincidence?"
The arena erupted in cheers, a deafening roar echoing throughout: "Send Tyrantrum to the field! Send Tyrantrum to the field!"
"A head-to-head battle! A head-to-head battle! Let's see who has the stronger close-range combat ability!"
Lionel narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Moore's seemingly open smile, then sweeping over Blaziken's move list, a chill creeping into his heart.
Sending Tyrantrum to the field?
So that's it.
No wonder Moore offered such a generous wager; he was waiting for him here.
Lionel initially thought that Moore admired him and wanted to give Blaziken a chance to learn powerful moves, which was why he proposed this sparring match.
Now it seems that no wonder he offered such tempting bets as "Fire Blast" and "Overheat"—it was all a pretext.
This former Elite Four member clearly wanted to use this method to avenge Flannery's earlier defeat.
No wonder the bets were so tempting.
This old fox, while claiming "fairness," was actually calculating everything meticulously.
Lionel's gaze swept over Blaziken's moveset again.
If he sent out Tyrantrum, Lionel wasn't very confident that Tyrantrum could defeat Blaziken.
Blaziken's Speed Boost ability is a passive boost, and its stamina consumption is far less than Tyrantrum's active use of Dragon Dance to increase its speed.
This means there is a significant difference in stamina endurance between the two.
Not to mention that Blaziken also has Swords Dance, which can also greatly increase its Attack, making it completely unaffected by Tyrantrum's Dragon Dance boost.
Even more troublesome is that Blaziken also knows Powerful Moves.
If the attack is launched from a distance, Tyrantrum can prepare in advance to dodge.
However, once in close combat, Blaziken only needs to apply Phosphorus Flame to its body, and upon contact, Tyrantrum will almost certainly be burned.
Once burned, Tyrantrum's attack power will decrease significantly, and its stamina consumption will increase dramatically.
If Tyrantrum chooses to temporarily avoid the battle, stalling for time, and uses its most familiar tactic—
a sandstorm to conceal its form, stacking buffs on Blaziken to stand its ground and wait for a decisive opportunity—
Blaziken's "Hold" and other moves are precisely the weapons to counter this tactic.
The former allows it to retain a sliver of stamina before a fatal attack, while the latter allows it to unleash even greater power when its stamina is extremely low.
Lionel suspected that Moore had already thoroughly analyzed Tyrantrum's tactics through his battle videos.
If he sent Tyrantrum into the fray, he might suffer a crushing defeat.
This wasn't a friendly sparring match! It was clearly an attempt to avenge Flannery, who had previously suffered a loss, under the guise of a betting challenge!
Just as Lionel was pondering, the Tyrantrum beside him suddenly growled, its voice filled with excitement and urgency.
Its massive head lowered slightly, gently nuzzling Lionel's arm with its nose. Its amber eyes were filled with a burning desire to "let me go."
It could clearly sense Blaziken's provocation.
That oppressive aura of the strong didn't make it back down; instead, it ignited the pride of its Dragon-type Pokémon, making its inherent ferocity and fighting spirit burn even brighter.
"Have you decided who to send, Lionel?"
Moore's voice came again, carrying a subtle urging, as if certain he would choose Tyrantrum.
Lionel took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and suddenly smiled.
That smile stood out clearly in the noisy arena, carrying a strange composure.
He slowly raised his hand, past the eager Tyrantrum, and pointed to the figure beside him, manipulating water vapor and gracefully swimming in the air: "I'm sending Milotic."
Upon hearing this, the live stream chat exploded with comments:
[Huh?]
"Why send Milotic out? I want to see Tyrantrum in close combat!"
"Looks like the streamer really values this match and is afraid of losing, so he chose a Water-type to counter Blaziken—but it's definitely a safe choice!"
"This choice is safe, but it feels like it lacks a bit of excitement—"
"Oh?"
A clear look of surprise flashed in Moore's eyes.
As if he hadn't expected Lionel to make this choice, he raised an eyebrow, hiss tone slightly mocking: "So you were afraid your Tyrantrum couldn't beat my Blaziken in close combat, so you chose Milotic because it's a type advantage?"
"Roar!"
As soon as Moore finished speaking, the Tyrantrum immediately protested, letting out a low growl of displeasure.
Its massive body arched slightly, and it lowered its head, nuzzling Lionel's body with a pitiful expression.
Its wide-open eyes were filled with a stubborn "I can do it" attitude mixed with unhappiness.
"Good boy,"
Lionel turned around, reaching out to stroke the Tyrantrum's head, gently soothing it. "I know you're strong and want to battle Blaziken. But the outcome of this competition is crucial for Larvesta to learn a new skill, so we must ensure everything goes perfectly, okay?"
Tyrantrum's roar gradually subsided.
Its amber pupils held the regret and grievance of not being able to fight.
But ultimately, it obediently nuzzled Lionel's palm, indicating its agreement.
Meanwhile, the Larvesta, standing nearby, suddenly raised its antennae around its head, emitting flames.
It hummed a few times at Lionel, its little head held high, pointing directly at the Blaziken on the battle platform. Its posture clearly said, "I want to go myself! I want to win back my chance to learn new moves!"
Lionel crouched down, looking at Larvesta at eye level, his eyes reassuring. "I know you're strong too.
But you haven't evolved yet, while Blaziken is already its final evolution. It's too dangerous for you to face it.
Besides, you're not fighting alone now. Leave it to your partners, okay?
I'm sure they can help you win!"
Lionel pointed to Milotic, Tyrantrum, and Metang beside him and said to Larvesta.