"There's no other choice, we're going to execute that plan!" suddenly exclaimed Jasper Reid, who had remained silent until that moment. He gripped the Pokéball in his hand tightly, as if he had made a firm decision.
At the same time, Onix turned its head toward Jasper Reid and nodded, indicating it was ready.
"Jasper, the situation is in our favor now... we might not even need to resort to that!" said Lucas Silver, opening his mouth to try to dissuade him.
"Don't worry. Onix and I are ready," replied Jasper Reid with determination. "The enemy team is clustered, and Grassy Terrain is active. If we keep fighting like this, it will go very badly for us. The time has come!"
With that, his gaze became sharp.
Onix responded with a low growl. Immediately, it used Dig, disappearing rapidly underground.
"Understood. Don't worry, we'll protect Onix!" Lucas Silver nodded firmly and shouted, "Metang, use Psychic at full power!"
Boom!
Metang's eyes shone intensely as a powerful, condensed psychic energy shot directly toward Meganium, positioned in the rear of the enemy team.
"If you want to attack Meganium, you'll have to get through me first! Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!"
Feraligatr's trainer understood that his rival was serious and smiled coldly as he ordered Hydro Pump, intercepting the Psychic attack midair.
"Magneton, use Thunderbolt on Feraligatr!"
"Typhlosion, counter with Flamethrower!"
"Shelgon, also use Flamethrower!"
"Then we'll use Thunderbolt too!"
"Sand Whirl!"
"Petal Blizzard!"
The battle erupted completely. Water and fire attacks collided in midair, lightning bolts and energy waves crossed paths, flying sand and swirling petals created a tornado. The field turned into complete chaos.
While all the Pokémon were fighting at a distance, no one noticed that Onix had already arrived directly beneath the Grassy Terrain using Dig.
At that moment, its eyes showed unprecedented ferocity. It leapt upward, bursting from the ground and emerging in the center of the enemy group!
"We've been waiting for you! Meganium, use Vine Whip!"
The Meganium trainer smiled disdainfully. Immediately, the grass of the Grassy Terrain seemed to come alive, transforming into vines that tightly wrapped around Onix.
However, just as the Meganium trainer thought victory was assured, an intense white light emanated from Onix, followed by a terrifying energy explosion.
"It's Self-Destruct!"
"Hurry, stop it!"
The Meganium trainer's face changed drastically. She never imagined Onix would use such an extreme move, one that harms both the enemy and itself.
The other three trainers reacted quickly, ordering attacks to prevent the explosion. But the four Pokémon of Ironvale City Pokémon University responded with concentrated fire, preventing the rivals from defending in time.
"Hmph! Even if we damage one of ours, you lose four. Worth it!" declared Jasper Reid.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the field. The vines wrapping Onix were destroyed instantly. Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, and Ampharos were thrown by the released energy.
Meganium, which was closer to the protective wall, was directly slammed into it. Upon impact, the wall cracked as if it were glass.
Everything happened in an instant. The entire stadium fell silent.
"The rest of the battle is all yours!" shouted Jasper Reid as he quickly recalled Onix into its Pokéball and ran to the Pokémon Center.
In this world, Self-Destruct does not mean the Pokémon literally dies. From Ethan Black's perspective, it's an instant release of energy.
After unleashing all that energy, the Pokémon loses the ability to fight, but it does not die per se. However, it suffers severe damage and must receive immediate medical attention, or it could actually die.
"Don't worry, we've got it covered," said Lucas Silver.
"Guys, Onix and Jasper have given us this opportunity through great effort! If we don't win now, we might as well go hide in shame!"
Lucas Silver nodded seriously and looked at the opponents, ordering Metang to attack fully.
The others did the same. The chance to finish off a weakened enemy doesn't come often.
"Onix, Meganium, Typhlosion, Ampharos, and Feraligatr are out of combat! The winner is Ironvale City Pokémon University!" announced the referee after a moment of astonishment.
The stadium erupted in cheers. Ironvale City Pokémon University had won the competition!
"We lost? How is that possible?" said the master of Duskwell City Pokémon University, completely incredulous.
Everything had happened too fast. A moment ago, he thought victory was theirs when he saw Grassy Terrain activated. But the next moment, they fell into chaos.
"We lost..." repeated the four Duskwell City Pokémon University students, stunned.
When they had left Duskwell City, they had done so with confidence and pride, believing they would crush anyone.
They never imagined their first battle would end in such a crushing defeat... at the hands of rivals they hadn't even considered on their level.
(End of chapter)