Chapter 66: Draw

"This Golem is really well bred."

Ignoring Will's loud comments, Julian glanced at the Golem with some admiration.

It had cyan qualifications, knew over a dozen moves, and had just used Rock Blast and Rock Throw effectively.

Most Pokémon use Rock Blast to create new rocks and then blow them up. Only a few Pokémon with exceptional qualifications can cause the rocks they made earlier to explode when they use Rock Blast again.

In addition to blocking Donphan's Rollout, the earlier Rock Throw served as a detonator for the Rock Blast.

The opponent's strategy was clever, using Rock Blast to make Donphan hide behind the rock formed by Rock Throw. When the rock detonated, the damage from such close range was definitely more severe.

"Wow, that's some serious strategy."

"Unbelievable!"

"High school students these days are so scary."

"Why can't my Golem's Rock Throw be detonated? Which legendary Pokémon can explain that?"

The viewers were equally amazed by the tactics displayed by the Golem's Trainer.

"Donphan, use Earthquake!"

Zosh was frustrated by the opponent's clever plan, but thankfully, Donphan wasn't knocked out by the explosion.

In big public events like this, Pokémon moves aren't limited since the battlefield has a massive energy shield strong enough to handle powerful attacks, like a pseudo-Elite level Earthquake.

Donphan jumped high and then landed hard on the ground. The impact created a loud roar, causing the whole venue to shake.

Since trainers stand outside the energy shield, they are safe from the aftereffects of Pokémon moves.

Golem let out a cry, as the Earthquake caused it significant damage.

"Finish it with Bulldoze!" Zosh shouted.

Donphan steadied itself and charged at Golem, its two front feet raised high, surrounded by powerful Ground-type energy, before crashing down onto Golem.

Seeing this, the Golem Trainer's eyes flashed with determination.

"Use Self-Destruct!"

A blinding white light erupted from Golem, followed by a deafening roar. A massive fireball shot into the sky, and thick black smoke engulfed the entire arena.

When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were unconscious.

"Donphan and Golem are unable to battle; it's a draw," the referee announced.

One of Donphan's long tusks had been blown off by the explosion, while Golem looked worse for wear, its rocky body covered in cracks.

Zosh glared angrily at the opposing Trainer, then recalled Donphan and handed it over to the medical staff, who would take it for treatment.

The medical services at large events are well-organized, and it's rare for Pokémon to suffer severe injuries due to slow treatment.

"Self-Destruct is a ruthless move," someone commented.

"Look at how battered his Pokémon is."

"Is that Golem going to be okay?"

"Self-Destruct can really hurt a Pokémon badly; in some cases, it can even be fatal."

Comments flew across the live stream.

Self-Destruct is incredibly powerful—its base power is 200, compared to Hyper Beam's 150. While it deals massive damage, it also leaves the user badly hurt. Any Pokémon using Self-Destruct ends up seriously injured.

Trainers who care about their Pokémon usually avoid letting them use Self-Destruct unless it's absolutely necessary or in a life-or-death situation.

There's also a move called Explosion, which is even stronger than Self-Destruct. If used, it often results in the user being knocked out as well.

If used effectively, a pseudo-Elite Pokémon could defeat an Elite Pokémon.

Some extremist groups have taken to using Pokémon that know Self-Destruct.

In Eastern Europe, where terrorist attacks are more common, several groups use Self-Destruct to target important cities.

Pokémon that can learn Self-Destruct are quite common, like Golem, Weezing, Forretress, and Electrode. In particular, Voltorb and Electrode, with Electrode being the evolution of Voltorb, have a natural knack for Self-Destruct.

These two Pokémon are often sought after by extremist groups because they can deal more damage and take less harm when using the move.

'If they can't win, they just blow up. They have plenty of Pokémon like this. Who dares to fight back?.'

"This Trainer doesn't deserve to compete," Will said angrily, but Julian pulled him back. If he hadn't, Will might have confronted the other Trainer.

"You'll encounter even tougher situations and more brutal scenes than this," Julian said calmly.

The world of Trainers has both light and dark sides, just like the real world.

"Where there's light, there's also darkness," he continued.

"I don't care! I'm going to get stronger! If I see someone hurting Pokémon or using them for bad things, I'll definitely stand up to them," Will declared.

"Alright, but don't be a hot-headed idiot. We are here to compete. You should cheer me on instead," Shen chimed in.

"Shen, this is my dream, not just some school project," Will replied, feeling down.

Meanwhile, Shen had already headed to the battle arena, not hearing him.

Her rival approached, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Machamp, I chose you!" Shen called, unleashing her strongest Pokémon.

Her opponent brought out a fiery Infernape.

Will looked at the other girl, noting her striking features and strong build, similar to Shen's and remarked, "What's with girls nowadays? Why do so many beautiful girls prefer Fighting type Pokémon?"

"Isn't it good to like Water-types? You'd think they'd choose something cute!" he added.

In reality, more female Trainers do prefer Water-types than males, while Fire-types tend to attract more male Trainers. 

Since over 90% of Fighting-type trainers are male, it's rare for women to choose Fighting Pokémon, especially beautiful ones.

For many female Trainers, looks matter more than type. They often prefer Pokémon that are cute or charming.

Of course, Lucario and Gallade are exceptions; both are seen as attractive representatives of the Fighting type.

*****

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