Pokemon: Gym Leader

"That guy must be tearing his hair out now," Selene quipped with a mischievous grin.

"No surprise there. Ferrothorn is a nightmare to deal with. If he wants to beat Dylan's Ferrothorn, fire-types are his best bet—but it looks like he only brought an Arcanine."

"And even if he has Pokémon that know fire-type moves, Stealth Rock is still in play," Lillie added, analyzing the situation. Ferrothorn's resistances were outstanding; even using a fighting-type Pokémon wasn't a surefire solution.

"Dylan's grass team is so different from Erika's," Lillie noted, recalling Erika from Celadon City Gym. Erika had once visited Rota Gym for a challenge, but her grass-style and Dylan's couldn't be more different.

On the field.

"Blastoise!"

After some hesitation, Blue threw out his Blastoise's Poké Ball.

"Rapid Spin!"

With a flash of light, the moment Blastoise appeared, it immediately began spinning. But—

Boom!

A hidden Stealth Rock activated, blasting Blastoise back a few steps. Thankfully, as a water-type, Blastoise could handle it.

If it had been his weakened Arcanine, that single blow might have knocked it out cold.

The next moment, Blastoise retracted its limbs and head into its shell, spinning rapidly to clear the Stealth Rocks from the field.

"Substitute," Dylan calmly ordered.

Ferrothorn glowed with a soft white light as it created a decoy of itself, the real body disappearing behind it.

A Substitute, created by sacrificing some of its HP to form a replica.

"Damn it!" Blue muttered under his breath, scowling at the move. Using Substitute on top of everything else? Dylan really wasn't leaving any room for him to breathe.

With the Stealth Rocks now cleared, Blue immediately recalled Blastoise.

"Nidoking!"

Blue tossed out another Poké Ball, summoning Nidoking to the field with a powerful roar.

"So, it knows fire-type moves," Dylan mused, raising an eyebrow. It was expected. Nidoking was a versatile Pokémon with a wide movepool, capable of learning attacks to cover all kinds of weaknesses.

"Nidoking, Fire Punch!" Blue didn't hesitate, commanding Nidoking to charge.

Nidoking roared as it barreled toward Ferrothorn, its fist igniting with blazing flames.

"Leech Seed," Dylan said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Ferrothorn's Substitute retreated backward as the real Ferrothorn emerged, tossing a flurry of green seeds toward the charging Nidoking.

With its fierce, menacing visage, Nidoking swung its flaming fist, burning away several of the Leech Seeds before smashing directly into Ferrothorn's Substitute.

Boom!

Flames erupted, shattering the Substitute entirely and revealing Ferrothorn's true form.

But as Nidoking struck, Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs ability activated, extending sharp spikes from its body that cut into Nidoking.

Nidoking growled in pain. The damage from Iron Barbs wasn't insignificant.

Meanwhile, the remaining Leech Seeds landed on Nidoking and the ground beneath it. The seeds quickly sprouted, with vines coiling around Nidoking's legs and body.

Tiny green lights floated from Nidoking's body to Ferrothorn, healing its HP—Leech Seed in full effect.

"Nidoking, burn them with Fire Punch!" Blue commanded.

"Spikes," Dylan countered, seizing the opportunity.

Ferrothorn withdrew, scattering glowing caltrops across the battlefield.

Spikes—a ground-type hazard move that would damage grounded Pokémon upon entry.

Nidoking, meanwhile, waved its flaming fists furiously, burning away the vines and plants entangling its body. But Blue wasn't celebrating yet.

"Dylan!!" Blue shouted through gritted teeth, his frustration evident.

With a few stray Leech Seeds still sapping Nidoking's energy, and Spikes now covering the battlefield, Blue felt cornered. Moving Nidoking even slightly risked it stepping on Spikes and taking more damage.

Theoretically, he could switch Nidoking out and send Blastoise back in to clear the Spikes with Rapid Spin.

But then what? Blastoise wasn't an ideal matchup against Ferrothorn, given its typing disadvantage. And swapping Blastoise out for Nidoking again would just be a waste of time and energy—not to mention humiliating.

Blue's pride simply wouldn't allow it. As much as he hated to admit it, doing so would make him look desperate, like he had no clue what he was doing.

"Nidoking, Flamethrower!" Blue shouted, shaking off his hesitation.

Nidoking opened its mouth, gathering a fiery red glow before unleashing a stream of flames toward Ferrothorn.

"Shadow Claw."

The vines atop Ferrothorn's head shimmered with a ghostly aura as it used Shadow Claw.

The spectral claws slashed through the incoming Flamethrower, dispersing it mid-air. Ferrothorn's physical attack stats weren't lacking.

As the flames dissipated, Blue clenched his fists. His Nidoking's Flamethrower wasn't strong enough—it couldn't overpower Ferrothorn's defenses.

"It's no use," Blue muttered, his brow furrowing deeper.

"Power Whip," Dylan finally shifted gears to offense.

Ferrothorn advanced on Nidoking, its vines combining to form a massive, whip-like appendage that sliced through the air with incredible force.

"Nidoking, counter with Fire Punch!"

Nidoking roared as it raised its flaming fists to meet the incoming Power Whip.

Smash!

The whip slammed down, colliding with Nidoking's fiery punch. The impact was so strong that Nidoking's feet sank into the ground. Though it successfully blocked the attack, it was clear that the Power Whip carried immense weight.

"Leech Seed," Dylan said smoothly, wasting no time.

Ferrothorn's vines moved again, scattering more seeds that latched onto Nidoking and the surrounding ground.

The seeds sprouted quickly, wrapping around Nidoking's body and draining its energy yet again.

Tiny green lights floated to Ferrothorn, restoring its HP. Nidoking, on the other hand, looked visibly strained. The accumulated damage and sapping effect of Leech Seed were taking a toll.

"This is unbearable," muttered one of the spectators, a woman with short hair.

"Nidoking's getting completely played by Ferrothorn. Dylan's command timing is too precise—he's not leaving any openings," commented a bird keeper nearby.

"Even if I were in Blue's shoes, I'd probably refuse to switch out Nidoking just out of sheer pride," the bird keeper added, shaking his head. "But honestly, that's the smart move here. If he keeps Nidoking in, it's just a matter of time before he loses."

"Flamethrower!" Blue barked, clenching his teeth.

Nidoking tried once again to burn away the Leech Seeds entangling it.

"Gyro Ball," Dylan commanded with a light chuckle.

Ferrothorn began to spin, its metallic body gleaming as it turned into a massive, spiked wheel—Gyro Ball in full force.

"Nidoking, look out!" Blue shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

Just as Nidoking finished burning off the vines, Ferrothorn crashed into it with incredible speed.

Bam!

The impact sent Nidoking flying, its body slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.

Unfortunately, the ground was still littered with Spikes. Upon landing, Nidoking cried out again as the sharp caltrops dug into its body.

Blue's face darkened. Things were spiraling out of control.

"Power Whip," Dylan ordered, unwilling to let up.

Ferrothorn's massive vine whipped toward the struggling Nidoking.

"Protect!" Blue shouted, desperation creeping into his tone.

Nidoking tried to form a protective barrier, but it was too slow.

Smash!

The vine slammed into Nidoking, sending it skidding across the battlefield.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Ferrothorn wins!" declared the referee.

Blue's expression turned grim.

In just a few minutes, the tables had completely turned.

Arcanine was barely hanging on. Pidgeot and Nidoking were both down. Blastoise was still disadvantaged against Ferrothorn.

And he only had one Pokémon left.

"Blue, if you don't come up with a plan soon, you won't make it past my Ferrothorn," Dylan advised, his tone friendly but laced with challenge.

Blue's fists tightened.

Dylan wasn't wrong—but as long as he had one Pokémon left, Blue wasn't ready to admit defeat.

"This isn't over, Dylan! I still have my ace up my sleeve!"

"Oh?" Dylan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"

Blue sent Blastoise out again, ordering it to clear the Spikes from the field.

"Substitute," Dylan instructed, remaining calm.

Ferrothorn created another decoy, hiding its real body. For Ferrothorn, Substitute was an excellent way to mitigate its four-times weakness to fire-type moves.

"Now, Dylan, let me show you the ultimate weapon I found on Mt. Silver!"

Blue recalled Blastoise and held up a new Poké Ball, his confidence surging.

"I'm looking forward to it," Dylan said with a light chuckle, already guessing what was coming.

"This is where I turn things around!" Blue declared, tossing out his ace.

"Go, Tyranitar!"

With a deafening roar, the massive green pseudo-legendary landed on the battlefield, its imposing presence impossible to ignore.

"You caught a Tyranitar on Mt. Silver? Impressive," Dylan said, genuinely admiring the Pokémon.

"Hah! Of course! Now get ready to see my Tyranitar's true power!"

Blue grinned, his confidence fully restored.

"But... Blue, you do realize Tyranitar is weak to Grass, right?" Dylan teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up! Strength is what matters! I'll show you that type matchups don't mean a thing! Prepare to witness the raw power of Tyranitar!"

(End of Chapter)