Ariel immediately pulled out Malamar.
The moment Ariel released Malamar, the arrogant expression on Honmura's face froze.
It wasn't full of primitive brutality like Krookodile, nor was it swift and lethal like Weavile.
It simply floated quietly in mid-air, upside down, with a faint light seemingly flowing through its body and eight tentacles swaying unconsciously, exuding a non-human, indescribable eeriness.
A Psychic-type?
Honmura's mind raced.
He had paid a high price to find out that Ariel's Pokémon were all Dark-types.
Because of that, he had specifically prepared this Level 55 Blaziken; its Fire and Fighting-type attributes were meant to be the perfect counter!
But how could he have a Psychic-type Pokémon?
No, that's not right!
Honmura quickly steadied himself, his gaze turning fierce once more.
It's just some off-brand Pokémon I've never seen before. So what if there's a type advantage?
His Blaziken was Level 55!
It wasn't any weaker than that thing!
"Stop playing tricks!"
Honmura gave a sinister laugh and swung his arm forward violently.
"Blaziken, don't hold back! Use Flare Blitz!"
He had already made up his mind; even if he couldn't win, he would make Ariel pay a price.
The temperature on the battlefield suddenly spiked.
Blaziken's entire body erupted in crimson flames, and like a cannonball leaving the barrel, it dragged a long trail of fire as it charged brazenly toward the motionless Malamar.
The turf on the ground quickly charred and curled under the high temperature, emitting a series of sizzling sounds.
However, facing this aggressive strike, Ariel's command was nonchalant.
"Dark Pulse."
The faint light on Malamar's body surged, and rings of deep purple energy ripples radiated from its body.
There was no earth-shattering noise, only a series of suppressed hums vibrating through the air.
Flare Blitz and Dark Pulse collided head-on.
The violent flames were weakened and neutralized layer by layer by those seemingly weak energy ripples.
Ultimately, with an unwilling cry, Blaziken was forced to a halt a few meters in front of Malamar, the flames on its body dimming significantly.
Honmura's pupils contracted.
He tanked it? He actually tanked Blaziken's Flare Blitz head-on?
"Psycho Cut."
Ariel's voice remained flat.
The tips of Malamar's tentacles lit up with a blinding white light, which quickly elongated and condensed into several crescent-shaped blades of psychic energy, slashing toward Blaziken in a crisscross pattern.
The speed was so fast and the angles so tricky that Blaziken, who had just steadied itself from the impact, had no time to react.
Slash! Slash!
Several bloody gashes opened up on Blaziken's body; it cried out in pain and retreated repeatedly.
"Damn it!"
Honmura's face darkened completely.
"You think you've won like this? How naive!"
He looked at his Blaziken, the sinister grin on his face widening.
"My Blaziken's ability is Speed Boost! Ariel, you know nothing of true power!"
As his words fell, the aura on Blaziken's body indeed began to climb.
It was the sign of increasing speed.
After every action, its speed would increase by a notch.
The longer the battle dragged on, the faster it would become, until finally, it would be too fast for the naked eye to track!
"Go! Blaze Kick!"
Honmura ordered again.
Blaziken's figure instantly blurred, turning into a line of fire as it circled to Malamar's side at a speed significantly faster than before. Its flame-covered talons kicked out fiercely with the sound of breaking wind.
"Useless."
Ariel didn't even look up. Malamar simply tilted its body, its tentacles acting like flexible whips as they condensed Psycho Cut once more, precisely intercepting Blaziken's attack trajectory.
Boom!
The energies collided again, sending Blaziken staggering back.
But the smile on Honmura's face grew even wider.
At the moment of that attack, a searing shockwave generated by the Blaze Kick didn't weaken at all. At an extremely insidious angle, it bypassed the Pokémon in the center and headed straight for Ariel's face!
This move was fast, ruthless, and extremely well-hidden.
The referee's heart leapt into his throat; he saw clearly that this was intentional on Honmura's part!
Using the aftereffects of a skill to attack a Trainer was a gray area in the rules; as long as it didn't hit directly and cause injury, he couldn't even issue a penalty!
Some sharp-eyed people in the audience also noticed something was wrong and let out low gasps.
However, that heatwave, which was enough to singe a person's eyebrows, hit something less than half a meter from Ariel's face, as if it had struck an invisible wall. It split oddly to the sides and finally dissipated into nothingness.
Ariel stood where he was, not even the hem of his clothes moving.
Honmura's smile froze.
What happened?
"Blaziken, continue! Use Flamethrower!"
Honmura roared, somewhat exasperated.
This time, he no longer hid his intentions.
Blaziken opened its mouth, and a thick pillar of fire spewed out, aimed directly at Malamar.
But just as the pillar of fire was about to hit Malamar, Blaziken jerked its neck!
Whoosh—!
The entire pillar of fire, like an out-of-control whip of flame, traced a massive arc in mid-air, brushed past Malamar, and swept violently toward the command platform where Ariel was standing!
This move was now blatant malice!
The referee stood up abruptly, about to shout a warning.
Honmura's eyes held a sense of frantic pleasure; he could almost see Ariel being engulfed by the flames, looking pathetic and miserable.
Even if he was disqualified and heavily fined today, he would make this guy who ruined his woman pay the price!
In any case, with his older brother around, everything could be settled!
However, facing the overwhelming flames, Ariel didn't dodge, showed no fear, and didn't even have a hint of tension.
He simply gave a soft sigh.
"Sigh."
"You're the one who made the first move."
A transparent barrier suddenly lit up in front of Ariel, looking as if it were made of hexagonal crystal pieces, emitting a solid and cold luster.
Protect!
Malamar's figure was so fast it left only an afterimage as it precisely blocked the path in front of its master.
Whoosh—!
The searing pillar of fire slammed into the barrier, flames splashing everywhere as violent energy turned into a visible shockwave that spread in all directions.
The edge of the field was instantly charred by the high temperature, and a pungent smell filled the air.
On the referee's stand, the referee's face had turned livid. He stood up abruptly from his seat, his finger almost poking Honmura's face, with words of warning on the tip of his tongue.
An attack so clearly aimed directly at the Trainer, even if it didn't hit, was of the most egregious nature!
For such behavior, a referee has the authority to disqualify the offender immediately!
"Wait a moment, Referee."
Just then, a calm voice sounded.
Ariel raised his hand slightly, stopping the referee who was about to deliver the verdict.
As the smoke cleared, he stood there unscathed, without even a single wrinkle on his clothes.
"I think contestant Honmura just wanted to use Flamethrower to block my Pokémon's movement. After all, my Malamar is quite agile and floats in the air; it's understandable that Blaziken's attack range would be a bit larger."
Ariel's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached every corner of the noisy battlefield.
"It was just a careless mistake, there's no need for punishment."
Once these words were spoken, the entire arena fell silent.
The referee, who had been ready to explode, froze, his mouth hanging open, unable to say a word.
People in the audience looked at each other, completely unable to understand what this play was.
He was targeted and attacked, yet he was actually making excuses for the other party?
Honmura himself was also completely stunned.
He stared fixedly at Ariel, his mind in a state of total confusion.
What does this kid mean?
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