Inside the observation room, the atmosphere was so tense you could wring water out of it.
Yuki covered her mouth, her large eyes filled with shock and fear. She turned to the Team Leader beside her, her voice trembling slightly:
"Leader... this, this big shot's Pokémon... is it, particularly strong?"
"More than just strong!"
The leader lowered his voice, but the excitement in his tone was impossible to hide.
He stared intently at the screen, as if afraid of missing any detail.
"Level 40 is the threshold for a Pokémon stepping into the Superior grade. And the ability to defeat a Superior-grade Pokémon in a berserk state head-on is a hard requirement for Team Rocket's Intermediate Cadre assessment!"
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as he added:
"Not to mention, this time the opponent is a Tyranitar! A Pseudo-Legendary! Even if it was forced to evolve early, it's still a Pseudo-Legendary! Its physical attributes and potential far surpass ordinary Pokémon!"
The leader let out a heavy sigh, his expression complex.
"Not long ago, an examinee challenged with five meticulously trained Superior-grade Pokémon, against this very Tyranitar. The result... all five were annihilated."
Beside him, Yuki's face turned pale. When she looked back at the Krookodile shielding Ariel on the screen, the look in her eyes had shifted from simple shock to an almost reverent awe.
She finally understood just how powerful this big shot, who looked about her own age, truly was... Inside the Training Field.
"ROAR—!!!"
A piercing roar tore through the brief silence.
Tyranitar struggled to climb out of the dent in the alloy wall, rubble and metal fragments clattering off its thick carapace.
That earth-shattering tail strike from earlier had stunned it, but the intense physical pain acted like fuel to the fire, making its already crimson eyes deepen further, almost seeming to drip blood.
Berserkness had escalated into madness!
Seeing his opponent looking almost unscathed by any substantial damage, Ariel's lips instead curled upwards slightly.
"As expected of a Pseudo-Legendary, its vitality is truly tenacious."
Far from being apprehensive, a long-unfelt fervor for battle ignited in his chest.
If it were truly taken down in one hit, what would be the point of this training?
"Krookodile!"
Ariel's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear.
"The warm-up is over. Let it witness your power!"
Krookodile understood instantly, slowly lowering its center of gravity. The blades on its foreclaws scraped three shallow grooves in the ground. Beneath its iconic, sunglasses-like eye sockets, its gaze remained cold, but now carried a hint of savage excitement.
"Roar!"
Without waiting for a command, Tyranitar pushed off powerfully with its hind legs. Its massive body transformed into an out-of-control heavy truck, carrying immense momentum as it charged straight forward!
"Dig!"
Ariel's command was concise and swift.
Krookodile didn't hesitate for a moment. Its claws dug violently into the ground, and its entire body burrowed underground just a second before Tyranitar crashed into its position, leaving only a bottomless pit behind.
"BOOM!"
Tyranitar's charge hit empty air. Its massive inertia prevented it from stopping, and it plunged straight into the tunnel Krookodile had dug, half its body getting stuck in a rather pathetic posture.
Opportunity!
"Now! Earthquake!"
A sharp glint flashed in Ariel's eyes.
"Groo—!!!"
Krookodile, hidden deep underground, let out a low, rumbling roar. An invisible, terrifying force erupted from its center, spreading wildly in all directions!
The entire Training Field began to shake violently!
The ground, like a lake surface hit by a giant boulder, surged with wave after wave of earth! The hard floor groaned under the strain, cracks spreading at a visible pace.
"ROAR!!!"
Tyranitar, half-buried in the earth, bore the brunt of the quake's core impact. It let out a pained roar, its massive body being violently tossed up and slammed down repeatedly by the intense tremors.
However, the dignity of a Pseudo-Legendary would not be challenged!
Amidst this violent shaking, Tyranitar's blood-red eyes locked onto a specific location underground. It forcibly stabilized its stance, the muscles in its thick legs bulging, and then—stomped down heavily!
"RUMBLE—!!!"
A surge of Earth Power, no weaker than Krookodile's and even more violent, more primal, erupted from beneath its feet!
Earthquake! Counter Earthquake!
Two forces of the same origin but different nature clashed, tore, and annihilated each other wildly underground!
The Training Field's ground was completely devastated. Earth and rocks flew, dust filled the air. The screens in the observation room flickered with unstable signals due to the intense vibrations, the picture breaking into intermittent static.
"They're insane! Both of them are insane!"
The leader's eyes widened, his mouth agape.
"Trading Earthquakes in a sealed alloy space... do they want to tear this place apart?!"
From within the dust, two figures shot out from the shattered ground!
Krookodile was covered in dust, with several scales showing white marks from the shockwaves.
Tyranitar was in worse shape. A clear crack had appeared on the carapace of its abdomen, clearly having taken the worse end of the underground clash.
But injury was merely a catalyst for their ferocity!
No skill brilliance, no energy surges.
The moment the two behemoths landed, they pounced at each other again!
This was the most primal, most brutal close-quarters combat!
"Go! Krookodile!"
Ariel's voice pierced through the dust.
Krookodile's right claw glowed with a dark purple light. Its three fingers merged like a blade, slashing fiercely towards Tyranitar's neck!
Tyranitar didn't dodge or evade. It raised its own claw, covered in rock-like skin, and slammed it against Krookodile's attack!
"CLANG—!!!"
The collision of claws produced a sharp metallic ring, sparks flying!
The first strike unsuccessful, Krookodile twisted its waist. Its thick, muscular tail, with a sound that tore through the air, swept towards Tyranitar's lower body.
"Watch out for its Stone Edge! Slide-step to the left, use Crunch!"
Ariel's command followed immediately.
Almost simultaneously with Krookodile's move, several sharp rocks materialized around Tyranitar, poised to strike.
But Krookodile was faster. With a nimble slide-step, it narrowly avoided the Stone Edge's targeting range. Its massive head jerked upwards, its maw gaping wide. Its pale white teeth flashed with an ominous dark light as it chomped down on Tyranitar's unstable left leg!
"CRACK!"
It was the sound of carapace shattering!
Tyranitar let out a pained roar. For the first time in this brawl, the berserk beast felt clear, sharp pain.
It violently shook its leg, flinging Krookodile, which was still attached, away.
Krookodile adjusted its posture mid-air and landed steadily, but a long claw mark stretched from the corner of its 'sunglasses' eye down to its jaw, oozing thin trails of blood.
On the other side, a vicious bite mark sank deep into the bone on Tyranitar's left leg. Several thick plates of its carapace had been ripped off, revealing the bloody, mangled tissue beneath.
Mutual destruction.
Both sides were wounded, and their breathing began to grow heavy.
But that mad fighting spirit didn't diminish; it only intensified.
Looking at his battered yet battle-eager Krookodile, and then at the injured but even more ferocious Tyranitar opposite, Ariel felt a deep calm within.
This was the training he wanted.
Only under extreme pressure could the deepest potential be unleashed.
Krookodile's HP had dropped by nearly half.
The opposing Tyranitar's condition was roughly the same.
Equally matched.
Ariel licked his somewhat dry lips. The light in his eyes was even more fervent than the madness of the Tyranitar on the field.
"The real show is only just beginning.