"Roar!"
A massive black armored arm shot out from the side, shielding Weavile's head. The bright yellow lightning that came streaking in slammed against it—there was a faint crackle, and then the electricity vanished without a trace.
Rhydon's Ground typing rendered Electabuzz's Thunderbolt completely useless.
"Wea~"
Having completed one Swords Dance, Weavile trembled with excitement. Her dark fur stood slightly on end, faint blood vessels webbing the whites of her eyes. Veins bulged at her wrists above her razor claws, and the muscles along her arms had visibly swollen—at least a third thicker than before.
"Keep using Swords Dance!"
Kael's command made Kaz shake with rage. The man was blatantly ignoring him.
But there was nothing he could do. His Electabuzz was hard-countered by Rhydon. With that armored beast standing guard, there was no way to hit the black feline Pokémon as she continued stacking Swords Dance.
Realizing this, Kaz glanced at Yas beside him and said in a low voice, "We go together. We can't let her keep boosting. Everyone—attack at once."
Yas nodded. Things had long since escalated beyond saving face. If they didn't drive Kael out of Dark City now, their long battle over the city's official Gym qualification would become a complete joke.
"All together!" Yas roared. "Scyther, use Agility and rush in—X-Scissor!"
Despite the name, X-Scissor wasn't a Fighting-type move, but Bug-type. Scyther crossed its twin scythe-like arms before its chest, then tore them outward at the moment of contact, carving a devastating cross-shaped wound.
"Dodrio, charge—Drill Peck!"
"Geodude, Rollout!"
"Nidorino, Poison Sting!"
...
For a moment, a barrage of attacks rained toward Kael's side.
Rhydon slammed a fist against his chest and stepped forward, taking point. With a sweeping motion of his right arm, he swatted the incoming Poison Stings straight back.
Clink, clink, clink—
The sharp projectiles reversed course and embedded themselves into the opposing Pokémon instead. The Geodude fared well enough—its rocky body shrugging off the needles.
The most miserable was Dodrio, charging at the very front. How much force did Rhydon's arm carry? The rebounding Poison Stings peppered all three of Dodrio's heads, leaving them riddled like pincushions.
Anyone with trypophobia would have felt their scalp crawl at the sight.
The agony from three heads at once drove Dodrio mad. It thrashed wildly, trying to shake the needles loose, even lashing out at allied Pokémon nearby. The battlefield instantly dissolved into chaos.
"Idiot! Recall your Dodrio!" Kaz barked, smacking one of his disciples on the head. The rampaging Dodrio belonged to him.
The scolded disciple trembled, face pale, fumbling for his Poké Ball to withdraw the frenzied bird.
Whoosh!
A two-meter-long tail ripped through the air from ground level, smashing into a would-be attacker sneaking up from behind.
"Pii—!"
Pidgeotto shrieked as it was sent flying back even faster than it had come. Rhydon hadn't used a single move—pure muscle alone was more than enough for a body that small.
He snorted disdainfully, then shot out his left arm, seizing a sharp beak that had been lunging toward his eye.
Fearow flapped desperately, its beak trapped in Rhydon's grip. But against that monstrous strength, resistance was futile.
Rhydon spun in place, Fearow wailing in his grasp. Then, planting his right foot forward like a baseball pitcher, he hurled it straight ahead.
The helpless Fearow tumbled wildly through the air before crashing into the charging mass of enemy Pokémon, bowling over three Rattata before finally stopping.
After more than half a month of boxing training, Rhydon's agility and reaction speed had improved dramatically compared to his days on the deserted island.
In the past, the brute barely understood the concept of dodging. He relied entirely on his near-impenetrable armor, charging head-on without fear—a stubborn juggernaut who knew only how to trade blows.
His opponents weren't fools. Fearow's earlier attempt to strike at Rhydon's eye had been the smartest possible choice. His entire body was plated in armor—only his eyes were vulnerable.
Had that beak connected cleanly, even Rhydon's overwhelming strength wouldn't have spared him from crippling damage.
The second Swords Dance took longer than the first. But under Rhydon's protection, Weavile completed it successfully.
After two boosts, her transformation was even more pronounced. Every strand of fur stood rigid like steel needles—evidence of hyperactive muscle cells.
The whites of her eyes were now completely bloodshot, framing those crimson slit pupils. A single glance was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
"Weavii—!"
Weavile threw her head back and let out a piercing cry, savoring the explosive power surging through her body. Two Swords Dances were her absolute limit. Her muscles had reached a terrifying state of activation and expansion.
One more boost wouldn't strengthen her further—it would tear her apart.
"Clack."
She raised her hands, lightly tapping her three-pronged claws together, a bloodthirsty gleam in her eyes as she stared at the incoming wave of Pokémon.
As a Dark-type Pokémon, cruelty and cunning were etched deep into her instincts. Though being captured by Kael had tempered her temperament, those primal urges would never truly disappear.
Now, amplified by two Swords Dances, that suppressed ferocity surged back to the surface.
Almost without waiting for Kael's order, Weavile bent slightly at the waist—a subconscious crouch shared by all feline predators before they pounce.
Boom!
Where she had stood, only three deep claw marks remained gouged into the ground.
In the blink of an eye, her figure had already torn straight into the enemy formation…