Chapter 332: Sudden Power Surge

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When Meowth saw that firing seven consecutive Shadow Ball attacks couldn't even scratch Haunter, he immediately realized that defeating his opponent was impossible. His first instinct was to flee.

What frustrated Meowth, however, was that despite this clear disadvantage, Sato still insisted that he continue fighting.

Even though he was unwilling, he followed Sato's orders and launched another attack.

After all, if Sato refused to recall him, then giving up would only mean getting beaten up even worse by this ruthless opponent. Rather than suffer alone, he'd rather drag someone else down with him.

As soon as Sato gave the command, a panting Meowth opened his mouth and raised his tail. In the next instant, a soccer ball-sized orb of water-blue energy quickly formed in front of his mouth, while golden electricity surged across his tail.

Thanks to his exceptional control over different moves, Meowth unleashed Water Pulse and Shock Wave simultaneously. With his Technician ability boosting both attacks, their power surged to 90 each.

Under Meowth's precise assault, Haunter's two ghostly hands were instantly obliterated.

Without hesitation, Meowth continued following Sato's orders. Before Haunter, shrouded in thick black mist, could close in, he launched several Shadow Ball attacks the size of soccer balls.

But just like before, the five Shadow Ball attacks disappeared without a trace, merely shrinking the swirling black mist slightly.

They failed to harm Haunter, who remained hidden within.

Seeing this, Sato felt a sense of helplessness—his opponent's Haunter had an extremely bizarre ability.

Since this was his first time encountering such a skill, he had wasted the crucial opening where he should have launched an all-out attack.

If he had another chance, he would never allow Haunter's mist to accumulate to the point where it now covered nearly half of the battlefield.

As the battle continued, Meowth fought desperately, but in the end, he succumbed to defeat.

Trapped at the edge of the battlefield with nowhere to retreat, Meowth was completely engulfed by the dark mist, making it impossible for Sato to issue any more precise commands.

By the time Meowth reappeared from within the mist, he had already collapsed unconscious, unable to battle any longer.

However, through Meowth's efforts, Sato had largely figured out the properties of Haunter's eerie mist.

He identified three key effects: first, it allowed Haunter to remain hidden; second, it obstructed the vision of ordinary Trainers; and third, it provided Haunter with a protective barrier.

At the same time, Sato discovered two major weaknesses in this strange ability. First, the mist was denser than air, meaning it could only reach a maximum height of two meters.

Second, the mist could only cover half of the battlefield at most, with a total area of about 300 square meters.

"Hmph, this kind of ability is only good for bullying my newly acquired Meowth," Sato muttered.

Recalling Meowth into his PokeBall, Sato's gaze turned cold as he locked eyes with Haunter's menacing crimson glow from within the mist. Having now grasped the opponent's abilities, he had already devised a way to counter them.

"Come out, Growlithe! Meowth's efforts won't be in vain—use your flames to purify this evil energy!"

With a sharp scoff, Sato swiftly retrieved another PokeBall from his belt and released his next Pokémon.

In the next instant, a robust Growlithe appeared on the battlefield. The moment he landed, bright orange flames erupted around his body, instantly raising the temperature of the previously chilly battlefield.

Seeing the pure and intense fire enveloping Growlithe, a satisfied expression flashed in Sato's eyes.

Ever since he had unexpectedly obtained a Flame Orb from Courtney, he had entrusted this invaluable Fire-type treasure to Growlithe.

Although the Flame Orb didn't enhance Growlithe's potential, its vast reserve of pure Fire-type energy had granted him substantial benefits.

The most significant improvement was the dramatic increase in Growlithe's fire temperature.

Previously, his flames had also been orange-red, but compared to now, they were inferior in both purity and heat by several levels.

Before, Growlithe's flames reached around 500–600 degrees Celsius at most. But after rigorous training and tests with specialized instruments, his flames now exceeded 1,000 degrees Celsius at their peak.

Now, a single burst of his fire could reduce raw meat to charcoal in seconds. Even metal would quickly melt into liquid under his heat. Growlithe's flames had become a truly lethal force.

The battle resumed at the referee's signal.

However, this time, just a minute or two into the fight, Sato's opponent, Ayako, finally opened her previously closed eyes. Her expression grew serious as she observed Growlithe, cloaked in flames.

Her sudden change in demeanor was simple—what had once seemed like a surefire victory had taken a drastic turn.

Haunter's black mist had covered half the battlefield, and since Growlithe had appeared on Sato's side, he should have been engulfed instantly and turned into easy prey.

But instead, Haunter's ghostly hands disintegrated into ashes before they could even get within a meter of Growlithe.

And under the relentless assault of three Fire Spin attacks from Growlithe's mouth, the eerie mist was melting away like spring snow.

In mere moments, the ghostly battlefield Haunter had painstakingly created had been burned away by more than half. Meanwhile, the three Fire Spin attacks had formed a triangular encirclement around Haunter.

Seeing this, Ayako took a long, hard look at Sato—the seemingly unremarkable Trainer across from her. She had initially thought of him as a harmless house cat, but now, he had revealed himself to be a tiger.

"Burn him to a crisp—use Flamethrower!"

With Haunter's mist almost completely incinerated, Sato was extremely pleased. Not giving his opponent any chance to recover, he immediately commanded Growlithe to attack.

The moment Sato spoke, a scorching pillar of orange-red fire erupted from Growlithe's mouth, rolling forward with intense heat toward Haunter, still lurking within the remaining mist.

"Shadow Ball."

Just as the searing flames were about to strike, a cold, crisp voice escaped from Ayako, whose gaze had turned icy.

In the next moment, Haunter's crimson eyes flared, and a glowing symbol appeared on its forehead.

Then, a basketball-sized Shadow Ball, radiating waves of dark energy, instantly materialized in Haunter's hands.

To everyone's astonishment—including Sato's—Haunter's Shadow Ball plowed through the Flamethrower and slammed into Growlithe's head, sending him flying into the air.

By the time Growlithe crashed to the ground, he had already fainted, completely incapacitated.

"How is this possible?! His level…"

Staring at Haunter, now emanating a terrifying surge of energy, Sato swallowed hard, his expression filled with disbelief.