<h4>Chapter 163: Nales and Growlithe</h4>


    The battle was about to begin, and Yuga''s Nales had the Hidden Ability "Drought." As the battle started, Yuga felt the sun above growing brighter and the temperature around him rising rapidly due to the Drought''s effect.


    Unfortunately, both Pokémon on the field were Fire-types, so the Drought''s effect didn''t give Nales any advantage.


    Mr. Moore, the old man, had an Growlithe with the Intimidate ability. At the start of the battle, Nales visibly flinched from the pressure of Growlithe''s presence. However, since Nales wasn''t reliant on physical attacks, the Intimidate''s effect had limited impact.


    Seemingly intentionally going easy on Yuga, Mr. Moore didn''t let Growlithe make the first move. Instead, he allowed Nales to have the first opportunity.


    "Nales, use methrower!"


    As Yuga''smand fell, Nales lifted its head high and released a stream of mes that swept towards Growlithe.


    "Growlithe, use Heat Wave!"


    Mr. Moore''s Growlithe stomped its front paws onto the ground, causing a crimson heat wave to surge forward like a tide at the beach. The Heat Wave and Nales'' methrower fiercely intertwined.


    Yuga had checked Growlithe''s information and knew about this move, but he hadn''t expected Growlithe to use it so skillfully, beyond his imagination.


    "Nales, use Trickery."


    Yuga understood that, given Nales'' current output capability, taking down Growlithe was somewhat challenging.


    Most of Nales'' moves were Fire-type, which wasn''t very effective against Growlithe, another Fire-type. However, Growlithe had learned many non-Fire-type moves through leveling up, allowing it to effectively damage Nales. Therefore, Yuga chose to temporarily forgo attacking and opt for reinforcement.


    "Growlithe, Bite and stop its Trickery!"


    Mr. Moore certainly wouldn''t stand idly by while his opponent reinforced. He immediately ordered Growlithe to stop Nales.


    Growlithe, with its powerful legs, swiftly approached Nales, its mouth oozing with Dark-type energy. It looked like it was about to bite Nales.


    "Nales, use Quick Attack!"


    Using the advantage of Quick Attack''s preemptive strike effect, Nales forcefully collided with Growlithe, sending it flying.


    However, the effect of Nales'' Quick Attack was limited due to Growlithe''s Intimidate, causing Nales'' attack to decrease substantially.


    "Growlithe, use Fire Spin."


    Having been knocked into mid-air by Nales, Growlithe, under Mr. Moore''smand, transformed into a zing wheel and fiercely lunged towards Nales.


    "Nales, use Quick Attack to dodge!"


    Using Quick Attack''s lightning-fast speed, Nales easily evaded Growlithe''s attack, causing the Fire Spin to create a deep crater in the ground.


    Crawling out of the pit, Growlithe faced off against Nales. The two Pokémon were now locked in a standoff.


    "Young man, you''re quite skilled. It''s no wonder you made a name for yourself in Lilycove City."


    As the two Pokémon momentarily halted their attacks, Mr. Moore, smiling, addressed Yuga.


    ??? When did I be so famous? Even the Elite Trainer like Mr. Moore knows about my heroic deeds? Yuga thought in astonishment.


    Seeing Yuga''s perplexity, Mr. Moore, being of advanced age, could read his thoughts and exined with a chuckle, "It was Norman who told me. He put a lot of effort into promoting you! The moment he mentioned your name, I thought of you."


    So it was Mr. Norman again, Yuga thought. Mr. Norman truly goes to great lengths to promote me. I should find a time to thank him properly.


    "It''s Mr. Norman exaggerating," Yuga humbly replied.


    Mr. Moore shook his head and said, "I know Norman''s character well. Since he praised you, it means you''re worth the praise."


    Yuga thought to himself: Truly a veteran Elite Trainer, even a powerhouse like Mr. Norman is just a kid in his eyes.


    The battle continued as the two engaged in conversation again.


    Meanwhile, watching their intense battle, nnery was amazed by Yuga''s strength. She hadn''t expected Yuga to engage in such a fierce duel with her grandfather. He wasn''t even falling behind, considering she had been defeated by her grandfather''s Pokémon after only a few moves.


    Is this the same Yuga I encountered before? Back then, he was only slightly stronger than me. How did he be so overpowering now?


    If Yuga knew what she was thinking, he would probably say, "You''re right, I''ve definitely leveled up."


    "Growlithe, Bite!"


    As the battle resumed, following Mr. Moore''s instruction, Growlithe raced forward, its four powerful limbs propelling it towards Nales. Its mouth was enveloped in a dark aura, looking fiercely aggressive.


    "Nales, use methrower."


    Chapter 164: Nales and Growlithe


    After being enhanced by the Trickery ability, Nales'' special attack power increased significantly. The mes it spewed were apanied by scorching heat, instantly engulfing the charging Growlithe.


    However, even though Growlithe appeared somewhat singed after the mes dissipated, it continued its fierce charge towards Nales without losing any momentum.


    Growlithe''s sharp teeth sunk into Nales'' back, causing Nales to let out a cry of pain. Then, with a vigorous twist of its body, Nales flung Growlithe off its back.


    "Nales, use Quick Attack to create distance from Growlithe, then continue using Trickery."


    Since fire-type moves had limited effect against Growlithe, Yuga could only choose to reinforce the attack continuously. After all, Nales only knew Quick Attack besides Trickery! Upon Yuga''smand, despite the pain, Nales transformed into a white light, instantly moving far away from Growlithe. After putting some distance between them, it resumed using Trickery to enhance itself.


    Seeing this, Growlithe immediately tried to catch up, but without any speed-boosting abilities, it couldn''t keep up with Nales.


    Although Quick Attack was an attacking move, it also had an elerating effect. By suddenly increasing its speed, Nales collided with its opponent, causing damage. Utilizing this effect, Nales distanced itself from Growlithe andpleted its second enhancement.


    With two enhancements and the sunny weather caused by Drought''s ability, Nales'' fire-type attacks finally reached a point where they could effectively damage Growlithe.


    "Nales, use methrower!"


    The mes spewed by Nales had already reached an extremely high temperature, and even Yuga standing at a distance could feel the rising ambient temperature.


    Facing Nales'' formidable attack, Mr. Moore, the old man, didn''t sit idle. He calmlymanded, "Growlithe, use Heat Wave."


    The collision between the mes and the heat wave was simr to the techniques they used at the beginning of their battle. However, this time the heat wave couldn''tpletely halt the advance of the mes. The mes broke through the heat wave, instantly submerging the small form of Growlithe.


    After the mes dissipated, Growlithe copsed to the ground.


    Yuga''s heart raced. He had won!


    However, Nales, seeing Growlithe lying down, immediately ran over in concern. Luckily, Growlithe wasn''t severely hurt. Mr. Moore simply treated its injuries, and it soon woke up.


    Seeing Growlithe regain consciousness, Nales joyfully bumped its head against Growlithe''s. Growlithe responded by happily nuzzling back.


    Observing this, Yuga thought to himself: Hey, Nales, ease up a bit! Acting like this, your girlfriend Houndoom might get jealous! Even though both of you are males, there''s something called...


    Mr. Moore, on the side, burst intoughter. "Even after being apart for so long, your rtionship is still so strong."


    From Mr. Moore''s words, Yuga learned that before Nales left, it was best friends with Growlithe.