Tyranitar's face twisted into a savage expression. Its massive claw crackled with golden electricity as it charged directly toward Aqua Tail.
"So, it really does know Thunder Punch, huh?"
Blue's face showed no surprise at all when he saw this. After all, if Tyranitar had already learned Ice Punch, then picking up Fire Punch and Thunder Punch was hardly out of the question.
Boom!
Aqua Tail collided heavily with Thunder Punch in a head-on clash of raw power!
But very quickly, the electric current from Thunder Punch snaked along the Aqua Tail and climbed up Gyarados's body.
Sparks flashed violently. Gyarados's face twisted with pain—it was no wonder, since as a Water/Flying-type Pokémon, it was quadruple weak to Electric-type moves, making it extremely sensitive to electricity.
"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" Blue commanded in a low voice.
Gyarados gritted its teeth against the searing pain and opened its mouth wide. A massive column of water blasted out and struck Tyranitar directly in the face.
Tyranitar let out a muffled grunt as the force of the Hydro Pump pushed it back two full steps. Even though Gyarados wasn't known for its Special Attack, Hydro Pump was still a powerful move and did some real damage.
"Body Slam!"
Seeing that Hydro Pump had landed successfully, Blue didn't hesitate and ordered Gyarados to follow up.
Gyarados's massive body glowed white as it lunged at Tyranitar, trying to use its overwhelming size to crush it.
"Don't get cocky now, Tyranitar."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. Did Blue really think his Tyranitar didn't have a countermeasure?
Tyranitar let out a furious roar, golden electricity once again sparking around its claw as it swung at Gyarados.
Thunder Punch landed squarely in Gyarados's abdomen. The sheer force of the blow, combined with the paralyzing electric current, caused Gyarados to once again wear a mask of agony.
But Gyarados didn't retreat. Its long body coiled tightly around Tyranitar, forcibly restraining it.
Its sharp teeth glowed with a freezing aura as it lunged forward, biting down hard on Tyranitar's shoulder.
Ice Fang!
Judging by how smoothly it executed the move, it was obvious Gyarados had used this binding combo many times before.
Ice Fang successfully connected, and a layer of frost instantly coated Tyranitar's shoulder.
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands—
"That Gyarados has impressive endurance. It must've undergone quite a special training, huh?"
Seeing Gyarados biting down on Tyranitar, Will looked genuinely surprised.
Technically speaking, Tyranitar had already landed two Thunder Punches, both of which had hit—even if they were during move clashes.
But considering Gyarados's quadruple Electric weakness, it should be having a really hard time right now.
Yet somehow, Gyarados was still moving fast and executing the next steps cleanly. Clearly, it had been trained to resist Electric-type moves.
"That's got to be the case. But still…"
Karen nodded, but her eyes flickered as she looked toward Lucas, whose face remained as calm and composed as ever.
Though everything looked intense on the surface, Karen couldn't shake a strange feeling.
Was it really that easy to let Gyarados get in close like this?
"Blue is still too young."
Giovanni chuckled, shaking his head.
Karen and the others turned to him in surprise. What did he mean?
"Tyranitar's already learned Hydro Pump—even though it's weak to Water. Do you really think Lucas wouldn't have it learn other powerful special moves too?"
Giovanni smiled faintly. That was exactly why he said Blue was still too inexperienced.
This Gyarados was indeed strong and well-trained, but Blue was too impulsive—too eager to seize an advantage.
Hearing this, Marnie and the others immediately understood what Giovanni meant.
Back on the field...
"Something's not right."
Blue frowned as he watched Tyranitar struggling under Gyarados's grip.
Everything was going too smoothly—so smooth it felt suspicious.
Tyranitar's prowess in close combat had already been displayed clearly in its battle against Mega Aggron.
But in this match, it felt staged—as if Tyranitar had deliberately allowed Gyarados to get close and wrap around it!
"No! Gyarados, Earthquake!" Blue's expression shifted. He'd figured it out.
"Too late now. Tyranitar, use Thunder."
Lucas let out a soft chuckle, calmly giving the command.
Think you can retreat now? Not so fast.
Damn it!
Blue's face tightened. As expected, this Tyranitar had also learned Electric-type special attacks.
What the hell is this?! A Tyranitar learning so many moves from other types? That's just dirty!
Gyarados roared, trying to hoist Tyranitar and slam the ground for Earthquake—but just then, a blinding surge of golden lightning exploded from Tyranitar's body.
Thunder!
At almost point-blank range, there was no way Gyarados could dodge.
Its face twisted in agony as the terrifying current surged through its entire body, turning the enormous serpent golden under the electric light.
Zzzzzzt!
The buzzing electricity was nearly deafening. Even with Blue's special training to boost Gyarados's resistance to Electric moves, this kind of close-range Thunder was too much.
There was simply no way to fight back under these conditions.
Eventually, the Thunder attack slowly subsided.
Gyarados weakly uncoiled from around Tyranitar and collapsed onto the battlefield, breathing heavily.
"Still conscious? Impressive stamina. Very well-trained," Lucas commented, stroking his chin as he looked at the battered but not-yet-knocked-out Gyarados.
He had to admit—it was one seriously tanky Gyarados.
Blue's face darkened a few shades. That comment really stung.
"Tyranitar, Thunder Punch."
Seeing Blue remain silent, Lucas shrugged and gave his final order.
Tyranitar delivered one last Thunder Punch, and Gyarados finally went completely limp.
"Gyarados is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins."
Referee Matori carefully inspected Gyarados and then calmly made the official announcement.
"And now we're down to the final round. Blue, you'd better step it up. Otherwise, this is getting a little boring."
Lucas smiled slowly, his hands casually in his pockets.
He'd already won two rounds. Their format today was a standard 3 vs 3.
"Talk big while you still can. You're really something else, you know that?"
Blue's face darkened even further. Damn it, wasn't that the kind of thing he usually said to others?
Since his rise to power, this was the first time he'd been pushed into such a disadvantage.
But who could've predicted it? A Tyranitar winning with Hydro Pump and Thunder?
"Oh? You're finally getting fired up, Blue? Then bring it on—I'm waiting."
Lucas's grin widened as he gestured for Blue to send out his final Pokémon.
If he was going to teach Blue a lesson, he'd make sure it was one to remember.
A clean 3-0—that was his real goal today.
Right now, Blue was just a mid-tier Champion. To Lucas, that wasn't much of a threat.
Even if Blue eventually became a top Champion, Lucas was confident he could still crush him.
A monster? He was the strongest monster himself! And he specialized in hunting other monsters.
"Blastoise, I'm counting on you!"
Blue took a deep, nearly imperceptible breath, his gaze sharpening as he threw out his final Poké Ball.
A flash of white light, and a muscular, cannon-wielding blue turtle landed in front of him.
This was Blue's starter Pokémon—Blastoise!
"Ready yourself. I'm done playing around."
Blue locked eyes with Lucas and spoke in a low, serious tone. He'd already lost twice—this round was do-or-die.
He was none other than Professor Blue Oak! Getting swept 3-0? Unthinkable!
If Red found out, how could he ever live it down?
"Come at me with everything you've got."
Lucas smiled calmly at Blue, signaling he could make the first move.
At the same time, he took a good long look at Blastoise. It was a very impressive specimen.
Its deep blue body, massive shell, and dual cannons on its back gave it an imposing presence.
Among all regional starters, most had huge potential—and Blastoise was no exception, especially in Blue's hands.
It could even Mega Evolve or Dynamax, though Dynamax was currently exclusive to the Galar region.
After all, Dynamaxing required Energy Spots, which only existed in Galar. It couldn't be done elsewhere.
As for Mega Evolution, it hadn't even been discovered yet, let alone popularized.
"A pure Water-type like Blastoise does have an advantage over Tyranitar."
At the edge of the battlefield, Marnie studied Blue's Blastoise.
Unlike the usual stoic Blastoise, this one looked unusually fierce—like something you really didn't want to mess with.
"But in battles of this level, simple type advantage doesn't mean much anymore."
Will shook his head. He wasn't placing much faith in Blastoise's type matchup.
For true experts, while type interactions were still a factor, they weren't everything—unless the opponent was completely walled by the typing.
More often, it came down to the Pokémon's build, training, and suitability for the opponent.
"Tyranitar's taken some damage from the previous two battles. It's not in perfect condition. Let's see how Lucas makes use of it."
Will added thoughtfully. Tyranitar had indeed taken a fair number of hits while defeating both Rhyperior and Gyarados.
Sure, Lucas's Tyranitar had excellent defense and stamina—but it wasn't unscathed.
And since Blastoise was clearly Blue's ace, it was bound to be powerful. This was going to be a real test.
Back on the field—
"Tyranitar, stir up the sandstorm."
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly and gave the first command.
Verbally mocking the opponent while mentally respecting them—that was his style. Though truth be told, most of the time, he looked down on both fronts.
But this was Blue—so he made an exception.
"TYRAN!"
Tyranitar roared as its Sand Stream Ability activated once more!
A fierce sandstorm swept across the battlefield. Harsh winds blew relentlessly, and thick clouds of sand filled the air.
Sandstorm!
In this environment, Tyranitar's Special Defense would be boosted, and the sandstorm would also hinder Blastoise—lowering both its visibility and sensory perception.
(End of Chapter)