"BOOM!!"
Don's huge fist slammed into Tyranitar, the terrifying force landing right on its arms.
This punch was way more powerful than the last one—a clear sign Don was starting to get serious.
Tyranitar gritted its teeth, using all its strength to block the strange punch.
But Don's fist was moving so fast that even Tyranitar's massive body was pushed back.
Its mountain-like body slid backward, feet dragging through the sand with a non-stop, grating noise. If this were the real world, the friction probably would have left two charred black trails on the ground.
After sliding back several meters, Tyranitar finally dug in its heels and stopped.
The raw power behind Don's punch was insane.
After all, he was fighting a Mega-Evolved Tyranitar that had reached SS- rank.
Even though Tyranitar's power was much greater than before, Don's punch still sent it flying.
Tyranitar glanced at its arms.
They were shining with a cold, metallic light, but there were no wounds, not even a dent.
That didn't surprise Tyranitar, but Don's expression grew serious.
'It took a direct hit like that with no damage and barely used any Aura...' Don thought, his eyes locked on Tyranitar.
He was using [Focus] to watch its energy, and he could see that its Aura had barely changed.
This was proof of just how strong it was.
Don's gaze shifted to Akira, who was standing behind Tyranitar.
'This kid is terrifying'.
'Even a random Aura Beast he summons is this tough. And this isn't even the first one.' He sighed, feeling older than ever.
'No... it's not that I'm old, this kid is just a monster. A creature like this would probably be a top-tier threat even in the Dark Continent.'
While Don was thinking, Tyranitar took a deep breath.
Its crimson eyes grew sharper, the spikes on its back stood up straight, and its savage aura surged.
Flashes of pure white light flickered around its body.
Normal-type skill — Focus Energy!
This move puts it in a focused state, making its attacks more likely to hit weak spots.
Tyranitar's powerful presence became even more intimidating.
Then, it started stomping its feet in a rhythm, each heavy step like a hammer hitting your heart.
Waves of blueish Aura washed over its body again and again.
Dragon-type skill — Dragon Dance.
After doing this a few times, Tyranitar's power felt like a volcano about to erupt.
The sudden energy spike immediately got Don's attention.
'Its power is skyrocketing', he realized.
'It must be using an ability to buff itself.'
He'd seen creatures in the Dark Continent do this before.
It was a reminder to never let your guard down until the enemy is truly finished.
Don grinned.
"Did you really think I'd let you power up undisturbed?" he murmured.
The moment he spoke, he tapped the ground and shot forward like an arrow, his movements so fast and light he was like a ghost.
He appeared right next to Tyranitar without making a sound.
His giant right fist, now covered in a sinister black mist, swung out to interrupt Tyranitar's "dance."
At the same time, his withered left hand, hidden in his sleeve, casually dropped a few peanut-sized pellets into the sand—a hidden trap waiting to be sprung.
But Tyranitar wasn't bothered by the punch.
Its crimson eyes were full of dominance.
"ROAR!!!"
It stomped the ground and let out a deafening, high-pitched roar.
Normal-type move—Screech!
This move sharply lowers the target's defense.
Hearing the sound, Don quickly blocked his ears.
He could control his senses, but Tyranitar's screech still threw him off for a second.
Anticipating this, Tyranitar spun around the moment Don appeared. Its tail, thicker than a steel whip, lashed out at Don's frail-looking body.
The tail glowed with both a silvery metallic light and a blue Aura. It was using two attacks at once!
Steel-type move—Iron Tail!
Dragon-type move—Dragon Tail!
Don's eyes narrowed, looking clearly surprised.
He hadn't expected the steel beast to be so nimble. Its movements were much faster than before.
He glanced at the blue glow around Tyranitar and remembered its stomping dance.
'It just boosted its speed,' Don realized.
He knew he couldn't dodge in time.
'Then I'll just have to take it head-on!'
The black-and-white Aura around him surged, forming a massive [Ken] shield to block the attack.
'I can block this', he thought, confident in his power.
He was wrong.
"BOOM!!"
The tail hit him with full force.
In that instant, Don felt a part of his Aura shield just disappear.
Before he could figure out why, he was sent flying.
The moment the tail connected, his face twisted in disbelief.
He felt a terrifying repulsive force, as if he and the tail were two giant magnets pushing each other away.
It felt like one of the unavoidable [Rules] he had seen in the Dark Continent.
The raw power of the tail was only part of it.
The main reason he was thrown so far was because of Dragon Tail's special effect: in this world, it simply sends the enemy flying far away.
Watching Don get blasted across the field, the spectators knew what it meant.
"Looks like the old man is at a disadvantage against Akira's Beast," Beyond said seriously.
"As expected, we can't even fully understand what's happening at their level."
They could barely track the fighters' movements; often, one exchange would be over before they even processed it.
Ging shrugged. "Well, we expected that. Those two are without a doubt the top two fighters in the world. There's no third place—they're in a league of their own." He spoke calmly, but his eyes shined with determination.
He knew Akira was an inhuman monster, but his goal was to one day reach the level of his ancestor, Don.
On the battlefield, Don was still flying through the air when Tyranitar vanished from its spot.
An instant later, it appeared right in front of him, its new speed making it seem like it could teleport.
Tyranitar wore a furious expression.
Its body was covered in yellow sand as a dark crimson light gathered around it, forming a terrifying demonic face in the air.
Normal-type move—Ghastly Visage!
The giant, ghostly face floated in the air, causing everyone who saw it to hold their breath.
This was the move's effect: it fills anyone who sees it with fear, drastically slowing them down.
For the spectators, it was one of the only clear things they'd seen in the whole fight.