Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

When Arcanine took the hit from Mega Punch, it made Gary break out in a cold sweat for his partner. Now that he saw an opening, he wasn't about to let it slip away.

"Arcanine, use Flame Wheel!"

Without hesitation, Gary called for Arcanine's Flame Wheel!

Although not as powerful as Fire Blast, Flame Wheel was well-suited to capitalize on Arcanine's speed and physical advantage.

Arcanine ignited in blazing flames.

With Slowbro in such close range, and especially in that awkward position, there was no way it could dodge Arcanine's attack!

The heat from Arcanine's flames dried its damp fur, and then, engulfed in fire, it charged straight toward Slowbro.

Given Arcanine's speed and the fierce blaze surrounding it, the damage this Flame Wheel would inflict was bound to be devastating.

Arcanine lunged forward.

The first to notice Arcanine's advance was Shellder, still clamped onto Slowbro's tail.

Slowbro's symbiotic partner, Shellder, increased its grip on Slowbro's tail, trying to alert it.

But Slowbro didn't quite understand what Shellder was fussing about, until… Luo Yuan sent a mental image of the incoming Arcanine directly to Slowbro's mind.

Startled, Slowbro jerked, stopped wiggling its tail, and yanked its head out of the ground with a mighty pull.

But by then, Arcanine was already within striking distance, its searing flames singeing Slowbro's skin, causing a painful burning sensation.

Just as Slowbro was about to take a hit, in that critical moment—

A sudden inspiration struck Slowbro, prompting it to make a move that neither Gary nor Arcanine expected.

Slowbro whipped its tail, and in an instant, Shellder popped off.

As Shellder detached, Slowbro quickly reverted to its previous, more agile form, lying flat on the ground as a Slowpoke.

Freed from Shellder's weight, Slowbro's body immediately slimmed down, and it rolled across the ground to escape the flames, using its psychic energy to propel itself out of harm's way.

"!?"

Gary was left speechless.

Was… was that even possible?

Could Shellder really just fall off like that?

Gary was stunned, and Arcanine looked just as bewildered.

It skidded to a stop, glancing between the Slowpoke on one side and the separated Shellder on the other. Was this even fair? Was it now a two-on-one?

"Ref! I think we've got a violation here!"

Gary and Arcanine both turned to Professor Oak at the sidelines.

Professor Oak looked equally troubled.

He'd thought he was simply refereeing a straightforward match, but Luo Yuan's Slowbro had pulled out a rather unconventional strategy.

Was this against the rules?

There were no specific guidelines on this, as the league had never formally addressed such scenarios.

However, based on Oak's years of experience, this didn't technically count as a foul.

After all, there were numerous Pokémon in the world that coexisted in similar symbiosis. Take Kanto's Magneton, for example—it's composed of three Magnemite combined through evolution.

Could you really prohibit these Pokémon from splitting up if needed?

This was, after all, a tactic in itself.

So Professor Oak shook his head at Gary, indicating there was no foul here.

Gary sighed but accepted it... The battle had to go on.

He took a deep breath and focused back on the Slowpoke, trying to think of his next move.

Meanwhile, the Slowbro… no, now it was Slowpoke and Shellder, took advantage of the brief lull while Gary and Professor Oak conferred.

Though Slowpoke's tail had been scorched and smelled vaguely appetizing, it could regenerate; the tail would regrow in time, and aside from some pain, it wasn't really a problem.

Even so, Slowpoke was decidedly annoyed.

"Slow-poke!"

For once, anger surged through Slowpoke's mind.

A fierce battle spirit kindled within it, and with a determined gleam in its eyes, Slowpoke spat out a rippling Water Pulse, aimed straight at Arcanine.

Arcanine was far faster than Slowpoke, though, and if Slowpoke could dodge Arcanine's attacks, it would be easy for Arcanine to avoid Slowpoke's moves.

Arcanine sprinted around in a wide arc, aiming to circle back and pounce on Slowpoke again.

But just then, Shellder, which had been lying motionless on the ground after Slowpoke shook it off, suddenly sprang into action.

Shellder opened its mouth and shot out a powerful whirl of water, creating a Whirlpool that trapped Arcanine in place.

While Slowpoke and Shellder individually might not be as powerful as they were combined as Slowbro, they now had one advantage Slowbro didn't possess:

Coordinated teamwork.

"Water Pulse" and "Whirlpool"!

This was the first time Slowpoke and Shellder had achieved such seamless coordination since forming their symbiotic bond.

Their combined tactics produced an effect far greater than the sum of its parts.

The Whirlpool obstructed Arcanine's movement, allowing Water Pulse to land squarely on target.

Plus, with the rain boosting Water-type moves, the impact of Water Pulse was amplified.

Arcanine let out a distressed howl as the Water Pulse crashed into its body.

Its massive frame broke through the water veil, landing on the muddy ground with a heavy thud.

"Hang in there, Arcanine!" Gary cheered his partner on.

Maybe it was Gary's encouragement, or perhaps it was Arcanine's sheer resilience, but even after being hit by a rain-boosted Water-type move, Arcanine struggled to its feet, ready to retaliate against Slowpoke and Shellder.

It had a plan—take out the already-injured Slowpoke with two solid Fire Blasts, then deal with the less threatening Shellder.

But just as Arcanine got to its feet, it saw Shellder rolling over toward Slowpoke, which picked it up in its grasp.

And then, to Arcanine's surprise, Slowpoke started swinging Shellder around like a flail, its body spinning at high speed!

Whirr

Somehow, Slowpoke had summoned enough strength to whirl like a top, forming a blur of motion.

Just as Arcanine sensed something amiss, it heard Luo Yuan's shout:

"Slowpoke, use Shell Blade!"

Shellder spun through the air, slashing toward Arcanine with a bladed edge of white energy.

The bladed shell tore through the air, reaching Arcanine in the blink of an eye.

On instinct, Arcanine breathed out a Flamethrower, trying to intercept it.

But Shellder's shell, toughened by its density and accelerated by the spin, sliced straight through the flames as if they were nothing.

Then, before Arcanine could react—

Wham!

The spinning Shell Blade struck Arcanine square on the head.

With a loud thud, a crimson welt appeared on Arcanine's face, and its massive body tilted backward… crashing heavily onto the ground.

Chapter 153: A Showdown Between Starter Pokémon (2/4)

Arcanine's body slumped, hitting the ground with a heavy impact.

The Shell Blade maneuver was a spur-of-the-moment idea from Luo Yuan.

It was inspired by seeing Slowbro split into two parts, sparking a flash of creativity.

Slowpoke normally couldn't learn Shell Blade, as the move was exclusive to Shellder.

However, Shellder's movement limitations often rendered the move ineffective, making it as impractical as a Magikarp's Splash.

But now, Luo Yuan had managed to harness Slowpoke's strength and coordination to unleash the full potential of Shell Blade!

And, from the looks of it, the results were exceptional.

"Don't give it a chance to recover—use Water Gun!"

Seeing Arcanine lying on the ground, still struggling to rise, Luo Yuan called to the Shellder now mere inches away from Arcanine.

Sploosh!

Shellder released a powerful Water Gun from its shell, bringing this back-and-forth battle to a decisive end.

"Arcanine is unable to continue—Luo Yuan wins!"

Professor Oak, who had watched the entire match, couldn't help but marvel at the creativity on display.

Even he had to admit this was one of the most imaginative battles he'd ever witnessed.

Luo Yuan and his Slowbro had truly utilized the unique attributes of their Pokémon, not simply relying on brute force like typical trainers.

Reflecting on this, Professor Oak looked over at the relaxed Slowpoke.

"Slow—poke…"

Seeing Arcanine defeated, Slowpoke let out a sigh of relief.

It flopped onto the ground, its tail half-roasted but already beginning to regrow, enjoying the cool raindrops pattering on its back.

"Well done, Slowbro. Come back now."

Slowpoke had put in a lot of effort in this battle, so Luo Yuan didn't demand any more from it, allowing Shellder to reattach itself to Slowpoke's tail.

"Slow—"

With a lazy sigh, Slowbro allowed Luo Yuan to recall it back into its Pokéball.

On the other side, Gary also recalled Arcanine.

Gary looked up at Luo Yuan with admiration in his eyes. Slowbro's victory against a stronger opponent was nothing short of classic.

He realized there was so much he could learn from Luo Yuan.

"Let's keep going!"

Despite his loss, Gary smiled in eager anticipation.

He looked forward to learning more from Luo Yuan.

And then... he watched Luo Yuan throw out another Pokéball.

Boom!

In a flash of white light, a roaring Charizard emerged on the field.

"Roooaaar!"

Charizard beat its wings and bellowed skyward, releasing a long stream of fire.

By this time, the drizzle had ceased, and sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting warm rays over the field. Though there were still puddles around, they didn't bother Charizard in the slightest.

Recalling how Arcanine struggled under the rain, Gary knew he couldn't afford the same mistake.

With a wave of his hand, his first Pokémon stepped onto the field, its sturdy body, short yet powerful legs, and tough shell giving Blastoise an air of calm and resilience.

"Blastoise, let's do this!"

Unlike Gary's Squirtle and Wartortle, which had been just as cocky as him, his Blastoise now exuded a steady, focused energy, keeping its gaze locked firmly on Charizard.

For it, nothing else existed.

"Evolution sure does bring big changes to a Pokémon's personality," Luo Yuan mused, glancing between Blastoise and Charizard.

Once a cheeky Squirtle, Blastoise had matured into a model of composure, while Charizard, who used to be an adorable Charmander, had grown into a proud, fierce fighter.

Getting them to truly respect their trainer's orders required one of two things—either overwhelming strength, as Luo Yuan demonstrated, or a deep understanding of their unique temperaments.

Without that, Ash's Charizard would serve as the prime cautionary example.

It went to show that even the easiest of starter Pokémon required diligent training to master.

While Luo Yuan pondered, Blastoise launched into a probing attack under Gary's direction.

"Water Gun!"

From the cannons on Blastoise's back, twin jets of water shot toward Charizard.

Gary was testing the waters, confident that his Squirtle and Luo Yuan's Charizard had been evenly matched upon receiving them as starters. Even if training had created some disparity, the gap couldn't be too wide.

At the very least, Charizard would have to dodge the Water Gun, giving Gary a good sense of its strength and speed.

Sploosh!

Water sprayed forward.

Yet things went differently than Gary expected.

Facing the Water Gun, Charizard let a flicker of disdain cross its eyes. Its body remained entirely still, with no intent of dodging.

Not until the water was nearly upon it.

Then Charizard opened its mouth.

Fwoosh!

A Flamethrower, almost twice as thick as an average Charizard's, erupted from Charizard's jaws.

Hiss!

The water quickly evaporated into steam.

Just as Arcanine's flame had previously vaporized Slowbro's Water Gun, only this time, Charizard's flames were on an entirely different level.

Blastoise's eyes flashed with anger at the taunting display.

Although it had once lost to Charizard when it was still a Charmander, it had made tremendous strides under Gary's training.

It was used to being the one provoking others; now, Charizard, a Pokémon it held a type advantage over, dared to taunt it?

"Blastoise!"

Blastoise stepped back with its right leg, extending its cannons slightly, then fired a larger, more powerful stream of water at Charizard.

The streams crisscrossed midair, forming a swirling Water Pulse that sped toward Charizard.

"Think you can stay calm through this?"

Blastoise cast a challenging gaze at Charizard, awaiting its reaction.

Charizard let out a bellow, its abdomen glowing faintly as it launched a Fire Blast into the oncoming Water Pulse.

Hiss!

Once again, steam billowed up.

Fire Blast and Water Pulse were locked in a fierce standoff.

But Charizard, ever impatient, wasn't one to stand idle, waiting to see which move would overpower the other.

And Blastoise witnessed a sight it wouldn't soon forget.

Charizard let out a defiant roar, puffed up its chest, and rapidly spat out four smaller fireballs.

The four fireballs spread out in midair, joining with the initial Fire Blast.

One plus four—a total of five Fire Blasts barreled toward Blastoise!

With Water Pulse exhausted, unable to counter the onslaught, Blastoise found itself enveloped by the overwhelming heat from the five-pronged attack, almost as if it were about to be roasted alive.

"No, don't take it head-on!"

Realizing the danger, Gary quickly called out to Blastoise.

Despite its bulky form, Blastoise was far quicker than Slowbro with a base speed of 78, allowing it to dodge the Fire Blast with ease.

---

T/N: RAAAAGH BIG BODY CHARIZARD

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