The ground shook violently.
Several massive rocks, half the height of a man and hideous with jagged edges, burst from the earth as if summoned from hell itself. Whistling as they tore through the air, they smashed down with precision onto the critical movement paths surrounding Gyarados.
In an instant, a crude yet menacing rock cage was formed.
"Roar!" Startled by the sudden tremors and flying debris, Gyarados twisted its body irritably, attempting to smash through the obstructing rocks.
"Now! Rock Throw!" Brock's command followed immediately, without a gap.
Onix reared its massive head high. A hard rock the size of a millstone with razor-sharp edges instantly materialized above its head. With a dull, air-breaking thud, it crashed down like a meteor toward the Golden Gyarados, whose body was momentarily jammed by the rocks.
"Use Water Gun to the side!" Ash's pupils contracted as he shouted sternly.
Gyarados jerked its body sideways while firing another Water Gun, but this time it was aimed at the base of a rock blocking its side.
The application of moves in a realistic setting differed greatly from the games.
In the games, offensive moves could only attack.
In reality, they could be used not only for attack and defense but also for evasion.
"Chhh—!" The impact force of the water stream, combined with a violent slam from Gyarados's massive body.
"Crack!" The rock shattered in response.
"Boom!" The Rock Throw grazed Gyarados's twisting spine and smashed heavily into the spot it had just occupied. Shrapnel flew like buckshot, scraping against Gyarados's golden scales with ear-piercing screeches and leaving behind several white marks.
"Roar!" The sharp pain and the impact of the debris made Gyarados even more manic. The old wound on the side of its neck, not yet fully healed, seemed to throb with phantom pain.
"Keep going! Water Gun! Don't stop! Cover the field with water!" Ash's voice carried a trace of urgency, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Onix's attacks were heavy and powerful; every dodge was a brush with death. Gyarados's colossal body appeared exceptionally clumsy under such restrictions.
"Sss-onk—!" Onix was like a tireless rock chariot. Its gigantic body crushed its way through the not-so-spacious rock cage, whipping up whistling wind pressure with every turn.
Its hard rocky tail was like a siege hammer, carrying power capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, relentlessly lashing out at Gyarados as it tried to alter the environment with jets of water.
"Bang! Boom!"
The thunderous sounds of rock colliding violently with golden scales echoed constantly within the hollow Rock Core Arena, numbing the eardrums.
Water sprayed wildly with every impact, mixing with flying stone chips and Gyarados's pained roars.
The field was indeed getting wet, resembling mud after rain.
But the wounds on Gyarados's body were also increasing rapidly.
The golden scales were scratched and curled back by the rocks, with fine beads of blood seeping out in several places.
"Roar-owww!!!" After being viciously swept in the flank by the heavy rock tail once again, the intense pain, combined with the frustration of being suppressed, thoroughly ignited the fragile nerve named "reason" that Gyarados had possessed since evolution.
He had been enduring the pain, trying his best to obey Ash's commands.
But now, he really couldn't hold it back anymore.
Its scarlet eyes were instantly and completely swallowed by berserk crimson flames!
The desire for destruction erupted within its body like a volcano!
Tactics!
Commands!
All were crushed to dust!
Its massive head jerked back violently. Deep in its throat, devastating orange-red light gathered frantically, solidifying into substance.
The air was twisted by the terrifying heat, emitting a sizzling wail. Even Misty, standing at the edge of the field, felt a suffocating wave of heat.
"Damn it! Hyper Beam!" Ash's face changed dramatically.
At this distance, in this state, it was impossible to interrupt!
"Onix! Iron Tail! Maximum power! Aim for its head!" Brock's command stabbed out like an ice pick, terrifyingly calm.
This moment of loss of control was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"Sss-onk!!!" Onix's thick rock tail was instantly covered in a layer of cold metallic sheen, heavy enough to seemingly crush space itself.
Its gigantic body twisted with an explosive force that belied its size. The tail, now a giant steel whip, tore through the air with an ear-piercing shriek and an aura of crushing everything, lashing out viciously to meet the destructive beam about to erupt from Gyarados's mouth.
Time seemed to freeze for a split second.
The next instant—
"BOOM!!!"
The Hyper Beam finally burst forth from the Golden Gyarados's mouth.
However, the very moment the destructive beam left its maw, Onix's Iron Tail—condensed with full power and heavy to the extreme—struck Gyarados's lower jaw with the precision of divine punishment.
"Crack!!!"
The tooth-aching sound of shattering bone was drowned out by the terrifying roar of the energy detonation.
The orange-red destructive beam was forcibly deflected upward by the heavy blow. Like an out-of-control laser cannon, it blasted diagonally toward the towering dome of the Rock Core Arena.
"Rumble!!!"
The rocks of the dome were instantly vaporized and pulverized by the berserk energy, sending countless stone fragments raining down like a storm.
It was fortunate that the highest-grade, durable arena had been prepared... if it had been a standard field, they would have had to prepare for a complete renovation.
Meanwhile, Gyarados's colossal golden body, like a toy struck by a giant's bat, was slammed viciously to the ground by the irresistible force of the Iron Tail.
Onix's Iron Tail swing packed truly immense power.
After all, the weight was there.
You have to realize, this is a 30-ton monster whipping its tail—it could be understood as being hit directly by a heavy truck.
If Gyarados weren't also massive in size... if a normal Pokémon were hit solidly like that... they would probably be flattened into 2D, wouldn't they?
"Thud!!!"
The entire Rock Core Arena shuddered violently.
Where Gyarados crashed down, the hard rock ground was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
Its massive head lolled weakly to one side, its lower jaw twisted at an unnatural angle. Thick black smoke billowed from its mouth, and blood gushed from its torn corners and nostrils, flowing along the wet rocks.
In its scarlet eyes, the berserk flames were completely extinguished, leaving only boundless pain and confusion.
Its massive body twitched slightly a few times before finally going completely limp and still.
Dead silence.
...Uh... even with Gyarados's constitution, taking a hit like that head-on resulted in severe injury.
The entire arena fell into silence.
Only the rustling sound of falling debris and the residual energy hum from the Hyper Beam blasting the dome echoed in the empty space.
Muddy water silently spread over Gyarados's collapsed body, the mixed-in blood looking particularly stinging to the eye.
The referee expressionlessly raised a flag, his cold voice breaking the silence:
"Gyarados, unable to battle!"
A red light then beamed onto Gyarados.
"You worked hard, partner," Ash said to the Poké Ball.
"The injuries are quite severe. You can entrust it to the Gym's emergency care," Brock said at this moment.
Injuries in Pokémon battles are a normal occurrence.
Pokémon Gyms usually have various emergency facilities and treatments for common injuries.
After all, fists and feet have no eyes in a fight, let alone the various powerful moves of Pokémon.
When there is a large gap in strength, opponents can hold back.
But when the gap is small, it becomes impossible to pull punches... it's just how it is.
_____
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