The sandstorm filled the air, and Feraligatr instinctively raised its hands to shield its eyes.
Under Sandstorm weather, all Pokémon except those of the Rock, Ground, and Steel types take continuous damage, similar to Hail weather.
Besides that, the reduced visibility was also an important factor.
In a battlefield filled with blowing sand and flying debris, even a Pokémon's exceptional senses and vision were greatly limited.
Given the long starting distance, Feraligatr had no way to reach Gigalith in time to interrupt its charge-up.
Kyle thought hard, recalling two moves that could avoid the effects of a Sandstorm.
Dig was definitely out of the question — against a Gigalith skilled in Ground- and Rock-type techniques, a Feraligatr underground would just become an easy target for Earthquake.
Then… what about Dive?
Kyle frowned, staring at the small pool of water not far from Feraligatr in the center of the rocky field.
The move Solar Beam, in appearance, was like a laser. The density and quantity of dust particles in the air directly affected its attenuation. This was why the move only reached its full power under strong sunlight.
In weather such as Rain, Hail, Sandstorm, or Fog, this Grass-type special move was heavily weakened.
If Feraligatr dove into the pool's depths, it would not only avoid the sandstorm's effects but also reduce Solar Beam's power.
However, the pool at the center of the rock field was quite shallow — Kyle worried that once Feraligatr entered it, its movements would be restricted.
After all, the opponent's use of Solar Beam was already irrational enough — perhaps forcing Feraligatr into the pool was precisely Silas's intention.
While Kyle was frantically analyzing, a dazzling beam of light suddenly burst out in front of him and Feraligatr.
Under everyone's stunned gazes, Feraligatr was completely unprepared was blown back, letting out a painful roar.
"This… this is impossible!"
Those were the first words out of Kyle mouth, the same words shouted by the commentators and the audience.
According to the League's official move database, the average charge time for a Grass-type Pokémon's Solar Beam is 4.9 seconds, and in adverse weather conditions depending on sunlight intensity, that time may extend, in some cases up to 8.3 seconds.
But this was a Rock-type Gigalith!
Even if it were exceptionally skilled at light-based attacks, it shouldn't be possible to release Solar Beam so fast, it had only been three to four seconds since Silas issued the command!
In Sandstorm weather, that time simply wasn't enough.
"And its power wasn't reduced either?! Why?!"
Kyle face darkened as he analyzed Feraligatr's condition. Being deeply familiar with his own Pokémon, he quickly noticed one key anomaly.
This result completely contradicted everything he'd learned about Pokémon combat.
"Boom!"
Before Kyle could even order Feraligatr to dive into the water, the second beam struck hitting the just-recovered Feraligatr directly in front of him.
Although the second beam's thickness had visibly diminished by more than half, it came less than a second after the first, giving absolutely no time to react.
The whirling wind and sand gradually subsided.
Even the veteran referee froze for a few moments before finally confirming Feraligatr's condition and raising the blue flag representing Silas.
"An unbelievable scene! Gigalith has unleashed an almost instantaneous Solar Beam and not just one, but two in a row completely knocking out Feraligatr!"
The commentator's voice trembled with disbelief.
Off-camera, he was desperately signaling to the technical crew beside him — "Give me the footage and data! How do I explain this? I don't understand what just happened!"
The staff, drenched in sweat, quickly switched between the arena's cameras, displaying every captured detail from the battle.
While offering routine congratulations over the mic, the commentator kept scanning the footage again and again — yet after several minutes, he still couldn't figure out how it worked.
"I'm getting old," he sighed inwardly. Back in his day, he too had been a strong Trainer; otherwise, he wouldn't have qualified to commentate League matches.
But even so, he couldn't comprehend what Silas's Gigalith had just done.
On the other side, in the post-match interview tunnel, Silas was answering the League News Team's questions with his usual composure.
"My opponent was very strong. I'm really happy with the result of this match. Both Blaziken and Gigalith performed wonderfully."
The reporter nodded and followed up:
"Many viewers — myself included are extremely curious about how your Gigalith executed Solar Beam in that final battle. Could you give us a brief explanation?"
That was the question on everyone's mind.
Silas smiled.
"That's actually just a matter of ability synergy — plus relentless training."
As she wished, he gave a simple answer.
The reporter fell silent.
"To be precise," Silas added, "it's the combined use of two Abilities."
"I see… then what are your goals or expectations for this tournament?" she quickly changed the subject.
"My goal? The higher, the better. My pursuit? Probably victory," Silas replied with a faint smile.
"Thank you, Silas. We wish you the best in the upcoming matches!"
Despite her heart pounding wildly from Silas's calm smile, the reporter ended the interview decisively.
So many words, yet none with any spark
she thought. He doesn't sound like a young Trainer at all… not even one headline-worthy quote.
Silas gave a polite nod to the reporter and cameraman, then turned and left.
What a strange interview, he thought. These reporters sure are unprofessional…
Asking questions like 'what do you think of this match' fine, that's standard. But asking how a move works? That's just asking for trouble. And "what's your goal in this tournament"? What am I supposed to say — "my goal is to lose early and go home"? Ridiculous.
Silas sighed inwardly as he walked away.
On his way back, the phone rang — it was the annoying Yezo again.
"How did you even pull off that Solar Beam?" came the voice from the other end.
"Didn't I already say? Ability synergy," Silas replied, rolling his eyes.
He wasn't lying. It really was just the result of Ability synergy.
Gigalith could pull off that incredible Solar Beam only thanks to the combination of its Sand Stream and Sand Force Abilities.
Sand Stream created the sandstorm and Sand Force controlled the sand.
If someone had been standing next to Gigalith just then, they could have easily noticed an invisible barrier extending from its body all the way up into the sky — like a hollow tube directly connecting the sunlight above to its body.
The swirling sand around it didn't affect it in the slightest.
Sunlight poured straight down onto Gigalith, as if the weather were perfectly clear, so its charging speed wasn't slowed at all.
The power of the move hadn't been reduced either — the same principle applied. It had simply redirected that "vertical channel" sideways, turning its target from the sun into Feraligatr.
Silas didn't explain it to Yezo in that much detail, but Yezo understood enough — his instincts as a Trainer were sharp.
"And what about the second shot?" Yezo asked, his curiosity piqued.
"That relies on Gigalith's physical structure," Silas replied. "It stores part of the light energy from the first blast inside the orange crystals on its body, and then releases it right after."
Silas said this casually — to him, it wasn't particularly difficult. Any Gigalith could technically do it.
"But its control is limited, so the second shot doesn't keep the same power, right?" Yezo recalled the battle and made his assessment.
"Yeah," Silas nodded, opening his room door. "Creating a horizontal 'channel' like that is extremely hard. Gigalith can only maintain it for a split second. If it weren't a beam-type move, it wouldn't even pass through."
"Interesting," Yezo murmured. "But that's too demanding — probably only you could make it work."
He didn't say it outright, but it was clear he thought it was more of a showpiece than a practical tactic.
Silas didn't disagree.
The combination of Sand Stream + Sand Force + the ability to store light energy in its orange crystals + knowledge of Solar Beam all these requirements meant that only an extremely small number of Gigalith could ever pull off a double Solar Beam under a sandstorm.
No other Pokémon could meet all those conditions at once.
Especially Sand Stream that ability was the true core of the entire process.
Without Sand Force, you could theoretically compensate with a Pokémon's natural affinity for manipulating sand for instance, Tyranitar's command over sandstorms.
Without the orange crystals, you'd just settle for firing a single shot.
But without Sand Stream, relying on a move like Sandstorm to generate the weather simply wouldn't work.
While Sandstorm and Sand Stream both create similar-looking conditions, the key difference is that only Sand Stream's sandstorm gives the Pokémon complete control over the storm like an extension of its will.
Of course, being able to use Solar Beam is also critical. The other two Pokémon with Sand Stream Tyranitar and Hippowdon — can't learn Solar Beam at all.
Beyond that, there's the matter of training difficulty. Silas knew perfectly well just how much effort Gigalith had put into mastering this technique.
Creating a perfectly clear path through a raging sandstorm isn't something that can be done easily.
"Alright then, I'd better go prepare for my match," Yezo said.
After a few more words, the two ended the call decisively.
Silas slumped down onto the sofa and idly scrolled through the Trainer forums.
By coincidence, the first thread he opened was a discussion analyzing Gigalith's Solar Beam technique.
"Plenty of smart people out there, huh," he murmured, reading posts that were surprisingly close to the truth.
In tournaments as public as this one, it never took long for new move combinations or special techniques to be exposed.
That's why so many Trainers tried to keep their full strength hidden until the knockout rounds.
Once people understood the underlying principle of a move, it often became easy to counter.
"Oh, there's another one who tried to replicate it and failed… gotta take notes on that," Silas chuckled, opening another thread.
He had to admit — the Trainers on these forums were quite something: witty, smart, and fun to read. He really enjoyed the atmosphere there.
"I've arrived at Indigo Plateau. Let's grab dinner tonight."
At that moment, a message from a friend popped up on Silas's wrist communicator.
...
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