Chapter 209: For this round, let me try my hand

"Muk, hold on! Use Protect to tank this hit!" Huo La's roar sounded almost simultaneously with Jolteon's sprint.

Given Muk's clumsy build, facing a Jolteon that had triggered its Quick Feet ability and seen its speed skyrocket, dodging was simply impractical; defense was the only path to survival.

Just as Huo La expected, a transparent protective barrier instantly lit up around Muk.

But before its defense had even fully formed, Jolteon, wreathed in electricity from its Quick Attack, slammed into it fiercely, followed immediately by a crashing Thunder—a thick blue arc of electricity, carrying the high voltage of a Thunderbolt, struck the Protect barrier with a boom.

In an instant, a blinding white light swept across the entire field, the crackling sound of electricity was deafening, and even the ground trembled slightly.

Rainwater was evaporated into white mist by the lightning, and sand and arcs of electricity intertwined, forming a turbulent flow of energy that was impossible to look at directly.

Xiao Gang and Bilan instinctively closed their eyes, and Huo La hurriedly used his right hand to block the intense light, keeping only his peripheral vision fixed on the battlefield. His fingertips trembled slightly from the tension, and his ears were filled with the buzzing of electricity.

It was unknown how much time had passed before the blinding electric light finally dissipated, and visibility returned to the field.

Everyone looked intently, only to see Muk's massive body sprawled on the muddy ground, sporadic electric arcs still flickering across its colorful surface, viscous fluid mixed with mud flowing everywhere, and its aura had become very weak, but it still stubbornly held its body up, refusing to fall.

Looking at the other side, Jolteon's body had completely gone limp on the ground, purple-black toxins having already spread across its golden fur, its once lively eyes having lost their luster, and after a weak whimper from its throat, it fell completely silent.

The continuous erosion of the toxic poison, combined with the exhaustion of stamina from that last all-out strike, ultimately meant it could no longer hold on, and it completely lost the ability to battle.

"Jolteon is unable to battle, Muk wins!" Bilan reacted and immediately announced the result in a loud voice, her tone still carrying a hint of lingering shock.

Huo La let out a long breath, his tense nerves instantly relaxing.

Red put away Jolteon, and although he wanted to send Jolteon for treatment right now, the battle wasn't over yet: "Impressive, your Muk not only has great resilience, but your attrition tactics were also very well-executed. I lost this round."

Huo La scratched his head and replied with a smile: "It's just that your Jolteon, Brother Xiao Chi, is too strong. If it weren't for the attrition and the Toxic, I wouldn't have been able to withstand that wave of lightning at all."

Just as the two were talking, Xiao Gang on the sidelines suddenly spoke up to remind them: "You both only have one Pokémon left. This final round is the true deciding match!"

"My final choice is this—Charizard!" Red stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with battle intent, and before he had even finished speaking, he threw his Poké Ball high into the air.

With a burst of red light, a Charizard, its size far exceeding that of an ordinary member of its species, landed steadily in the center of the field.

As it spread its wings, they stirred up a gust of hot wind; its scales shimmered with a glossy crimson, save for a gruesome claw mark across its chest and abdomen, clearly showing it had just been through a fierce battle.

What was even more startling was the aura around it; even with its injuries, it still exuded a formidable air of having been through countless battles.

Huo La's system panel refreshed instantly, and Charizard's detailed data appeared clearly:

Pokémon: Charizard

Gender: Male

Level: Lv50

Aptitude: B

Status: Injured

Nature: Adamant

Type: Fire

Ability: Blaze (When HP is below 1/3, the power of Fire-type moves increases to 1.5 times)

Height: 1.8m

Weight: 105kg

Held Item: None

Moves: Flamethrower (Proficiency 71%), Fire Blast (Proficiency 88%), Fire Spin (Proficiency 49%), Dragon Rage (Proficiency 51%), Dragon Breath (Proficiency 53%), Dragon Tail (Proficiency 73%), Crunch (Proficiency 100%), Giga Impact (Proficiency 5%)... Upgradable count: 1 (???)

At Lv50, even while injured, it was an almost insurmountable mountain for Huo La's current Pokémon.

"Brother Xiao Chi, your Charizard is clearly carrying injuries..." Huo La couldn't help but remind him, as old wounds from a Gym battle not yet healed could easily be aggravated by high-intensity combat.

"Yeah, left over from the battle with Blaine's Magmar this morning, it's no problem." Red raised his hand and patted Charizard's wing. Charizard immediately understood, clenched its fist, and spat a small, scorching flame from its throat, its eyes full of unyielding stubbornness.

Red looked up at Huo La, his tone carrying the pressure of a deciding match: "Huo La, who are you choosing for your last Pokémon?"

"I..." Huo La was just about to call out Kingler's name when a voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "This brat's Charizard is somewhat interesting. For this round, let me try my hand."

Huo La was shocked, his expression instantly becoming both surprised and suspicious, and he hurriedly asked in his heart: "Old Ghost? Why do you suddenly want to step in? And it wouldn't be good if word got out that you fought Brother Xiao Chi's injured Charizard, would it?"

Among the Pokémon he had on hand, in terms of type and level, none could compare to Charizard; Gengar was indeed the best choice.

But if Old Ghost were really to fight seriously, Charizard might not last three moves.

"Rest assured, I know my limits." Old Ghost seemed to see through his concerns and added slowly, "I'm just itching for a fight. I won't win; I'll lose on purpose at the end."

"Uh..." Huo La's mouth twitched. So Old Ghost wanted to play around and then act out a loss? He just didn't know how the system would judge it, since strictly speaking, Gengar wasn't his Pokémon.

However, he had no intention of refusing Gengar; after all, it was a good thing for him that this old ghost was willing to take the initiative to join the battle. As for winning or losing, that was secondary.

"Fine, then this round is yours." Huo La agreed in his heart, then took a deep breath: "Old Ghost, it's all yours."

A puff of pale purple mist appeared out of thin air, Gengar's figure appearing and disappearing within the mist, a pair of mischievous eyes quietly staring at the Charizard opposite, its body wreathed in a faint chill that formed a stark confrontation with Charizard's scorching heat.

"Gengar?" Red was taken aback, then laughed: "You actually kept a Ghost-type up your sleeve; that's somewhat unexpected."

Charizard also tensed its body vigilantly, letting out a low growl at Gengar, flames sputtering from the corners of its mouth—Ghost-types were naturally troublesome opponents for an offensive-leaning Pokémon like itself.

Gengar ignored Charizard's intimidation, only muttering in Huo La's mind: "This little lizard's flame has some heat to it; just right for me to stretch my bones." ===== CHAPTER 210 =====