Sensing Ariel's contempt, Larvitar's rage was completely ignited.
Its small chest heaved violently, and a low growl emanated from its throat.
Immediately after, it stomped its feet hard against the ground.
Buzz—
An invisible wave rippled outward with it as the center.
On the floor of the training room, fist-sized rocks materialized out of thin air, hovering around its body. The rocks' edges were sharp, emitting a heavy, earthy yellow glow.
Rock Tomb!
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Without a moment's pause, dozens of Rock Tomb stones shot out like cannonballs, forming a dense barrage that rained down toward Ariel.
Each stone carried the sound of breaking air, with enough power to easily pierce steel plates or crush an adult into pulp.
Ariel stood where he was, unmoving.
At the very moment the rocks were about to hit him, a faint blue glow flashed through his deep eyes.
Psychic power activated around his body.
An invisible barrier suddenly expanded with him at the center.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The dense sounds of impact merged into one.
Those heavy stones, less than half a meter from Ariel's body, seemed to hit an invisible Wall of Sighs, shattering one after another into a cloud of dust.
The continuous Rock Tomb attack lasted for nearly ten seconds.
The entire training room was filled with dust, and visibility was extremely low.
When the last stone was also shaken into powder and the dust slowly cleared, the unharmed Ariel was revealed.
He was still standing in the same spot, his posture unchanged.
Shock appeared for the first time in Larvitar's crimson eyes.
It didn't understand why its attacks, powerful enough to shatter stone monuments, had no effect on this human.
This incomprehensible strength was a massive blow to its pride.
"Roar!"
With an angry roar, it charged once again.
This time, it didn't use a skill but opted for the most primitive and savage collision.
It wanted to use its proud, hard body to crush the man before it!
Watching the "little cannonball" rushing toward him, Ariel moved forward instead of retreating.
He stepped back with his right leg, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed a standard fighting stance.
At the moment Larvitar was about to hit him, Ariel's right fist suddenly punched out.
No Psychic power was used, just pure physical strength.
His fist and Larvitar's rock-hard forehead collided solidly.
"Thud!"
A dull sound like a drumbeat echoed.
Ariel felt a massive force transmit from his knuckles; his entire right arm instantly went numb, and his bones felt as if they were about to crack.
He let out a muffled groan and uncontrollably stepped back three paces.
On the other side, Larvitar wasn't faring any better.
It was like a baseball hit by a bat, flying back seven or eight meters and rolling several times on the ground before stopping, its small head spinning with dizziness.
It shook its head, and in its gaze toward Ariel, besides anger, there was now a hint of wariness.
This human actually dared to take its Headbutt head-on with a fist?
And he didn't fall?
Ariel shook his numb right hand, feeling waves of sharp pain from his knuckles.
"That's really hard."
He muttered to himself, but the smile on his face grew wider.
This body had undergone high-intensity training, making its strength far exceed that of an ordinary person; punching through a wooden board was no problem.
But that punch just now not only failed to hurt Larvitar but also left him quite shaken.
As expected of a Pseudo-Legendary, this physical defense is simply ridiculous.
"Warm-up's over."
Ariel spoke calmly, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp.
"Next, it's my turn."
Before his voice had even faded, the blue glow in his eyes lit up again, but this time, it wasn't just for defense.
A majestic wave of Confusion, like an invisible giant hand, instantly enveloped the Larvitar that had just scrambled up.
"Wu!"
Larvitar felt a sudden weight on its body, as if it were carrying an invisible mountain; its limbs buckled, and it almost collapsed again.
It struggled frantically, its muscles bulging as it tried to resist the force.
Ariel didn't give it the chance.
He clenched his right hand in the air.
The Confusion instantly tightened, lifting Larvitar entirely into the air.
The little fellow flailed its limbs in the air but couldn't break free from the restraint, only able to let out unwilling roars.
"I'll let you taste your own move."
With a thought from Ariel, the rock fragments previously shattered and scattered on the ground hovered up, turned around, and aimed at the airborne Larvitar.
"Go."
He waved his arm.
Hundreds of fragments turned into a gray storm of death, whistling as they shot toward Larvitar.
Seeing it couldn't dodge, Larvitar curled its body tightly in mid-air, facing outward with its hardest back and the top of its head.
"Clang! Clang!"
A series of dense metallic clashing sounds rang out.
Most of the fragments were deflected by its hard shell, but a few sharp pieces still sliced through its relatively soft belly, leaving behind several shallow bloody gashes.
Pain completely triggered Larvitar's ferocity.
It let out a deafening roar in the air as a burst of energy, far more violent than before, exploded from its body.
"Boom!"
It actually broke free from Ariel's Confusion restraint by sheer force and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Without any pause, its crimson eyes burning with a frenzied fire, it opened its mouth, and an Energy Ball made of highly compressed rock and sand began to rapidly condense.
Rock Tomb!
Ariel's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't expected this Larvitar to know this move!
The power of this move was much greater than Rock Tomb.
He didn't give Larvitar any more time to charge up.
"It's time to end this."
His figure instantly vanished from the spot.
The next second, he appeared right in front of Larvitar.
Larvitar's condensing skill was interrupted; it instinctively wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.
A palm was gently placed on top of its head.
There was no force, just a simple press.
But Larvitar felt an irresistible, incomprehensible great power flow through that palm directly into its spirit and soul.
It was an absolute suppression originating from the level of life itself.
Its body began to tremble uncontrollably—not out of fear, but as a form of instinctive submission.
Its proud strength and its defiant will were as small as dust before this power.
It could feel that with just a single thought from the other party, it would completely vanish from this world without leaving a trace.
The condensed energy instantly dissipated.
All of Larvitar's strength seemed to be drained as it collapsed limply to the ground. In its crimson eyes, that unyielding fire finally went out, replaced by exhaustion, Confusion, and a hint of... awe.
It lost.
It lost completely and utterly, without any suspense.
Ariel slowly withdrew his hand and also retracted that spiritual pressure.
This was actually just displaying his own mental ocean through a Psychic link.
It wasn't a particularly high-end move, but it could be considered borrowing Mewtwo's power to act with borrowed authority.
It might not work against powerful Pokémon, but for a newly born Larvitar, it was enough.
He crouched down to eye level with Larvitar and spoke calmly.
"Now, do you submit?"
Larvitar remained silent for a few seconds before its small head gave a gentle nod.
A heartfelt smile appeared on Ariel's face.
He took out the Poké Ball again and lightly tapped it against Larvitar's forehead.
A red light flashed, and this time, there was no resistance.
The Poké Ball wobbled slightly on the ground before emitting a crisp "click" and becoming completely still.
Ariel picked up the Poké Ball, stroking its smooth surface, sensing the little life inside rapidly recovering its stamina.
He turned to look at the messy training room; the alloy walls were covered in dents, and the floor was littered with rock dust.
"Elite potential... it truly lives up to its reputation."
"Raising such a little ancestor, I'll definitely have my hands full in the future."
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