After bidding farewell to Norman, everyone set off for their next destination.
Their next stop was to face Pryce directly.
Because of the conflict between Pryce and Blaine, everyone knew this challenge would not be easy.
Unlike Erika, who had shown leniency, or Norman, who had treated the matches as tests, Pryce would not hold back. In this battle, he would most likely fight with his full strength.
Soon, everyone arrived in the region where Pryce was located.
Ash looked somewhat worried. Although he had said he was fine, losing his qualification for the Masters Tournament still left him feeling regretful.
Misty continued to comfort him. After all, both she and Brock had already lost their chances to enter the Masters. They were now simply traveling, sightseeing, and enjoying themselves.
At this point, the only people still qualified were Sam and Sabrina.
Their next task was to challenge Pryce directly.
When they arrived at Pryce's Gym, Pryce still wore his usual stern expression. However, when he saw Sam and the others arrive, his gaze changed slightly.
Sam stepped forward and said,
"We are Trainers from Celadon City, representing the Kanto League. We are here to challenge you and earn the Badge required to enter the Masters Tournament."
Pryce recognized Sam as Blaine's friend and replied coldly,
"It won't be that easy to obtain my Badge."
Sam had long expected Pryce's attitude, so he simply nodded.
"Please give me your guidance, Gym Leader."
With that, both sides released their Pokémon.
For this battle, Sam immediately sent out his strongest choice. He could not afford to hold anything back.
[Pokémon]Tyranitar
[Attribute]Rock/Dark
[Ability]Sand Stream
[Template]Shukaku
[Compatibility]99%
[Strength]Champion Peak
Pryce also released his Pokémon.
[Pokémon]Poliwrath
[Category]Tadpole Pokémon
[Attribute]Water
[Ability]Water Absorb
[Hidden Ability]Swift Swim
[Strength]Champion Beginner Level
[Potential]Champion
In just one month, Pryce's Poliwrath had actually advanced to the Champion level.
Sam's expression became serious.
Without hesitation, he ordered Tyranitar to attack first.
"Rock Slide!"
Countless boulders flew toward Poliwrath.
At the same time, an invisible force seemed to pull at Poliwrath's body, making it difficult to evade.
This was the effect of Shukaku's Magnet Release, fused with the power of the tailed beast. Not only did it greatly enhance Tyranitar's mastery over Rock-type techniques, but it also created a powerful attraction force.
However, Poliwrath reacted instantly.
A powerful stream of water burst from its body and struck the incoming rocks.
The stones were shattered almost immediately, turning into dust that scattered across the battlefield.
Then Poliwrath launched another attack.
This time, it used Bubble Beam.
A powerful stream of water shot toward Tyranitar.
Tyranitar immediately drew upon Shukaku's power.
A massive wall of sand rose before it, forming a defensive barrier.
Shukaku truly lived up to its reputation as the tailed beast with the strongest defense.
Even Bubble Beam, a powerful Water-type attack with strong penetrating power, could not break through the incredibly thick sand barrier.
Pryce's expression shifted slightly.
"Young man, you do have some strength."
Then Poliwrath activated a transformation technique.
The spiral patterns on its body became darker and more pronounced.
At the same time, a powerful aura erupted from within it.
"Belly Drum!"
Poliwrath's body suddenly expanded.
Its muscles swelled dramatically, and its physical strength increased to an astonishing degree.
Although its movements appeared no different from before, its speed increased tremendously.
In the blink of an eye, Poliwrath appeared directly in front of Tyranitar.
Then it threw a punch.
Pound!
This was one of Poliwrath's close-combat techniques.
Countless streams of sand suddenly surged up in front of Tyranitar.
The sand tightly wrapped around Poliwrath, lifting it into the air before hurling it into the distance.
"Desert Burial!"
The ground where Poliwrath landed transformed into a sea of sand.
Huge amounts of sand rushed over and buried it completely.
This technique used the immense pressure of compressed sand to crush an opponent and deprive them of the ability to fight.
However, a streak of water suddenly appeared within the sand sea.
The next moment, Poliwrath burst out from beneath the sand.
This was the effect of its ability.
What were sand and magnetism most vulnerable to?
The answer was water.
Water made sand heavy and difficult to control. At the same time, it weakened the effectiveness of Magnet Release.
It seemed that Pryce had thoroughly researched sand-based combat.
As a Rock-type Pokémon infused with Shukaku's sand power, Tyranitar's greatest weakness was Water-type Pokémon.
Sam ordered Tyranitar to retreat several steps while quickly considering a new battle strategy.
Since his sand-based abilities were being countered—
Then he would simply rely on Tyranitar's Dark-type techniques instead.