"What?!"
"Incredible! The Water Pulse actually curved midair!" The announcer's voice cracked with disbelief as the watery sphere suddenly bent its path, crashing into Crobat from behind with a violent detonation.
The audience gasped in unison, stunned beyond words.
"Damn it—it's Psychic power! Golduck used its formidable psychic ability to force Water Pulse back around!" Leiming's expression darkened, his wariness growing with every second.
Ordinary Psychic power could perhaps stop an attack in mid-flight—already a rare feat.
But to not only halt it, and then send it hurtling back with even greater speed? That was no simple Psychic force.
Boom!
The Water Pulse exploded against Crobat's body, a surge of water spraying across the battlefield. Crobat shrieked in agony as it was blasted aside, crashing to the ground in a pitiful heap.
"Crobat is unable to battle! Golduck wins!" The referee's whistle pierced the rain as he announced the result.
Leiming recalled his fainted Crobat, his face growing darker still.
Four of his Pokémon had already fallen.
And Ampharos was hanging on with less than half its strength—effectively, he had only one and a half Pokémon remaining.
Meanwhile, Yozora had revealed just three so far: Nidoking, Aegislash, and Golduck.
Aegislash was down, Nidoking remained at full strength, and Golduck was weakened.
And beyond that, Yozora still had three fresh Pokémon untouched.
The gap between them was stark.
"Yozora… he's too strong! Just how powerful is he?!" Ash exclaimed from the stands, his eyes wide with awe.
He simply couldn't understand it. They were both rookies, both newcomers from Pallet Town—so why was the difference between them so vast?
"He really is strong. Judging from the current situation, Yozora has a huge advantage. But don't forget—Leiming still has Tyranitar. No one can say for sure how this will end." Brock's tone was far more cautious.
On the field, Leiming sent Ampharos back out.
The rain poured relentlessly, both Golduck and Ampharos standing unsteadily in the storm, panting heavily.
It was clear—they were both at their limits, like flickering candles in the wind, ready to collapse at any moment.
"Ampharos, Thunder!"
"Golduck, Water Pulse!"
The two Trainers shouted almost in unison as the clash resumed.
Golduck spat out a glowing orb of water, while Ampharos unleashed a massive bolt of lightning. The two attacks hurtled toward each other—until Water Pulse suddenly swerved off-course.
Boom!
The lightning struck Golduck dead-on, electricity crackling across its body in the downpour.
At the same time, the Water Pulse whipped around and slammed into Ampharos, exploding in a torrent of spray.
One Pokémon writhed under searing electricity, the other reeled from a crushing blast of water.
Three seconds later, both collapsed simultaneously. Silence fell across the battlefield.
"Golduck and Ampharos are both unable to battle!" the referee swiftly declared. On the scoreboard, their images dimmed together.
Leiming was down to his final Pokémon.
Yozora still had four, including Nidoking, who had yet to take any damage.
"Ohhh! The battle has reached its peak intensity! Leiming has only one Pokémon left!" the announcer shouted.
Right on cue, Leiming hurled his last Poké Ball.
Out surged none other than the Desert Tyrant—Tyranitar.
The beast stood upright, resembling a monstrous green Godzilla clad in armor-like scales. Savage. Cold. Towering. Overwhelming in its presence.
"Woooah, Tyranitar!!" The audience erupted as the pseudo-legendary appeared, cheers shaking the stadium.
Leiming's fans had expected this, but most spectators hadn't known he possessed such a powerhouse. The moment Tyranitar appeared, a wave of astonishment swept the crowd.
This was Kanto—Dragonite might be rare, but as a local pseudo-legendary, it was still seen occasionally.
Tyranitar, however, was an entirely different story.
Every time one appeared, it caused an uproar.
"So it really is Tyranitar." Yozora's eyes lit up. He had studied Leiming's information the day before and already knew his opponent had one.
Thus, he wasn't shocked at all.
[Tyranitar] (Rock + Dark): Gym Leader Peak Level. Champion Potential.
Leiming's Tyranitar was no ordinary specimen—it stood at the peak of Gym Leader strength, carrying the potential of a Champion.
But that much didn't surprise Yozora.
Pseudo-legendaries were expected to have Champion-level potential. Anything less, such as only Elite Four-tier, would mark it as unusually weak within its species.
As for its current level of power—it was respectable.
With Tyranitar alone, Leiming had the qualifications to open a Gym without issue.
A first-rate Trainer, strength on par with a Gym Leader. No wonder he had made Top 8 in the Silver Conference. His foundation was solid.
Opposite him, Yozora sent out his fourth Pokémon—Gengar.
By design, Gengar was not wearing its trademark Battle Cloak today.
The rain hammered down as Tyranitar and Gengar faced each other. Tyranitar radiated a chilling, ferocious aura, while Gengar grinned wickedly, its eerie laugh almost comical.
"Tyranitar, whip up a Sandstorm! Make this your domain!" Leiming bellowed.
Tyranitar roared, the storm above parting as the battlefield was consumed by raging sands.
The downpour ceased, the weather bending to Tyranitar's will.
"Great work, Tyranitar! Now, Hyper Beam!" Leiming commanded without hesitation, opening with his strongest attack.
Tyranitar began charging, then unleashed a colossal golden beam, tearing through the air toward Gengar.
As the beam swelled in Gengar's eyes, Yozora's lips curled into a sly smile. "Gengar—Destiny Bond!"
Gengar's ghastly laugh echoed, its eyes glowing an ominous red.
In that instant, Tyranitar's eyes too flared crimson, bound by Gengar's curse.
BOOM!
The Hyper Beam struck, obliterating Gengar in an instant. Dust and smoke roiled across the field.
But at the same moment, Tyranitar staggered as though the pain were its own. With a guttural groan, it dropped to one knee, its strength sapped away.
"Damn it—it's Destiny Bond!" Leiming's face turned ashen with rage.
Tyranitar had been fresh, at full power, ready to wreak havoc. But before it could even move freely, it had been shackled by the curse, its strength gutted in one blow.
Indeed.
In the games, Destiny Bond dragged the opponent down whenever the user fainted.
But in reality, its effect varied with the difference in strength. Only when opponents were equal in level did they both fall together.
If the foe was too strong, the curse weakened dramatically.
Even so, Gengar's ploy had worked—Leiming's Tyranitar had already lost at least half its stamina!
…
…
(End of Chapter)