Volcarona let out a loud cry in response, unleashing a torrent of fierce golden flames that collided head-on with the incoming Razor Leaf, instantly melting the leaves.
After burning through the leaves, the stream of flames surged onward, continuing its assault toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, dodge it and use Grass Knot!"
As a Gym Leader, Felix had rich battle experience and calmly issued his commands without hesitation.
Despite Venusaur's massive size, it moved quickly to evade the incoming Flamethrower. Then, with a powerful stomp of its feet, several vines shot up from beneath Volcarona, aiming to entangle it.
Grass Knot was a Grass-type move, primarily used to trip up opponents. But in real combat, it had many versatile applications. In this case, it was clear Felix intended to use it to bind Volcarona and restrict its movement.
If successful, Volcarona would be left vulnerable to a flurry of attacks from the powerful Venusaur.
This particular Venusaur was at the Elite level, and its damage output wouldn't be low.
Nathan didn't hesitate. In a calm tone, he said, "Dodge with Kami-e (Paper Arts), then burn it down!"
"Vol!"
Volcarona cried out, its wings beating rapidly as it swiftly moved from its original position, narrowly avoiding the entangling vines.
Then, with a flap of its wings, a rush of flames erupted from its mouth, sweeping toward Venusaur. As the flames surged forward, they were joined by a fierce gust of wind, intensifying the fire's power, making it even more violent and overwhelming.
Like a sea of fire, it surged toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, Protect!" Felix ordered in a deep voice.
"Saur!"
Venusaur cried out as a transparent barrier appeared in front of it.
The flames struck just moments later.
Nathan watched the fiery onslaught with a calm expression, estimating the duration of the Protect. Then he spoke again.
"Volcarona, lock onto Venusaur's previous position—Fire Blast!"
Since Venusaur used Protect, it clearly wouldn't have taken damage from the previous fire attack.
But when the sea of fire surged toward it, it also blocked the view between Volcarona and Venusaur. Right now, Venusaur couldn't see Volcarona's location.
But Volcarona still remembered exactly where Venusaur had been.
This tactic was similar to the smokescreen strategy used by Willow in the past—lock onto the opponent's position, obscure their vision, and strike through the cover to catch them off guard.
This was that exact kind of moment.
As the firestorm began to fade...
A giant "大"-shaped fire symbol formed before Volcarona, then blasted toward Venusaur's last known location.
With the flames completely gone, Venusaur could finally see the incoming Fire Blast.
"Venusaur, Light Screen!" Felix shouted without hesitation.
"Saur!"
Venusaur responded, summoning a Light Screen in front of itself. But the Fire Blast arrived instantly, shattering the screen and continuing forward, striking Venusaur directly.
A massive explosion of power erupted.
Pain flickered across Venusaur's face.
Fire-type moves deal double damage to Grass-types—especially high-powered moves like Fire Blast.
On top of that, this attack was boosted by Harsh Sunlight and the ability Solar Power, making it even more devastating.
(TN: Harsh Sunlight is brought by the ability drought.)
The fact that Venusaur wasn't knocked out on the spot was already impressive.
Even after taking the full brunt of Fire Blast—despite Light Screen reducing some of the damage—Venusaur still cried out in pain.
Luckily, it managed to get back on its feet quickly, preparing for another possible attack.
"Venusaur, use Synthesis!" Felix ordered.
Since Volcarona had created Harsh Sunlight upon entering the battle, the power of its Fire-type moves had greatly increased. But the same sunlight was also beneficial to Grass-types.
It allowed them to absorb energy faster, and Synthesis was significantly more effective under harsh sunlight.
Synthesis was a healing move that allowed Pokémon to recover HP. In Harsh Sunlight, while it might not restore Venusaur completely, it could heal most of the damage.
"Saur!"
Venusaur let out a cry, and its body began to glow with a soft, white light.
Gentle sunlight poured into its body, gradually restoring its health.
"Volcarona, don't let it finish—Heat Wave!" Nathan ordered.
"Vool!"
Volcarona cried out, flapping its wings as a wave of scorching heat swept toward Venusaur.
This was a combination of Heat Wave and Gust.
Though not used simultaneously, the moves were executed in quick succession. With Volcarona's precise control of its power, they formed a tornado-like attack—loud, fierce, and destructive.
In an instant, Venusaur was engulfed once again.
Cries of pain echoed, with visible burn marks appearing on various parts of its body.
Still, compared to the earlier Fire Blast, this was slightly less severe.
Only slightly.
"Venusaur, Growth! Then use Leaf Storm followed by Power Whip!" Felix barked.
As he spoke, Venusaur's body began to grow larger. The Growth move increased its size, along with a significant boost in both Special Attack and Attack.
Next, numerous leaves surrounded Venusaur, forming a storm that shot rapidly toward Volcarona.
"Dodge!" Nathan called out.
Volcarona darted through the air, narrowly avoiding the incoming Leaf Storm.
But in the next instant—whoosh!
A sharp whipping sound tore through the air.
Thick vines extended from Venusaur's back, lashing out at Volcarona with tremendous speed and force.
Wham!
The Power Whip connected. The strong, fast attack landed just after Volcarona had dodged the Leaf Storm, sending it flying.
Fortunately, Volcarona managed to steady itself quickly and return to the air.
Then Nathan's calm voice rang out again.
"Volcarona, let this field become your domain."
"Vool!"
Golden scales began to drift down from Volcarona's wings.
Felix's face instantly changed—he recognized this move. He had watched the Trial Tournament and knew exactly what was coming.
Venusaur couldn't fly. Once the battlefield was turned into a blazing inferno, even if Volcarona did nothing, Venusaur would still be at a disadvantage.
Felix didn't hesitate. "Venusaur, charge up Solar Beam!"
"Saur!"
Venusaur nodded and began absorbing the harsh sunlight.
At the same time, Volcarona flapped its wings again, stirring up strong winds and spreading the golden scales throughout the battlefield.
Buzz!
Golden flames erupted, engulfing the entire field.
"Saur!"
Venusaur was now within the flames and cried out in pain.
"Hang in there, Venusaur! Keep charging Solar Beam!" Felix shouted.
Gritting its teeth, Venusaur nodded.
"You want to fire a Solar Beam? I won't give you the chance." Nathan's expression tensed slightly. "Volcarona, end it—with your strongest Fire Blast!"
A giant flame in the shape of a "大" began to form in front of Volcarona.
Boom!
The Fire Blast launched toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, Solar Beam!" Felix called out.
"Saur!"
The sunlight Venusaur had stored exploded into a blinding beam of energy, launching toward Volcarona and clashing directly with the incoming Fire Blast.
An intense shockwave erupted as the two powerful attacks collided.
But then—
The Fire Blast was dispersed, and the Solar Beam continued its path toward Volcarona.
"Protect." Nathan's expression remained unchanged.
A transparent shield formed in front of Volcarona.
Boom!
The Solar Beam struck—but Volcarona's Protect absorbed the hit completely.
"For the final blow—Flare Blitz!" Nathan commanded.
"Vool!"
Volcarona dived toward Venusaur, its body cloaked in golden fire as it soared downward.
Venusaur, still trapped in the fiery field, couldn't avoid the damage the way Volcarona could. Pain was written all over its face.
Boom!
The devastating impact hit.
Venusaur had no chance to dodge.
… … …
It was struck head-on, the immense force making its eyes roll back.
With a cry, Venusaur collapsed onto the ground, unconscious and unable to battle.
"The winner of this battle is Trainer Nathan Vesper!"