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In the Pokémon Adventures manga, a battle once took place between Gym Trainers representing the Johto Region and those from the Kanto Region.
Pryce, serving as Johto's ace Trainer, found himself matched against Erika, Kanto's ace. When Erika's Bellossom executed Petal Dance, Pryce commanded his Swinub to use Powder Snow. The attack coated the swirling petals surrounding Bellossom with a layer of ice crystals.
As Erika attempted to defend herself with the continued Petal Dance, the ice shards attached to the petals were propelled forward by the move's rotation. They shot toward her Jumpluff like frozen projectiles, ultimately securing Pryce's victory.
David drew inspiration from this battle. The massive whirlwind Talonflame had created around itself could become something more dangerous with just a small addition—it could transform into a Blizzard attack.
What had begun as the most familiar gust of wind became the key to defeating the Fire-type once it was mixed with ice and snow.
The only limitation was that Zorua hadn't perfected Rain Dance yet. Otherwise, using that move would directly shift the weather to rain, and a heavy downpour would be more than enough to ground Talonflame completely.
"Then it's decided—you're up, Houndoom!"
After recalling her fainted Talonflame, Sadie wasted no time releasing her next Pokémon for battle.
The Dark and Fire-type appeared with an intimidating presence. Large, curved horns crowned its head, while its tail ended in an inverted triangle point. White, bone-like protrusions decorated its wrists and ankles, contrasting sharply against its entirely black body. It resembled a demonic hound straight from the depths of hell.
Just by standing there, the Pokémon radiated a fierce, threatening aura.
[Name: Houndoom]
[Type: Dark/Fire]
[Gender: Male]
[Energy Level: 45 (Professional Rank)]
[Potential: Purple]
[Ability: Flash Fire]
[Held Item: Charcoal]
[Known Moves: Ember, Quick Attack, Fire Fang, Incinerate, Smog, Flamethrower, Torment, Bite, Counter, Fire Spin, Flame Charge, Flare Blitz, Sucker Punch, Howl, Inferno, Odor Sleuth, Rage...]
This was indeed Houndoom, the Dark and Fire dual-type Pokémon—the only Dark-type on Sadie's team that could counter Zorua effectively.
It appeared that Sadie intended to leverage type advantage to defeat the little fox.
"Come back, Zorua! The next battle belongs to your partner!"
However, the moment Houndoom materialized, David surprised everyone by recalling Zorua, who had completed two stat boosts and was operating at nearly full strength.
"So it's Houndoom! Then I'm really counting on you this time, Riolu!"
Observing the dark demonic hound before him, David retrieved a Poké Ball. This time, the real Riolu entered the battlefield.
[Name: Riolu]
[Type: Fighting]
[Gender: Male]
[Energy Level: 30 (Advanced Rank)]
[Potential: Light Red]
[Ability: Prankster]
[Held Item: Black Belt]
[Known Moves: Detect, Miracle Eye, Agility, Blaze Kick, Bullet Punch, Aura Sphere, Endure, Feint, Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Focus Punch, Counter, Crunch, Work Up, Bulk Up, Dig, Brick Break, Fire Punch, Rock Smash, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Claw, High Jump Kick, Swords Dance...]
Despite watching his two partners level up at an extraordinary pace, Riolu hadn't become discouraged. Instead, Riolu's competitive spirit had been ignited, driving it to train even harder. Sometimes David had to practically force it to take rest breaks.
Thanks to such dedicated effort and David's continuous supply of high-grade Pokémon food and various resources, Riolu's level had finally reached 30 by the end of the semester.
Although it couldn't match Zorua and the others—those 'cheat-level' teammates—Riolu had at least achieved Advanced Rank status, ensuring it hadn't fallen too far behind.
However, anyone who underestimated Riolu because of its slightly lower level would quickly learn their mistake. Riolu's iron fists would teach them the consequences of looking down on others.
"He recalled Zorua... What's he trying to do?"
Sadie couldn't help but frown at David's tactical choice. What did this mean? Was he underestimating her?
"I have no intention of underestimating you, miss. This is my first Gym challenge, and all three of my Pokémon were eager to participate. I had no choice but to let each of them take part in one battle."
Noticing Sadie's slightly displeased expression, David smiled apologetically and quickly offered an explanation.
His actions could indeed be misinterpreted, but he had valid reasons. All three of his Pokémon had insisted on participating!
This was David's first official Gym challenge—a significant milestone! None of his partners wanted to miss out.
At this moment, even the normally composed Riolu could barely contain its excitement.
So David had decided that each of his three Pokémon would be responsible for one match, keeping everything fair. He prided himself on being an impartial Trainer.
After hearing David's explanation, Sadie's expression softened. As a Trainer herself, she understood the importance of respecting a Pokémon's wishes.
However, that didn't mean she would go easy on him. She could tell that while this Riolu appeared strong, its aura seemed noticeably weaker than Zorua's had been. It had probably only recently broken through to Advanced Rank.
Although her Houndoom faced a type disadvantage against the Fighting-type, the level difference might be enough to secure victory.
Surely not every single one of his Pokémon could be at such an exceptional level, right?
"Houndoom, use Inferno!"
Inferno was a devastating Fire-type move that engulfed opponents in intense flames, with a guaranteed chance of inflicting a burn status.
Facing Riolu, a Fighting-type with a clear advantage over her Dark and Fire-type, Sadie immediately commanded Houndoom to use the wide-range Inferno attack.
Her strategy was twofold: first, to gauge her opponent's capabilities while avoiding close-quarters combat where Riolu would excel; second, if the attack successfully inflicted a burn, Riolu—which relied heavily on physical attacks—would lose a significant portion of its offensive power.
Houndoom opened its massive jaws, and fierce flames erupted forth, forming a towering wall of fire that surged toward the opposing Fighting-type.
However, in real Pokémon battles—unlike turn-based games—attacks weren't guaranteed to hit unless they were tracking moves with perfect accuracy.
"Riolu, use Protect! Then use Agility and close in!"
"Rio!"
A pale green barrier materialized before Riolu, forming an impenetrable shield that deflected all incoming flames.
The intense fire didn't harm Riolu in the slightest. Riolu then decisively capitalized on the brief window when Houndoom's move ended.
White light flickered across Riolu's body as Agility activated. In the next instant, it transformed into a sky-blue streak of lightning, charging directly toward Houndoom's position.