On the battlefield, a light breeze kicked up fine sand, brushing past the fallen Charizard and Sceptile. Their bodies cast long shadows on the ground, as if telling the tale of a sudden and crushing defeat.
Drak and Cenk stood frozen in place. The Poké Balls in their hands tumbled out, and as they Tackled against the stones, they made a crisp sound, yet no one paid them any mind.
Their pride and their reliance were now crushed by Greninja's absolute dominance, turned into a mess on the ground.
Sen's face was ashen. He looked at the two Pokémon that had lost their ability to battle, his breathing heavy and his chest heaving violently.
He couldn't accept the reality before him. Those were his trump cards, his very reputation!
Fury rushed to his head. He spun around abruptly and roared at Yuno beside him:
"Useless! You're all useless! Go! Tear that Greninja to shreds for me!"
His voice was shrill and hysterical, completely abandoning his usual facade.
Yuno's brow was tightly furrowed as she calmly assessed the current situation.
Greninja's strength far exceeded expectations. Its speed, power, and tactical coordination all displayed a chilling level of maturity.
More importantly, Ariel's other Pokémon—that Krookodile and Malamar—were also no pushovers.
She knew deep down that charging in blindly right now would be irrational.
"Lord Sen, now is not the time to act on impulse."
Yuno's voice was steady, attempting to bring Sen back to his senses.
"We have severely underestimated the opponent's strength, especially that Greninja. Its fighting style..."
"Underestimated?"
Sen interrupted her, a mocking sneer curling his lips.
"Aren't you a Gym Leader Level Trainer? Are you actually afraid of a Superior level Trainer? Isn't your Hitmonchan supposed to be able to shatter rocks with a single punch? Do you not even have the courage to take the field?"
His words were like blades, stabbing at Yuno's pride.
Yuno's body stiffened for a moment.
Gym Leader Level glory was the bottom line she held onto.
To be so contemptuously questioned by an outsider, her self-esteem was being challenged like never before.
She took a deep breath, her gaze gradually sharpening.
Lord Sen was right. She was a Gym Leader Level Trainer; her Hitmonchan must not back down.
She nodded without further words, simply tossing Hitmonchan's Poké Ball into the air.
A flash of red light appeared, and Hitmonchan's robust form materialized in the center of the battlefield.
It clenched its fists, assuming a standard fighting stance. The powerful aura emanating from it made the surrounding air seem to stagnate.
Level 50!
This was the unique pressure of a Gym Leader Level Pokémon, invisibly intimidating the opponent and announcing its strength to everyone.
Ariel stood beside Greninja, quietly watching Hitmonchan.
He noticed the fleeting struggle and resentment in Yuno's eyes, as well as Sen'sArrogance and ignorance.
This deepened his understanding of the group in front of him.
Sen's impatience and Yuno's passive response showed they weren't true powerhouses; at least mentally, they had already lost their footing.
"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!"
Yuno issued the command, her tone carrying a hint of desperation.
Hitmonchan roared, its muscles tensing instantly as it lunged forward, its foot carving a shallow pit into the ground.
It turned into a gust of wind, its fist breaking the air as it headed straight for Greninja.
This punch condensed all of Hitmonchan's power and Yuno's dignity, intent on completely crushing Greninja.
The wind from the punch howled.
Greninja stood its ground, unmoving, as if completely unaware.
Ariel's gaze, however, turned profound in an instant.
He didn't issue any commands, only slightly curling the corners of his mouth.
Just as Hitmonchan's fist was about to strike Greninja, something unexpected happened!
The Krookodile on the side lunged forward with surprising speed that belied its appearance.
Its movement was swift and decisive, as if it had been planned all along.
Its massive claws, covered in hard scales like a shield forged of steel, met Hitmonchan's mountain-shattering punch head-on!
"Boom!"
A dull, heavy explosion erupted on the battlefield, making eardrums ache.
A shockwave of energy rippled out from the point of impact, kicking up clouds of dust.
Krookodile's body swayed slightly, but its feet were firmly Ingrained in the ground, remaining motionless.
Hitmonchan's fist was clamped tightly in Krookodile's claw, unable to advance an inch.
Hitmonchan's eyes were filled with shock.
Its full-power strike had been caught so easily by a seemingly lumbering Pokémon?
Moreover, the counter-force from the opponent's claw made its arm go numb. This strength was actually not inferior to its own!
In the moment Hitmonchan froze from shock, another figure moved.
Malamar's tentacles swayed gently.
Its eyes flashed with a ghostly blue light, and without any hesitation, it fired several Psycho Cuts in succession!
These blades, condensed from pure psychic energy, were incredibly fast and struck from tricky angles. Almost simultaneously, they accurately hit Hitmonchan's body.
"Hiss!"
Hitmonchan let out a cry of pain.
The Psycho Cuts pierced its skin, leaving several deep wounds on its sturdy torso, and blood instantly soaked its fur.
Psychic-type attacks were a lethal counter to the Fighting-type Hitmonchan.
It wasn't just physical trauma but also intense mental pain, causing its body to tremble violently and its balance to falter.
Hitmonchan clutched its wounds and staggered back a few steps, its eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
The strength it took pride in seemed so powerless before Krookodile;
The fighting techniques it was proud of were completely useless under Malamar's psychic attacks.
It didn't understand why these opponents were so strong and so well-coordinated.
Krookodile flicked its thick tail with a gesture of disdainful mockery, as if saying:
"Want to touch my little brother? Get through me first!"
Its gaze swept over Hitmonchan and then turned toward Sen, its eyes full of Taunt.
Sen was now completely stunned.
His mouth hung open, but he couldn't make a sound.
What was he seeing? His proud Gym Leader Level Hitmonchan had been injured by the teamwork of two Pokémon in a single exchange?
Furthermore, the strength and speed displayed by that Krookodile were nothing like the Superior level Pokémon he knew!
"You... aren't you Gym Leader Level!? How could Hitmonchan..."
Sen snapped back to his senses and shouted at Yuno, his tone filled with questioning and disbelief.
Yuno's face was as dark as the sky before a storm.
She knew Hitmonchan was Gym Leader Level, of course, but the reality before her was a sharp slap to the face.
She also couldn't understand why the opponent's strength was so high—so high it exceeded her experience.
She stared intently at Krookodile and Malamar, her mind racing with analysis.
Most importantly, it was common knowledge that Fighting-types were countered by Psychic-types.
And just now, Malamar's consecutive Psycho Cuts had hit at almost point-blank range, each strike precise and ruthless.
Now, Hitmonchan was not only physically wounded in multiple places but also mentally scarred by the psychic attacks; its condition was dire.
She realized that both she and Lord Sen had made a fatal mistake—they had underestimated Ariel and his Pokémon from the very beginning.
This battle was going to be far more difficult than they had imagined.
Ariel looked at Yuno, his expression calm.