Grass energy continuously surged from the ground, pouring into Bulbasaur's body.
"Magical Leaf!" Roy commanded.
The same move, now boosted by Grassy Terrain, was far more powerful than before. Squirtle had gradually become familiar with the rhythm of the battle and independently used Icy Wind to counter the attack.
This time, Magical Leaf broke through the freezing cold wind and struck Squirtle hard before landing exhausted.
"What a pity," Callan said, feeling both regretful and surprised.
It was unfortunate that they hadn't studied the unique advantages of Grassy Terrain extensively. Being only at entry-level, the grass-type energy boost was only effective by 30%.
His master Jace, when using 'Grassy Terrain' with his main Pokémon, could achieve a grass-type boost of up to 70%. When multiple Pokémon fought together in group battles, the grass-type energy boost could reach a terrifying 110% under the combination of coordinated attacks.
What surprised him was...
'Even with just a 30% energy boost, it's still being suppressed?'
Although ice-type energy did have a restraining effect on grass-type energy, Bulbasaur was using its strengthened primary type, while Squirtle was using a non-STAB ice-type move.
For non-STAB moves, using 50% of the original effect was actually quite good!
'What kind of little monsters is Roy raising?!' Callan thought to himself.
After cursing silently, Callan still didn't believe he would lose and continued the battle:
"Ingrain."
Bulbasaur stretched out two vines and plunged them into the ground, drawing life energy.
It seemed that Squirtle was also a long-range attacker, similar to Bulbasaur in battle style.
In this type of Pokémon battle, most cases would turn into contests of firepower!
Since the strength of their moves was comparable, the fight would come down to endurance and resilience!
With Ingrain plus Grassy Terrain providing double recovery effects, Callan wasn't worried at all.
Magical Leaf, Vine Whip, Bullet Seed...
Bulbasaur unleashed various grass-type moves without stopping, carrying out long-range bombardment.
Squirtle entered the state he was familiar with when losing momentum, and immediately focused his condition, using Icy Wind throughout to freeze all the attacking moves coming his way.
BOOM!
The firepower of the two Pokémon clashed, causing the entire arena to roar.
Frost, smoke, gravel flew everywhere—the arena had completely changed beyond recognition, making one wonder if there were two tanks facing each other.
"...This Squirtle actually has this level of firepower?" In the auditorium, Axel was amazed.
He imagined his Sandshrew in this situation and unfortunately realized that, whether against Bulbasaur or Squirtle, under this level of firepower coverage, Sandshrew wouldn't be able to get close at all and would have no chance of winning!
The unique advantages of Grassy Terrain had greatly improved Callan's position, which Axel could understand.
But this Squirtle? How was it so powerful?
"More than that," Chloe observed with a stern expression. "This Squirtle's stamina... is astonishingly high."
"It's been three minutes..."
"And Squirtle's energy hasn't bottomed out yet?"
On the field, Callan and Bulbasaur also realized something was wrong.
Under the double recovery of Ingrain plus Grassy Terrain, after three minutes of confrontation, Bulbasaur's energy had dropped to a condition affecting the strength of its moves.
The power of its grass-type moves had gradually weakened.
But Squirtle still maintained high-output condition, facing down the bombardment with Icy Wind, which had in turn suppressed Bulbasaur.
At this moment, Roy suddenly snapped his fingers, causing Squirtle to change tactics.
A signal? Callan became fully alert.
Squirtle gathered his hands in front of him, and a light blue Energy Ball began to form.
—Water Pulse!
A move that the Squirtle evolutionary line naturally learned.
What did it mean to use Icy Wind for the entire battle and suddenly switch to a water-type move that would normally be weak against grass-types?
When the next moment arrived, Callan broke into a cold sweat!
The Water Energy Ball spurted out, carrying huge waves that could engulf the entire arena.
For the first time using its own type, Squirtle's Water Pulse was impressively powerful.
But that wasn't the point.
Under type disadvantages, Water Pulse, which could only exert 50% of its normal effectiveness, couldn't break through Bulbasaur's defensive circle.
The key was that the target of this Water Pulse wasn't Bulbasaur at all.
But rather—
"The field!" Callan realized, quickly glancing at the battlefield.
Frost had frozen the land, and the remaining ice energy had quietly suppressed the Grassy Terrain.
Pieces of gravel were strewn all over the field.
If they were washed by the waves...
"Bulbasaur, defend with all your strength!" Callan only had time to shout this command before the waves rushed toward Bulbasaur with debris wrapped in them!
Bulbasaur showed its excellent battle instincts, constantly breaking rocks with one pair of Vine Whips while using another pair to anchor itself to the ground, stabilizing its body to avoid being washed away by the waves.
Bulbasaur, busy dealing with the waves and gravel, didn't notice that Squirtle had moved.
"Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle withdrew into its shell, spinning on the water like a top.
It approached Bulbasaur at breakneck speed, surfing across the battlefield.
Immediately after, the turtle shell splashed high, and Squirtle poked its head out, positioned right above Bulbasaur.
"Icy Wind! Finish it!"
The bitter cold wind struck again.
Bulbasaur tried to use Magical Leaf to resist, but its energy had long since affected its attack output. Coupled with the neutralization of Grassy Terrain, its moves were completely overpowered!
"Saur!!"
Bulbasaur let out a mournful cry of pain in the cold wind.
'Lost again.' This was Bulbasaur's last sad thought.
In the next moment, Bulbasaur's entire body froze along with the water covering the ground, forming a silent ice sculpture.
Squirtle stared wide-eyed at his handiwork.
'I... actually won?'
Fearing another mishap, Squirtle cautiously released another Icy Wind to complete the knockout.
"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! The winner is Roy!" the referee announced.
As the referee's voice faded, a burst of warm cheers filled the arena!
"Wow, what's the deal with this Squirtle's stamina?"
"How does it train? It's incredible..."
"It's just been a week of training, so it shouldn't change so much, right? Is it another Pokémon with extraordinary talent?"
"Then Roy is very lucky!"
While the boys discussed the battle rationally, female fans who had already taken a liking to Squirtle showered it with praise.
"Squirtle, you're awesome!"
"Squirtle, that was truly excellent battling!"
"Not only cute and adorable, but also so good at fighting!"
"Way to go!"
Hearing everyone's praise, Squirtle scratched its head, suddenly feeling so happy it could cry.
These days of hard work and perseverance had paid off in an instant.
It's not just Pokémon. In many cases, whether people can persist in doing something often depends on positive feedback.
If studying and taking entrance exams had progress bars like in games, if filling the progress bar guaranteed admission to a prestigious school, presumably many more people would stick with it.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle bounced back to Roy's side, pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses from somewhere, put them on, and raised its head slightly with pride.
Looking like a master who didn't need to say a word.