Tyranitar had rarely appeared throughout the tournament. The only time it did, it had been knocked out by Magnezone's Self-Destruct, which didn't even distinguish between friend or foe, leaving Tyranitar unconscious before it could display any of its strength.
And now, Tyranitar was facing the panting Torkoal.
Lose? Could it possibly lose?
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge."
"Torkoal, Gyro Ball!"
Sharp stones burst out from underground; highly effective against a Pokémon like Torkoal, whose belly lacked proper defense.
So Torkoal flew into the air, its body flashing with a silvery light as it struck toward Tyranitar.
Transformed into a spinning Gyro Ball, Torkoal resembled a massive millstone. Even after being caught barehanded by Tyranitar, it stubbornly continued spinning, grinding endlessly against the rocky armor on Tyranitar's body.
Unfortunately, it was completely useless…
Tyranitar then let out a loud roar, clenched both hands, and forcibly halted the spinning Torkoal!
Torkoal was hoisted high into the air, its limbs and head dangling weakly. Just as it tried to use Flamethrower to strike Tyranitar at close range, Tyranitar exerted strength and slammed it straight into the ground.
Dust flew everywhere. Tyranitar released its grip, then slowly took two steps back, quietly waiting.
…Over five seconds later
"Torkoal has lost the ability to battle! Tyranitar wins! Trainer Ryoko, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Tyranitar stood on the field with indifference, not even glancing at the fallen Torkoal beneath its feet. Yet no one mocked such "arrogance", as if it were simply how things were meant to be.
After all, Tyranitar hadn't even used any moves to receive that attack, just raw power was enough to crush its opponent.
Decisive, brutal, overwhelming!
After recalling Torkoal, Ryoko couldn't help but let out a soft breath.
She knew perfectly well that Torkoal couldn't beat Tyranitar. She only hoped to drain some of its stamina, or if lucky, land an Inferno and inflict a Burn. That would've been ideal.
And then… nothing more.
"Haxorus, fight without regrets!" Ryoko didn't hesitate, quickly sending out her final Pokémon.
The moment it came out, Haxorus let out a fierce roar. But before it could unleash its full power, it was already engulfed in lingering flames, and the Burn effect triggered!
The roar turned into a cry of pain. No matter how strong Haxorus was, it now looked a bit battered.
The Burn was Houndoom's last-ditch contribution. It would rapidly drain Haxorus's health/stamina, but more importantly… it halved its Attack!
A crippling blow for a Pokémon that relied on physical strength to fight.
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge."
"Haxorus, pull yourself together! Use Brick Break!"
The two titans clashed. With a sweep of Tyranitar's arm, countless sharp stones erupted from the ground -not in rows, but in expanding circles- converging directly on Haxorus.
As Stone Edge rained down, Haxorus swung the twin blades on its head, spinning in place to slice apart every incoming stone.
Brick Break didn't have to be thrown with fists!
But the next moment, a stone several times larger than the rest suddenly shot up from beneath Haxorus's feet.
Even with Haxorus's impressive speed and reflexively jumping up, it still got stabbed in the soft underbelly.
Haxorus's cry of pain and Sato's command rang out simultaneously.
Tyranitar stomped the ground coldly, causing all the sharp stones to converge toward Haxorus.
A massive pile of rocks instantly formed on the battlefield. Through the gaps, one could faintly see glimpses of Haxorus's golden-green scales.
"HAXORUS, USE IRON TAIL TO BREAK FREE!"
Ryoko shouted in panic. Tyranitar's attacks were relentless, not giving Haxorus a single chance to counter.
And in its Burned state, Haxorus's Attack was severely reduced, and its reactions were no longer what they once were.
"Tyranitar, Earthquake." Sato's voice rang out again. This was Tyranitar's third attack.
Stone Edge to lock in the area, Rock Tomb to restrict movement, and now Earthquake was incoming… Haxorus had nowhere left to run, and even worse, it was about to suffer secondary damage from the collapsing rocks!
A flash of silver light shone through the gaps, Haxorus was indeed using Iron Tail to rescue itself.
But the next moment, Earthquake struck. The entire battlefield shook violently, even spectators near the front row had to brace themselves.
Compared to the earlier Earthquake from Torkoal, Tyranitar's was on a completely different level.
Dust filled the air, completely obscuring both Tyranitar and Haxorus from view.
But everyone could see clearly that the pile of boulders trapping Haxorus had already collapsed, undoubtedly causing secondary damage!
Just as the tremors ended, Tyranitar's roar echoed through the arena. The swirling dust rapidly twisted into a sand cyclone, then condensed into a small sandy mound.
On the other side, the collapsed pile of stones remained silent, until Tyranitar began actively clearing the rubble, moving each stone away one by one.
Soon, a dust-covered, heavily injured Haxorus appeared before everyone. Its eyes had already turned into spiraling swirls.
"Haxorus has lost the ability to battle! Tyranitar wins! Since all six of Trainer Ryoko's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle, the winner of this match is… Yuga Sato from Shadownight Town!"
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the arena: for Sato, for Tyranitar, and for Ryoko, who fought bravely to the end without ever forfeiting, her performance truly commendable.
Tyranitar's dominance and might were now deeply etched into everyone's memory. This was the true way to showcase a pseudo-legendary! Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
Powerful, proud, and unstoppable!
Another deafening roar echoed across the entire stadium, so loud that it drowned out all the cheers and applause.
The audience paused in surprise for a moment, then erupted into another round of cheers, everyone seemed to be responding to Tyranitar's cry.
Seeing this, Sato could only shake his head helplessly. Despite Tyranitar's usually "quiet" demeanor…
Because of its mother's teachings, Tyranitar valued the honor of pseudo-legendaries more than anyone else. That's why it was so fired up after winning the match.
After a while, the crowd finally calmed down, and Sato led Tyranitar to the center of the field.
Ryoko, with her just-awakened Haxorus, also walked over to the other side.
"Congratulations on advancing!"
The two lightly shook hands and exchanged a smile.
Tyranitar then took the initiative to extend its large claw toward Haxorus.
Haxorus tilted its head dumbly at first, then smiled back and extended its own claw, placing it over Tyranitar's.