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"I never expected Aerodactyl's strength after Mega Evolution to actually surpass my Salamence's. Mega Evolution really is something incredible."
Seeing that the very first exchange had ended with his Salamence being suppressed, Gyokuryu Shigen frowned slightly. His graying brows knit together, and the look in his eyes grew solemn as he suddenly raised his hand and shouted an order.
"Salamence! Use Flamethrower!"
"Waaao!!"
Upon hearing the command, Salamence immediately lifted its head. In the next instant, a raging torrent of flames erupted from its mouth, carrying terrifying heat as it surged straight toward Aerodactyl!
"Aerodactyl! Dodge it!"
"Roar!"
Aerodactyl was already fast to begin with, and after Mega Evolution its speed had increased dramatically. Facing the incoming Flamethrower, it merely beat its wings lightly and turned into a black shadow, slipping past the flames with ease. In the very next moment, it had already appeared at Salamence's right side!
"Now's the chance, Aerodactyl! Use Ice Fang!"
"ROAR!!"
In an instant, icy air poured from Aerodactyl's jaws. Four massive fangs of solid ice condensed at high speed, and it lunged fiercely toward Salamence!
"Salamence! Dragon Claw!"
"WAAAO!!"
Gyokuryu Shigen reacted just as quickly. At his shout, Salamence immediately stopped spewing flames. Energy surged around its right claw as long, sharp dragon claws rapidly took shape, thrusting sideways to intercept Aerodactyl's attack!
BOOM!!
Aerodactyl's Ice Fang slammed into the Dragon Claw. The four enormous icy fangs snapped shut, instantly shattering the claw they bit into. A deafening explosion followed, and thick black smoke billowed out!
"Salamence! Dragon Breath!"
"WAAAO!!"
The moment the smoke spread between them, Gyokuryu Shigen roared another command. Salamence twisted its flexible neck, locked onto Aerodactyl, and unleashed a stream of green dragon breath from its open jaws!
"ROAR!!"
At point-blank range, with no room to evade, Aerodactyl could only pull its wings in front of its body to shield its head and torso. The Dragon Breath smashed into its wings, forcing its massive body to slide backward. Its sharp claws dug deep into the ground, carving out two long furrows as it was pushed back!
"Aerodactyl! Counterattack! Use Hyper Beam!"
Taking hits passively was never Liam's style. Seeing Aerodactyl being suppressed by Salamence's Dragon Breath, his eyes hardened and the command flew out instantly!
"ROAR!!"
Aerodactyl thrust its head out from behind its wings and opened its jaws wide. A thick, blazing beam of Hyper Beam erupted forward at terrifying speed!
"Dodge it, Salamence!"
"WAAAO!!"
Salamence reacted instantly, beating its crimson wings and leaping clear. The golden Hyper Beam shot straight beneath it and slammed into the forest beyond, where a mushroom cloud rose into the air.
"ROAR—"
Although Hyper Beam failed to hit, it forced Salamence to stop using Dragon Breath. But at the very moment the pressure lifted—
Crackling golden sparks suddenly burst across Aerodactyl's body!
"Damn it—paralysis?! Come back for now, Aerodactyl!"
"ROAR!!"
Liam hadn't expected Salamence's Dragon Breath to inflict paralysis in a single hit—his luck really was something else. While paralyzed, Aerodactyl's speed would drop sharply, and its moves could fail at any time. Facing a fully fit Salamence in that state was clearly unwise.
Without hesitation, Liam recalled Aerodactyl. Gyokuryu Shigen, displaying perfect sportsmanship, made no attempt to interfere and calmly watched Liam switch Pokémon.
"Rest for now, Aerodactyl. And next—it's your turn. Go, Tyranitar! Show everyone your power!"
After softly comforting Aerodactyl, Liam clipped the PokeBall back onto his belt and immediately threw another PokeBall onto the field!
"ROAR!"
As the PokeBall opened, Tyranitar's towering body crashed heavily onto the ground. It threw its massive head back and roared to the sky—and in that instant, a violent sandstorm swept across the entire battlefield!
"WAAAO!!"
The raging sandstorm engulfed the area. Salamence clearly didn't want to be caught within it, so it beat its wings and quickly flew out of the storm's range, circling in the air while roaring angrily.
"So strong… this sandstorm! Could this Tyranitar be—?"
Gyokuryu Shigen stared wide-eyed at the raging storm. As he watched Tyranitar's silhouette flicker within the sand, his thoughts immediately went to the Larvitar egg he had once given Liam.
"Tyranitar! Use Stealth Rock!"
"ROAR!"
Without hesitation, Liam shouted the command. Tyranitar roared as countless sharp, jagged stones rapidly formed before it, then were hurled across Gyokuryu Shigen's side of the field.
The moment they hit the ground, the stones turned transparent and vanished.
"Salamence! Use Twister! Blow the sandstorm away!"
With the sandstorm raging, not only was vision impaired—even hearing was affected. On top of that, Pokémon that weren't Ground-, Rock-, or Steel-type would continuously take damage. Clearing the sandstorm was Gyokuryu Shigen's top priority.
"WAAAO!!"
Salamence beat its wings rapidly, and a swirling Twister began to form.
But Liam had no intention of letting the sandstorm disperse so easily.
"Don't let it succeed, Tyranitar! Use Rock Slide!"
"ROAR!!"
At the command, Tyranitar threw its head back and roared. Massive chunks of rock formed above Salamence's head—and in the next instant, they came crashing down!
"Dodge it, Salamence!"
"WAAAO!!"
As a Rock-type move, Rock Slide was super effective against the Flying-type Salamence. Forced to abandon the Twister, Salamence immediately veered away to evade the falling rocks.
"Nice work, Tyranitar! Next—Dark Pulse!"
"ROAR!!"
Even though the attack didn't land, Liam's goal had already been achieved. Without pause, he pressed the offensive.
A surge of Dark Pulse, formed from countless black rings, blasted out from Tyranitar's mouth. It tore through the sandstorm in an instant and shot straight toward Salamence!
"Salamence, Flamethrower!"
"WAAAO!!"
Facing the oncoming Dark Pulse, Salamence unleashed a torrent of flames. Fire and darkness collided midair—and another violent explosion erupted!
But it wasn't over yet.
"Again! Tyranitar—Hyper Beam!"
"ROAR!!"
A massive golden beam tore through the sandstorm once more and slammed toward Salamence's position. With its vision blocked by both smoke and sand, Salamence could only sense the danger instinctively and twist its body aside—
The beam grazed it.
Though not a direct hit, the Hyper Beam scraped Salamence's abdomen, leaving visible damage. Fortunately, Salamence's belly was one of the toughest parts of its body—otherwise, that hit wouldn't have been nearly so light.