[Pokémon]: Dugtrio
[Type]: Ground
[Rank]: Mid-tier Commander level
[Potential]: Gym leader potential
"This time it's mid-tier Commander level…" Yozora glanced over Dugtrio's attribute panel.
"Dugtrio, use Dig!"
At Elder Chang'an's command, Dugtrio immediately burrowed into the battlefield, carving out holes with incredible speed.
In just a second or two, more than ten pits had already appeared across the surface.
And that was only what could be seen.
Deep underground, Dugtrio had already dug out more than a dozen connected tunnels.
At present, Yozora's Graveler had indeed learned Dig, but its digging speed was nothing remarkable.
The same move—but compared with Dugtrio, Graveler was like a man using a shovel, while Dugtrio was driving a full-scale excavator.
They weren't even in the same league.
After all, Diglett and Dugtrio lived by digging. Burrowing was their innate gift. For other Pokémon to surpass them at it was practically impossible.
"Bang!"
Suddenly Dugtrio burst from underground, its three heads slamming hard into Graveler.
Graveler grimaced in pain, letting out a cry as it was knocked backward.
The level gap was too wide!
Graveler's Water Absorb and Sap Sipper abilities gave it some resistance against Water- or Grass-type moves, but against other types, that difference in strength was impossible to withstand.
"Come back, Graveler." Facing Dugtrio, Graveler couldn't mount a proper counterattack, so Yozora wisely recalled it.
—According to Chang'an Gym's rules, the challenger could freely switch Pokémon.
"A rational decision."
Elder Chang'an wasn't surprised. In fact, he even nodded with approval before asking, "Then, young man, your second Pokémon is…?"
Yozora fell silent in thought.
He had to admit—this Dugtrio was a very troublesome opponent.
Especially Dugtrio. Its digging speed was so fast that hitting it was nearly impossible.
That made it extremely strong at controlling the field.
On top of that, Dugtrio's attack power was formidable. With every burrow, it could suddenly take down its opponent before they even realized it.
No wonder Elder Chang'an had preserved it in an Ultra Ball. That Dugtrio was truly no ordinary Pokémon.
"Your turn. Go, Machoke!" After some thought, Yozora sent out his second Pokémon.
Of course—
Graveler wasn't defeated yet and still had plenty of stamina. If necessary, Yozora could send it back in at any time.
"Hoohhh!"
Machoke roared upon entering the field, its voice like a tiger's roar echoing across the arena.
Machop looked like a child—muscular, but only about one meter tall.
After evolving, Machoke possessed the physique of a grown man: about 1.5 meters tall, muscles bulging with power.
Humans might be taller, but their strength couldn't compare. It was said Machoke could topple a hundred adult men with ease.
Yozora's Machoke had developed exceptionally well. It stood at 1.6 meters, with even more powerful muscles.
Its entire body shone with a hardened gleam, giving off the feeling of an unstoppable beast descending the mountain.
"What a mighty Machoke!" Elder Chang'an couldn't help but exclaim as he looked upon Yozora's Pokémon.
At over sixty years old, Elder Chang'an was powerful and discerning, with eyes sharpened by decades of experience.
But the moment he saw Yozora's Machoke, he knew this one was extraordinary. Those gleaming muscles, that indomitable aura—it was simply breathtaking.
"A Machoke like this, beyond its talent and potential, must also have gone through relentless—nearly insane—training… To think this boy, still so young, has already trained a Machoke to this level. Unbelievable!"
With that thought, Elder Chang'an gave Yozora a deep look, admiration shining in his eyes.
He was nearly certain: Yozora was more outstanding than any disciple he had ever trained—far more outstanding.
"This boy has only five badges… He must have poured all his time and energy into training Pokémon instead. Good. Very good. With real strength, badges are just things you can collect at will." Elder Chang'an nodded repeatedly, growing more and more pleased with Yozora.
If he could take such a talent as his disciple, in just three to five years, wouldn't Chang'an Gym soar to fame across the region?
"Still, geniuses like this tend to be stubborn. If I don't show some real strength, I won't be able to subdue him…" Elder Chang'an thought to himself.
He truly wanted to take Yozora as his disciple.
But he had no idea—Yozora already had a master. And that master's strength, prestige, and status were far above his own.
"For now, I'll defeat his Machoke first!"
His eyes flashed, and he quickly commanded: "Dugtrio, Dig and attack!"
On the battlefield—
Dugtrio turned away from Elder Chang'an and dove underground with a sharp whoosh.
Yet Elder Chang'an didn't notice that, before it burrowed down, Dugtrio's three pairs of eyes had turned blood-red…
"Block it—use Bulk Up!" Yozora immediately ordered.
Machoke crossed its arms, muscles swelling.
In that instant, Bulk Up's effect activated, raising both its attack and defense by thirty percent.
"Block it? How will you block it? Do you think my Dugtrio will only attack from the front?"
Elder Chang'an chuckled. "Young man, you're still too inexperienced. My Dugtrio could just as easily attack from the rear—"
But before he finished speaking—bang! Dugtrio shot up from directly in front, ramming hard into Machoke's stomach.
Machoke braced itself and endured. Though it took damage, it wasn't seriously hurt.
"…!" Elder Chang'an's face froze, his smile vanishing mid-sentence.
"Why would Dugtrio attack from the front? There's no reason at all!" disciples around the field muttered in confusion.
Yozora only smiled calmly. "Finish it, Machoke—use Ice Punch."
Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch.
Machoke had long since mastered this trio of elemental strikes, giving it broad coverage.
And among them, Ice Punch was especially effective against Ground-types. Super effective.
"Boom…"
Chilling energy gathered around Machoke's fist. Its knuckles glowed as it drove a freezing punch squarely into Dugtrio.
All three of Dugtrio's pairs of eyes gleamed blood-red. It didn't dodge at all, taking the blow head-on before collapsing to the ground.
"Dugtrio is unable to battle! Machoke wins!" the referee declared.
"What's wrong with Dugtrio? With its speed, there's no way it shouldn't have dodged!"
"Exactly! Did it eat something bad today? It just cost Master another loss!"
The disciples fumed in confusion.
Even the few female disciples who had been quietly rooting for Yozora looked completely baffled. None of them could understand why Dugtrio, of all things, had seemingly held back for no reason at all.
(End of Chapter)