Ninetales and Growlithe

The battle was about to begin, and Yuga's Ninetales had the Hidden Ability "Drought." As the battle started, Yuga felt the sun above growing brighter and the temperature around him rising rapidly due to the Drought's effect.

Unfortunately, both Pokémon on the field were Fire-types, so the Drought's effect didn't give Ninetales any advantage.

Mr. Moore, the old man, had an Growlithe with the Intimidate ability. At the start of the battle, Ninetales visibly flinched from the pressure of Growlithe's presence. However, since Ninetales wasn't reliant on physical attacks, the Intimidate's effect had limited impact.

Seemingly intentionally going easy on Yuga, Mr. Moore didn't let Growlithe make the first move. Instead, he allowed Ninetales to have the first opportunity.

"Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"

As Yuga's command fell, Ninetales lifted its head high and released a stream of flames that swept towards Growlithe.

"Growlithe, use Heat Wave!"

Mr. Moore's Growlithe stomped its front paws onto the ground, causing a crimson heat wave to surge forward like a tide at the beach. The Heat Wave and Ninetales' Flamethrower fiercely intertwined.

Yuga had checked Growlithe's information and knew about this move, but he hadn't expected Growlithe to use it so skillfully, beyond his imagination.

"Ninetales, use Trickery."

Yuga understood that, given Ninetales' current output capability, taking down Growlithe was somewhat challenging.

Most of Ninetales' moves were Fire-type, which wasn't very effective against Growlithe, another Fire-type. However, Growlithe had learned many non-Fire-type moves through leveling up, allowing it to effectively damage Ninetales. Therefore, Yuga chose to temporarily forgo attacking and opt for reinforcement.

"Growlithe, Bite and stop its Trickery!"

Mr. Moore certainly wouldn't stand idly by while his opponent reinforced. He immediately ordered Growlithe to stop Ninetales.

Growlithe, with its powerful legs, swiftly approached Ninetales, its mouth oozing with Dark-type energy. It looked like it was about to bite Ninetales.

"Ninetales, use Quick Attack!"

Using the advantage of Quick Attack's preemptive strike effect, Ninetales forcefully collided with Growlithe, sending it flying.

However, the effect of Ninetales' Quick Attack was limited due to Growlithe's Intimidate, causing Ninetales' attack to decrease substantially.

"Growlithe, use Fire Spin."

Having been knocked into mid-air by Ninetales, Growlithe, under Mr. Moore's command, transformed into a blazing wheel and fiercely lunged towards Ninetales.

"Ninetales, use Quick Attack to dodge!"

Using Quick Attack's lightning-fast speed, Ninetales easily evaded Growlithe's attack, causing the Fire Spin to create a deep crater in the ground.

Crawling out of the pit, Growlithe faced off against Ninetales. The two Pokémon were now locked in a standoff.

"Young man, you're quite skilled. It's no wonder you made a name for yourself in Lilycove City."

As the two Pokémon momentarily halted their attacks, Mr. Moore, smiling, addressed Yuga.

??? When did I become so famous? Even the Elite Trainer like Mr. Moore knows about my heroic deeds? Yuga thought in astonishment.

Seeing Yuga's perplexity, Mr. Moore, being of advanced age, could read his thoughts and explained with a chuckle, "It was Norman who told me. He put a lot of effort into promoting you! The moment he mentioned your name, I thought of you."

So it was Mr. Norman again, Yuga thought. Mr. Norman truly goes to great lengths to promote me. I should find a time to thank him properly.

"It's Mr. Norman exaggerating," Yuga humbly replied.

Mr. Moore shook his head and said, "I know Norman's character well. Since he praised you, it means you're worth the praise."

Yuga thought to himself: Truly a veteran Elite Trainer, even a powerhouse like Mr. Norman is just a kid in his eyes.

The battle continued as the two engaged in conversation again.

Meanwhile, watching their intense battle, Flannery was amazed by Yuga's strength. She hadn't expected Yuga to engage in such a fierce duel with her grandfather. He wasn't even falling behind, considering she had been defeated by her grandfather's Pokémon after only a few moves.

Is this the same Yuga I encountered before? Back then, he was only slightly stronger than me. How did he become so overpowering now?

If Yuga knew what she was thinking, he would probably say, "You're right, I've definitely leveled up."

"Growlithe, Bite!"

As the battle resumed, following Mr. Moore's instruction, Growlithe raced forward, its four powerful limbs propelling it towards Ninetales. Its mouth was enveloped in a dark aura, looking fiercely aggressive.

"Ninetales, use Flamethrower."

Chapter 164: Ninetales and Growlithe

After being enhanced by the Trickery ability, Ninetales' special attack power increased significantly. The flames it spewed were accompanied by scorching heat, instantly engulfing the charging Growlithe.

However, even though Growlithe appeared somewhat singed after the flames dissipated, it continued its fierce charge towards Ninetales without losing any momentum.

Growlithe's sharp teeth sunk into Ninetales' back, causing Ninetales to let out a cry of pain. Then, with a vigorous twist of its body, Ninetales flung Growlithe off its back.

"Ninetales, use Quick Attack to create distance from Growlithe, then continue using Trickery."

Since fire-type moves had limited effect against Growlithe, Yuga could only choose to reinforce the attack continuously. After all, Ninetales only knew Quick Attack besides Trickery! Upon Yuga's command, despite the pain, Ninetales transformed into a white light, instantly moving far away from Growlithe. After putting some distance between them, it resumed using Trickery to enhance itself.

Seeing this, Growlithe immediately tried to catch up, but without any speed-boosting abilities, it couldn't keep up with Ninetales.

Although Quick Attack was an attacking move, it also had an accelerating effect. By suddenly increasing its speed, Ninetales collided with its opponent, causing damage. Utilizing this effect, Ninetales distanced itself from Growlithe and completed its second enhancement.

With two enhancements and the sunny weather caused by Drought's ability, Ninetales' fire-type attacks finally reached a point where they could effectively damage Growlithe.

"Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"

The flames spewed by Ninetales had already reached an extremely high temperature, and even Yuga standing at a distance could feel the rising ambient temperature.

Facing Ninetales' formidable attack, Mr. Moore, the old man, didn't sit idle. He calmly commanded, "Growlithe, use Heat Wave."

The collision between the flames and the heat wave was similar to the techniques they used at the beginning of their battle. However, this time the heat wave couldn't completely halt the advance of the flames. The flames broke through the heat wave, instantly submerging the small form of Growlithe.

After the flames dissipated, Growlithe collapsed to the ground.

Yuga's heart raced. He had won!

However, Ninetales, seeing Growlithe lying down, immediately ran over in concern. Luckily, Growlithe wasn't severely hurt. Mr. Moore simply treated its injuries, and it soon woke up.

Seeing Growlithe regain consciousness, Ninetales joyfully bumped its head against Growlithe's. Growlithe responded by happily nuzzling back.

Observing this, Yuga thought to himself: Hey, Ninetales, ease up a bit! Acting like this, your girlfriend Houndoom might get jealous! Even though both of you are males, there's something called...

Mr. Moore, on the side, burst into laughter. "Even after being apart for so long, your relationship is still so strong."

From Mr. Moore's words, Yuga learned that before Ninetales left, it was best friends with Growlithe.