Pokémon Court

Chapter 488 - Terrance's Routine

Seeing that Altaria had combined Feather Dance and Ice Beam to create such a massive block of ice, Candice realized that things were not looking good. At the same time, Altaria formed Dragon Claw, and with a skillful strike, hit the ice block.

Crack!

The ice block shattered into countless fragments, and under Altaria's precise control, they rained down toward the ground like a meteor shower. It seemed that they even contained a portion of the power from Dragon Claw's strike!

"There's no way to dodge this..."

Although Weavile was extremely fast, Candice understood that Terrance had specifically targeted this point. Countless ice chunks were scattered across every inch of the arena, and the gaps between them forced Weavile to actively block in order to avoid being hit!!

"What kind of control is this?!" At first, the three spectators had been somewhat disappointed that Ice Vulpix had lost so easily, feeling that they had missed out on an exciting battle. But the moment Altaria executed this move, they were immediately stunned by the descending ice chunks.

This technique... was completely beyond their comprehension. No matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not figure out how a Pokémon could possess such precise control.

"As long as it can block them, it'll be fine. The power isn't that strong." That was what everyone thought.

Weavile came to a stop and condensed a dark, spherical energy.

"Weavile, use Dark Pulse to send them back," Candice commanded.

The Dark Pulse, brimming with sinister energy, was used by Weavile as a counterattack, hurled towards the falling ice chunks.

At this moment, all eyes at the venue were fixed on the scene of the ice chunks falling and Weavile hurling Dark Pulse. No one noticed the slight curve at the corner of Terrance's mouth.

It was true that this could easily be countered... but if that were the case, then all the effort Terrance had put in—memorizing the exact dimensions of the standard arena, training alongside Altaria repeatedly to perfect the release of cotton feathers, fine-tuning the ideal size of the ice blocks, and practicing force control an uncountable number of times—would have been wasted, wouldn't it?

The answer was no. In high-level battles, every second, every breath, every instant was critical to determining victory. This technique was one of the strategies Terrance had devised.

At the exact moment Weavile used Dark Pulse to counter, Terrance didn't even need to give a command—Altaria had already followed the planned strategy and swept out with Dragon Breath!

The speed was quite fast, the transition seamless—almost at the very instant Weavile formed Dark Pulse, it was locked onto by Altaria!

Like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, this attack pattern had been deeply ingrained into Altaria's training. It didn't even need Terrance's orders to know exactly what to do once the opponent attempted to block the field-wide ice chunks attack.

In this situation...the time saved was not just a second or two. It was so fast that Candice and Weavile didn't even have time to react. In the midst of this chain of moves, they could only watch helplessly as the Dragon Breath flames engulfed them. Weavile noticed the Dragon Breath and instinctively wanted to dodge, but if it had started to evade the moment Altaria released the attack, there might have been a chance. However, at this point, even if Weavile tried to forcibly twist its body to avoid the attack, the act of using Dark Pulse had already cost it the crucial opportunity to dodge. In that instant, Dragon Breath swiftly swept through and struck Weavile head-on.

Boom!

The loud explosion echoed across the arena, accompanied by the falling ice chunks. Candice's expression froze—this sudden turn of events had completely caught her off guard.

...

...

"Come back, Weavile... you've already done your best..." Candice hadn't even fully processed what had happened, yet the battle's pace had already surpassed her understanding. It was so fast that she hadn't even heard Terrance issue a command.

A battle without orders? She was utterly shocked.

Terrance remained calm... This was an unexpected insight he had gained from certain experiences. By utilizing specific fixed patterns, he could engage in battles with the utmost efficiency.

What Terrance referred to as a "fixed pattern" was a combat method where, during the back-and-forth exchanges of battle, a sequence of pre-planned moves was used to create an unavoidable situation for the opponent. By doing so, he could maximize his advantage in securing victory.

In other words, a battle routine. Against Trainers weaker than himself, this approach was nearly foolproof—it worked almost every time, and Terrance thoroughly enjoyed using it.

However, if his opponents became familiar with the routine, it would lose its effectiveness, as they could find ways to counter it. This was something Terrance had trained first after becoming a Gym Leader. He knew that as more challengers came, the more fixed patterns he had at his disposal, the better—allowing him to handle battles with ease.

Aside from the Bug-type Pokémon in the Gym, his main Pokémon had also undergone specialized training. For instance, the combination of moves displayed by Altaria here was making its first appearance before Candice, catching her off guard and causing her to fall victim to Altaria's anticipation of Weavile's actions.

"It worked again..." Terrance muttered to himself. However, he wouldn't lose sight of what truly mattered by focusing too much on these minor tactics. In evenly matched battles, such minor tactics had limited impact and were rarely decisive. Moreover, once they became known to the opponent, they could easily be countered, leading to more losses than gains. At least in his battles against Albus, he hadn't reaped any benefits from such tactics. Possessing genuine strength and experience in the ever-changing battlefield was always the key to making the "next order" more perfect. Even without relying on these fixed patterns, due to the sheer difference in power, Weavile wouldn't stand a chance against Altaria's Draco Meteor!

However, that particular move was too complex to execute and possessed overwhelming power—unsuitable for the current situation. In other words, the Pokémon Candice had sent out was not yet strong enough to force Altaria into using Draco Meteor.

"Next, my Pokémon will be this one—Abomasnow!!!" Candice sent out another Pokémon.

Abomasnow, the Frost Tree Pokémon, with Grass and Ice type. The moment Abomasnow appeared, the sky began to swirl with a snowstorm, making Altaria sense something unusual.

Snow Warning Ability!

Candice had sent out her ace Pokémon—Abomasnow, also known as the Ice Monster!

"Abomasnow, don't let your guard down." This time, Candice's warning was much more serious. Although there had been some carelessness earlier...

Thinking about it now, Weavile had been taken down in just one move. The power of Altaria's moves was truly terrifying.

"Abomasnow..." Terrance thought to himself. This big guy wasn't as agile as Weavile, was it?

In other words, putting aside other factors, this battle would mainly be a head-on clash of strength.

With this kind of battle style, if there was a clear difference in power between both sides, the outcome would become very obvious.

Terrance looked across the arena at Abomasnow. Even though his opponent had the type advantage, he had never once thought that his Altaria was weaker.

Even without Mega Evolution, it can still win!

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