83. Articuno -4

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Charmeleon and Jolteon nodded in agreement, but Haunter and Kirlia looked at Kai with worried eyes.

"Be careful out there," Haunter warned. "Don't get caught up in the battle!"

"Don't worry, I'll be cautious," Kai reassured them, patting Kirlia on the shoulder before releasing Gyarados and Blastoise from their Poké Balls. "These two will stay as guards and serve as backup. With them here, my safety is guaranteed. Now, you can focus on fighting with everything you've got!"

"Blastoise! Blastoise!"

Blastoise nodded firmly at Haunter, its expression resolute, as if to say, Leave this to me!

"All right, let's go!"

Haunter grinned excitedly and rushed toward Articuno, leading the rest of the Pokémon into battle.

Articuno flapped its wings, sending a fierce gust of wind through the area as if trying to intimidate the unevolved Pokémon into retreating.

"This pressure is intense!" Kai exclaimed. Then, shouted to his team, "Don't back down! Articuno is Injured & exhausted right now. Don't give him a chance to recover, Kirlia, use Psychic! Jolteon, Thunder Shock! Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

The three attacks converged on Articuno. Sensing the danger, Articuno quickly whipped up a whirlwind, neutralizing the incoming moves.

But then, a Shadow Ball struck Articuno from behind, catching it off guard!

"Shrreee..ooooh!!"

Articuno cried out, spinning around to find Haunter laughing mischievously behind it.

"Hehehehe, do you want one more?"

Angrily, Articuno retaliated with an Ice Shard attack, but Haunter vanished into the shadows with a chilling laugh.

The icy projectile missed its mark, shattering harmlessly against the cave wall.

"Ha ha ha..."

Haunter's eerie laughter echoed, keeping Articuno on edge. Before it could pinpoint the sound's source, another Shadow Ball hit it, further enraging the Legendary Pokémon.

Articuno, now furious, unleashed an attack of icy snow, blanketing the battlefield indiscriminately in an attempt to flush Haunter out.

However, while Articuno focused on this, a fiery Flamethrower struck it from below. Unable to dodge in time, Articuno's side was scorched!

Articuno screeched in frustration. Surrounded by attacks from multiple directions, it struggled to keep up.

The damage it sustained began to take its toll, and its movements became slower.

Suddenly, Articuno narrowed its eyes, spread its wings, and ascended toward the cave's stone ceiling.

"Is it retreating?" Haunter asked, puzzled.

"No," Kai said, watching Articuno intently. "It's preparing a powerful move! Everyone, stay on guard!"

Realizing the danger, Kai's team launched a volley of attacks, but the distance was too great, and their moves couldn't reach in time.

As Haunter prepared to intercept, Articuno completed its attack. A misty blue energy condensed into a sphere before crashing downward toward the ground.

Kai's expression darkened. "It's Sheer Cold! Everyone, get out of the way!"

Like Earthquake, Sheer Cold was a one-hit KO move. If it landed, the damage would incapacitate any Pokémon that wasn't immune to Ice-type attacks.

Reacting swiftly, Haunter disappeared into the shadows, Kirlia used Teleport to escape, and Jolteon dashed out of the attack's range with its incredible speed.

But Charmeleon wasn't fast enough and was struck by the icy blast.

The freezing mist enveloped Charmeleon, forming massive shards of ice that trapped it completely.

Unable to even cry out, Charmeleon was instantly frostbitten and lost consciousness. As the ice shattered, Charmeleon fell to the ground, motionless.

Kai quickly returned Charmeleon to its Poké Ball. "Haunter! Don't let it launch another attack! Do something!"

"Got it!" Haunter replied, its tone serious now.

Haunter's eyes glowed as they manipulated the icy stalactites in the cave, hurling them at Articuno.

Simultaneously, waterspouts began forming outside the cave, swirling toward the Legendary Pokémon.

Although the waterspouts were slow and mostly missed, some of the ice shards struck Articuno. Unfortunately, the damage was minimal.

"Hey!" Kai shouted. "Ice-type attacks won't work against it! Don't waste your energy!"

"I know!" Haunter replied, frustrated. "But this cave is full of ice and water I can't create something out of nothing!"

"Then use Hypnosis!" Kai commanded.

Haunter nodded and began emitting hypnotic waves in a circular motion. The waves penetrated Articuno's mind, causing its eyelids to droop.

Within moments, Articuno fell into a deep sleep, losing altitude rapidly.

Just before Articuno hit the ground, Haunter activated Dream Eater.

Bang!

The combined impact of Dream Eater and the fall dealt massive damage, leaving Articuno unconscious.

"Good work, Haunter!" Kai called out as he approached the fainted Pokémon.

Articuno, once majestic, now lay on the ground with its feathers ruffled and its form battered.

Wasting no time, Kai retrieved a Great Ball from his bag and threw it at Articuno.

The Great Ball engulfed Articuno in a flash of red light. After shaking a few times, it clicked shut, signifying a successful capture.

Kai let out a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across his face.

"That's it another Legendary Pokémon is mine!"

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