And in the next moment—
"Vool!"
Accompanied by a cry, the air temperature suddenly spiked.
Within that voice, there was also a trace of anger.
Human hearts are cunning. It's not strange that some people, pushed to extremes, step onto the path of crime.
Wherever there are people, there will be desire and conflict.
Anyone who becomes a Pokémon Trainer—if they're too much of a saint—usually ends up dying miserably in the wild.
Nathan had long been prepared to face such situations.
…
Blazing flames surged up before Nathan, and the majestic figure of Volcarona appeared in front of him.
A powerful aura erupted, and the expressions on the opposing Pokémon instantly grew tense.
"That's…"
"A Metagross, a Flygon… and an Elite-level Volcarona?!"
The middle-aged man's face turned grim, disbelief surfacing in his eyes.
From his perspective, Nathan didn't look that old—probably just past the stage of a rookie trainer, maybe even just beginning his Elite Trainer assessments.
Besides, he'd been hiding on this island for a while and wasn't aware of any outside news. Naturally, he didn't know Nathan's identity.
He had attacked Nathan only after secretly observing him earlier during his exploration of the island, having seen him use only a Gym-level Pangoro.
After weighing the risks, he decided to strike.
But to his shock, the boy standing before him had now summoned a Elite-level Pokémon.
A Elite-level Pokémon.
Had he known earlier, he never would've made a move. He would've just left the island.
"Damn it."
The middle-aged man cursed under his breath, already planning to retreat. As for begging for mercy? No, that wasn't even an option—he knew that even if he did, the other side wouldn't let him go.
"Gengar, go into hiding and be ready to ambush. Mightyena, stay by my side. Victreebel, use Poison Jab."
"Scizor, Quick Attack!"
"Clawitzer, Water Pulse!"
The middle-aged man issued commands rapidly. As his voice fell, Gengar instantly disappeared, melting into the shadows. Meanwhile, Mightyena and Clawitzer launched their attacks at Volcarona.
Victreebel and Scizor, however, targeted Nathan directly.
"Metagross and Pangoro, stay and protect me," Nathan said calmly as he scanned the battlefield. "Volcarona, take control. Flygon—Sandstorm!"
"Flyy~!"
"Vol!"
The two Pokémon responded with a cry.
Flygon's wings flapped, and a wild wind surged, turning the ground into a desert storm that engulfed the opposing Pokémon.
Volcarona took to the sky, dodging the attacks from Clawitzer and Mightyena. Its wings spread wide, releasing golden scales that drifted in the air, carried by the wind toward the middle-aged man and his team.
A scorching hot wind swept across the field.
The middle-aged man's Pokémon immediately showed pained expressions—especially Victreebel, which almost instantly lost its ability to battle. Even the hidden Gengar was forced out of invisibility by the burning gust.
Golden scales rained down, igniting blazing golden flames across the ground.
The man's screams rang out.
Fortunately, Clawitzer was at his side, preventing him from taking serious injuries for the moment—but if this continued, he would definitely die here.
"I have to escape. Now."
The man's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he jumped onto Mightyena's back, looking for an opening.
At the same time, he commanded his other Pokémon to attack.
But Nathan's counterattack was even faster.
"Volcarona, Flame Charge and Bug Buzz—take them out!"
"Flygon, coordinate with Volcarona—use Stomp!"
Commands were issued one after another.
Flygon slammed into the ground, causing tremors that kicked up dust and sent cracks spreading under the enemies' feet, forcing them to dodge.
At the same time—
Volcarona's body ignited with flame as it charged toward Scizor. With Scizor's speed, dodging would've been easy…
But just then, a sharp buzzing erupted from Volcarona's mouth—Bug Buzz.
The opposing Pokémon immediately showed pained reactions—even Scizor couldn't help covering its ears for a moment.
And in that instant, Volcarona struck.
A ferocious blow landed directly on Scizor, knocking it out in a single hit and leaving it heavily injured on the ground.
Victreebel had already collapsed, who knows when.
Its Grass-type had a type disadvantage here. Add in the earlier heat wave, the golden flames, and now Bug Buzz—a group-target move—it stood no chance.
But just then—
Whoosh!
The sound of something cutting through the air.
Gengar suddenly appeared on Nathan's right, leaping from the shadows and slashing with a sharp Shadow Claw.
If that hit, Nathan, as a human, would be instantly killed.
Humans are no match for Pokémon in raw power.
But Pangoro had been on guard. Without hesitation, it leapt in front of Nathan, taking the attack head-on with a roar.
At the same time, it opened its mouth and chomped down hard on Gengar with a Dark-type Crunch, making Gengar cry out in pain.
Whoosh!
Another slicing sound.
Crobat flapped its wings and sent an Air Slash straight at Nathan.
It was clear what the opposing Pokémon's strategy was—take out Nathan first.
But Metagross wasn't about to allow that.
Its eyes flashed, and a burst of Psychic collided with the Air Slash, causing a violent explosion that neutralized the incoming attack.
Nathan narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at the middle-aged man. "Volcarona—Heat Wave and Fire Blast combo. Then follow up with Flame Charge. Finish him!"
Nathan didn't show mercy to his enemies—especially those who tried to kill him.
If this had happened in a city, he'd have called the police.
But this was a remote overseas island. He had to rely on himself.
"Vol!"
Volcarona nodded lightly. Its wings flapped, sending another wave of scorching hot wind sweeping forward.
The middle-aged man, hiding behind his Pokémon, felt searing pain even through his protection—but it was still bearable.
Then came the next wave—
A massive Fire Blast exploded toward him...
Boom!
The area lit up in blazing flames.
Volcarona's immense power and terrifying field control had the middle-aged man and his Pokémon completely on the back foot, unable to mount any effective counterattacks.
Faced with the incoming Fire Blast, the man didn't hesitate and shouted, "Clawitzer—Surf!"
Clawitzer drew on its Water-type power. Despite being in a forest, it managed to conjure a wave of water, crashing forward to meet the Fire Blast.
Boom! The two moves collided, creating a massive explosion as steam erupted and soared into the sky.
But the moment the steam rose, Volcarona was already cloaked in golden flames again, blazing like a miniature sun as it dove toward the man.
"Crobat, block it!"
The middle-aged man roared. "Mightyena—we're retreating! Head for the coast!"
Crobat moved fast, flying toward Volcarona to intercept it. Meanwhile, Mightyena turned and sprinted toward the sea.
But did Nathan plan to let them go?
"Metagross—use Psychic to restrain Crobat!"
"Flygon—use Sand Attack to cut off Mightyena!"
Buzz.
Metagross's eyes glowed, and Psychic power surged, briefly locking Crobat in place. Crobat screamed and struggled free after a second or two, but that brief delay was enough for Volcarona to bypass it and charge straight at the man.
Meanwhile—
Mightyena tried to obey its trainer and escape.
But Flygon was faster. It got ahead of Mightyena and with a flap of its wings, kicked up a massive wall of sand, blocking its path.
Don't underestimate Sand Attack just because it doesn't deal damage.
This move can be incredibly practical.
It can even be used defensively—to block moves like Thunderbolt isn't out of the question.
Used cleverly, it's more than enough to block an escape.
Faced with the surging wall of sand, Mightyena froze in place, barking in panic, unsure what to do next.
But by then, Volcarona was already upon them.
....
TN: Drop a comment on any errors or mistranslations so I can edit them out.