Chapter 72: Obtaining the OrangeBadge

"Damn it! Raichu, use Electric Flash to steady yourself!" Ma Zhishi shouted urgently.

Raichu forced itself to endure the dizziness, its body glowing white, and using the speed of Electric Flash barely adjusted its posture in the air, stumbling to land a few meters away, clearly having taken a substantial hit.

"Now, Nidoqueen, use Poison Needle!" Huo La seized the chance to press the attack.

Nidoqueen responded with force, the spikes on its back suddenly flashing a dark violet hue as countless Poison Needles shot out.

"Raichu, use Iron Tail to knock away the Poison Needles!" Ma Zhishi's voice carried a hint of urgency.

Raichu swung its stout tail, the tip hardened like iron, striking at the Poison Needles fired by Nidoqueen.

"Block the Poison Needles..." Huo La hummed lightly, "Nidoqueen, Poison Needle Barrage!" As Huo La spoke, the Poison Needles that were heading straight for Raichu began to sway with Nidoqueen's movement, sweeping outward around Raichu's body.

"Raichu!" Raichu cried out in pain, its body instantly flashing a faint purple—it was poisoned.

"Damn, this Nidoqueen actually uses that tactic..." Ma Zhishi's expression finally grew serious, "Raichu, don't give it a chance, use Thunderbolt (Thunder)!"

This time, Raichu held nothing back; the electric light around it gathered into a cloud‑like dense energy, and a bolt several times thicker than before thundered down, nearly enveloping the entire area around Nidoqueen.

"Nidoqueen, hide in the hole we just made!"

Nidoqueen moved swiftly, rolling into the freshly dug hole in a rather ungraceful manner, disappearing from sight.

The Thunder missed its target, striking only the ground; the rubber‑tiled floor, upon contact with the lightning, felt the heat but fully dissipated the electricity.

"Raichu's stamina is dropping, and the poison condition persists," Xiao Gang analyzed softly beside them, his eyes full of praise, "Huo La, that kid combined Nidoqueen's type advantage with the terrain perfectly."

Huo La didn't relax; watching the labored breathing of Raichu opposite, he issued another command: "Nidoqueen, we'll use Iron Tail too!"

The moment the order was given, Nidoqueen's stout tail burst from the ground beside Raichu, snapping fiercely toward it.

"Raichu, Million‑ton Heavy Punch, block its tail!" Ma Zhishi's command came almost simultaneously with Huo La's.

Raichu strained against the weakness from poisoning, its right fist instantly gathering a pale white force, smashing the stout tail emerging from the ground— it knew that if hit by this unexpected Iron Tail, it would collapse completely.

"Boom!" The fist and tail collided heavily, the dull thud echoing through the Gym.

Raichu felt a massive force travel from its arm through its whole body, its feet sliding half a meter on the rubber floor, a surge in its chest causing it to cough, and a faint violet‑black toxin leaking from its mouth corner— the poison's erosion was faster than expected.

Yet it ultimately managed to block the blow.

Nidoqueen's tail was slightly numbed by the Million‑ton Heavy Punch, and, using the recoil, it quickly retracted underground, leaving only a shallow dent in the floor.

"Well done, Raichu!" Ma Zhishi exhaled, then his gaze hardened, "While it's still hidden, use high‑speed movement around the arena to locate it!"

Raichu immediately understood, a pale blue aura flashing around it, it sprinted rapidly around the arena with the hole as its center.

Its ears stayed taut, focused on detecting underground movements, each step light and swift, fearing to give Nidoqueen any opening.

Huo La watched the constantly moving Raichu, his fingertips lightly tapping his palm, "Trying to dodge ambushes by moving? Nidoqueen, use Earthquake from underground!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three deep tremors rose from the ground in succession, the shockwaves spreading quickly through the soil, but because the arena was rubber, they lasted only an instant on the surface before vanishing.

Yet that fleeting vibration caused the high‑speed Raichu to slip, its body instantly losing balance, stumbling into the arena's edge rail.

"Now!" a spark flashed in Huo La's eyes, "Another Iron Tail!"

"Nido!" With a low growl, the ground behind Raichu erupted, Nidoqueen's massive body burst from the earth, its tail wrapped in dense violet poison energy, slamming straight into Raichu's unguarded back— this strike gathered its full strength.

"No! Raichu, turn quickly and use Iron Tail!" Ma Zhishi's voice trembled with panic.

But the sluggishness from the poison completely slowed Raichu's reaction.

It barely managed to twist its body, and Nidoqueen's Iron Tail was already within reach; in haste, it could only swing its hardened tail bone behind it, trying to block the attack.

"Pfft!" The Iron Tail slammed hard onto the Iron Tail, Raichu let out a sharp cry of pain, its body lifted by the force and crashed heavily onto the rubber floor, sliding several meters away.

It struggled to rise, but found its limbs already tingling, the violet poison on its surface darkening at a visible rate, even breathing becoming difficult.

Nidoqueen settled steadily on the ground, panting heavily— the continuous underground movement and powerful attacks had also drained its stamina, but compared to the near‑dying Raichu, its advantage was now decisive.

"Raichu! Can you still fight?" Ma Zhishi shouted urgently, his tone showing anxiety for the first time.

Raichu twitched its ears, struggled to lift its head, but lacked the energy to gather electric light. It shook its head, finally collapsing weakly, its eyes slowly closing, completely losing its fighting ability.

Ma Zhishi silently watched the fallen Raichu, sighing after a moment, pulling out a Pokeball to recall it: "Kid, your tactics are truly impressive, exploiting Nidoqueen's ground‑type advantage and Poison Type interference to the fullest."

He reached into his pocket, took out an orange‑red Badge and a Skill Learning Machine, and tossed them to Huo La, "This OrangeBadge is well earned. As for this Learning Machine... it contains the Electric-type ultimate move 'Thunderbolt'."

Huo La caressed the Badge in his palm, his peripheral glance catching Ma Zhishi silently reaching for the Communicator in his pocket; it seemed the continuation of this Challenge Match was the real main event.

"Alright, little brother Huo La, the challenge is over; I have something to ask you, come with me to the second floor," Ma Zhishi softened his previously fierce tone, though with an unrefusable implication.

Huo La hadn't had time to reply when Xiao Gang beside him furrowed his brow, stepping forward to block Huo La's side: "Gym Master Ma, is there something that can't be said here? Raichu just finished the battle, the Pokemon still need rest."