"Snorlax... looks decent enough. Let me see what you've got," Gary said confidently.
Anabel: ???
Scott: ???
What?
Who's the challenger here? Shouldn't you be the one showing what you can do?
"It seems you're quite confident in your Tyranitar's strength. Very well then, Snorlax—let's show Gary exactly what we're capable of. Body Slam!" Anabel ordered.
Snorlax planted its big, fat feet, took a running start, and then launched straight into the air.
It was hard to believe something with such a heavy body could jump so high.
"Snorlax!!"
Snorlax came crashing down with all the momentum of Body Slam, and Tyranitar was directly beneath it.
"Meet it head-on—Dynamic Punch!" Gary ordered.
Tyranitar raised its head to look at the descending Snorlax. A layer of golden fighting energy wrapped around its right fist, the aura shaped like a burning flame. As Snorlax dropped toward it, Tyranitar threw the punch.
Bang!!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Snorlax's massive body was sent flying backward, soaring more than ten meters before crashing to the ground.
"What kind of power is that?!" Anabel was shocked.
Anabel's Snorlax weighed over a thousand pounds, yet it had been flung aside so easily by Tyranitar.
This was terrifying.
"Stone Edge!" Gary ordered.
"Tyran!"
Fist-sized rock blades condensed around Tyranitar.
The rock blades shot forth on the winds of the Sandstorm, hurtling swiftly toward Snorlax.
"Snorlax!"
Snorlax immediately stood up, raised its arms, and threw up a shimmering, rainbow-colored energy wall to block the incoming rock blades.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...!!
The rock blades kept slamming into the energy wall, but it didn't hold for long before it shattered. The remaining blades continued on, striking Snorlax's body and dealing further damage.
Although Snorlax had thick skin and flesh, its physical defense was actually quite low. It looked incredibly durable, but that was all thanks to its enormous stamina, not its defenses.
"Snorlax, use High Horsepower!" Anabel countered.
"Snorlax!"
Snorlax stomped in place to build up power, then charged toward Tyranitar, its whole body wreathed in golden Ground-type energy.
"Take Snorlax's attack head-on—Giga Impact!" Gary ordered.
"Tyran!!"
Tyranitar's entire body was enveloped in energy, then it charged forward. The energy swirled around it into a violent cyclone, spinning around Tyranitar as it moved.
Bang!!
The two collided violently.
The energy cyclone around Tyranitar tore through the Ground-type energy surrounding Snorlax, knocking Snorlax flying.
Bang!!
Snorlax's massive body crashed to the ground, and this time, it didn't get back up.
"Snorlax is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins," the referee announced.
"What a powerful Tyranitar. Senior Spenser really chose a good venue back then—otherwise this Tyranitar would have steamrolled the whole team," Scott exclaimed.
"Ah~! It looks like Anabel isn't doing so well. We'll just have to count on Brandon next."
The moment Snorlax fell, Scott knew the outcome of this match was already decided. Anabel's remaining Espeon was no match for Tyranitar.
Although Anabel's Espeon was very strong, Espeon were famous for their fragile bodies. On top of that, this Espeon had already been hit by Tyranitar's Iron Tail earlier and was seriously injured. If it kept fighting, there was no way it could beat Tyranitar.
"Espeon, you're up." Anabel hadn't given up yet, and she immediately sent out Espeon.
"Espeon."
Espeon wasn't used to fighting in Sandstorm weather, and the sensory perception of its fur was completely thrown off.
"Espeon, use Zap Cannon—hurry!" Anabel ordered.
Tyranitar had just used Giga Impact, and its body was locked in the recovery stiffness, temporarily unable to move. If the Zap Cannon could land on Tyranitar, it could paralyze it, and Espeon would have a chance of winning.
"Espeon!"
Espeon condensed the Zap Cannon and fired it.
The Zap Cannon flew toward Tyranitar, but when it was only two or three meters away, an infrared beam of red light shot toward Tyranitar first.
"Return."
Gary took out a Poké Ball and recalled Tyranitar, then released Scizor.
Anabel: "This...!"
Anabel was caught off guard. Only then did she realize that Pokémon could be substituted in this match. For a moment, she'd been so focused on defeating Tyranitar that she'd completely forgotten that detail.
Anabel quickly composed herself and ordered, "Espeon, use Psychic!"
Espeon's eyes glowed blue as it unleashed Psychic.
Scizor didn't have Eevee's ability to sense danger, but relying on its high resistance, it endured the impact of the psychic force with its body, and was only pushed back a few meters.
"Quick Attack!"
Swoosh!!
Scizor shot forward, a band of white light flashing as it closed in on Espeon and struck it with a pincer.
Bang!!
"Espeon!!"
Thrown off by the Sandstorm weather, Espeon failed to dodge Scizor's attack. It was struck away, hit the ground, and fainted.
"Espeon is unable to battle. Scizor wins," the referee announced. "All three of Frontier Brain Anabel's Pokémon are unable to battle. The winner is the challenger, Gary."
With that, the Sandstorm weather on the field also dissipated.
"Thank you."
Gary recalled Scizor.
Frontier Brain Anabel truly wasn't a match for Gary. It really was lonely at the top.
"Gary, this is proof of your successful challenge at the Battle Tower—the Ability Symbol. Please keep it," Anabel said after the battle, handing the golden symbol to Gary.
"Thank you."
Gary accepted the Ability Symbol.
[Ding! Mission completed. The reward has been placed in your storage.]
After the match, Anabel escorted Gary and Scott outside the battle facility.
Gary rode in Scott's sports car back to Celadon City.
"Gary, you've already cleared six of the seven Frontier facilities. Only the Battle Pyramid is left. When do you plan to challenge it?" Scott asked.
"The sooner the better, if possible. But would that be convenient for Mr. Brandon?" Gary asked.
The Battle Pyramid was different from the other battle facilities.
It wasn't just a battle facility—it was also a flying vehicle, and one capable of traveling long distances, which made it expensive to operate.
Brandon himself was an explorer and an archaeologist. He loved traveling through various regions. In the Sinnoh storyline, Brandon had even flown the Battle Pyramid all the way to Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region.
So if someone wanted to challenge the Battle Pyramid, they first had to contact Scott in advance, who would then reach out to Brandon. Only once Brandon was free and had confirmed a location could the exploration and battle take place.
And if Brandon happened to be in another region, all one could do was wait.