Chapter 136: In the Midst of Battle

Chen Ou still very much wanted to have a full-throttle battle with Erika.

"Growlithe, Flamethrower!" Chen Ou set aside his smile and commanded with calm, stern focus.

"Protect, then Leech Seed!" Erika commanded with equal composure.

On the field, both Pokémon obeyed their trainers’ orders. Growlithe’s Flamethrower struck Vileplume’s protective barrier squarely. After blocking the flames, Vileplume immediately scattered a cluster of luminous, emerald-green seeds.

Neither Chen Ou nor Growlithe panicked.

"Flare Blitz!"

As Chen Ou gave the order, Growlithe had already finished channeling its energy. Flames condensed around its body, transforming it into a streak of fire that shot directly toward Vileplume. The moment the Leech Seeds touched the flames, they were licked away and consumed by the crimson tongues of fire.

"Vileplume, dodge."

Erika gave no superfluous instructions; she simply ordered it to evade. This was a testament to her trust in her Pokémon’s abilities.

Vileplume did not disappoint. Despite its bulky frame, it moved with surprising agility, narrowly avoiding Growlithe’s Flare Blitz. Chen Ou couldn't help but think that if this Vileplume wasn't Erika’s ace, then her true strength had been severely underestimated.

Still, in the current state of the battle, Chen Ou was confident in his victory.

"Hard stop, Fire Spin!"

Growlithe obeyed, halting its momentum instantly. A swirling ball of flame condensed in its mouth before being fired off. It landed at the feet of the off-balance Vileplume, immediately erupting into a vortex of fire that engulfed the Pokémon.

The temperature of the crimson flames was intense, and they possessed an incredible adhesive quality. Trapped within the vortex, Vileplume was unable to escape in time and succumbed to a burn.

"Aromatherapy!" Erika ordered decisively. The damage from the Fire Spin wasn't high, but the status condition was a headache. Fortunately, Grass-type Pokémon possessed a wide array of status-clearing moves.

"Petal Blizzard!"

At Erika’s command, countless petals formed from Grass-type energy scattered through the air, shimmering with a gentle cherry-blossom glow. Growlithe, however, dared not be careless! It immediately wrapped its body in crimson flames to defend itself. The flames transitioned from a flickering state to a solid, solidified form, ensuring a more robust defense.

"Sleep Powder! Poison Powder! Stun Spore!"

Erika seized the opportunity without hesitation, unleashing a triple-powder attack. Under normal circumstances, inhaling a small amount might have little effect, and as long as Growlithe moved quickly enough, it would be fine.

But could one really underestimate Erika’s Vileplume? One look at the colors of the powders revealed their potency: the dark green of the Sleep Powder, the deep yellow of the Stun Spore, and the purplish-black of the Poison Powder. Who would dare take that head-on?

Yet, Chen Ou was not without options.

"Growlithe, burn the powder away with your flames!"

As Chen Ou’s order rang out, the solid flames encasing Growlithe expanded, reverting to their leaping, volatile state. With a violent burst, they swallowed all the powders, resolving the immediate danger.

Erika remained calm; the momentum had shifted once more. "Use Growth, then follow up with Petal Blizzard!"

Erika decisively used the stat-boosting move before launching another Petal Blizzard at Growlithe.

"Agility to evade, then... full-power Flamethrower!"

Chen Ou had finally had enough of playing around. To be honest, neither he nor Growlithe had been using their full strength. With Chen Ou’s enhancements, Growlithe was roughly at the Gym Leader level, while this Vileplume was at least at the entry-level of the Elite Four. It was strong, but not overwhelmingly so. If Chen Ou increased his strengthening output, Growlithe could surpass Vileplume, and combined with the type advantage, he was confident in ending the battle quickly.

A pink light flashed in Growlithe’s eyes, and it unleashed a massive pillar of fire toward Vileplume. Both Vileplume and Erika were startled by the sheer scale of the Flamethrower.

"Protect!" Seeing that the Flamethrower had cut off all avenues of escape, Erika decisively ordered Vileplume to endure the hit.

"Explode!" Chen Ou barked.

The pillar of fire detonated upon impact with the protective barrier. A rain of fire and a curtain of crimson flames obscured Growlithe from view. Erika and Vileplume were wary of Growlithe’s whereabouts, but the falling fire and splashing embers were equally dangerous.

"Ingrain!" Erika knew she could only defend for now. She couldn't rely on the probability of Protect succeeding; essentially, the reason Protect cannot be used consecutively is that it leaves a vulnerability window—the second use of the move lacks the necessary defensive potency unless the opponent is holding back or there is a massive gap in strength.

For example, if Arceus used Protect against a Rattata, it could keep it up indefinitely—it wouldn't matter how long the Rattata attacked; it would never break through.

It was like the Charmeleon during the battle with Yuki’s Froslass; the final chop was meant only to knock Froslass out, but Froslass reflexively used Protect. A light chop could never have broken it. However, Protect has a peculiar mechanism where there is a chance for energy to be "returned," allowing for the rare "double-protect" even against full-force attacks. Chen Ou hadn't been particularly unlucky; at least his "double-protect" incident hadn't been a low-probability energy return.

Green light surged beneath Vileplume as it rooted itself. Suddenly, Growlithe burst out from the curtain of fire, flames dancing around its body, and lunged toward Vileplume’s petals.

"Hold your ground, then Solar Beam!"

But just as the Solar Beam struck Growlithe, the fire curtain parted. Another Growlithe appeared, flames of a different shape condensing in its mouth. To the shock of Erika and Vileplume, a Fire Blast slammed squarely into Vileplume. The sheer force of the impact knocked Vileplume against the wall, and when it fell, it had already lost the ability to battle.