As the whirling Sand Tomb spiraled into a frenzy, series of white light bursts suddenly exploded around Hitmontop like miniature grenades.
Its inverted spinning motion faltered for a second.
The Stealth Rock had finally triggered. Due to Chansey's relative inexperience, the number of rocks was small and their detonation speed was slow, though their individual power was passable.
The scattered grit quickly gathered back together.
Although it looked similar to the move Sandstorm, this specialized form of Sand Tomb had a shorter duration and a smaller scale. It couldn't blanket the entire arena like a true Rock-type Sandstorm could; its height was strictly limited to a two-meter radius.
Its advantage, however, lay in its superior rotational speed. The wind force could momentarily reach typhoon levels, making it nearly impossible for a trainer to recall their Pokémon and even affecting the trainers themselves standing nearby.
"A Steel and Rock-type Lairon... how is its Ground-type move this powerful?"
The giant shielded his eyes from the grit, feeling a wave of frustration. Pokémon battles could shift in the blink of an eye; he had hesitated for only a few seconds, and it had landed him in a passive position despite his superior overall strength.
"Hitmontop is ensnared in the Sand Tomb! Lairon's crowd control is incredibly effective! Things are looking grim for Candidate ***! Mr. Shiratori, your thoughts?" The host tossed the topic back to the guest.
Shiratori's face darkened. What is with this host? Why is he only asking me among all the guests in the booth? Haven't you noticed I've been quiet for a while?
You don't shear a Mareep's wool this aggressively! Still, having taken the money, he had to maintain professional standards.
"I don't think there's cause for alarm. While Candidate *** was caught off guard by Kashiwagi, in reality, he still holds the upper hand."
"Oh? How so?"
"Just do the math," Shiratori explained with an air of profound insight. "Hitmonchan's right fist was injured by Mawile's bite, but it still has its left. In contrast, Mawile's primary weapon—its great jaws—is also injured. Since those jaws are its only tool, it will struggle to move flexibly. It's a mutual trade."
"Furthermore, Hitmonlee is merely asleep and could wake at any moment. Chansey, on the other hand, is nearly out of stamina; Soft-Boiled only lets it hang on a bit longer. One clean hit and it's down. Kashiwagi actually lost out on that exchange."
"As for the current situation, don't let Hitmontop's Stealth Rock damage fool you. Just watch—Hitmontop will break out of this predicament shortly."
As if validating Shiratori's words, the giant suddenly let out a roar, and Hitmontop reacted instantly.
"Rapid Spin! Ride the wind upward!"
Hitmontop, spinning on its head, accelerated its rotation in the same direction as the sandstorm. Boosted by the wind's momentum and enduring the razor-sharp grit, it spun faster and faster. Within moments, its legs and tail became a blur, leaving only a faint afterimage.
Amidst the roaring sand, the giant couldn't hear Kashiwagi's commands, but he saw Lairon raise its front claws and stomp heavily. Through the haze, the ground seemed to be splitting—
"Hurry!" the giant bellowed, tightening every muscle in his body, uncaring of how much sand he swallowed.
The next instant—
Rumble—!!
The hardened arena floor shook violently and fractured inch by inch. Within seconds, a massive pit formed, the swirling quicksand within resonating with the sandstorm above. It was a catastrophic trap of heaven and earth!
"Lairon's move combination leaves no escape, neither through the sky nor the ground! If Hitmontop had used Dig just now, it would be over—wait! What am I seeing!?" the host screamed.
The stadium erupted in a cacophony of noise. Emerging from that collapsing pit was a single spinning figure flying upward!
It was Hitmontop! By using Rapid Spin to reach maximum velocity, it had successfully flown out of the danger zone before being swallowed by the "ant-lion" trap.
Not only that, upon landing, it continued to spin across the field at terrifying speeds. Every invisible Stealth Rock in the air was kicked into smithereens.
It was a total "limit-break" performance!
The crowd gasped at the massive reversal. The host shouted with fanatical energy, and a tense Shiratori secretly sighed in relief. The giant had finally had his highlight moment, finding a sliver of hope in a third, potentially fatal tactical strike.
Seeing the combo avoided and the Stealth Rocks cleared, Kashiwagi and Lairon were deeply disappointed. The "Heaven and Earth Sand Tomb" was still too unpolished. While its control capability was excellent—capable of deciding a match if it caught someone—the setup time was simply too long.
The cost outweighed the gain.
Tactical failure was discouraging, but the "Berserk Mode" Hitmontop demanded immediate attention, especially as it was already charging toward them in a wide arc!
Kashiwagi: "Rock Tomb!"
"Lairon—!"
Lairon slammed its claws down, and massive boulders burst from the earth, raining down on Hitmontop. To Kashiwagi's horror, the rocks shattered like thin crackers upon contact with the spinning Pokémon. The rhythmic bang-bang-bang of breaking stone couldn't hide Hitmontop's relentless speed!
The wall didn't hold!
"This guy..."
Kashiwagi felt a headache coming on. He had to admit that as the giant's ace Pokémon, Hitmontop was formidable. Boulders that even Mawile couldn't break easily were mere speed bumps to it.
His focus on crowd control had been the right call, but it had failed.
It was too late to recall Lairon; Hitmontop was less than five meters away. Even if he succeeded in the switch, who would take the hit from that violent combo? Anyone switching in would just be a punching bag.
He had to gamble.
"Iron Defense!" he commanded sternly.
Lairon, already prepared, ducked its head, presenting its hardest armored plate to the oncoming storm. If you can't dodge, you have to tank it.
"Triple Kick!"
The giant's voice echoed from across the field. Hitmontop struck first, its moves in perfect sync with its trainer's command.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three heavy impacts accompanied by brilliant flashes of light erupted on Lairon's head!
The silver sheen of Iron Defense resisted only the first blow; it was quickly overwhelmed by the brownish-red energy. Lairon's body was sent tumbling backward uncontrollably.
A 4x Type disadvantage was simply too much to ignore, even with Iron Defense. Combined with the Technician ability boosting the power of Triple Kick, it was only natural that Lairon couldn't hold the line.
Kashiwagi retreated with his Pokémon, eyeing Hitmontop warily. "Hold on!"
"Lai-ron!"
Lairon struggled to its feet in response. When the gap in power is this large, taking a full-force offensive is like dancing on a tightrope. One slip, and it's all over.
Much like Chansey, who—despite Hitmonlee's weaker punching ability—had taken a serious beating. It was only Chansey's high pain tolerance and a month of physical defense training that had allowed it to survive this far.