I caught a Pokémon

"Fiery Steed, use Stomp!"

Gyarados's tail was enveloped in water and lashed out at Rapidash. At the same time, Rapidash raised its front hooves, its upper body raised high, as if to stomp on Gyarados.

However, when the two Pokémon collided, before Rapidash's front hooves could even land, its body was struck by a tremendous force and, like a ball, was flung away more than ten meters with a loud 'thud'!

Water counteracts fire, and the effect is outstanding!

As Rapidash shook its head and struggled to its feet, Blaine shouted, "Rapidash, use Charged Flame!"

The flames on Rapidash's body suddenly surged, eventually engulfing it completely, turning it into a giant ball of fire! Then, it moved its limbs and charged at Gyarados at incredible speed once again!

The Charged Flame Strike is a contact-type move, and knowing that physical contact was inevitable, Xia You decided to wait and see, and commanded, "One more time! Water Tail!!"

The two Pokémon collided, and the reaction of water and fire erupted with billowing heat. However, it was clear that the power of Aqua Tail was stronger, and it still managed to injure Rapidash and knock it back a few steps.

Blaine frowned slightly. His two attacks had resulted in serious injuries, and he had realized how difficult Gyarados was to deal with.

However, he had no countermeasures against this.

There was no way around it. You have to understand that his Rapidash mainly relies on close combat as its primary means of attack. When it encounters a Water-type Pokémon with immense power, it can be said that it has completely met its natural enemy!

Seeing Xia Bo remain silent, Xia You had no idea of ​​his complicated feelings. Seeing that the attack had worked, she continued to press her advantage.

"Gyarados, don't give it a chance to breathe!"

Faced with the ferocious Gyarados, Blaine hurriedly said, "Rapidhoof, use Fire Wheel!"

A dozen or so small fireballs appeared around the fiery horse and swirled around it.

However, just as it was about to charge at Gyarados again, it suddenly saw Gyarados's gaping maw. Intimidated and frightened, Rapidash hesitated, its body twitching restlessly.

good chance!

Xia You's eyes lit up, and she immediately seized this fleeting opportunity!

"Gyarados! Let's wreak havoc!!"

At Xia You's command, Gyarados roared to the sky, its eyes turning blood red, its reason completely gone, leaving only a tyrannical desire to destroy everything in its path!

The next second, its head, body and tail all turned into weapons. Without any skill, it relied solely on its brute force to unleash all its power on the Flaming Horse and the surrounding area!

Thump thump thump thump!!

Ten times, twenty times, thirty times...

Under Gyarados's continuous attacks, not only did the suspended arena shake violently, but even the iron chains holding it up rattled as if they might break at any moment!

A large amount of debris and dust floated and obscured the scene, making it impossible to see what was happening on the field. When Gyarados calmed down and the dust settled, everyone discovered that Rapidash was lying in a large crater, with multiple injuries and had already lost consciousness...

"Great!!"

Before Xia You could even speak, Xiao Xia jumped up excitedly, and judging from her expression, she seemed even happier than if she had won the game herself!

Xiao Gang and Xiao Zhi clapped and cheered from the side.

"Come back, Blazing Horse."

Blaine shook his head slightly and recalled his Pokémon.

Having won the first game, Xia You couldn't help but relax her tense nerves.

There was no way around it; his easy victory over Ash earlier had indeed made Blaine take Blaine's strength more seriously.

But now that Gyarados has been able to defeat Rapidash, the pressure on him has suddenly lessened, and his mood has eased somewhat.

"Well done. You're definitely more difficult to deal with than that brat from before." Blaine looked at Xia You and released a second Pokémon. "Come out, Ninetales!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox, complete with its own light effects, makes its return.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Ding, Ninetales, a fox Pokémon, Fire-type, the evolved form of Vulpix. It is intelligent but holds grudges. According to legend, it was born from the fusion of nine immortals with divine power. It has golden fur and nine long tails and can live for up to 1000 years."

Only a thousand years?

Compared to my Wartsurugi's lifespan, you're still a long way off!

Despite the battle just now, Xia You did not choose to switch to other Pokémon.

"Gyarados, keep it up!"

"Aww!~~"

At the start of the battle, Blaine used the same trick he had just used to defeat Squirtle.

"Nine-Tails, use Flame Vortex!"

"So it's that move again!" Xia You naturally didn't dare to be careless. "Gyarados, use Whirlpool!"

The vortex formed by flames and water, two moves with different attributes but equally effective, were launched separately and collided at the same time. However, this time, water won, not only extinguishing the flames but also hitting the Nine-Tails.

"Nine-Tails!" Blaine exclaimed, seeing the Nine-Tails soaking wet. "Fire the Strange Light!"

A beam of colorful light emanated from the mouth of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Gyarados, get out of the way!"

Despite Xia You's timely command, Gyarados was still accurately hit by the strange light due to its speed.

When the light disappeared, Gyarados stood still, already in a state of chaos.

"Very good!" Blaine said, "Nine-Tails, use Quick Attack!"

Ninetales slammed into Gyarados at incredible speed, damaging it but also relieving Gyarados of its confused state!

"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!"

Seeing Gyarados raise its tail to lash at it, Ninetales quickly jumped away, barely avoiding the tail enveloped in water.

Seeing that his attack had worked, Blaine continued to use the same method.

"Let's do it again, Strange Ray!"

Again?!

Xia You frowned, hurriedly thinking of a solution.

But when his gaze swept over the thick iron chains that suspended the arena, his eyes suddenly lit up!

"Gyarados! Break the chains next to you!!"

Despite its confusion, Gyarados obediently used its Water Tail to sever the chain.

As the chains snapped with a 'bang,' the arena suddenly tilted at a large angle toward Gyarados. At the same time, Ninetales' strange beam of light flew past Gyarados's horn, almost grazing it!

"What!?"

Blaine was shocked, but before she could react, Ninetales had already slid down the slope towards Gyarados!

"Now's the chance!" Xia You shouted, "Bite it!"

Although Gyarados also swung backward, it used its great strength to leap forward and pounce, opening its mouth wide to bite Ninetales!

The teeth sank deep into Nine-Tails' skin. Nine-Tails screamed and struggled desperately, but it still couldn't escape Gyarados's gaping maw full of fangs!

Chapter 90 Battle on the Volcano

"Now, you finally have nowhere to hide!" Seeing this, Xia You let out a long breath and then commanded, "Gyarados, let's finish it off! Hydro Pump!"

A thick, powerful stream of water formed in Gyarados's mouth and struck Ninetales like a large-caliber cannonball.

With its body bitten, the Nine-Tailed Fox had no way to avoid the attack and had to endure the high-damage water-attribute attack.

This time, it could no longer hold on and followed in Rapidash's footsteps, falling to the ground beneath Gyarados.

However, the water cannon's momentum did not stop. After defeating the Nine-Tailed Fox, it continued forward and, by sheer coincidence, broke an iron chain!

The already precarious venue plummeted like a weightless elevator!

boom! ! !

With a deafening roar, the entire site was pressed down on the lava, not only creating a towering wave of lava but also breaking into several sections!

"Oops!"

Xia You and Xia Bo hurriedly took out their Poké Balls and recalled their respective Pokémon.

Meanwhile, the scorching heatwave had already reached the shore. Seeing that Xia You was still standing there, Xiao Xia disregarded her own safety, grabbed his arm, and led him to a safe area.

Wow!!

The surging lava, like a fiery rain, poured down on the entire underground cave. When it finally calmed down and slowly receded, the battlefield hidden beneath the hot spring hotel had been completely reduced to ruins!

Xia You patted Xiaoxia's hand to reassure her, then turned to Uncle Xia.

"Mr. Chapman, I'm so sorry!" Xia You apologized sincerely, "I accidentally made such a mess of your venue!"

"It's alright, the dojo can be rebuilt if it's destroyed, as long as you're not injured," Blaine said nonchalantly. "However, it seems the final match will have to be held in a different location!"

The group emerged from the tunnel, returned to the hotel, rested briefly, and then followed behind Xia Bo toward the volcano.

Following the winding and rugged dirt road, we climbed higher and higher until we finally arrived at the crater of the Honglian Volcano!

Looking at the churning lava beneath his feet, Xiao Gang asked worriedly, "Is it really okay to fight here? Aren't we afraid of triggering an eruption?"

"Don't be nervous," Blaine laughed. "I'm not only an expert in Fire-type Pokémon, but also in volcanoes. Although this volcano has been somewhat active recently, it won't erupt anytime soon."

Hearing his assurance, Xia You walked to the crater and looked around at the replacement site.

Inside the circular crater stood dozens of identical stone pillars. Although they looked like they were naturally formed, Xia You had never seen such a strange crater before, whether online or in the news.

Beneath those stone pillars, steaming lava flows.

“My last Pokémon is Magmar.” Blaine sent out his last and strongest Pokémon, then changed the subject, asking, “But I hope that Gyarados wasn’t your strongest Pokémon, otherwise I’ll be familiar with your tactics, and you won’t stand a chance in the next battle!”

"Don't worry about that," Xia You said. "This is the first time I've had Gyarados fight in a gym battle since it evolved, and the result is beyond my expectations."

"..." Blaine looked down at the two Poké Balls at his waist, stunned for a long while, and muttered, "I thought they were your ace, but it turns out this was just their first gym battle..."

Not noticing anything amiss in his expression, Xia You chuckled, "But speaking of which, this is the first time I've ever seen a gym leader worry that the trainer challenging him isn't strong enough."

Blaine sighed, his words brimming with his philosophy of life: "Life is a puzzle, a cycle of self-questioning and self-answering. Each time a new puzzle is solved, people grow significantly. Pokémon battles are similar; no matter how high the wall you hit, as long as you overcome it, you become stronger! So, as long as you're alive, you must keep coming up with new puzzles and keep challenging yourself in Pokémon battles!"

"As expected of Mr. Blaine, I've learned a lot!" Xia You nodded, and without further delay, sent out her second Pokémon, "Go, Wartortle!"

As the blue light flashed, Wartortle appeared atop a stone pillar inside the volcano.

"Kami! Kami!"

"It's Wartortle?" Blaine frowned as she looked at it. "I thought it would be some more powerful Pokémon, but it's just a Wartortle that hasn't fully evolved yet. I don't understand why you would send it out."

"Such a rare opportunity, of course I want it to get some training." Xia You put away the Wartortle's Poké Ball and said nonchalantly, "Maybe Wartortle is no match for Magmar, but I still have one more chance. Even if I fail, it can still be considered as having depleted Magmar's stamina."

"I see!" Blaine laughed loudly. "I never imagined you were the one who truly embodied my philosophy of life!"

Once both Pokémon were ready, the two gave their commands almost simultaneously.

"Warlock, use the water gun!"

"Firebill, use Fire Punch!"

Wartortle shot a water gun from its mouth, spraying it straight at Magmar. However, Magmar withstood the damage and, after a few leaps, rushed to Wartortle's side.

This tactic had a remarkable effect in the battle against Pikachu, and Blaine clearly wanted to replicate it again to turn the tide in this unfavorable situation.

Unfortunately, Xia You is not Ash, and Wartortle is not Pikachu.

Xia You naturally wouldn't let him have his way.

"Warlock, retreat!"

As Wartortle retracted into its shell, Magmar seemed to have no way to attack and could only keep pounding on the shell with its flaming fists.

With a frown, Blaine shouted, "Duckbill Firebeast, throw it into the lava!"

! ? ? ?

Xia You was shocked. Could this really be done?!

Even if Wartortle is a Water-type, if it were thrown into lava, it wouldn't be able to take care of Xia You's descendants in their old age, it would probably be reduced to ashes immediately, leaving not even a trace!

Seeing the Magmar stretch out its paws, seemingly about to pick up Wartortle, Xia You hurriedly shouted, "Wartortle, Spin at high speed!!"

Wartortle suddenly spun around, faster and faster, shaking off Magmar.

At the same time, the tortoise shell bounced high into the air, circling in a perfect arc as it crashed into the duck-billed fire beast.

"Firebear, use Flamethrower!"