Whoosh—!
Violent winds swirled with grit, raging across the battlefield.
Gravel pelted Hitmonlee's body, creating a dense pitter-patter sound. The continuous damage caused its physical strength to drain steadily, and its breathing grew increasingly heavy.
Even more fatal was the complete loss of vision.
It was like a martial artist who had been blindfolded, forced to rely solely on hearing and intuition to swing its fists and legs haphazardly.
"Calm down, Hitmonlee! Sense the airflow!"
From the sidelines, Gym Leader Brawly's voice pierced through the curtain of sand, attempting to provide guidance to his pokémon.
But his heart sank bit by bit along with the blurred battle situation on the field.
In the Sandstorm, Krokorok's presence was reduced to a minimum.
Hitmonlee's ears caught a faint whistling sound. Without hesitation, it tensed its leg muscles and swept a swift Double Kick toward the source of the sound!
It missed.
The strong winds stirred up by its feet only kicked up more dust, making its already chaotic vision even worse.
Ariel stood at the edge of the field, hands in his pockets, his expression calm and rippleless.
His gaze seemed able to penetrate the layers of sand curtains, accurately locking onto everything inside the field.
"The timing is about right."
He thought to himself.
Hitmonlee's stamina was mostly depleted, and its continuous blind attacks had caused its mind to become anxious, revealing openings.
At the exact moment when Hitmonlee's old strength had just been spent and its new strength had yet to be gathered.
A dark shadow approached silently from behind it.
Those crimson eyes in the dim yellow dust were like two points of burning Will-O-Wisp.
"Now, Krokorok!"
Ariel's voice wasn't loud, yet it was exceptionally clear,
"Crunch!"
"What?!"
Brawly's pupils shrank.
Behind it!
Hitmonlee suddenly became aware of an extreme sense of danger attacking from behind, but its body was too late to make a complete dodging maneuver.
Crack!
A tooth-aching sound of bone crunching rang out.
Krokorok's sharp teeth bit down hard on Hitmonlee's left leg, which served as its supporting axis!
"Lee!!"
Intense pain instantly spread throughout its body. Hitmonlee let out a shrill cry of pain, lost its balance, and fell heavily to the ground.
Dust covered its face, making it cough violently.
But battle instinct made it struggle to stand up.
However, Ariel would not give it that chance.
"Finish it, Dig!"
The command was given, and Krokorok released its Bite. Its massive body instantly drilled into the ground and vanished.
Only a dark hole was left on the ground.
Brawly's heart jumped into his throat: "Get up quickly, Hitmonlee! Watch your feet!"
Hitmonlee propped itself up on one leg, enduring the severe pain, and warily scanned the surrounding ground.
But where was Krokorok's shadow?
The entire field was dead silent, except for the howling wind and sand.
This kind of unknown waiting was even more agonizing than a direct frontal assault.
Suddenly!
The ground beneath Hitmonlee's feet arched upward violently!
"Right there!" Brawly roared.
Hitmonlee's reaction was truly Extreme Speed; its combat experience was utilized to the limit at this moment.
It didn't choose to retreat; instead, it gathered all its strength into its right leg and launched a final counterattack against that arched ground!
"Close Combat!"
Boom!!!
The ground exploded!
Krokorok burst out from the earth carrying mud and sand, clashing solidly with Hitmonlee's full-force strike.
A violent airwave centered on the two pokémon suddenly expanded outward!
The dust was instantly blown away, revealing the true appearance of the field.
Hitmonlee stumbled back several steps. That bitten leg could no longer support it, and it knelt on the ground, panting heavily.
On its chest was a deep indentation, a wound from being struck upward by Krokorok from underground.
Krokorok, having taken the Close Combat head-on, wasn't doing well either. It was blown back several meters, its body covered in bruises left by the fighting energy impact, and its breathing was equally heavy.
But its gaze remained fierce.
Ariel looked at the situation on the field with no waves in his heart.
Close Combat was immensely powerful, but the side effect was equally obvious—the user's dual defenses would drop significantly.
For the already heavily injured Hitmonlee, this was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.
"It's over," Ariel said softly.
"Krokorok, Dig."
The final command was simple yet fatal.
Krokorok exerted force with its limbs like a predatory beast, ignoring its own pain, and pounced once more.
It dived underground and then lunged out!
Hitmonlee, whose defense had dropped significantly, was no longer able to withstand this fierce blow.
"Ow!"
With a sorrowful cry, Hitmonlee completely lost its ability to battle and collapsed onto the sandy ground.
As it fell, the raging Sandstorm on the field gradually subsided, leaving only dust flying in the air, testifying to the intensity of the battle just now.
Brawly silently recalled Hitmonlee, his eyes complex.
He glanced at Ariel opposite him; he had underestimated the enemy.
"Phew..."
Brawly let out a long breath. His originally relaxed expression vanished without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.
He took the last Poké Ball from his waist and gripped it tightly.
"It seems I can't do without showing my true skills."
He muttered to himself, then suddenly threw the Poké Ball into the field!
"Go! My partner, Hariyama!"
"Bang!"
The Poké Ball opened, and a massive figure crashed to the ground!
Thud!
The entire battlefield shook for a moment, as if a small mountain had risen from the flat ground.
It was a pokémon with a body so burly it was exaggerated. Even with its bloated frame, one could still see robust muscles, full of explosive power.
Just by standing there, a heavy, mountain-like aura rushed forward, even suppressing the dust that had not yet settled in the air!
The air on the field instantly became heavy and oppressive.
This was the ace of the Wudou Gym, Brawly's strongest trump card—Hariyama!
Ariel looked at the giant before him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
This pressure was far beyond what the previous pokémon could compare to.
"Come back, Krokorok, you've done very well."
He recalled the heavily exhausted Krokorok, a hint of praise showing on his face.
Then, he took out another Poké Ball.
Facing a pure power-type contestant like Hariyama, meeting force with force was the most unwise choice.
"Well then, let me show you the surprise I've prepared for you."
Ariel's lips curled slightly as he threw the Poké Ball.
"Come out, Malamar!"
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