As the referee's voice fell, Roark silently took out a Poké Ball and recalled the fallen Rhyhorn.
He gently stroked the smooth surface of the Poké Ball with his fingertips and whispered a word of comfort: "Hard work, Rhyhorn, get some good rest." Then, he looked up, his gaze complex as he stared at Shinji across the field.
The purple-haired youth remained as calm and cold as ever, as if the intense battle that had just resulted in mutual exhaustion was merely a warm-up exercise.
Roark's heart was a whirlpool of emotions; Shinji's almost obsessive desire for victory, his nearly cruel way of excavating a Pokémon's potential, and his cold, decisive commands at critical moments had all left a deep impression on him.
Although as a Gym Leader he had seen all sorts of challengers, those like Shinji were still a minority.
He did not agree with this almost harsh method of nurturing, yet he could not deny the amazing results it produced.
"Phew—" Roark let out a soft breath, suppressing his complex thoughts as his expression turned serious once more.
The Gym match was not yet over; his duty as a Gym Leader was to test the challenger's strength with everything he had.
He took his last Poké Ball from his waist, gripped it in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Shinji, this is my last Pokémon. Let me see how you deal with it—go, Cranidos!"
He swung his arm, and the Poké Ball traced a sharp arc through the air.
A white light burst forth, accompanied by a low Roar, as the same Cranidos that had battled Ash yesterday appeared once more.
Its powerful hind legs stepped onto the rocky field with a dull "thud," the hard bone atop its head reflecting the Gym's lights with a faint shimmer. Its eyes were sharp, and its fighting spirit was high.
Shinji also took out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, he recalled the Monferno that was panting slightly from exhaustion.
For him, the goal of having Chimchar evolve into Monferno in a desperate situation and completely mastering the Blaze ability had been achieved; all that remained was to steadily claim victory in this Gym match.
He flicked his wrist, throwing out another Poké Ball as his cool command rang out: "Lairon, prepare for battle."
A white light flashed, and the heavily-built Lairon appeared on the field.
Dark gray metal armor covered its entire body, and its blue eyes steadily locked onto its opponent. Its fighting spirit rose, radiating a calm aura that was completely different from Monferno's.
"Go Shinji, go Shinji!"
"Lairon, Lairon, GO GO!"
In the stands, Hikari immediately raised her cheerleader pom-poms again, jumping and shouting her slogans.
Piplup and Buneary followed suit, standing on their tiptoes as the ribbons on their mini-cheerleader outfits fluttered in the wind. Their crisp cries mixed with Hikari's cheering, adding a bit of vitality to the tense battle atmosphere.
Ash subconsciously pulled out his pokédex and aimed it at the Lairon on the field, and the synthesized mechanical voice sounded:
"Lairon, the Iron Armor pokémon. Its body is encased in steel armor. It will clash violently to compete for territory. After its armor peels off in battle, it becomes lighter, thereby increasing its speed."
"Lairon, Earthquake."
Shinji's command was concise and cold, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
"Roar—" Lairon raised its head and let out a low Roar, its thick front hooves lifting suddenly before slamming down heavily!
A deafening "bang!" exploded, and the entire battlefield shook violently in an instant, as if a small Earthquake had occurred.
The rocky ground, already covered in cracks, shattered over a large area. Debris flew everywhere along with the air currents, and even the Gym walls trembled slightly, causing the mineral specimens on the walls to make crisp clinking sounds.
"Cranidos, jump up and use Flamethrower!" Roark responded with practiced ease, clearly having a plan for area-of-effect attacks like Earthquake.
Cranidos's powerful hind legs exerted force instantly, its muscles tensing as its entire body leaped into the air like a spring, easily avoiding the churning ground and flying stones beneath its feet.
Just as it reached mid-air, its mouth snapped open, and a thick column of orange-red flame suddenly erupted, carrying a searing heat wave as it blasted straight toward the Lairon on the ground.
"Protect."
Seeing Roark neutralize the attack and counter so easily, Shinji's face still showed no emotional fluctuation; he simply uttered two words calmly.
As soon as he spoke, a layer of pale green energy lit up around Lairon, wrapping it completely like a solid shield.
The Flamethrower slammed into the energy shield with a violent "sizzle," and brilliant sparks flew in all directions, yet it remained unable to penetrate that seemingly thin energy barrier.
After a moment, the flames gradually dissipated, and the energy shield vanished. Lairon stood steadily in place, its armor without a single mark of damage.
At that moment, Cranidos happened to fall from the air, its feet returning to the ground.
"Rock Tomb." Shinji's command followed perfectly, as if he had anticipated everything.
Lairon slammed its hooves heavily onto the ground, sending invisible energy instantly into the earth.
The next second, the rock at Cranidos's landing point bulged upward, and a sharp stone pillar suddenly erupted.
The just-landed and unsteady Cranidos had no time to react and was hit directly by the stone pillar. It let out a cry of pain as its body was flipped to the ground.
"Iron Head." Shinji's attack commands were like a rapid-fire barrage, giving his opponent no room to breathe.
A brilliant white light instantly lit up on Lairon's head. The white light was fleeting, and the armor on its head became even thicker, glinting with a cold metallic luster.
It set off on its four hooves, its heavy footsteps thundering as it charged straight toward the fallen Cranidos with irresistible force.
"I see..." In the stands, Brock squinted his eyes, stroking his chin with his finger as he analyzed in a low voice, "Shinji's tactics are too coherent. First, he used Earthquake to force Cranidos to jump, stripping it of its ground advantage; then he used Rock Tomb to accurately hit the opening the moment it landed, dealing damage while disrupting its rhythm and indirectly slowing it down; now he's following up with Iron Head to ensure Cranidos has absolutely no room to counterattack."
"What if Cranidos didn't jump?" Ash asked with a frown, his gaze fixed on the field with a mix of confusion and the daze of being shocked.
"Then it would have taken the full damage of the Earthquake directly," Brock explained. "Ground-type moves are super effective against Cranidos's Rock type. If it didn't jump, the injury would be even heavier."
Listening to Brock's analysis, Ash's brow furrowed deeper, and his eyes became even more complex as he watched the figure giving calm commands on the field.
On the field, Roark also instantly saw through Shinji's tactical intent and shouted loudly: "Cranidos, hang in there! Use Zen Headbutt!"
There was a hint of urgency in Roark's voice because he knew he couldn't retreat; one retreat and he would fall completely into Shinji's rhythm.
Cranidos shook its somewhat dizzy head, a fierce light reappearing in its eyes.
It let out a low Growl, and a layer of invisible mental energy suddenly enveloped the bone plate on its head, the fluctuations distorting the air.
Facing the charging Lairon, it did not retreat; instead, its hind legs exerted force as it charged forward to meet its opponent head-on!
Seeing Cranidos's performance, a flash of hard-to-Detect approval crossed Shinji's dark purple eyes.
An average Pokémon would have completely lost the ability to resist after the previous chain of attacks, yet this Cranidos could still launch a counterattack. Roark's training was indeed quite good.
"Bang!" With a dull, heavy sound, Lairon's metallic head and Cranidos's head, wrapped in mental energy, collided violently.
The two Pokémon instantly fell into a struggle of strength, their four hooves gripping the ground tightly, muscles tensed, their heads pressed against each other as neither would give an inch. The ground beneath them continued to sink under the pressure, and debris fell away.
After only a few seconds of stalemate, Cranidos's momentum began to weaken. It was already injured, its speed and power had been reduced by Rock Tomb, and with Lairon's superior base stats and nearly equal level, it simply couldn't hold on.
"Lairon—" Lairon let out a low Growl and suddenly exerted force, the metallic luster on its head becoming even more intense.
Cranidos could no longer hold out; its body was forcibly knocked back, tracing an arc through the air before slamming heavily into a protruding rock behind it.
With a "boom," the rock was smashed to pieces, and Cranidos fell to the ground, letting out a painful groan.
"Double-Edge." Shinji's voice remained steady, showing no joy or anger, but carrying the decisiveness of ending the match.
A brilliant white light instantly lit up around Lairon, the light carrying an aura of unstoppable momentum as it set off on its four hooves, charging toward the fallen Cranidos like a cannonball out of a barrel.
Roark's face was solemn to the extreme; Shinji's offense was too sharp, giving his opponent no chance to turn things around.
He knew that at this moment, he could only stake everything on one move: "Cranidos, don't give up! Focus Energy, then use Head Smash!"
As if hearing its master's cry, Cranidos suddenly raised its head and let out a deafening Roar.
A faint white light began to glow from its feet, the energy slowly climbing up its limbs before finally converging entirely at the top of its head, where the white light suddenly condensed.
Immediately after, Cranidos's entire body was wrapped in a layer of brilliant blue light, its aura instantly climbing to its peak. Its legs exerted force as it charged straight toward the incoming Lairon with the determination of a last stand!
"Are both sides going to give it their all?" Brock clenched his fists, staring tensely at the field. "This is the strike that decides the winner!"
Hikari also stopped her cheering, her hands tightly gripping her pom-poms, her deep blue eyes staring unblinkingly at the center of the field as even her breathing became rapid.
Ash and Pikachu were also on edge, their gazes firmly locked onto the two Pokémon.
"Bang!"
A deafening dull sound exploded as the white-clad Lairon and the blue-clad Cranidos collided violently.
The blue and white lights clashed and intertwined violently in the center of the field, forming a blinding pillar of light.
A powerful energy fluctuation instantly spread out, whipping up gusts of wind that blew Shinji's purple hair wildly and made Hikari's skirt flap loudly. Everyone in the stands couldn't help but squint their eyes.
"Boom—!"
The next second, the energy from both moves completely exploded, and a violent blast swept across the entire battlefield.
Smoke rose into the air like a mushroom cloud, completely enveloping the field. Strong winds ravaged the area, causing the mineral specimens on the Gym walls to fall one after another with crisp landing sounds.
A few seconds later, the smoke gradually dissipated, and the scene on the field was clearly presented before everyone.
Both Lairon and Cranidos were still standing steadily in place, though both were panting heavily, their chests heaving violently.
Lairon's metal armor was covered in scratches, and its blue eyes showed fatigue, but they were still bright.
Cranidos was barely standing, its body covered in wounds, and the blue energy that had wrapped around it had long since collapsed. It stared deathly at Lairon, making rasping sounds in its throat as if it still wanted to struggle.
At this moment, the air seemed to freeze as everyone stared intently at the two Pokémon.
Suddenly, Cranidos let out a shrill cry, its body swayed violently, and it could no longer hold on. It fell heavily to the ground, its eyes instantly swirling with circles as it completely lost the ability to battle.
The entire Gym was silent, leaving only Lairon's heavy breathing and the occasional light sound of rolling debris.
The referee stepped forward quickly, and after careful confirmation, he raised the flag in his hand high and announced clearly and powerfully:
"Cranidos is unable to battle. Lairon wins. Therefore, the winner is the challenger—Shinji!"