Pokemon: Skybound

Chapter 625: 625. Securing the First Win

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Having served as a Gym Leader for so many years, Wattson's experience was immense. After only a brief moment of thought, he had already found a way to break the deadlock.

True to his bold, cheerful personality, pure defense was never an option. Against Combusken, the only path to victory was relentless offense.

"Voltorb, use Spark!"

Since Rollout alone hadn't worked, adding electricity to it would do the trick.

Spark coats the user's entire body in electrical energy before slamming into the opponent. Combined with Voltorb's rolling movement, it essentially turned the attack into a lightning-charged cannonball.

Under these circumstances, Combusken could no longer casually kick Voltorb away like before.

Any direct contact would result in a painful shock and there was even the risk of paralysis.

At the command, Voltorb immediately changed. Visible arcs of electricity crackled across its body, jumping through the air. Just looking at it was enough to make the danger obvious.

When it rolled toward Combusken again, its momentum and威势 were clearly on a completely different level from before.

Faced with this, Kai naturally didn't dare let Combusken deal with it recklessly. Still, engaging Voltorb head-on was far from a wise choice.

"Combusken, use Ember!"

Flames burst from Combusken's mouth, but this time, Voltorb's rolling speed was fully unleashed. Before the fire could even hit the ground, Voltorb had already escaped the attack range.

Kai's gaze sharpened. He knew intercepting it mid-charge was no longer possible, so he immediately switched tactics.

At the very least, they had to avoid this Spark-charged assault.

"Get out of the way—now!"

Without hesitation, Combusken turned and sprinted toward the back of the field. This sudden retreat locked the distance between the two Pokémon into a tense chase.

It was worth noting that while Combusken's average Speed wasn't outstanding, individual Pokémon could excel in specific areas. Kai's Combusken clearly belonged to the type that was especially good at running.

Its powerful legs gave it impressive burst speed. It might not be able to maintain it for long, but over short distances, it was more than enough.

Voltorb chased.

Combusken fled.

To be honest, this caught Wattson completely off guard.

As a Hoenn Gym Leader who had battled countless challengers, even as a specialist Electric-type Trainer, he knew Combusken's general capabilities well.

He had been confident that Spark combined with Rollout would land cleanly but he never expected this Combusken to be so fast.

It genuinely surprised him.

As Voltorb's energy continued to drain, the electrical aura around its body gradually weakened, until Spark faded entirely. Though it was still closing the distance, it was now relying on Rollout alone.

Seeing this, Wattson inwardly cursed.

Why did Spark have to run out at a time like this?

Age really was catching up to him his reaction was just a beat too slow. Before he could issue a new command, the young Trainer across the field shouted:

"Now! Use Quick Attack!"

Combusken, which had been retreating, suddenly slammed on the brakes. In the next instant, it pivoted sharply and charged straight back toward Voltorb—its speed surging even higher than before.

True to the movie's name, it crossed the distance in a flash.

Wattson's heart skipped.

This is bad!

He had just opened his mouth when Combusken slammed straight into Voltorb. The impact sent Voltorb's round body flying, rolling a long distance before finally coming to a stop.

Wattson looked over—and saw Voltorb's body wobble violently.

The next second, it exploded.

Boom!

Combusken's tackle had directly pushed Voltorb past its critical limit, triggering a self-destruction.

Most regrettably, the explosion happened too far away. Not even the shockwave reached Combusken.

"Tch…"

Wattson shook his head with a sigh.

If only it had been a little closer…

At that moment, the referee raised his flags and announced loudly, "Voltorb is unable to battle! Combusken wins!"

"Well done!"

Kai praised from afar, and Combusken responded with a sharp cry.

Setting aside the Trainer and Pokémon's excitement, Wattson inevitably felt a twinge of disappointment after losing the first round. Still, he steadied himself, recalled the unconscious Voltorb, and took out his second Poké Ball.

"You've got real skill. I never expected your Combusken to have that kind of speed," he said frankly. "But the next battle won't be decided by speed alone."

With that, he tossed the Poké Ball. A flash of blue light erupted, and Magneton appeared before Kai.

Kai had fought Magnemite countless times before, both in the wild and in official battles, so he was quite familiar with them. But this was the first time he'd faced their evolved, combined form.

Of course, being the first encounter didn't mean it was unfamiliar.

Magneton looked much like Magnemite, simply fused together. According to research, the three Magnemite were bound by powerful magnetic forces. Their connection became so tight that separation was impossible, giving birth to a new Pokémon.

After combining, the positions of their magnets shifted. The two magnets on the lower central unit extended forward, while the side units retained only two screws each. Although three bodies merged into one, turning one "head" into three, it didn't make Magneton three times smarter. Its electrical output, however, increased dramatically.

Magneton constantly emits intense magnetism and high voltage. It can even evaporate nearby moisture.

Anyone who approaches it too closely experiences piercing tinnitus, and the mysterious electromagnetic waves it releases can disrupt communications entirely. In areas where Magneton live, precision machinery often malfunctions.

Because of this, some large cities even have regulations requiring Trainers to keep Magneton inside their Poké Balls at all times failure to do so can result in a police warning.

Compared to Voltorb, Wattson's sending out Magneton made his intentions perfectly clear to Kai.

He'd learned from the last battle and chosen a Pokémon that excelled at mid- and long-range combat specifically to counter Combusken.

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