Pokemon: Skybound

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As a flash of blue light illuminated the battlefield, Rudy's first Pokémon materialized a Ninetales!

With its golden fur shimmering under the daylight and its nine elegant tails swaying behind it, Ninetales exuded an air of regality.

Its deep crimson eyes, rather than being intimidating, carried an aura of wisdom and grace.

Kai immediately recognized it this was the same Ninetales he had seen earlier in the Gym, dancing among the other Pokémon during their unique training routine.

However, beyond its noble appearance, Kai was curious about just how much of an impact that training had actually made.

Given that Rudy had confidently chosen it to battle his Charizard, he must have been certain of its strength. Yet, despite Rudy's earlier claims about perfectly matching his opponents, Kai was mildly surprised.

He had expected Rudy to send out another Charizard, setting up a true mirror match. After all, Charizard's Fire/Flying typing gave it natural advantages over a pure Fire-type like Ninetales.

If Rudy had stuck strictly to type parity, a Flying-type opponent would have been the true equivalent. Clearly, his roster wasn't perfectly balanced for this format.

Still, that was a minor detail. In some ways, having slight differences in type matchups made the battle more interesting.

Full-type symmetry, while fair, often led to overly predictable battles. Up above in the hot air balloon, one of Rudy's subordinates took on the role of referee, preparing to oversee the battle.

Sabrina and Mahri leaned over the railing, eyes fixed on the battlefield below.

The contrast between them was stark Sabrina carried an air of calm confidence, fully expecting Kai to win, while Mahri, completely devoted to her brother, had an unshakable belief in Rudy's strength.

To both of them, the person they supported was destined to win.

The referee blew the whistle, signalling the start of the battle. Kai acted first.

"Charizard, Wing Attack!"

With a powerful beat of its wings, Charizard took to the sky, circling above the battlefield, steadily gathering speed.

Rather than launching an immediate Fire-type move, Kai held back, choosing to observe Ninetales first. Using Fire against Fire wouldn't be effective, but more importantly, he needed to determine Ninetales' ability before making his next move.

Most Ninetales had one of two abilities Flash Fire or Drought.

Flash Fire allowed it to absorb Fire-type attacks, rendering them useless and even boosting its own firepower.

Drought would instantly create harsh sunlight upon entering battle, strengthening Fire-type moves for both Pokémon.

Kai glanced at the sky. There were still patches of clouds overhead, partially obscuring the sun.

If Ninetales had Drought, those clouds would have vanished instantly, replaced by a blazing sun. Since nothing changed, that meant this Ninetales' ability was Flash Fire.

On the other side, Rudy remained calm. He had expected Kai to hold back on Fire-type moves. That was fine. His Ninetales had Flash Fire, which meant any direct Fire attacks against it would only increase its power.

This alone gave him an inherent advantage over Fire-type opponents.

"Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"

A surge of blazing fire erupted from Ninetales' mouth, roaring toward the airborne Charizard.

Rudy didn't need to worry about Fire-type immunity Charizard couldn't be burned, and even if the attack was weakened, he could still chip away at its stamina over time.

However, Charizard was already moving.

With a swift tilt of its wings, it effortlessly dodged the oncoming flames, twisting its body mid-flight before diving straight for Ninetales!

Rudy's expression shifted slightly. Charizard was fast.

"Ninetales, dodge!"

Ninetales, thanks to its dance training, had developed exceptional agility. With an elegant leap, it narrowly avoided Charizard's charge, landing gracefully on the other side of the battlefield.

But the moment Charizard missed its target Rudy saw an opening.

"Quick Attack!"

Ninetales burst forward, moving like a golden blur as it struck Charizard before it could recover! BAM! The impact sent Charizard skidding back slightly.

Kai barely had time to react before Rudy followed up with another command.

"Confuse Ray!"

Ninetales' eyes glowed with a ghostly, hypnotic light, sending waves of disorienting energy toward Charizard.

If the attack landed, Charizard would fall into confusion, turning the tide of battle.

Kai knew that Ninetales wasn't limited to just Fire-type moves. Like most Ninetales, it had access to Ghost-type and Psychic-type abilities.

Confusing Ray was a particularly tricky move if Charizard was confused, it could end up hurting itself instead of attacking.

But Kai wasn't about to let that happen.

"Charizard, Dragon Rage!"

Just as the Confuse Ray closed in, a burst of blue draconic flames erupted from Charizard's mouth, colliding directly with the incoming energy.

BOOM!

A massive explosion shook the battlefield, sending up thick clouds of black smoke.

Rudy squinted, trying to see through the haze.

Did it hit Charizard?

Then—

A sharp crescent of air sliced through the smoke.

SLASH!

It was Air Slash and it struck Ninetales head-on!

"Gyaaah!"

Ninetales let out a pained cry, stumbling backwards from the unexpected attack!

"Ninetales, get up!" Rudy called urgently.

But before Ninetales could fully regain its footing a shadow loomed over it.

Charizard was diving.

Kai's voice rang out—

"Charizard, Seismic Toss!"

Charizard swooped down, grabbing Ninetales in a powerful bear hug, locking its arms around the fox's slender frame.

Ninetales thrashed wildly, trying to escape but it was completely immobilized!

With a powerful flap of its wings, Charizard ascended higher and higher, soaring past the battlefield until it reached the same altitude as the hot air balloon.

Mahri clutched the railing in shock she could see the terror in Ninetales' eyes.

Sabrina, on the other hand, remained completely composed. She already knew what was coming.

Softly, she murmured, "It's over."

Mahri covered her face, unable to watch.

Down below, Rudy could only stare, helpless, as Charizard reached its peak height—

With a sudden twist—

They plummeted.

Spinning wildly, locked in a deadly spiral, Charizard and Ninetales descended at breakneck speed, gravity pulling them toward the battlefield faster and faster.

Ninetales struggled desperately, but Charizard's grip did not loosen.

Rudy clenched his fists. He knew what was about to happen, but he couldn't stop it.

Suddenly a loud impact echoed—

BOOOOOM!

The battlefield shook violently upon impact, sending tremors through the entire mountaintop!

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