"Caster, your Gyarados may have dodged Nidoking's attack by using Bounce, buying itself some temporary reprieve, but it's also put itself in a dangerous position.
The cost outweighs the benefit," Gary pointed at the Gyarados twisting its body as it slowly descended through the air and called out, "Nidoking, use Rock Tomb!"
"Nido~"
After gathering its strength briefly, Rock-type energy surged wildly from within Nidoking's body, condensing into over a dozen head-sized rock projectiles around it.
They transformed into a barrage of stones that blanketed Gyarados, leaving it with nowhere to hide.
Caster furrowed his brow slightly.
"Rock-type moves pack this much punch too?"
This Rock Tomb from Nidoking would probably outperform even a Graveler using the same move.
The key issue was the wide coverage area, and with Gyarados's massive body, there was simply no way to avoid it.
"Gyarados, charge forward and use Waterfall with everything you've got!"
Caster steeled himself and finally decided to go all in.
"Roooar~"
With a furious roar, Water-type energy began condensing frantically around Gyarados, rapidly forming a large mass of water that enveloped its entire body, making it look like a ferocious dragon emerging from the depths.
At the same time, Gyarados erupted with an astonishing aura, charging toward the incoming rock projectiles with the determination of someone facing certain death.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boosted by the rainy weather, Gyarados's Waterfall skill received a significant power increase, and the incoming rock projectiles were all knocked away by Gyarados.
Immediately after, Gyarados charged relentlessly toward the culprit, Nidoking.
A normal Nidoking stands only about 4'7" tall, but Gary's Nidoking had been raised exceptionally well, standing close to 5'11" with an imposing presence.
However, compared to Gyarados, Nidoking's size was inadequate, making it look like a small child.
Most critically, Nidoking has the Ground type, meaning Water-type moves would deal double damage.
If Gyarados's Waterfall landed squarely, Nidoking's defeat would be certain.
Watching the serpentine Gyarados charging at them, both Gary and Nidoking remained unusually calm, though their eyes held some excitement.
It wasn't until Gyarados drew close that Gary finally moved, shouting, "Counter with Thunder Punch!"
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, Caster straight-up cursed, thinking to himself.
"Sure enough, when battling such a powerful trainer like Gary, you absolutely cannot rely on wishful thinking."
But things had reached this point; the arrow was on the string. Even if Caster wanted to back down, it was too late.
Because Gary had let Gyarados get close before attacking precisely so he wouldn't have a chance to retreat.
Zzzzt!
Nidoking clenched its massive fist tight, and sparks of lightning began crackling across it.
Meanwhile, Gyarados roared as it gathered all its strength, charging forward recklessly.
Both Caster and Gary wore serious expressions. Success or failure hinged on this moment.
Both sides collided like sparks hitting the planet; neither dared to give an inch.
"Pichu~"
At the same time, the Pokémon "Pichu" that was gorging itself in Gary's luxury car also widened its eyes toward the battlefield, its diamond-shaped ears twitching slightly.
Who would win?
But just then, something unexpected happened.
Bzzt bzzt!
The electric sacs on Pichu's pink cheeks suddenly sparked erratically, seeming somewhat out of control.
Immediately after, the Electric-type energy on Nidoking's fist in the distance seemed to be drawn by some force, suddenly transforming into a thick electrical current that flew toward Pichu.
"Pi?"
Pichu felt completely numb.
I'm just sitting here eating snacks and watching the show. How did lightning suddenly come at me?
Pichu wanted to flee but simply couldn't escape!
Boom!
The massive current struck Pichu, who immediately began smoking all over, its fur charred black as it collapsed to the ground.
Because it was so small, its electric sacs couldn't handle so much current.
The overflowing Electric-type energy even scorched Gary's luxury car, nearly making it fall apart.
...
On the battlefield, Nidoking was also dumbfounded.
Where's my lightning?
Where's my huge lightning bolt?
Thunder Punch without the thunder was just... punch!
But with just a fist, how could Nidoking possibly beat the ferocious dragon across from it?
A basic attack against an ultimate move?
This is completely unwinnable!
Sure enough, Nidoking, its face showing panic, was tackled in the next second by the massive Gyarados and dragged across the ground for dozens of meters.
Its fist, without the Electric-type energy enhancement, hitting Gyarados was like tickling it; it couldn't even break through the scales.
The more Nidoking struggled, the more excited Gyarados felt.
It loved this feeling!
A massive amount of water engulfed Nidoking, causing it to struggle continuously and cry out in pain.
It felt like it couldn't breathe!
Before long, Nidoking stopped struggling, its eyes spinning in circles as it lost its ability to battle.
"Nidoking!"
Gary's face filled with anxiety as he immediately ran over to check on Nidoking's condition.
"This..."
Caster also felt somewhat dazed.
What was originally an evenly matched duel, where it was hard to predict who would win, had now resulted in Gyarados's overwhelming victory.
He had won!
Thinking this, Caster couldn't help but look toward Gary's luxury car, wondering, "What on earth just happened?"
Because Pichu was so small, and the incident had occurred so suddenly, Caster hadn't clearly seen what had happened.
"Pi~ Pichu~"
Just then, the completely charred Pichu crawled out shakily from under the car, spitting out a mouthful of black smoke.
Electric sparks continued crackling across its electric sacs, making "crackle-pop" sounds.
"Pichu!"
Caster immediately understood. "So this Pichu has the Lightning Rod ability?"
Lightning Rod: Draws Electric-type moves to itself. Takes no damage and instead raises Special Attack.
The Electric-type energy contained in Nidoking's Thunder Punch had no autonomy when encountering Lightning Rod and was directly drawn away.
It's just that this Pichu looked quite young, its electric sacs hadn't fully developed yet, and its electricity storage capacity was very limited, which caused the current to overflow and char itself.
If it had been a Pikachu instead, it would have found the current delicious.
Not only would it not be injured, but it would actually raise its Special Attack.
"You bastard! Not only did you ruin this battle and cause Nidoking's defeat, but you also wrecked my car!"
After confirming Nidoking wasn't seriously hurt and recalling it.
Gary saw Pichu and immediately understood the cause and effect, but his eyes were full of fury as he said through gritted teeth.
"I won't let you get away with this!"
Gary was genuinely angry this time!
"Pi~"
Knowing it had caused big trouble, Pichu first gave an awkward smile, then immediately took off running, diving into the nearby bushes and disappearing from sight.
"I won't let you escape!"
Gary angrily pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it.
"Growlithe, help me catch up to that Pichu from just now."
This was a small canine Pokémon with an orange-yellow base color, cream-colored on its muzzle, underside, and tail, with black stripes on its back and limbs, and cream-colored mane on its head and neck.
It was the Fire-type Pokémon, Growlithe!
"Woof woof!"
Growlithe barked a few times and immediately ran to where Pichu had disappeared, sniffing lightly with its nose.
Before long, Growlithe had locked onto Pichu's scent.
Immediately after, it took the lead and dove into the bushes.
"Well done, Growlithe!"
Gary praised it and quickly followed.
Thinking about Pichu's Lightning Rod ability, Caster's eyes lit up with interest.
Rain team Pokémon mostly have the Water type, and one of Water-type's weaknesses is Electric-type.
But if you put a Pokémon with the Lightning Rod ability into a rain team, you could eliminate the Electric-type weakness.
Besides that, Thunder has a guaranteed hit effect in the rain, making it a powerful trump card.
"Let's follow them!"
With that thought, Caster quickly followed as well.
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones