(Corrected)
Chapter 96: The battle ends, and news of Dragonite:
"It won! The Gym Leader is truly on the defensive."
"What an amazing Gyarados! What an amazing Hurricane!"
"Finally, finally, a trainer who can defeat Gym Leader Xia Mu is about to appear."
...
"Wait, it's not over yet..."
...
Anxious shouts erupted from several impatient trainers.
Having seen Charizard suppressed by Gyarados, some were already saying that Gyarados and Fergus had won.
Until the very end, when the Hurricane ended, although Gyarados circled majestically in the air, Charizard on the ground was not incapacitated.
Its power was sufficient, but it didn't hit any vital points, so it was only severely injured.
Even with Charizard's previous injuries and stamina depletion, it still wasn't enough to render it unable to fight.
Xia Mu's voice rang out at this moment.
"The hurricane was indeed powerful.
The force it unleashed would have rendered
most Pokémon unable to battle! Unfortunately, you were too hasty. You should have used the type advantage to wear down Charizard's stamina first, and then used this unexpected, one-hit KO attack..."
Before he could finish speaking, the man on the opposite side of the arena couldn't help but retort, "Even if we don't defeat Charizard, the advantage is still with me. I refuse to believe that after taking this attack, Brother Xia Mu's Charizard can fight like before."
Fergus was brimming with confidence.
He had indeed anticipated this, but he overlooked many factors. In high-level battles, many factors influence the outcome.
Not only did Xia Mu not react quickly enough, but he also didn't consider that Xia Mu would use this move directly. Now, with this experience, Xia Mu will be much more vigilant.
Moreover, because of the Hurricane attack, Charizard's severely injured ability has been unleashed.
Under Blaze, when HP is low, the power of Fire-type moves increases.
Charizard's combat strength is stronger than before, especially the aura it exudes, far surpassing its previous power.
Clearly, in the real world, Blaze's effect is far more powerful than the fixed data settings in the game; its explosive power in all aspects has been enhanced.
"Then you should take a good look at the difference between these two tactics!" Xia Mu sensed the fighting spirit emanating from Charizard and immediately shouted the command, "Flamethrower!!!" "
Even against a Water-type, he used a Fire-type move. "
Xia Mu's move left everyone speechless.
When the level difference is huge, it's indeed possible to achieve a type advantage through sheer force.
However, according to all the trainers present, Gyarados and Charizard's levels shouldn't be different.
Without a data panel, no one knew the level difference better than Xia Mu.
A 7-level difference wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either.
In the upcoming battle, as long as Charizard wasn't hit by Gyarados's moves, with its current burst of power, it could easily defeat Gyarados before the Blaze effect wore off.
Abilities have a time limit; that's inevitable.
While there are no restrictions in the game—as long as you don't fall, you can continue to exert your strength—the real world has a limit to stamina. Once stamina is truly exhausted, you will inevitably fall.
"Wow, what a terrifying Flamethrower!" "The Fergus opposite cried out in shock.
Clearly, it had never witnessed such intensely hot flames before.
Many challengers were stunned and stood up, witnessing this incredible scene.
Despite being severely injured, its strength had not diminished but rather increased.
The Gyarados in the air also clearly felt the pressure, flapping its body to dodge, but it was still partially hit by the sweeping fireballs."
It was fortunate that Gyarados was a Water-type Pokémon; otherwise, this attack would have been enough to defeat any other Pokémon over level 40. Under type advantage, even Grass- and Bug-type Pokémon over level 50 would have been instantly killed.
"I know, it's Blaze!" In the audience area, Corey suddenly shouted, a thought flashing through his mind.
This served as a reminder, also informing everyone present what was going on.
Those who were initially confused immediately understood after hearing the Fire-type ability.
After learning the truth, Fergus immediately realized, "Is this the difference in tactics you were talking about, Brother Xia Mu?"
Xia Mu nodded, "With Blaze activated, Charizard's Fire-type moves become much more powerful! This means its strength will double. So, do you think it's better to deplete its stamina first and then unleash its ultimate move, or to unleash its ultimate move first and then deplete its stamina?"
After saying that, Xia Mu said to Charizard again, "Let's teach everyone a lesson about the importance of abilities in this battle!
So what if Fire-type moves are half as powerful as Water-type moves?! With Blaze, the power of the moves has already made up for that difference!"
At this moment, Charizard's stamina must have been less than a quarter, and based on the power of that Flamethrower, it had at least doubled.
Therefore, the current Fire-type moves have exceeded the range of a 1.5-fold increase in power when the stamina is less than one-third, reaching the level of a 2-fold increase when the stamina is less than a quarter.
In mainstream games, the limit of 2x doesn't exist; it only exists in side stories.
But Xia Mu was certain that this was the limit.
"Fire is Fire! Even if Blaze enhances Fire-type moves, Water still counters Fire! Gyarados, unleash another Hydro Pump!" Fergus remained calm, not letting Xia Mu dictate the pace.
'Roar!' Gyarados roared in the sky, already defiant against Charizard, and unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump.
Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Xia Mu's eyes: "How can such a slow attack hit Charizard! Fly away and dodge, then unleash Flamethrower!"
'Roar!!' Charizard flapped its wings and soared into the sky. The Hydro Pump grazed past it, and the flames on Charizard's tail blazed fiercely due to Blaze, gradually engulfing its entire body.
It seemed as if it was about to unleash Flare Charge.
However, it wasn't Flare Charge, but rather a surge in Fire-type energy.
A massive burst of flame erupted, its terrifying power leaving everyone speechless.
The temperature in the air rose rapidly, exceeding 45 degrees Celsius if a thermometer were available.
Keep in mind that the average temperature in the Cinnabar Island region rarely exceeds 30 degrees Celsius.
A temperature exceeding 45 degrees, rapidly approaching 50, wouldn't cause immediate discomfort, but prolonged exposure would be unbearable.
"Don't be afraid, Gyarados, use Water Gun again!" The man gritted his teeth and ordered Gyarados to unleash Water Gun once more.
This attack did manage to barely block the burst of flame, but the extreme heat of the flames colliding with the water caused a massive explosion at close range.
Water vapor then blanketed the area, enveloping the entire space.
Neither side could see the other, but it was certain that neither Pokémon was unable to battle.
"Gyarados, unleash Hurricane!" The man's command rang out again from the opposite side.
He had no intention of resting, nor giving Charizard a chance to catch its breath.
Normally, this battle rhythm would be fine, but the problem is that he doesn't seem to have figured out that it's not his Gyarados that's pressing its advantage right now.
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(End of this chapter)