Chapter 34: Tamed! Gyarados!
Its attack having missed, Gyarados grew even more furious. With another enraged roar, it charged Beedrill again. This time, its gaping maw opened, and an icy chill began to gather around its razor-sharp teeth!
Ice Fang!
Facing the oncoming attack, Beedrill showed no fear. It calmly continued its intricate dance-like movements.
Gyarados, boasting a base stat total of 720, was terrifyingly fast. Before Beedrill could complete its combo, Gyarados was already upon it, its frost-coated fangs snapping shut.
Kenji's fists clenched, his eyes glued to the battle. If Beedrill couldn't handle it, he was ready to recall Gyarados instantly. Beedrill hadn't been practicing the Thunder Dance for long, and he wasn't sure if it could successfully execute the complex move under the intense pressure of Gyarados's dual aura abilities.
But on the battlefield, facing the massive, icy jaws, Beedrill's brilliant ruby eyes showed not a flicker of panic. It tilted its body slightly, angling away from the bite.
CHOMP!
Gyarados bit down hard, but only closed its jaws on empty air.
As Beedrill evaded, its movements never stopped.
Watching from the sidelines, Kenji's eyes lit up. As a trainer, he had memorized every step of Swords Dance. He knew Beedrill was on the final movement.
As it completed the last step, Beedrill's aura exploded outwards. Its eyes sharpened, and its entire body radiated pure offensive power.
Its repeated misses only enraged Gyarados further. It opened its mouth, and draconic energy rapidly coalesced into a glowing orb. Kenji narrowed his eyes; having memorized Gyarados's potential move pool, he recognized this as Dragon Rage.
"Beedrill! Dodge while attacking! Use Fury Cutter repeatedly!"
Boosted by both Agility and Swords Dance, the scales of victory had tipped decisively in Beedrill's favor. Gyarados possessed immense power, but trapped in its mindless rage, it lacked any semblance of strategy or even basic reason. It was just lashing out wildly, relying purely on instinct—essentially, suffering from a self-inflicted confusion status.
Gyarados unleashed the Dragon Rage. The orb of energy shot forward, morphing into the shape of a dragon's head as it flew toward Beedrill.
But the instant Gyarados fired, Beedrill vanished. Empowered by both Quick Attack and Agility, its speed was now far beyond what Gyarados could track. It effortlessly dodged the Dragon Rage, reappeared at Gyarados's side, and brought its energized stingers down.
"ROOOOAR!"
Gyarados bellowed in agony. Boosted by Huge Power and Swords Dance, even the normally weak Fury Cutter dealt staggering damage. The intense pain spurred Gyarados to retaliate instinctively, snapping at Beedrill with Crunch.
Beedrill simply blurred out of the way again, landing another, even stronger Fury Cutter on Gyarados's back.
The battle devolved into a one-sided beatdown. Beedrill danced around Gyarados's clumsy attacks, landing precise counterblows. Kenji eventually ordered Beedrill to stop using Fury Cutter; fully stacked to its maximum 160 base power, it was simply too dangerous. Beedrill switched back to its most practiced move, Twineedle, relentlessly jabbing its lances into Gyarados's massive body.
The training hall echoed with Gyarados's furious, pained roars.
But Kenji showed no mercy. Breaking this stubborn Pokémon's will would take time.
Meanwhile, Melody had returned, holding Charmander, and walked up to Kenji.
"Sorry about that," Kenji said, feeling guilty. "Did your Charmander get scared?" Although he had assured them Beedrill would protect it, the sheer ferocity of Gyarados's evolution must have been terrifying.
Melody just smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. Charmander isn't that easily frightened, right?" She scratched her Pokémon's head.
"Char..." Charmander mumbled, nodding reluctantly, though its eyes still held a trace of fear as it looked at the rampaging Gyarados.
Kenji hadn't anticipated just how potent the combined effect of Intimidate and Pressure would be. The fact that its aura alone had nearly paralyzed Charmander with fear was frightening.
Melody, however, watched the Gyarados with a mix of awe and admiration. Having grown up around Flying-types, she had a natural affinity for them. And Gyarados, technically, was a Flying-type, even if it couldn't fly long distances. (In the games, it could learn Bounce but not Fly). Kenji noticed the fondness in her eyes but said nothing.
Minutes dragged on. Gyarados was accumulating more and more injuries, its powerful aura beginning to wane, though the fire in its eyes burned as fiercely as ever.
Kenji remained impassive, coldly watching the enraged Pokémon, listening to its roars.
After more than ten minutes...
CRASH!
Gyarados finally collapsed, its body hitting the ground heavily.
"Have you had enough?" Kenji asked coldly.
Gyarados glared at him, glared at Beedrill, and slowly, painfully, began to push itself back up.
Before it could fully rise, Kenji gave Beedrill a subtle nod. Beedrill shot forward, its twin needles mercilessly striking Gyarados again.
"ROAR!"
With another pained cry, Gyarados collapsed once more.
This brutal cycle repeated itself more than a dozen times. Slowly, agonizingly, the clarity began to return to Gyarados's eyes.
"Have you had enough?" Kenji repeated, his expression still unreadable. "If not, that's fine. I'll heal you up, and we'll keep going until you submit."
This time, Gyarados didn't glare back with hatred. It let out a low, guttural growl.
Hearing that sound, Kenji's eyes lit up. He recognized it. It was the sound of submission.
He slowly extended his hand toward Gyarados.
Understanding his gesture, Gyarados painfully lifted its massive head and gently nudged Kenji's palm with its three-pronged crest.