Chapter 742: Great Earthquake

Ají knew he was about to lose, but he didn't want to do so in such a humiliating manner.

At least...

At least he had to land one attack.

"Typhlosion, use Quick Attack and then Flame Wheel!"

Typhlosion roared loudly, and the flames on its back flared up spectacularly. This was the origin of this powerful Pokémon's name.

Crouching on the ground, it used all the strength in its legs and arms to launch into a rapid sprint across the battlefield.

"Swampert, prepare Water Pulse and pay attention to its movement trajectory," Cain instructed.

Swampert nodded seriously.

Cain knew that no matter how excited Swampert was about winning earlier, during battle, it had to remain completely focused.

With the added speed from Quick Attack, Typhlosion rapidly closed the distance toward Swampert. Meanwhile, in Swampert's hands, a bluish energy sphere was forming, with water-type power flowing over its surface.

Taking advantage of its momentum, Typhlosion caused the flames on its back to burn even hotter, enveloping its entire body in a rolling wheel of fire.

Swampert, narrowing its eyes, watched as Typhlosion charged toward it. The Water Pulse move was fully prepared.

"Earthquake, Swampert!" Cain ordered just as Typhlosion was about to reach Swampert.

Swampert, anticipating that its trainer wouldn't let it simply use Water Pulse passively, had already prepared its next move. It lifted one leg and slammed it down onto the ground with full force.

Crack!

The ground began to crack, and the Earthquake move spread out from Swampert across the battlefield. Typhlosion, affected by the tremors, noticeably slowed down.

"Now, Water Pulse!"

Following orders, Swampert hurled the water sphere with one hand, as if playing volleyball, directly at Typhlosion, whose movement had now slowed.

Ssshhh!

The water clashed with the flames, generating a cloud of white steam that spread across the battlefield.

"Typhlosion, use Heat Wave!" Ají made one last attempt; he needed to land at least one hit.

But Cain wasn't going to allow it.

"Swampert, Great Earthquake!" Cain exclaimed with determination.

The move Great Earthquake was one of the combination moves Cain had specifically developed for Swampert, a fusion of Earth Power and Earthquake.

This move pushed ground-type energy to its maximum potential. For Pokémon weak to this type, it was an absolute nightmare.

Swampert, with a powerful leap, slammed both feet onto the ground, releasing a shockwave of devastating energy.

The attack cut through the steam cloud and found Typhlosion, who was already exhausted after its last move.

Swampert, both fists charged with ground-type energy, raised them above its head and brought them crashing down with monumental force.

BOOM!

The impact created a massive crater in the ground, and Typhlosion was trapped in the center of the collapse, unable to move.

The white steam quickly dissipated, and in the middle of the battlefield, only the enormous crater and the defeated Typhlosion remained.

"Swamp!" the Pokémon roared with excitement, thrilled about its first battle and having perfectly executed the combination moves.

Even though its opponent wasn't that strong, for Swampert's debut, the performance had been outstanding.

"Typhlosion can no longer continue! The winner is Cain, from Leafy Town in the Hoenn region!"

The referee declared the end of the battle as cheers filled the stadium.

"Cain! Cain! Cain!"

With a smile, Cain crossed the battlefield to shake hands with his opponent, Ají.

Although Ají was somewhat disappointed, he knew his strength was no match for Cain's, so despite his forced smile, he showed deep respect.

Cain, accompanied by Swampert, returned to the trainers' tunnel as the cheers continued to echo.

He decided that Swampert deserved to enjoy the moment, allowing it to stay out of its Poké Ball to soak in the positive energy from the crowd.

When Cain returned to the Hoenn region's trainers' lounge, everyone approached to congratulate him.

Steven, sitting on a couch, gave him a thumbs-up.

"Not bad, Cain. Just twenty days ago, your Swampert was a newly evolved Marshtomp. Now it's impressive. You're definitely one of Hoenn's best breeders."

Phoebe, excited, ran up to Swampert and touched its muscular arm.

"Wow! It's bigger than my leg!" she laughed while Swampert struck a powerful pose to amuse her.

Cain shook his head, smiling, and sat down next to Steven.

"Swampert is amazing, but I'm sure your recently evolved Armaldo is even stronger."

Steven sighed.

"I had to use family resources to speed up its evolution. But that meant it didn't develop to its full potential. Now it'll take time to fix that."

"The same happened to me," Cain admitted. "Swampert evolved quickly, but we can still work on developing its full power."

Steven, his eyes shining, patted Cain on the shoulder.

"You're a genius as a breeder. When you have time, I hope you can help me with Armaldo and my other Pokémon."

Cain nodded, knowing it wouldn't be easy, but he was willing to help.

Meanwhile, the battles continued in the stadium. Although the battlefield had been severely damaged, the tournament had several reserve arenas ready for use.

With thousands of battles still to be fought, the early rounds would take a long time. For now, Cain and Steven decided to leave, leaving the rest of the day's matches to the audience and other participants.

(End of Chapter)