"Ah, really?"
At that very moment, however, the corner of Lucas Silver's lips curved into a cold smile.
And in the next instant, to the astonished expression of the Rhydon trainer, the figure of Sandslash suddenly emerged from the ground right behind Rhydon, Fighting-type energy concentrating in its hands.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, Sandslash unleashed Brick Break—a move it had learned thanks to the Fighting-type manual gifted by Dylan Scott—and smashed it forcefully into Rhydon's body.
"Roooaaar!"
Hit by a Fighting-type move with double advantage, Rhydon was thrown sideways, letting out a painful and furious roar.
Immediately after, Metang's Metal Claw also struck Rhydon violently, pushing it back once again.
"Damn it! Rhydon, react!"
Seeing that Rhydon had been caught off guard by Sandslash's attack, its trainer shouted furiously.
But right then, Onix emerged from the ground beside Rhydon, its tail glowing white: the Iron Tail move struck brutally, sending it flying.
BOOM!
Rhydon's body crashed violently into the stadium's protective barrier, raising a cloud of dust and debris.
"Since you're paralyzed now, let's take advantage of it too! Magneton, launch Magnet Bomb at Rhydon!"
Alex Baxter watched the fallen Rhydon with excitement, and at that moment, Feraligatr emitted an electric spark from its body, giving Alex Baxter the opportunity to act. Seizing the moment, he launched another attack to finish off Rhydon.
Boom boom boom!
A series of explosions shook the field. Magneton's Magnet Bomb attacks hit the fallen Rhydon one after another, completely collapsing the section of the barrier it was near. Chunks of stone rained down from above, burying the Pokémon entirely.
At that moment, the entire arena fell into an eerie silence.
No one expected that, in the blink of an eye, Sandslash and Onix, using Dig, would suddenly reach Rhydon. Then, with Metang's support, they sent it flying.
And with Magneton finishing with its final attack, the 4-on-1 strategy was executed perfectly. The entire Duskwell City Pokémon University team was completely thrown off. By the time they tried to react, it was already too late.
However, that silence lasted only an instant. The next second, the crowd erupted in euphoric cheers for having witnessed such a spectacular battle.
"Go, Grumpig! Use Psychic and remove Rhydon from the field."
The director, watching from the stands, suppressed the joy on his face. He threw a Pokéball, from which Grumpig emerged onto the field.
Grumpig's eyes shone intensely. Immediately, Rhydon and the stones covering it began to rise into the air, carried by the Pokémon's psychic energy, lifting it out of the field.
"Rhydon...!"
The Rhydon trainer, seeing this scene, had reddened eyes and an expression of disbelief on his face.
When Grumpig deposited Rhydon outside the field, the trainer quickly recalled it into its Pokéball and ran to the Pokémon Center for immediate medical attention.
"Idiot!"
Watching his teammate's back as he left, the rest of the team could only mutter under their breath, their faces tense and serious.
"Hmph. Get ready for a four-on-five battle. Even though they have one more Pokémon, ours are still stronger. If we work as a team, we can still win this fight."
The Meganium trainer took a deep breath. Her teammates looked at each other and nodded. From now on, they only had teamwork left.
"Phew, we finally took down that Rhydon!"
"Even though it's now five against four, they'll surely start cooperating better among themselves. We still need to stay alert."
Lucas Silver smiled seeing Rhydon leave the field but quickly warned the group seriously. This hard-earned advantage couldn't be wasted.
The battle didn't end with Rhydon's withdrawal. Soon, action on the field resumed.
This time, the Duskwell City Pokémon University trainers were very serious. Under their orders, the four remaining Pokémon took strategic positions.
The bulkiest, Feraligatr, positioned itself at the front as a shield. Typhlosion and Ampharos flanked it, their bodies glowing with energy: clearly, they were the ranged attackers.
And at the back was Meganium, ready to provide support and destabilize the opponent.
Meanwhile, on the Ironvale City Pokémon University side, they also began reorganizing their Pokémon.
With Rhydon out of play, they had achieved the first major victory of the battle. If they followed the plan as intended, there was still a good chance of winning this fight.
"Sandslash, use Sandstorm!"
As the weather controller, Sandslash acted again. A sandstorm enveloped the field, making the faces of the Duskwell City Pokémon University team darken even more.
"Meganium, use Grassy Terrain!"
But Duskwell City had already anticipated this situation. Meganium let out a soft cry, and by raising both feet and striking the ground, it released Grass-type energy.
A green wave spread across the field, covering the ground with a bright carpet of grass beneath its teammates' feet. A warm, comforting energy flowed through their bodies, helping them recover lost energy.
"Using Grassy Terrain to counter the Sandstorm! That was brilliant!"
Seeing the strategy work, the professor leading the Duskwell City team felt more relieved.
Even though they were outnumbered, if these four prodigies combined their forces, there was still hope for victory.
"That Meganium inherited Grassy Terrain... this is getting complicated!"
Ethan Black observed the green carpet covering the field under the opposing Pokémon, and his face darkened.
It's a very powerful team recovery move. Ethan Black remembered it well: only certain Pokémon species like Oddish, Tangela, Flabébé, Roserade, Comfey, or Tapu Bulu could learn it by leveling up.
Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Chikorita, or Treecko could only get it through genetic inheritance.
And that Meganium had inherited it, raising its value as a breeding Pokémon to another level.
(End of chapter)