Vaporeon's ability, "Hydration," can cure status conditions in the rain, and the power of Water-type moves is also increased.
More importantly, for the Ground and Rock-type Krookodile, this was simply the worst possible field!
"Crawdaunt, find it!" Wallace commanded.
Crawdaunt sneered, its massive claws plunging into the water, a powerful force conducting through the current.
"Oh no!" Ariel's heart skipped a beat.
The next second, with a loud "boom," water flooded into the tunnel entrance Krookodile had just dug; then, the entire ground shook violently, and a column of water erupted from another location, launching a disheveled figure into the air!
It was Krookodile!
Crawdaunt had actually used the conduction of the water to accurately pinpoint Krookodile's underground location, using brute force to detonate the water and force it out!
"Now, Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon, which had been ready and waiting, opened its mouth and fired a high-pressure Hydro Pump, thicker and more solid than the one Swampert had used earlier, spinning as it blasted toward the helpless Krookodile in mid-air!
"Malamar, Dark Pulse!"
Malamar waved its tentacles, and a purple-black Dark Pulse whistled out, attempting to intercept the Hydro Pump.
However, the power of the Hydro Pump, boosted by the rain, was simply too astonishing; the Dark Pulse only caused it to pause for a fleeting moment before being brutally pushed aside.
Just as Krookodile was about to be hit head-on, it twisted its body in mid-air, taking the Hydro Pump directly on its hard back!
"Bang!" With a heavy thud, Krookodile let out a cry, as if struck by a speeding truck, slamming heavily onto the distant ground and sliding a long distance across the water-logged field, leaving a long trail of water behind.
"Krookodile!" Ariel's heart tightened abruptly.
Krookodile struggled to stand up, but its body was soaked, and the suppression from the Water-type energy made it feel weak, leaving it unable to muster its strength for a moment.
"It's not over yet!" Wallace's voice rang out coldly. "Crawdaunt, pursuit, use Knock Off!"
Crawdaunt, not letting up, took strides and began running through the water, kicking up two white waves, its massive claws gleaming with an ominous black light, aimed at the just-rising Krookodile.
"Malamar, Hypnosis!" Ariel made a split-second decision, issuing the most critical command.
Malamar's eyes flashed, and a beam struck the charging Crawdaunt directly.
It looked like Hypnosis was about to succeed.
An ice-blue beam, carrying bone-chilling cold, instantly shot toward Malamar, which was maintaining the Hypnosis.
If this hit, not only would Malamar be severely injured, but the Hypnosis might also be interrupted!
Ariel's pupils constricted sharply.
Wallace's tactics were too seasoned and interlocking, giving absolutely no chance to breathe.
Using Rain Dance to create a field advantage, forcing out Krookodile, focusing fire to deal heavy damage, and then predicting his Hypnosis to use Vaporeon for a counter-strategy.
This was the strength of the new Gym Leader!
Using his master's Pokémon, combined with his own commands, he was actually suppressing Ariel!
Sure enough, anyone who could become a Gym Leader couldn't be weak.
Pressure, unprecedented pressure, surged like a tide toward Ariel and his two Pokémon.
Krookodile watched its partner fall into crisis, while it struggled even to stand up due to the type disadvantage; for the first time, its rebellious eyes revealed anger and unwillingness.
Why! Why was it suppressed last time, and why must it be suppressed by you again this time!
Malamar also sensed its partner's predicament and its Trainer's anxiety.
It maintained the Trick Room, and facing the rapidly approaching Psybeam, it did not dodge, but instead pushed its psychic power to the limit.
Cannot retreat! Once it retreated, Krookodile would be completely finished!
The hearts of the two Pokémon, at this moment, resonated through the invisible bond with Ariel.
They were unwilling, unwilling to be defeated like this, unwilling to fail their Trainer's trust!
That unwillingness, that anger, that intense will to become stronger, to protect their partner, and to win, seemed to turn into the spark that ignited the firewood!
Just at the critical moment when the Psybeam was about to hit Malamar and Crawdaunt's Knock Off was about to strike Krookodile—
"Roar!!!" A roar that shook the entire arena erupted from the depths of Krookodile's throat! The sound was no longer the previous Taunt, but filled with the wild power of breaking free from shackles!
At the same time, Malamar's entire body lit up with an equally blinding light!
Hum—! The light was so intense that everyone subconsciously closed their eyes.
The attacks of Psybeam and Knock Off, in the face of these two erupting energies, were like melting snow, instantly scattered and disintegrated!
The composure on Wallace's face cracked for the first time, and he stared blankly at the two balls of light that dyed everything white.
All the apprentices were shocked into standing up, mouths agape, unable to say a word.
In a desperate situation... under enormous level suppression... on the spot, both evolved?!
The light faded.
On the field, two brand-new figures stood quietly, their silhouettes more than a circle larger than before.
This was no longer the physique that a Superior-level Pokémon could possess, but proof of truly stepping into the Gym Leader Level, after undergoing a leap in life level, with power settled into their bodies.
Krookodile's size surged to over two meters! The dark red scales were deeper in color, and the black stripes bulging on its back resembled hard armor, with edges shimmering with a metallic cold light.
Most eye-catching were its eyes; the former rebelliousness was covered by a deeper, more dangerous, sunglass-like membrane, and beneath the lenses was pure, undisguised, powerful confidence.
It just stood there, and a fierce, violent aura naturally spread out, causing the apprentices in the front row to subconsciously shrink back.
On the other side, Malamar's size change was not as exaggerated as Krokorok's, but its aura's transformation was even more eerie.
It floated in mid-air, and the spots on its body, which originally only glowed slightly, now alternated between light and dark like stars in the deep sea, each flicker carrying a heart-stopping rhythm.
The tentacles on its head were thicker and more powerful, as if they could erupt with terrifying strength at any moment.
More importantly, the psychic field surrounding it became solid and visible, with the air around it slightly distorted.
The entire Sootopolis Gym was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All the apprentices remained standing, mouths slightly open, yet unable to make a sound.
Their brains seemed to have crashed, shocked by this scene that defied understanding.
An on-the-spot breakthrough? And a dual breakthrough at that?
Bearing level suppression, and in the second before being completely defeated, completing the transformation from Superior peak to Gym Leader Level?
What kind of monster Trainer and monster Pokémon is this!
"So... that's how it is..." Wallace murmured to himself, the composure on his face long gone, replaced by an extremely complex expression.
There was shock, there was confusion, but more than that, it was the burning passion of meeting a worthy opponent.
He finally understood why Ariel had chosen these two Pokémon that were clearly at a level disadvantage.
This was not an ordinary sparring match; from the very beginning, Ariel's goal was not simply victory.
He was using the Crawdaunt and Vaporeon as whetstones!
A whetstone hard enough and sharp enough to cut through bottlenecks!
This calculation, this courage, and that almost blind trust in his own Pokémon...
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