The match continued.
The powerful winds on the field had now subsided. Talonflame's speed had dropped back to its base level, and it was still suffering from burn damage.
Compared to Talonflame's condition, the opposing Zorua remained in perfect health and had been boosted by two uses each of Calm Mind and Agility.
The current situation no longer allowed Sadie to stall for time.
"Talonflame! Use Hurricane with everything you've got!"
Due to the burn status, Talonflame's stamina was being constantly drained, and even its most proficient physical attacks could only deal half their normal damage.
Moves like Flare Blitz and Brave Bird had their power severely reduced.
Left with no other option, Sadie could only have Talonflame use the most powerful special move it knew.
It was time to bet everything on the Flying-type ultimate move, Hurricane.
"Talonflame!"
Upon receiving the command, Talonflame's form rapidly circled through the air above the battlefield. With its movements, violent air currents began swirling throughout the entire arena.
Between the beating of its wings, a massive storm was beginning to take shape.
David, naturally, wouldn't just stand by and watch.
"Zorua! Let's add a little something to that storm! Use Snowscape!"
"What?"
Under Sadie's shocked gaze, the little fox, upon hearing the command, displayed a mischievous expression. Intense Ice-type energy gathered before her, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet rapidly.
Soon, large snowflakes began falling within the indoor battle arena.
That's right—it was the weather move Snowscape. Ever since the Novice Cup competition, David had spent considerable time this semester studying weather and terrain moves.
The Snowscape that Zorua was unleashing at this moment was the fruit of that training.
In the games, Zorua can learn the two weather moves Rain Dance and Snowscape through TMs.
However, in the real Pokémon world, the use of Technical Machines works quite differently from the games.
It's not like in the games where you simply use a disc on a Pokémon and it instantly learns the move.
In reality, TMs are more like instructional materials—usage guides and important notes recorded on them that require independent study.
Because they record others' experiences, and Trainers' skill levels vary, the teaching effectiveness differs as well. Consequently, the value of TMs recorded by Trainers of different ranks also varies greatly.
The TMs in David's home were naturally left behind by Expert-rank Trainers. David had specifically sought out Rain Dance and Snowscape among them to teach Zorua.
Perhaps because Hisuian Zorua had lived on the ice-covered Hisui continent ten thousand years ago, the little fox had always demonstrated exceptional mastery over Ice-type energy. This could be seen from the Icy Wind she'd learned very early on.
Therefore, between the two weather moves, the little fox had quickly mastered Snowscape, while Rain Dance could only barely be executed—clearly not yet ready for actual battle use.
"What a shame! If it were Rain Dance, Talonflame would probably be finished by now."
Looking at the falling snowflakes, David sighed inwardly.
Once the snow began falling, it was perfectly fine for the little fox, whose genetics were naturally adapted to snowy weather. But for Talonflame, it was absolute torment.
At this moment, snowflakes fell continuously across the entire battlefield. Talonflame's swirling Hurricane, under the little fox's manipulation, was forcibly transformed into a true blizzard.
Talonflame's feathers, at the center of the storm, were already coated in frost. Amid the wind and snow, Talonflame's body temperature had dropped to an unbearable level.
Yet at this very moment, there was still a burning sensation within its body, clinging like a persistent curse. The combination of the two extremes made it difficult for Talonflame to even maintain stable flight.
In a sense, wasn't this also a form of "freezing on the outside, burning on the inside"?
"Zorua, let's end this battle! Payback!"
David, standing on the sidelines, naturally wouldn't miss Talonflame's opening and immediately gave the command.
"No! Talonflame, dodge quickly!"
The chilling grudge materialized once again on the field. With the environment working in its favor, the fiercely burning dark flames struck the drastically slowed Talonflame with perfect accuracy.
"Talonflame!"
After two Calm Mind boosts, Zorua's attack was clearly more than Talonflame could withstand in its current state.
The deep purple wave of flames directly engulfed its figure. Moments later, a form was seen falling vertically from the sky.
Finally, Talonflame—which had been tormented throughout the entire match—completely fainted without managing to land even a single hit on its opponent.
"Talonflame is unable to battle. Gym Trainer, please send out your next Pokémon."
As Talonflame fell from the sky, the Rotom Referee on the electronic display immediately made the announcement.
"Return! You did well, Talonflame."
Sadie took out a Poké Ball and recalled her fainted Talonflame.
Then she looked at David with a complicated expression. Usually, Gym challenges were meant for the Gym Trainer to teach the challenger a lesson. She'd never expected to be the one receiving an education from a kid who hadn't even started university yet.
Since she'd recognized the little fox, she naturally knew David's identity: this year's Imperial Capital Novice Cup Champion!
To be the Novice Cup Champion, he had to be a new Trainer who'd only received his first Pokémon this year.
But David's performance just now—along with his Pokémon's—didn't resemble the level a rookie should be at, whether considering the Pokémon's strength or the Trainer's commands.
That Zorua was clearly only at the Expert level, yet her raw power far exceeded Talonflame's. And David had calmly suppressed her from beginning to end.
You're telling me this is a rookie who only got his Pokémon four months ago?
"Is he some kind of prodigy?"
Sadie murmured to herself.
"Brilliant tactics. Your adaptability in battle is excellent. But the next round won't be so simple."
"I wouldn't expect anything less. Let me experience the true strength of a Brightmoor Gym Trainer! That's precisely why I came here."
Upon hearing Sadie's words, David raised an eyebrow. The stronger the opponent, the sweeter the taste of victory.
However, regarding Sadie's praise, David felt just a tiny bit guilty.
This wasn't his own original strategy, but rather one he'd borrowed from a manga he'd once read.
And the person who'd truly developed this tactic was Pryce, one of the legendary figures in the Pokémon world.