Weavile ran swiftly toward Goodra.
As he advanced, two sharp ice shards appeared in his hands.
Running, he hurled them at Goodra.
"Gooo-draaa!!!" Goodra knew he had fallen into a trap, but for a moment it was difficult for him to muster strength.
Just as he tried to break free with all his power, Weavile's ice shards struck his body, dispersing the energy he had barely managed to gather.
The move Icicle Crash combined with Fling—two moves joined together—proved quite powerful.
Most importantly, the ice shards could be created quickly by Weavile, whenever he desired, generating an almost uninterrupted attack.
By hurling them continuously, Weavile managed to successfully close the distance in front of Goodra.
In an instant, his white claws emitted a metallic glow, afterward covered by a layer of frost.
Metal Claw plus Ice Punch!
Boom!!
Boom!!
Both claws struck Goodra's body with force.
"Gooo-draaa!" Goodra let out a cry of pain.
The surrounding ice pillars shattered.
But he was not entirely unprepared.
Taking advantage of the impact from Weavile's combined move Ice Claw (Ice Punch + Metal Claw), his body spun one hundred and eighty degrees in the air.
His tail emitted a metallic shine.
Iron Tail!
Boom!!
Weavile failed to dodge and was swept away by Goodra's tail, sent flying.
He rolled several times across the snow before finally managing to stop with difficulty.
Goodra, in turn, was also flung by the impact of Weavile's combined move Ice Claw. And since he had also furiously attacked with Iron Tail, he hadn't managed to brace for his landing, sliding a long distance across the ground.
A Steel-type move like Iron Tail was extremely damaging against an Ice-type Pokémon like Weavile.
And considering Goodra's great strength, even more so when he attacked enraged.
A single move had caused enormous damage to Weavile.
"Weell...!" The Pokémon braced himself, enduring the pain, closing one eye as he slowly stood up.
A pseudo-legendary Pokémon, truly terrifying.
If he took another hit like that, he probably wouldn't be able to stand again. That was what Weavile silently thought.
But Goodra wasn't doing well either: the continuous damage from the move Hail, the slowing effect of Icy Wind, the impact of Blizzard, plus Icicle Crash and Ice Punch—all those accumulated Ice-type moves had put him in a complicated state.
A Dragon-type Pokémon facing an Ice-type one... the discomfort was indescribable.
Once Cain confirmed that Weavile could still continue, he ordered him to keep fighting.
It was impossible for him to come out unscathed; after all, his opponent was a Dragon-type pseudo-legendary.
What Cain could do was ensure Weavile took as little damage as possible and, depending on the course of the battle, adjust the moves to help him win.
This victory was crucial for Weavile.
At the very least, it would prove he was not inferior to a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
At that moment, the entire forest and meadow were completely covered in snow and ice. Under Weavile's control, the hail kept falling, though the blizzard was already dissipating.
Weavile dashed again across the snow, launching ice shards toward Goodra.
When strength wasn't enough, it had to be compensated with technique.
The greatest benefit of having captured Vigoroth in Ho-Oh's space was not only that Cain could rely in the future on a Pokémon capable of unleashing tremendous power instantly, but that all his Pokémon had greatly improved in their combat skills.
The one who had improved the most was not Blaziken, but Weavile.
Because of his build and characteristics, he resembled Vigoroth the most.
Blaziken had imitated Vigoroth's moves and strength techniques, gradually adapting them to his own style.
But Weavile, due to his physical similarity, could apply them directly to his body.
The ice shards flew faster and faster, and Weavile's running speed in the snow also increased.
Goodra had barely gotten back up when he once again faced Weavile's attacks.
The fury inside him had nowhere to be released.
"Gooooo...draaa!!"
In his mouth, an orange energy sphere formed at once, which he launched straight into the sky.
It burrowed into the black clouds.
Seeing this, Cain's face changed.
Draco Meteor!
Indeed, in the next second, enormous fireballs began falling from above, indiscriminately bombarding the area.
Even Weavile's hail weather abruptly ended, as the snow clouds were scattered.
Weavile sensed the great threat from above.
But his expression did not change. He fixed his eyes on Goodra, abandoning the use of Icicle Crash.
He brought his claws together and fired a bluish-white beam like lightning toward Goodra.
Ice Beam!
Goodra failed to dodge, getting struck in one leg.
Immediately, one of his limbs froze solid.
Weavile didn't evade; instead, he ran straight toward Goodra.
Under the bombardment of Draco Meteor, the only safe place was where Goodra was.
Thus, he was forced back into close combat.
Goodra understood Weavile's intent, but he didn't flinch.
He had been waiting a long time for this close-quarters fight.
He unleashed Dragon Pulse from his mouth, but it was blocked by an ice shield that Weavile formed instantly in front of him.
Goodra hadn't expected Weavile to stop it, and quickly his fists were covered in flames.
Close combat!
As Weavile was about to reach him, he created two ice shards and hurled them toward Goodra, while propelling himself with his legs to leap overhead.
Goodra ignored the incoming shards, focusing his eyes on Weavile.
Jumping in the air, Weavile would have no foothold.
His two fists, with Fire Punch, blocked any path of escape.
Goodra rejoiced inwardly. If he managed to hit him, he was sure he could send him crashing into Draco Meteor's impact zone.
With that small body of Weavile, he would instantly lose the ability to fight.
Both fists lunged forward.
But Weavile's movements were unexpected.
The corner of Cain's lips lifted.
That skill he had learned well from Vigoroth.
If Vigoroth could move nimbly between Tyranitar's Stone Edge attacks, how could Weavile not do the same?
He gently placed a foot on one of the ice shards he had thrown.
Those shards had not been created to attack.
With a foothold, his body spun, dodging the Fire Punch.
At the same time, his claws had already gathered the move Ice Punch.
He stepped on another shard to stabilize himself.
That was the strongest skill he had learned from Vigoroth: Flexible Suspension.
The Ice Punch pierced through Goodra's arms and struck his face with force.
Boom!!!
(End of chapter)