Pokemon: Gym Leader

Blue was brimming with confidence. After all, this was Tyranitar—the Pokémon he'd worked so hard to catch and train! Through meticulous care and effort, Tyranitar had grown to be just as strong as his ace, Blastoise. In certain situations, it was even stronger.

"So what if it has a grass weakness?" Blue thought smugly. "It doesn't matter! My Tyranitar is invincible!"

"Tyranitar, huh? Looks pretty strong," Selene commented, her curiosity piqued. She opened her Pokédex to check.

Beep!

Tyranitar, Rock/Dark type, the Armor Pokémon.

Ability: Sand Stream

Moves: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Sandstorm, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Crunch, Fire Fang, Ice Fang…

Pokédex entry: It possesses incredible strength—enough to crush mountains and cause earthquakes with just a single hand.

"Wow, it knows a lot of moves! Looks like this Tyranitar's got solid power. Probably not easy to take down… right?" Selene hesitated, glancing at the battlefield.

After all, this was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon and one of Blue's top aces.

"That guy's got some serious talent," one of the older female spectators remarked, clearly impressed.

"But he's way too arrogant if he thinks Tyranitar can beat Dylan's grass team," a psychic-type trainer said, shrugging. "He's underestimating Dylan."

"Exactly," the bird keeper agreed. "You can't win against Dylan just by being strong. Trust me, we've all tried."

As regulars at Rota Gym, they understood one thing very well: strength alone wasn't enough to earn the Rota Badge. Dylan's strategies were simply too versatile and unpredictable.

On the Battlefield

"Tyranitar!" Blue called out, his voice full of authority.

Tyranitar let out a thunderous roar as it stepped forward. Immediately, powerful winds stirred the arena, and a sandstorm began to rage.

This was Sand Stream, Tyranitar's ability, which summoned an intense sandstorm to blanket the battlefield. Tiny grains of sand flew through the air, stinging and reducing visibility.

"Oh, Tyranitar~" Dylan murmured, his expression betraying a hint of nostalgia.

Seeing Tyranitar reminded him of Alain's famous Tyranitar—particularly the time that its sandstorm was hilariously drowned out by Pikachu's massive Surf attack in the anime.

Of course, reality was different. Sandstorm weather here wasn't so easily disrupted.

Dylan had conducted experiments in the past, and it turned out that using a powerful Surf could indeed temporarily dampen a sandstorm. However, unless the entire sandstorm was cleared in one go, it would quickly return and dominate the battlefield again.

Still, sandstorm weather was easier to counter than Rain Dance or Sunny Day. It was a minor comfort for Dylan, whose Ferrothorn didn't mind sandstorms in the slightest.

The only downside? "Man, all this sand flying everywhere—it's going to get in my eyes," Dylan thought, smirking to himself.

"Earthquake!" Blue ordered.

Tyranitar stomped the ground with its massive foot, triggering a devastating Earthquake.

RUMBLE!

The entire battlefield shook violently, fissures snaking toward Ferrothorn.

"Dodge and use Iron Defense," Dylan commanded, his voice calm and composed.

Ferrothorn's Substitute leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the tremors. The real Ferrothorn revealed itself behind the decoy, its body shimmering with a metallic sheen as it used Iron Defense to sharply boost its physical defense.

Earthquake might seem powerful, but it was one of the easiest moves to dodge, especially if the opponent was prepared.

And, as expected, Blue wasn't done yet.

"Close in and use Flamethrower!" he shouted.

Tyranitar barreled forward, fire gathering in its maw as it prepared a Flamethrower.

The sandstorm howled, the coarse grains scraping against both Tyranitar and Ferrothorn. Neither Pokémon paid it any mind.

"Evade it," Dylan said lightly.

Ferrothorn shifted sideways with deliberate slowness. Its speed was pitifully low, but it managed to avoid the Flamethrower at the last possible second.

"Hmph, dodged that one," Blue muttered, his lips curling into a smirk. "But let's see you dodge this!"

"Tyranitar, Fire Punch!"

Tyranitar lunged forward, one massive claw wreathed in blazing flames.

There was no way Ferrothorn could dodge this—not with its snail-like speed. And Dylan wasn't using Protect.

The fiery fist slammed into Ferrothorn's Substitute, shattering it completely.

"Finally!" Blue thought, grinning. "This is it!"

But then—

"Body Press," Dylan said with a serene smile.

Blue's smug grin instantly froze, his face rapidly turning green.

"Wait—BODY PRESS?!" he cried in alarm.

Tyranitar didn't even have time to react.

The real Ferrothorn surged forward, glowing white. It hurled itself directly into Tyranitar, leveraging all of its boosted physical defense to deliver a devastating blow.

Body Press—a Fighting-type move that used the user's defense stat to calculate damage.

And Tyranitar? It was four times weak to Fighting.

BOOM!

The impact was thunderous. Ferrothorn slammed into Tyranitar like a wrecking ball, forcing its massive frame to stumble backward. Tyranitar roared in agony as it was flung across the battlefield, crashing into the ground with a deafening thud.

The audience collectively gasped.

"Holy crap! Ferrothorn's Iron Defense plus Body Press—can Tyranitar even survive that?!" the bird keeper exclaimed.

"Classic Dylan," the psychic-type trainer muttered, shaking his head. "Completely merciless."

"This is brutal! It's supposed to be a grass team, not a fighting team!"

Tyranitar lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Its once-mighty presence was now pitifully diminished.

"Still hanging on, huh?" Dylan said, genuinely impressed. "As expected of Tyranitar. Blue, you really raised it well."

"...????"

Blue's face twisted in anger. Was Dylan mocking him? Or was that genuine praise? He couldn't tell, and it was driving him insane.

At that moment, Tyranitar let out a weak but determined roar, slowly rising to its feet. Its body swayed, but its spirit refused to yield.

"YES! That's my Tyranitar!" Blue cheered, his confidence reignited.

"Dylan! Did you see that? We're not out yet! My Tyranitar's stronger than ever!"

"Truly impressive," Dylan acknowledged, nodding. "Come then, Blue. Show me your next move."

"You're going to regret this! Tyranitar, Fire Punch! Take it down!"

Tyranitar charged forward, flames blazing in its claw once again.

Dylan's smile grew wider.

"Explosion."

Blue's eyes widened in shock.

"E-EXPLOSION?!"

Before Tyranitar's flaming fist could land, Ferrothorn glowed with an intense white light. Its entire body began radiating an overwhelming energy, growing brighter and brighter.

At that moment, Ferrothorn was like a miniature sun, blindingly radiant.

"DYLAN!!!"

Blue's anguished roar echoed across the battlefield.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the entire arena, a massive shockwave tearing through the sandstorm.

When the dust finally settled, Tyranitar lay motionless on the ground, fainted.

Ferrothorn, of course, was nowhere to be seen—it had sacrificed itself in the blast.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! This match goes to Ferrothorn!"

Blue stood frozen, his expression a mix of disbelief and despair.

"You… you used EXPLOSION on my Tyranitar?! Are you insane?!"

Dylan tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled.

"What's the problem? I thought I was being nice. Explosion gave Tyranitar a very dramatic exit. You should be thanking me."

"THANKING YOU?!" Blue's voice cracked. "DYLAN, YOU'RE THE WORST!"

(End of Chapter)