"Oh! A Tyranitar, the pseudo-legendary of the Johto region. It's been raised very well."
"Yes, this Tyranitar is very strong."
Caitlin and Cynthia were an Elite Four member and a Champion respectively, and they could see Tyranitar's strength at a glance.
Cynthia even found herself wondering whether she would have lost if she had battled against Gary.
The next moment, gusts of sand began to blow across the field. The wind and sand gradually intensified, and in a single breath, it turned into a full Sandstorm. Gravel the size of fingernails whipped through the wind—getting hit by it would genuinely hurt.
"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Darach launched an attack.
Whoosh!
Even though the Sandstorm was fierce, it couldn't affect Staraptor's speed. Staraptor was like a sharp sword, piercing straight through the Sandstorm's blockade.
Bang!!
Staraptor slammed into Tyranitar's body, and the wind blades surrounding it cut against Tyranitar's armor—but they left only a shallow white mark, unable to push it back at all.
"Thunder Punch," Gary ordered.
"Tyranitar!"
Without any hesitation, lightning burst to life around Tyranitar's fist. It swung out fast and struck Staraptor, knocking it several meters away with a single punch. Staraptor hit the ground and rolled a few times before stopping.
Knowing that Staraptor wouldn't be defeated that quickly, Gary pressed the attack: "Rock Slide!"
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar immediately conjured a dozen huge rocks and hurled them toward Staraptor.
"Break the rocks with Steel Wing." Darach was no ordinary Trainer—he found a way to counter it immediately.
"Star!"
Staraptor swiftly flew around, its wings covered in steel energy, making them as hard as steel blades. It easily cut through the falling rocks, breaking apart the Rock Slide, and then began circling Tyranitar at high speed, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
"Snarl!"
"Tyranitar!!"
Tyranitar roared, and waves of dark energy spread outward. The surrounding Sandstorm was momentarily forced still, leaving Staraptor with no room to hide as it was caught in the Snarl.
"Use Double Team."
Staraptor used Double Team, but every time a clone was released, it immediately disappeared.
"Hm?!"
Darach was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was going on. Why did the clones vanish? With his Staraptor's strength, it was impossible for it to make such a basic mistake.
Ignoring Darach's confusion, Gary continued his orders: "Stone Edge!"
Tyranitar swung its arms. Thanks to the Sandstorm weather, the rock blades condensed faster, and accelerated by the wind and sand, they flew out at incredible speed.
"Protect yourself with Steel Wing!" Darach quickly ordered.
Staraptor coated its wings in a layer of steel energy—not to strike back, but to shield its body, letting the rock blades crash against the Steel Wing.
Although it couldn't counterattack, the Steel Wing blocked most of the stone blades. The cost, however, was that the impact naturally smacked it down to the ground.
Gary wouldn't give Staraptor a chance to breathe, pursuing relentlessly: "Fire Blast!"
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar spat out a ball of flame, and the fire instantly lit up the area where Staraptor lay. Even if Staraptor wanted to escape, it was already too late.
Boom!!
Fire Blast struck, and a mushroom cloud of flame bloomed upward.
The mushroom cloud was quickly swept away by the Sandstorm, revealing Staraptor lying on the ground, unable to get up again.
"Staraptor is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins," the maid referee announced.
"What a relentless assault—he didn't give Staraptor a single opening. And Tyranitar is so bulky, I didn't expect it to move that quickly," Caitlin exclaimed.
Throughout the entire battle, Staraptor had only landed a single Aerial Ace on Tyranitar. From that point on, it had been completely suppressed, with no chance to fight back.
"How strong is Darach's Staraptor?" Cynthia asked.
"It's not weak. It took me quite a while to defeat it back then."
"If that's the case... this Tyranitar really does have Champion-level strength."
"Where did this Gary even come from? He has this much strength and yet he's still so unknown."
"He's actually quite famous, but he hasn't participated in any higher-end competitions. He's only entered the League Conference three times in the open division."
Ever since Cynthia met Gary, she had asked someone to investigate him.
She hadn't expected anything from the investigation—and was shocked by what it turned up.
Gary had won the League Conference three times, and had even used a Legendary Pokémon at a League Conference.
After learning all this, Cynthia had to admit that at his age, she hadn't been as good as he was.
At Gary's age, winning a League Conference championship was already difficult, let alone conquering a Legendary Pokémon.
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar touched the spot where Staraptor had struck it earlier, brushing away the shallow white marks left behind.
"It seems I'm being looked down on."
Darach caught the contempt in Tyranitar's gesture and smiled bitterly. Then he composed himself and sent out his second Pokémon.
"Gallade, it's time for you to take the stage." Darach threw out a Poké Ball.
[Lv. 68 Gallade / Champion]
Gallade was Darach's strongest Pokémon.
Level 68—a level that was top-tier even among Elite-class Pokémon, strong enough to contend with Champion-level Pokémon.
"Use Brick Break!" Darach attacked immediately.
Gallade rushed forward at once.
Gary saw this and smiled coldly. Seeing through Darach's intentions, he immediately ordered: "Snarl."
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar used Snarl, and the dark soundwave spread outward. Gallade had no way to avoid it and could only take the damage head-on.
Seeing that Gary hadn't taken the bait, Darach had to accept it and gave his orders the conventional way: "Teleport in close, then use Brick Break!"
Darach had wanted to wait for Tyranitar to commit to another move, then have Gallade teleport in and strike. A Pokémon in the middle of attacking lowers its guard, and an attack landed at that moment deals the most damage.
But against Snarl, even if Gallade teleported, it would still be caught in the soundwave.
Shoom!
Gallade vanished.
"Iron Defense!"
Tyranitar used Iron Defense. A silver luster flashed across its body as it reinforced itself with steel energy.
Clang!
The next second, Gallade appeared at Tyranitar's side, its blade-like arm slashing across Tyranitar's body. The blow pushed Tyranitar's massive frame back several dozen centimeters, dealing some damage.
"Snarl."
Gary didn't care at all. Even though Fighting-type moves dealt four times the damage to Tyranitar, Tyranitar could endure them with its formidable physical defense. At worst, it would become a battle of attrition—they'd see who was left standing at the end.
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar used Snarl again, and the soundwave slammed into Gallade once more.