Chapter 223

The one most affected was Crobat, which was hovering in mid-air.

The turbulent airflow caused by the earthquake made its flight extremely unstable, its wings flapped with increasing difficulty, and the poison it had prepared to continue spraying lost its aim due to its swaying body, scattering onto the open ground and seeping into the cracks, posing no threat to Graveler at all.

Yet Graveler, located at the center of the earthquake, seemed completely unaffected; it just kept shaking the ground, maintaining the frequency of the earthquake.

Huo La looked at the rapidly draining poison and the gradually failing poison domain, and his expression finally changed: "Brother Xiao Gang, you actually used Earthquake to break the poison domain! Not only did you make the poison flow away along the cracks, but you also interfered with Crobat's flight; this move is brilliant!"

Xiao Gang rubbed his nose, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised pride: "The most direct way to deal with Poison-type tactics is a quick battle. But in the current situation, my Graveler doesn't have the conditions for that at all, nor is it good at fast attacks."

"Fortunately, this isn't an official battle field after all, so Earthquake could achieve such an effect—it's just that it'll be troublesome afterward; I'll have to re-clear the waterways shaken open and clean up the rocks all over the ground."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his arm and issued the command again: "Graveler, take this chance, use Rollout to hit Crobat with all your might!"

Graveler immediately moved in response, using the inertia of the earthquake's aftershocks, its body spinning rapidly on the ground, rolling faster and faster, more and more fiercely, rushing straight toward the Crobat in mid-air like a cannonball fired from its chamber.

The gravel along the way was sent flying in all directions by its impact, kicking up dust that filled the sky, its momentum astonishing.

Huo La felt a sense of dread, his pupils constricted, and he hurriedly shouted: "Crobat, fly high quickly! Avoid its impact!"

But at this moment, the air was still trembling violently due to the earthquake, and with the turbulent currents surging, Crobat's wings flapped with abnormal sluggishness, its flight speed greatly reduced.

It flapped its wings desperately, trying to gain altitude, but it was still a step too slow—with a dull "thud," Graveler, carrying immense force, slammed solidly into Crobat's abdomen.

The huge impact instantly sent Crobat flying; it didn't even have time to let out a wail before one of its teeth was knocked out by the force, tracing an arc in the air before dropping to the ground with a "clack."

Having lost its balance, Crobat was like a kite with a broken string, completely unable to adjust its posture, falling straight toward the forest outside the field, breaking a few low branches before crashing heavily into the dense grass.

Huo La's heart sank, his gaze fixed tightly on the direction of the forest.

A moment later, a swaying figure struggled to fly up from between the branches and leaves; Crobat flapped one slightly drooping wing, swaying and stumbling as it flew back to Huo La's side, its eyes full of unwillingness, with a few blood-stained leaves still stuck to its wings.

Huo La looked at its disheveled appearance, then turned to look at the still aggressive Graveler in the center of the field, and after a moment of silence, slowly spoke: "This round, we lost."

Hearing Huo La concede, Crobat immediately let out a sharp hiss, its voice full of grievance and resentment, its wings still angrily beating the air.

"Alright, alright." Huo La reached out and gently patted Crobat's back, soothing it softly, "You've already been knocked out of the battle field; although you still have the ability to fight, we must follow the basic rules of the duel. It was my decision that was careless; I didn't expect Brother Xiao Gang to have this trick of using Earthquake to break the situation. It's not your fault."

After soothing the unwilling Crobat and recalling it to its Poké Ball to rest, Huo La turned to look at the eager Tauros on the side.

It was seen flicking its thick tail, its four hooves constantly pawing the ground, kicking up fine dust, as it walked with steady steps into the battle field, which was now strewn with jagged rocks.

The aftereffects of the earthquake and Rock Slide were still present, the ground was pitted and uneven, and the scattered rocks had sharp edges, but this didn't affect Tauros's momentum in the slightest.

Seeing this, Xiao Gang waved his hand at the Graveler, which was still full of fighting spirit in the field: "Graveler, you go back and rest first; I'll leave this next match to Aron."

As his words fell, the Aron in Xiao Gang's arms twisted its body impatiently, leaped suddenly, landed on the ground with a "thump," and hopped into the center of the field.

It looked up at the Tauros, which was dozens of times larger than itself, its small body standing straight, stubbornly raising its head; its metallic shell shimmered with a cold light in the sun, and its eyes were full of unyielding tenacity, showing no fear at all because of the size difference.

Huo La's gaze fell on Aron; its level was no more than 5 levels different from his Tauros, clearly showing that Xiao Gang hadn't spared any effort in arranging targeted special training for it in private.

Looking at his own Tauros, since capturing it, it had mostly been used as a means of transport, carrying him in a rush between various towns.

It had to be said that Tauros's speed and endurance were indeed the best choice for transport, much more efficient than walking or other methods, but precisely because of this, he hadn't trained it for battle at all.

Thinking of this, a trace of guilt flashed through Huo La's heart, and then his eyes became firm.

This duel was not only a test for Aron but also a practical honing for Tauros, and even more so, a compensation for his own negligence.

"Tauros, take your opponent seriously and show your strength! Let me see it properly!" Huo La ordered in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of expectation.

Tauros seemed to understand his words, letting out a loud hiss, its four hooves kicking the ground hard, the muscle lines under its fur standing out, and its whole body exuding a sense of surging power.

Xiao Gang looked at the two Pokémon, one large and one small, in the field and smiled: "Aron is good at defense and Steel-type moves, while Tauros excels in speed and power; this duel is quite interesting."

Huo La signaled with his hand: "Brother Xiao Gang, I'll attack first this time! Tauros, use Horn Attack!"

Tauros suddenly raised its front hooves and stomped heavily on the ground!

With a dull "thump," as gravel splashed, it used the momentum of the stomp, its entire massive body rushing out like an arrow from a bow, its four hooves flying, its sharp horns pointed, charging toward Aron with a momentum that could crush anything.

This strike was powerful and heavy; even if it couldn't directly finish the opponent, a solid hit would be enough to cause serious damage; if he were lucky, he might even be able to knock the small Aron out of the field directly and end the battle quickly.

But Xiao Gang had long been prepared and wouldn't give him a chance to succeed, immediately ordering in a deep voice: "Aron, use the gravel on the field to dodge, then release Sandstorm!"

Aron's form was small and agile, moving nimbly between the pitted and jagged field, and after just a few dodges, it easily opened up distance from Tauros.

It suddenly stopped, its neck sinking slightly, and then it sprayed a powerful current of air from its nostrils—the current carried the gravel and dust scattered on the ground, instantly whipping up an even more violent sandstorm in the field.

Compared to the previous sandstorm, this one was mixed with countless sharp-edged stone fragments because of the gravel covering the ground; as it whistled past, it carried a harsh, piercing sound, its lethality increasing sharply, appearing even more terrifying.