The wall of salt water finally collapsed back into the pool, sending a fine mist across the battlefield that made Julian's skin feel tacky. On the central island, Gyarados snorted, its massive nostrils flaring as it scanned the mist for its elusive prey.
Suddenly, a tiny, flickering spark drifted through the air. It looked no more threatening than a stray firefly, moving with a lazy, erratic path. It tapped against Gyarados's thick, armored hide and seemed to vanish instantly.
Crasher Wake's eyes narrowed behind his blue mask. He didn't miss the way that tiny spark hadn't just extinguished—it had sunk into the scales.
"Will-O-Wisp?" Wake's voice boomed, though this time it carried a note of genuine respect. "When did you find the opening for a ghost light? I didn't see him stop moving for a second!"
Julian adjusted his hat, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "You created the opening yourself, Gym Leader. That massive splash from the Brine? It was the perfect smokescreen. While Growlithe was jumping, he wasn't just running for his life; he was seeding the air."
It was a classic Julian move—turning the opponent's momentum against them. By suppressing the intensity of the flames, Growlithe had kept the Will-O-Wisp almost invisible against the backdrop of crashing waves and white foam. Now, Gyarados was officially burned. Its physical power was halved, and the constant, stinging heat would begin to sap its stamina.
"Hah! Tactical and subtle," Wake laughed, slapping his bare chest. "You knew you couldn't trade blows with a titan like Gyarados, so you crippled its muscles first. Between the Intimidate and the burn, my dragon's Bite is barely more than a nip now. Is that your grand strategy? To turn my ruler of the sea into a common goldfish?"
"Something like that," Julian replied, his eyes locked on the dark water. "But I'm not naive enough to think a burn is a win. It's just a stabilizer."
"Smart boy!" Wake roared. "But don't think I'm out of tricks. If we can't win a shootout from the surface, we'll take this fight where the fire can't follow! Gyarados, Dive! Seize the moment and drag that pup into the abyss!"
With a powerful surge of its tail, Gyarados arched its body and vanished beneath the surface. The pool, once violent with salt-sprays, suddenly fell deathly quiet. Only the soft slap-slap of water against the floating islands remained.
Growlithe stood tall on a central islet, his ears swiveling like radar dishes. Every muscle in his body was coiled like a spring. He didn't like the water—he hated it with a passion that bordered on spiritual—but he wasn't a coward.
Woof-woof! (Hey, Julian! Are we really doing this? I can feel the humidity settling in my fur. If I get soaked, I'm going to look like a wet Ratata, and you're going to spend three hours blow-drying me!)
"Focus, Growlithe," Julian called out, his voice calm but firm. "I've got your back. He's down there somewhere, waiting for a blind spot. Use your nose—steam rises even through water."
Julian closed his eyes for a split second, extending his own Aura across the surface of the pool. He could feel the churning energy of the Gyarados moving beneath the waves, but the water acted as a chaotic insulator. The dragon was fast, circling like a shark, its presence flickering in and out of Julian's mental map.
A ripple appeared ten feet to the left. Then another twenty feet to the right. Gyarados was playing mind games, using its massive tail to create false leads.
Suddenly, the water behind Growlithe didn't just ripple—it exploded.
Gyarados erupted from the depths like a surfacing submarine, its maw open wide enough to swallow a motorcycle. The shadow of the dragon fell over Growlithe, the scent of brine and old seaweed filling the air.
"Now! Flame Wheel!" Julian screamed.
Woof-woof! (You want a bite? Fine! Have a mouthful of sun!)
Growlithe didn't try to run. Instead, he tucked his head and spun, his body igniting into a roaring, golden-orange sphere of fire. He met the dragon's open mouth head-on, a spinning saw blade of heat intended to force a retreat.
"Don't you dare flinch!" Wake's voice thundered, shaking the very walls of the gym. "Close your jaws! Drag him down!"
Julian's eyes widened. "What?!"
Most trainers would have pulled back, fearful of the intense burns a Flame Wheel would cause to their Pokémon's sensitive mouth. But Wake was built differently. He prioritized the environment over the exchange. Gyarados hissed in pain, the steam hissing from its throat as the fire met its wet scales, but it didn't let go. It clamped its teeth around the flaming sphere and, using the sheer weight of its massive body, plunged back into the dark water.
"Growlithe, come back!" Julian reached for his Poké Ball, the red beam lancing out across the arena.
CRASH!
Gyarados's tail slammed against the surface, sending a massive geyser of water upward that refracted the recall beam, scattering the light harmlessly.
"No!" Julian watched in horror as the last flick of an orange tail vanished beneath the churning blue surface. A massive cloud of white steam bubbled up—the final sigh of Growlithe's fire as it was quenched by the cold depths of the gym pool.
The silence that followed was agonizing. Julian stood at the edge of his platform, his hands gripped white-knuckle tight on the railing. He could feel it through their bond—the cold, the pressure, the suffocating weight of the water.
"The outcome is written in the stars, Julian!" Wake shouted, his bravado returning. "A Fire-type underwater is a candle in a hurricane! Gyarados, finish it! Crunch!"
Julian's teeth ground together. He could feel Growlithe's panic, his fading heat. But he also felt something else—a spark of stubborn, fiery defiance that hadn't quite gone out.
"Not yet!" Julian yelled, his voice echoing with the power of his Aura. "Growlithe! If you're going down, make him regret taking a bite! Use Reversal!"
Deep beneath the surface, inside the dark, crushing cavern of Gyarados's mouth, Growlithe's eyes snapped open. He was shivering, his flame extinguished, and his lungs were screaming for air. But the pain wasn't just a weakness—it was a battery.
Reversal—a move that converts the user's suffering and lack of health into a singular, explosive burst of physical might.
A white, blinding radiance began to leak through the gaps in Gyarados's teeth. The dragon's eyes widened in the dark water. Growlithe slammed his front paws against the roof of the dragon's mouth and lunged upward with a desperate, bone-shattering headbutt against the massive black fangs.
CRACK!
The sound was muffled by the water, but the impact was undeniable. Gyarados let out a gurgling cry of agony, its jaw forced open by the sheer, desperate strength of the pup.
Growlithe didn't wait. He kicked off the dragon's tongue and paddled like a madman, his paws churning the water as he broke for the light above. Behind him, Gyarados shook its head, dark bruises forming on its gums, and let out a soundless, underwater roar of fury before whipping its tail to give chase.