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"Glaceon, use Protect quickly!"
As soon as Sato shouted this, the previously smug Buggy's expression changed dramatically. He immediately called out to Glaceon, who was still happily ambushing Swampert.
But just as Glaceon stopped and hastily used Protect, Swampert's massive fist, enveloped in a dense, earthy-yellow glow, slammed fiercely into the frozen ground beneath it.
In an instant, a sharp "crack, crack, crack~~" sound echoed as a web of cracks rapidly spread outward from where Swampert stood.
A second or two later, waves of earthy-yellow energy erupted from the fissures, forming beams of ground energy that sliced through the entire battlefield like cutting lasers.
A loud rumbling followed as the icy battlefield, once Glaceon's personal skating rink, began collapsing under the sheer force of the attack.
Moments later, the entire battlefield had undergone a drastic transformation. What was once a smooth sheet of ice, perfect for Glaceon's maneuvers, was now a wasteland littered with chunks of ice mixed with mud, leaving no stable footing.
However, the collapse of the icy field released a large amount of frigid air into the surroundings, intensifying the snowy conditions on the battlefield from light snowfall to moderate snowfall.
"Holy crap, this guy's guts are insane. Having his Swampert send a Pokémon flying and put dents in the gym walls was one thing, but now he's actually gone and demolished the entire battlefield? Kid, you're done for."
Watching Swampert use Earth Power to utterly destroy the battlefield, Joe, who had wisely chosen to back off the moment Sato spoke, stood in stunned silence.
However, as Joe glanced at Sato again, his previously gloating expression took on a hint of seriousness.
To be honest, if it were him, he wouldn't have dared to give such a reckless command just to win a Pokémon battle. In Joe's eyes, Sato's behavior was borderline suicidal.
Using a single Swampert to claim nine consecutive Gym Challenge victories was already impressive beyond belief. If it were him, he doubted he could have done the same, and securing Giovanni's favor was practically guaranteed at this point.
But now? Sato had just destroyed an entire battlefield for the sake of winning a match. While he hadn't gone as far as demolishing the whole gym, this was still tantamount to wrecking Giovanni's home base.
And if there was one thing everyone knew, it was that the Viridian Gym was essentially Giovanni's personal domain. No one in their right mind would willingly risk angering their boss over a battle that was already won.
At this moment, Joe mentally placed Sato on his "do not provoke" list. The guy was willing to do anything for victory.
However, Joe's concerns were unnecessary. Giovanni, who was watching the battle unfold on his laptop screen, wore a smirk on his face.
"This kid sure has guts. He knows Viridian Gym is my turf, and he still dared to wreck it? Not bad. His strength is solid, and he has the boldness and determination to match. A promising talent. He might even be a viable candidate for the Seed Project... Hm, no rush. I need to observe him a bit longer. His loyalty and sense of belonging to the organization must be confirmed first."
Despite watching his gym get torn apart, Giovanni felt more admiration than frustration. A gym was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
What he truly needed were talents—individuals capable of carrying out his plans. And Sato's boldness had just earned him a spot on Giovanni's potential recruits list.
Meanwhile, Sato had no time to concern himself with Joe's or Giovanni's thoughts. His attention remained entirely on the battlefield.
Glaceon's skating rink was gone. Though the snowfall had intensified, it was no longer a significant factor. With the icy battlefield destroyed, Swampert's ability to detect its opponent through ground vibrations had been restored.
Previously, Glaceon had used the ice to move swiftly, and the thick layer of ice, infused with Ice-type energy, had completely blocked the Ground-type energy from reaching the surface. This made it impossible for Swampert to sense its movements through tremors.
But now, everything had changed. As long as Glaceon moved on the ground, even with its Snow Cloak ability, it could no longer evade Swampert's detection.
A sudden "boom!" broke the tense silence as Glaceon leapt gracefully from a pile of ice shards, landing on a chunk of ice mixed with sand and dirt.
Having used Protect to shield itself, Glaceon had emerged from the previous attack unscathed—just a bit disoriented.
It glanced at the now-unrecognizable battlefield, then at Swampert, who was staring at it with a fierce gaze. A visible shiver ran through its body.
"End it, Swampert. Use Rock Tomb to trap it."
At Sato's command, Swampert's eyes gleamed with an earthy-brown glow. Instantly, over twenty large rocks, each the size of a washbasin, materialized in the air above Glaceon and began plummeting down toward it.
Each of these rocks radiated dangerous Rock-type energy, making it clear that they were no ordinary stones.
"Run, Glaceon!"
Buggy, now visibly pale, shouted frantically.
With the ice field destroyed, he was panicking, unable to figure out how to turn the tide in his favor.
Unfortunately, the battlefield was no longer the smooth ice rink it once was. Instead, it was a debris-filled wasteland, and Glaceon struggled to move as swiftly as before.
Worse still, the falling boulders seemed to track Glaceon's movements, landing precisely where it tried to escape, making it increasingly difficult to dodge.
Eventually, while dashing across the uneven terrain, Glaceon misstepped on an irregular ice chunk, twisting its front leg and stumbling to the ground.
At that moment, a rock enveloped in glowing Rock-type energy descended from above, crashing down and pinning Glaceon beneath it.
Before long, several more boulders followed, completely burying Glaceon under a pile of stones.
As the final rock settled, Swampert stepped forward. With a single powerful sweep of its arm, the pile of stones was sent flying, revealing a battered Glaceon beneath.
"Gla…"
Glaceon weakly lifted its head, only to meet Swampert's cold, towering figure. Its large eyes filled with dread as it let out a feeble cry.
A moment later, all it saw was a massive fist descending upon it, glowing with blinding white light—Hammer Arm, infused with powerful Fighting-type energy.
With a deafening "boom!", a large crater formed where the attack landed.
At its center lay Glaceon, critically injured and completely unable to battle.