The wind and sand tore through space, turning the entire field into a chaotic millstone.
Light was crushed, sound was swallowed, and the high-definition camera feed showed nothing but static snow, signaling a total loss of signal.
Inside the monitoring room, there was a deathly silence.
"How can this be..."
Yuki murmured to herself, sweat from her palms dampening a corner of the console.
The Team Leader didn't answer; he just stared fixedly at the screen, as if trying to burn through that chaos with his gaze.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
A stalemate? No, this wasn't a stalemate.
Tyranitar's Sandstorm was an innate authority, the domain of a tyrant, wild and unrestrained.
But that Krookodile's Sandstorm possessed a sense of craftsmanship polished to the extreme; every grain of sand was as heavy as iron, terrifyingly condensed.
These two completely different textures collided, creating an absolute blind spot where even energy detection failed.
Just then, a single frame of imagery flashed abruptly within that chaotic screen of static!
Though it was only for an instant, the Team Leader caught it.
Tyranitar's massive silhouette moved; with a casual swipe of its claw, the Sandstorm within its domain suddenly coalesced into dozens of sharp stone blades, slicing through the wind and sand to fiercely rake across Krookodile's body!
Pshhh—
Although no sound was transmitted back, those bloody gashes blooming on Krookodile's dark red skin pierced everyone's eyes clearly through that fleeting image.
Ariel's pupils suddenly contracted.
Immediately after, a burning sensation of thrill rushed from his chest straight to the top of his head.
So that's it!
So Sandstorm can be used this way!
It's not just about creating a weather condition, but turning that weather into one's own limbs, into one's own swords!
Relying on control over the Sandstorm, making it more than just a tool for field control!
Tyranitar truly lives up to its reputation as the "desert tyrant"; its understanding and application of Sandstorm have reached a state of perfection.
Thank you, Lord Tyrant.
I'll take this lesson!
Ariel's heart surged, but he knew that the current Krookodile was still far from achieving such exquisite and subtle control.
But this established a direction for Ariel's future training!
Right now, the opponent could see in the Sandstorm and attack at will, while his side was merely a passive target.
If this continued, Krookodile would be ground down to death.
He couldn't wait any longer.
"Krookodile!"
Ariel's voice rang out.
"Charge in!"
A command simple to the extreme.
Under its crimson sunglasses, Krookodile's gaze narrowed without any hesitation.
It gave up on maintaining its own Sandstorm, and that condensed domain of sand instantly collapsed, as it channeled all its power into its limbs.
"Roar!"
A roar was torn apart by the wind and sand as its massive body, like a black and red cannonball, plunged headlong into Tyranitar's even more violent and expansive Sandstorm domain!
In the monitoring room, the Team Leader's eyes almost popped out.
"A brute! This is pure brute behavior!"
He growled instinctively,
"Giving up its own domain advantage to actively enter the opponent's strongest territory for a brawl? Is it tired of living? Tyranitar's strength and defense are terrifying. In Close Combat, that Krookodile..."
His words stopped halfway, stuck.
Because he felt a gaze—a gaze from Yuki, filled with unmasked doubt and a "here you go again" look.
That look seemed to say:
Team Leader, just shut up. Every time you make a judgment, it gets rubbed in the dirt by them. I'm embarrassed for you.
"Cough... cough!"
The Team Leader's face turned red under that gaze, and he forced the rest of his analysis back down.
He was somewhat annoyed and embarrassed, but mostly self-doubting. Could it be... his judgment was really wrong again?
On the field, the eye of the storm.
Krookodile charging into Tyranitar's Sandstorm was like a small boat rushing into a level-twelve gale tsunami.
Endless grains of sand carrying gravel frantically slapped and cut at its body from all directions.
Although the Sandstorm weather caused negligible damage to Krookodile.
Its vision was a murky yellow, with visibility less than half a meter.
A hellish howling filled its ears, making it impossible to even catch the opponent's breathing.
Even though Sandstorm used to be Krookodile's home ground.
But this was the Tyrant's domain, a millstone that could grind any intruder into powder.
Tyranitar's mountain-like figure loomed in the yellow haze; it seemingly hadn't expected this opponent to dare venture so deep.
A dull, heavy thud.
It was Tyranitar's iron fist. Leveraging its home-field advantage, it accurately pinpointed Krookodile's position and threw a heavy punch!
Krookodile used its beast-like instincts to cross its arms in a block, yet it was still knocked back several meters by that immense force, its feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground.
Although Krookodile appeared to be at a disadvantage, Ariel wasn't flustered at all!
Tyranitar was a Rock-type and Dark-type.
Fighting-type moves would be four times effective!
This was the biggest trump card that gave him the courage to let Krookodile charge in!
Giving up long-range and field control, gambling everything on the edge of type advantage!
"Left!" Ariel's command echoed in its heart.
Krookodile lowered its body, almost hugging the ground, as it evaded Tyranitar's follow-up sweeping claw strike.
Its thick right leg, like a battle-axe carrying the momentum of a thousand catties, kicked fiercely at the support point of that massive body—Tyranitar's left knee joint!
Bam!
A dull thud, like a muffled drum.
The effect of the four-times effectiveness was displayed vividly at this moment.
Tyranitar's mountain-steady lower body showed a clear wobble for the first time.
It let out a low roar of pain, its massive body involuntarily tilting to one side.
Ariel's eyes lit up.
"Crunch!"
Krookodile pressed its advantage. Taking advantage of the opponent's instability, it lunged forward, its sharp fangs shimmering with the dark glow of Dark-type energy as it bit toward Tyranitar's thick neck!
Clang—!
The collision of teeth against Tyranitar's rock-like skin actually produced the sound of clashing metal!
That massive bite force still caused Tyranitar's movement to stall.
The Tyrant was thoroughly enraged.
Roar!!!
The heaven-shaking roar briefly drowned out even the howling of the wind and sand.
Tyranitar's muscles bulged, and a destructive power began to accumulate within its body.
The plates on its abdomen lit up with a blinding light; that was... the precursor to Giga Impact!
It intended to use the most overwhelming physical attack to completely crush this reckless provocateur before it!
In the monitoring room, the Team Leader suddenly stood up:
"Not good! It's Giga Impact! At such close range, Krookodile can't possibly dodge!"
Yuki's heart also leaped into her throat.
However, there wasn't a trace of panic on Ariel's face.
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
An opportunity to completely shatter the power Tyranitar was so proud of!
"Krookodile, stand your ground!"
Ariel's command was calm, yet carried a streak of insane gambling.
"Take it!"
A flash of resolve passed through Krookodile's eyes behind its crimson sunglasses.
It released its bite and planted its four feet firmly like iron stakes.
It didn't defend or dodge; instead, it internalized all its power, meeting that destructive light with its chest completely unguarded.
The next second.
The light swallowed everything.
Tyranitar turned into an unstoppable meteorite, carrying a world-destroying momentum as it slammed violently into Krookodile!
Boom—!!!
A terrifying shockwave exploded, even tearing a huge gap in the violent Sandstorm.
Krookodile was sent flying like a broken sack, rolling over a dozen times on the ground before crashing heavily into the edge of the field, kicking up a cloud of dust.