"Wait—what is that?!"
Gary had figured this would turn into a straight, blow-for-blow slugfest.
Halfway through, Hitmontop suddenly hooked its path midair?!
Dodrio's diving strike whiffed, and the Hitmontop that had slid to its flank planted a precise punch—forcing Dodrio into a hard fall!
BOOM!!!
Dust fountained up. Hitmontop banked downward, speed surging!
Rapid Spin!
With Technician backing it, Rapid Spin's power spiked. The slicing wind shook the air; a heavy, muffled blast rolled out!
"Dodrio—Uproar!"
Gary could only trade back and hope a sound-based move would throw the opponent off—anything to crack a sliver of daylight.
"Dro—dro!"
Dodrio's beaks gaped, its three heads canted and bobbing as buzzing noise spilled out. Energy notes rattled from the clamor, racing up to smother the spinning Hitmontop!
But the spiraling airflow wreathing Hitmontop shredded the incoming notes to dust and scattered them to the air.
For a heartbeat, Hitmontop's spin seemed almost… motionless.
It looked harmless—but only Dodrio knew how terrifying it was.
"Dro—dro!"
As Hitmontop closed in, Dodrio's inner alarm screamed. It howled even louder.
Didn't help much.
Hitmontop mulched the Uproar again; this time, the powdered notes drifted down on the gusts—almost pretty to watch.
The moment the clash ended, Hitmontop was already in Dodrio's face.
pa-pa-pa!
In the high-speed spin, both legs—and that tail—lashed across Dodrio's three faces. Not a single head was spared. All three reeled, dizzy.
By the time Hitmontop spun down, Dodrio was out cold, flopped on the floor with its necks drooping.
"Dodrio is unable to battle. Challenger, please send out your next Pokémon."
Bumiao lifted the flag. Round one was over.
Hitmontop touched down and broke into a dance.
[No wonder the "Saffron Gyro"—once it starts spinning, nothing can touch it. Looks like only Ghost-types have a shot?]
[Anybody else get déjà-vu? When that Hitmontop dances, a certain cursed little tune plays in my head.]
[What tune?]
["Momma Dino forgot the words~" (misheard lyrics)]
[lmao (the Grass kind)]
"A bit of progress—but you're still short on what you need to handle Hitmontop. Play to your strengths. If you hadn't made Dodrio jump just then, you might've actually landed a hit."
Grey broke it down for Gary.
"Dodrio's jump is strong, sure—but Hitmontop's faster. In the air, Dodrio's a clay pigeon. Against something that agile, your 'advantage' becomes a flaw."
"I see… I got tunnel vision. I should've gone straight for Pluck."
Hard to see from inside—easy from the outside.
With that explanation, it clicked for Gary.
Of Grey's Three Generals, Hitmontop is the one that can reliably tag airborne targets.
He'd meant to jump clear and then counter. He hadn't expected Hitmontop's air game to hit that hard too.
So…
How do you deal with Hitmontop?
Gym Leader Grey said to play to your strengths.
Did he have a matchup he could lean on?
Alakazam?
No. Too fast on the other side—Alakazam would just eat shots…
Arcanine?
Also no. Extreme Speed is quick, but with Hitmontop's speed up, it still looks bad…
Gary pressed his fingers to his brow, thinking.
Grey stood like a pine and waited.
He'd given all the advice he could.
He couldn't say, "Use xxx Pokémon on me," right? That'd get him reported.
"In the end, we test it head-on…"
Among the partners he'd brought today, Gary did have one decent pick into Hitmontop as it was now.
He kissed the ball, then whipped it hard into the arena!
A deep-violet, savage brute crashed out, roaring at the opponent.
An old friend.
Nidoking!
Poison/Ground—the original monster of Gen 1!
In Gary's "whale mode," most of Nidoking's moveset had been TM-taught.
Against Hitmontop, it might just do the trick.
"Oh? Going to win by brute force?"
Grey skimmed the sheet at a glance. This one was being raised with intent. He sobered a touch.
Figures—money talks. This thing knows everything.
"Nido!"
Steam jetted from Nidoking's nostrils. It looked down on Hitmontop with open disdain.
Same height or not, the contempt came from the bones.
"Kopo!"
Hitmontop barked right back. Its steps still danced the same, but with a notch more fight in them.
"Nidoking—Ice Beam!"
Gary's Nidoking had gone deep into elemental coverage. Paired with Sheer Force, it hit harder than the usual.
"Nido!"
Arms crossed, maw wide, a freezing aurora coiled out and whipped forward in a twisting beam!
As it fired, the scale swelled by a third—the floor flash-froze along its path, laying down a sleek, mirror-bright sheet of ice!
Easily stronger than Daisy's Cloyster's version.
"Rapid Spin."
Grey's choice was deliberate.
Hitmontop planted a hand, inverted, set the pivot on the point of its head—and spun like mad.
Afterimages peeled off and then snapped tight toward stillness.
Dust plumed up as Hitmontop launched, skimming past the brushing edge of Ice Beam without slowing!
Shhhk!
A brand-new ice lane traced itself across the floor—and turned into Hitmontop's speedway!
Its speed climbed visibly; the move's bite even ticked up.
To everyone watching, Hitmontop skimmed sideways at absurd speed toward Nidoking—so weird your eyes didn't want to follow.
"Faster and faster…"
Gary swallowed, flashing back to that time Tyrogue "bullied" Roxanne's team.
Both used Rapid Spin—and right now the images doubled up in his mind.
This would be a slog.
With that thought, he growled, "Nidoking—Thunderbolt around yourself!"
Bzzzt…
Brilliant current arced from Nidoking's horn. Thick pulses hammered the floor in layers, again and again.
Hitmontop saw it as it flew in—and didn't bleed an ounce of speed. It reached down to the heavy Ice-type energy underfoot, trying to turn the opponent's power against them.
Catching Hitmontop's aim, Grey's lip quirked into a smile.
"Ride that flow—Triple Kick!"
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