He knew very well that his Blaziken was bred purely for close combat, with speed and burst damage being its strengths.
When facing Milotic, which had type advantages and was adept at recovery and sustain, it was indeed completely outmatched.
It was normal to lose.
There are no invincible Pokémon in this world.
Type advantages and tactical maneuvers are precisely what make Pokémon battles so fascinating. Simple.
Moreover, Lionel didn't seem simple at all.
Shiny Metang, Shiny Milotic—he claimed to be a new trainer from Devon Corporation, but who knew where he really came from?
His calm and collected demeanor during Pokémon battles was so similar to Steven's; his annoying show-off attitude in the contest videos was exactly like Wallace's.
Who would believe that he had no special relationship with Steven and Wallace?
Moore couldn't help but think of that Flying-type Elite Four member from Kanto who always boasted about being the "strongest Dragon-type."
He kept a bunch of Flying-type Pokémon, yet stubbornly held the title of Dragon-type Elite Four member.
In the end, he couldn't even beat the Ice-type Elite Four member of his own region, yet he still had the nerve to call himself the "strongest in Kanto."
Compared to such a stubborn sore loser, accepting defeat gracefully would bring him a sense of relief.
Thinking this way, Moore's minor frustration instantly vanished.
He originally wanted to show Elite Four magnanimity and gracefully end the sparring match.
But when he saw Lionel approaching with his Pokémon, his gaze fell on Lionel's light green hair—somewhat similar to Wallace's—and he thought of the disgusting tactics used by Lionel, which were also similar to Wallace's.
For some reason, that lingering anger in his heart quietly resurfaced.
Moore gave a soft snort, then suddenly tossed another Poké Ball from his waist.
"Come forth, Typhlosion!"
A flash of red light appeared, and a figure even more robust and powerful than Blaziken appeared on the field, surrounded by billowing, scorching heat.
It was Moore's strongest trump card, Typhlosion. Flames roared from its neck and back.
Each breath seemed to carry the scorching heat of a volcanic eruption.
A powerful aura, far surpassing Blaziken's, instantly spread out, causing the surrounding air temperature to rise sharply.
The remaining water on the field was completely evaporated.
"Bring your Larvesta over."
Moore's tone returned to calm, carrying an undeniable decisiveness.
"I lost the match, and a bet's a bet. As for 'what if it were another Pokémon?'—there's no need to say anything like that..."
He paused, his gaze falling on the Larvesta.
"Come here, I'll have Typhlosion teach you some moves right now."
Lionel was about to say a few polite words, but his gaze inadvertently swept over Typhlosion's stats.
Instantly, he was captivated, his pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but roar inwardly,
Holy crap! What the hell is this?!
This isn't right! This is Typhlosion?!
Lionel had seen many posts about Moore on the forums before.
They said he was the strongest of the Hoenn Elite Four.
His signature explosive style had once single-handedly reversed the tide of battle and defeated several formidable opponents in a cross-regional Elite Four challenge.
At the time, Lionel dismissed it as exaggerated hype; after all, every regional champion had some kind of "strongest" title.
For example, there's Pryce from Johto, the "strongest Ice-type," and Blaine from Kanto, the "number one Fire-type."
And then there's that self-proclaimed "strongest Dragon-type trainer," the "Invincible Dragon Master," Lance.
In short, every Elite Four member's promotion revolves around the phrase "the strongest of their type."
But when Lionel saw Moore's stats with his own eyes, he understood. The forum's evaluation of Moore wasn't just positive; it might even have underestimated Moore's strength.
Pokémon: Typhlosion
Type: Fire
Category: Volcano Pokémon
Ability: Burning Soul (When HP is high, the user's casting speed for Fire-type moves is greatly increased; also possesses the Ignite effect.)
Ignite: When attacked by Fire-type attacks, the Pokémon takes no damage. After entering the Ignite state, the power of Fire-type skills is greatly increased.
Skills: Blazing Inferno, Overheat, Heat Wave, Blast Burn, Aura Sphere, Scorching Sands, Solar Beam, Fire Pledge, Flamethrower.
Lionel's gaze was completely captivated by the "Burning Soul" trait, his heart pounding wildly.
When stamina is high, it greatly increases the release speed of Fire-type skills and grants an Ignite effect.
If he remembered correctly, this should be a trait from a game in his previous life—the Cinnabar Trial—a trait that a Magmar could only obtain after completing the challenge.
It actually existed in reality.
If his Larvesta could also possess the Burning Soul trait, a crazy idea would form in Lionel's mind: if Larvesta could significantly increase the release speed of Fire-type moves, it could immediately unleash Sunny Day at the start, followed by a Fire-type move used on itself to actively enter the Ignite state.
Wouldn't that be equivalent to having both the Drought and Solar Power traits built in, without the Solar Power side effects?
With this triple boost, the power and release speed of Fire-type moves would reach terrifying levels.
Solar Power: Under Sunny Day, the Pokémon sacrifices stamina to greatly enhance its Special Attack.
At that time, the Larvesta that evolves into Volcarona would be able to enter the fray and immediately stack the Ignite status with a single move.
Lionel's heart pounded just thinking about that scene.
Seeing Lionel staring intently at his Typhlosion, Moore couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What? Stunned? This is my old buddy; it's been with me for half my life!"
Flannery, standing beside him, immediately puffed out her chest proudly, her chin slightly raised in a boast.
"This is my grandfather's ace Pokémon, Typhlosion! How about it? Don't think you're so great just because you won one game; Typhlosion is my grandfather's strongest Pokémon. No one can beat it!"
Lionel nodded subconsciously, secretly marveling that Moore's Typhlosion definitely deserved the title of the strongest Fire-type Pokémon.
At this moment, the Larvesta behind Lionel heard Flannery's words.
Seeing that Lionel was only focused on Typhlosion and didn't even glance at it, Larvesta immediately became unhappy and jealous. It moved its six little legs quickly, rushing over like lightning to bump its head into Lionel's stomach as if protesting: What are you looking at?
Why are you praising another Pokémon?
I am the strongest Fire-type Pokémon!