Shaking ground

Returning to the ground, Growlithe was like a "fish back in water," though its speed had slowed considerably compared to before. The price of its explosive burst of power was the excessive expenditure of strength in all parts of its body. Growlithe would have to relax for a while to fully recover from the aching pain.

However, in battle, the opponent clearly wasn't prepared to give Growlithe any relaxation time. Every minute, every second, was crucial in deciding the outcome.

"Altariaaa~~"

Altaria moved gracefully, closely watching every move of Growlithe. The sudden burst just now had startled Altaria; if it hadn't reacted quickly, it might have been hit.

Bang!

A powerful blow struck the ground, causing ripples that reached Growlithe, who awkwardly rolled to avoid it. Seeing the situation in the arena, Terrance sighed inwardly; it seemed that Growlithe didn't have a good way to deal with Altaria.

However, if the situation continued like this, Altaria would also be unable to do anything to Growlithe.

Despite Growlithe's current awkward dodging, its stamina was recovering. The grueling training has given Growlithe exceptional resilience, which is also a result of the strong physique developed from its unique fighting style.

Without this resilience, repeated battles would have long exhausted Growlithe. So, even as Growlithe hastily dodged, it was also conserving its strength, waiting for the next attack.

And the timing of that attack depended on Terrance, the Trainer. Altaria was able to block the Flame Wheel, and if Terrance couldn't come up with another way to create an opportunity for Growlithe to explode out with its skill, the battle would be in danger of being lost.

"Ao wu——"

Numerous tactical strategies quickly appeared and evolved in Terrance's mind. Given the current situation, Growlithe's chances of turning the tide were pitifully small.

After a moment of thought, as Growlithe dodged a Dragon Breath, Terrance came up with two attacking methods to try. But just as he was about to give it a command, Growlithe's dragging body began to undergo a peculiar change.

Sensing this special change, Growlithe immediately cried out, reminding Terrance. At this moment, Growlithe's change mainly manifested in the flames on its body.

This is...

Terrance was surprised. Flame Wheel?

No...When Growlithe uses Flame Wheel, it needs to rotate its body to condense the flames that cover its entire body. In other words, it uses its body as power, burning its own energy to maintain the high power of the flames, and attacks its opponent with rapid rotation.

But now, as Growlithe ran horizontally, it didn't perform the "preparatory action" before using the move. Flames appeared out of nowhere on its body, and the concentration of flames was terrifyingly high. Even as Growlithe ran at high speed, not a single spark splattered. Moreover, the flames slowly covered Growlithe's entire body densely, without any gaps. Additionally, propelled by this flame, Growlithe's running speed became faster and faster, even surpassing its speed before the eruption!

"Flare Blitz." Seeing this scene, Terrance understood. Had Growlithe comprehended a new move in battle?

Flame Wheel and Flare Blitz were extremely similar, to the point where those unfamiliar with the principles might confuse the two moves.

Flame Wheel was more like burning stamina to ram into the opponent with fiery impact. Flare Blitz, on the other hand, builds upon this foundation by generating flames. It uses the flames as propulsion, continuously converting them into stamina, stimulating all aspects of the body to amplify speed, then unleashing a full-powered strike.

Compared to Flame Wheel, Flare Blitz's power was even stronger...but the strain and impact of it on the body was much more terrifying than Flame Wheel.

If the Flame Wheel was used within the norm, it might not have much impact on oneself; one could even slightly move the body to alleviate the impact. But Flare Blitz...was definitely not the same.

The high-intensity burst of power, speed, and strength it brought also meant that the Pokémon itself had to bear some of the recoil. That was the cost of high-intensity moves.

"Very good, with this move, we can catch the opponent off guard!" Terrance's mouth twitched; he will think about the consequences later... but for now, the attack was the main focus.

"Growlithe, use Flare Blitz!!"

***********

"Ao wu~~"

Surrounded by flames, Growlithe's body could only vaguely be seen at this point. Under the ultra high-speed sprint, it looked as if it was dragging a huge column of fire. Although the flames were extremely condensed all over its body, due to the speed being too fast, it still gave people a visual illusion. Because of Growlithe's running, the flames were trapped outside.

Bang!!

Accelerating continuously, Growlithe suddenly pushed off with all its might, leaping up fiercely toward the airborne Altaria.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. A seasoned Trainer can often command in an instant, or even as soon as the Trainer opens their mouth, Pokémon with a strong bond to their Trainer could understand their intentions.

Hana's expression changed; Growlithe's eruption this time was even more intense than before, showing no signs of fatigue from the previous exertion.

"Cotton Guard?!" At this distance, there was time, but Hana could also see that, with the speed and power of Flare Blitz...due to the flames concentrated all around its body, it could easily break through Cotton Guard. The flames had strong penetrating power against Cotton Guard.

At this moment, Altaria couldn't dodge it either and was inevitably hit.

"Sky Attack!!" Hana's expression became serious and she said loudly, "Although there's not enough time to store energy in the sky, as a Flying Type Gym, we must show our grandeur."

Terrance frowned... Direct confrontation? Although Altaria's Sky Attack was incomplete... but...

Bang!!

As a red light and a blue light collided, the flames gathered on Growlithe's body directly dispersed, raising a wave of heat and smoke.

Terrance stared fixedly at the sky, only to see Growlithe falling rapidly. Fortunately, Growlithe still maintained consciousness at the moment and, using rotation technique, began to prepare for a smooth landing.

Altaria's Sky Attack was too abrupt, failing to unleash its true power. But even so, due to the double impact of Flare Blitz and Sky Attack, Growlithe, even if not rendered incapable of battle, was not far from exhaustion.

"Here it comes." Terrance almost guessed Hana's intent; Severely injure Growlithe...and then, when it lands...it wouldn't be able to resist the opponent's attack.

In the sky, Altaria also bore injuries, but they seemed insignificant. It still looked down at the ground, and as Growlithe fell, a high-pitched cry rang out. This cry carried a special rhythm, seemingly triggering some strange change, even making Terrance, standing outside the arena, feel the tremors on the ground.

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