"Breloom, use Growth, then finish it with Stone Edge!" Gary commanded.
Breloom spread its body and began to absorb sunlight, raising both its Attack and Special Attack.
Moore could only worry. There was nothing he could do for now. Confusion status was still active, and Combusken was struggling to shake it off.
Although Pokémon can recover from confusion on their own, the chance is low. Without a stroke of luck, it rarely clears right away.
But as time passed, Combusken would eventually snap out of it—and the time had almost come.
Breloom completed its Growth and unleashed Stone Edge. Sharp stone pillars burst from the ground, slamming into Combusken and sending it flying.
Combusken howled in pain as the jagged rocks struck it. But the shock of the hit cleared its mind—the confusion faded from its eyes.
"Let's go, Stone Edge again!" Gary commanded, trying to finish it before Combusken recovered further.
"Use Aerial Ace!" Moore countered at the same time.
Combusken gathered its strength in its powerful legs and leaped high into the air, spreading its arms. Somehow, it soared—flying through the air.
Breloom was equally shocked. Its Stone Edge was designed to attack from below ground—it couldn't reach an airborne target.
Combusken accelerated like a streak of light and, in an instant, circled behind Breloom.
Breloom cried out as a sharp blow struck its back. It was launched forward and crashed to the ground, knocked out.
"Breloom is unable to battle—Combusken wins!" Flannery announced.
"Gary's Breloom lost…" May gasped.
"Well, it's still pretty good. He managed to defeat Growlithe, and Breloom landed some damage on Combusken too," Max said, analyzing the battle optimistically. He still believed in Gary's strength.
Ash and Brock didn't comment. They watched silently, curious to see who Gary would send out next.
"Thanks for your hard work. Your efforts won't be in vain." Gary recalled Breloom and sent out another Poké Ball.
"Grovyle, it's your turn." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel•fire.net
[Lv. 32 Grovyle ♂ / Elite]
"Huh? Another Grass-type?" May asked in surprise.
"Look closely. Gary must have a strategy," Brock said, though even he was confused. He couldn't figure out why Gary would deliberately send a Pokémon with a type disadvantage.
Gary didn't want to either.
If the mission didn't require him to use only Pokémon from the Hoenn region, he wouldn't have sent out another Grass-type.
Ralts could counter Combusken, but Ralts was too under-leveled—not a match for this battle.
Bagon and Torchic were also too weak and would be defeated instantly.
As for Lairon, it was a Steel/Rock type, and Combusken's Fighting-type moves would deal four times the damage. Plus, Lairon was slow and vulnerable.
"Combusken, use Flame Wheel!" Moore called.
Since Gary insisted on using a Grass-type, Moore had no reason to hold back.
"Dig!" Gary responded instantly.
Grovyle dove underground, escaping the encircling flames of Flame Wheel.
Moore and Flannery both stiffened.
Moore worried about how Grovyle even knew Dig.
Flannery, meanwhile, dreaded the damage the Dig would do to the battlefield—again.
"Combusken, use Bounce!" Moore commanded.
Combusken leapt high into the air, jumping more than 20 meters, using its feathers to slow its fall.
While underground, Grovyle could normally track opponents through ground vibrations. But now that Combusken was airborne, Grovyle lost its target and didn't know where to strike.
Combusken wasn't aiming to attack Grovyle with Bounce, but rather to land at the hole Grovyle had dug, preparing to ambush from above.
"Grovyle, come out and use Rock Slide!" Gary ordered.
Grovyle burst from underground, hauling a huge rock, and hurled it at the falling Combusken.
Moore reacted quickly: "Kick the rock apart!"
Combusken kicked out with both legs, shattering the incoming rock mid-air. With a flurry of kicks, it smashed the falling debris and landed safely.
"Quick Attack!" Gary ordered without hesitation.
Grovyle flashed forward in a streak of white light, ramming into Combusken and knocking it back several meters.
But Combusken recovered quickly and dashed toward Grovyle, flames igniting on its claws as it prepared a Fire Punch counterattack.
"Leaf Blade!" Gary commanded.
The two Pokémon clashed at close range. Leaf Blade and Fire Punch collided repeatedly, sparks and embers flying with each strike. Neither side held the advantage.
But Combusken was still entangled by Leech Seed, which steadily drained its stamina and transferred energy to Grovyle in glowing green pulses.
As Grovyle regained strength and Combusken wore down, Grovyle finally seized the upper hand. With renewed energy, Grovyle crossed its Leaf Blades and slashed powerfully, forcing Combusken back.
"What incredible power…!" Moore was shocked.
As a native of Hoenn, Moore was well aware of the regional starters. When it came to raw physical strength, Grovyle shouldn't be able to match Combusken. Yet now, Grovyle was overpowering its opponent.
If Gary knew what Moore was thinking, he'd explain the secret—Grovyle was holding a Miracle Seed.
And not just any Miracle Seed—a top-grade Miracle Seed that boosted the power of Grass-type moves by 50%. Without it, Grovyle wouldn't have been able to overwhelm Combusken in pure strength.
"Combusken, use Overheat!" Moore commanded.
"Attack with everything you've got—Solar Beam!" Gary countered.
Combusken unleashed a raging torrent of fire, while Grovyle fired a concentrated beam of solar energy without hesitation.
"What?! A Solar Beam without charging?!" Max exclaimed in shock.
The two powerful attacks collided and exploded violently. The battlefield shook under the force of the blast, as if a layer of the ground had been stripped away.
When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were still standing.
"Zah!" Grovyle, seeing that Combusken hadn't fallen, readied its Leaf Blades for another strike.