Bang!!
Lairon slamd down on Carupt, causing the ground beneath Carupt's feet to crack and sink under the sheer weight. Carupt was pinned and unable to move.
Even Moore was shocked. Most four-legged Pokémon could withstand enormous pressure, but his Carupt was crushed by Lairon's weight.
Just how much force did it take to do that?
"Lava Plu!" Moore imdiately counterattacked.
Carupt's humps erupted with thick, scalding smoke, engulfing Lairon—but Lairon didn't budge. Its heavy, steel-armored body withstood the assault without being knocked back.
"Use Iron Head!" Gary commanded.
Bang!!
"Baku!!"
Lairon charged and smashed its steel-plated head into Carupt's skull.
Despite Carupt's resistance to Steel-type moves, it was still a living creature. A direct collision with a fully armored Lairon left it dazed.
"Carupt, Earth Power!" Moore shouted.
"Lairon, Stone Edge!" Gary countered.
Both Pokémon stomped the ground at the sa ti. Jagged stone spikes burst upward beneath Carupt's feet, while golden light surged beneath Lairon, and a massive energy pillar blasted toward it.
Both Pokémon were struck head-on.
Moore wasn't worried. In a trade of blows, he was confident Carupt would win.
After all, Earth Power was a Ground-type special move—and against Lairon's Steel/Rock typing, it should deal quadruple damage. Logically, Lairon should've been knocked out instantly.
But when the dust cleared, Lairon was still standing. It was injured, but far from defeated.
Moore: ???
What happened? Why hadn't Earth Power taken Lairon down in one hit?
Earth Power was a special attack, and Lairon's Special Defense was low. Moore was certain it should've been enough.
"Vee-ee!" Eevee cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines.
The truth was, Gary had given Lairon an Eviolite—an item Eevee usually carried. The Eviolite boosted Lairon's defenses, allowing it to survive the powerful Ground-type attack.
"Body Slam!" Gary ordered.
"Dora!!"
Lairon leapt into the air and crashed down on Carupt.
Moore quickly called out, "Eruption!"
Carupt's humps spewed out molten magma and fireballs.
But Lairon charged through the flas, enduring the searing heat, and slamd down hard onto Carupt's back. Carupt, already weakened, was pinned helplessly beneath Lairon's massive body.
"tal Claw!"
Still pinning Carupt, Lairon raised one claw and struck Carupt's head repeatedly.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three sharp blows in a row. Finally, Carupt's eyes spun in circles as it collapsed, fainted.
"Carupt is unable to battle—Lairon wins!" Flannery declared.
"Gym Leader Moore's three Pokémon have all been defeated. The winner of this Gym challenge is Gary!"
"Amazing—Gary actually won!" Max exclaid, full of admiration.
Max respected battle strategy and rules. Gary's team had been at a type disadvantage the entire ti, yet he still claid victory. It was simply remarkable.
"Young people these days... truly impressive," Moore said, smiling.
When Moore was Gary's age, he certainly couldn't have done the sa—winning a Gym battle using Pokémon with a disadvantage in type matchups.
"We won."
Gary finally exhaled in relief. Without the Eviolite, this battle would have been nearly impossible.
He couldn't help but feel the Hoenn Gym Leaders were especially tough. If his newly trained Hoenn Pokémon hadn't been at a type disadvantage, the battle would've been a lot easier.
"Gary, this is the Heat Badge—the proof of victory at the Lavaridge Gym." Moore handed over the badge.
"Thank you."
Gary accepted the badge.
[Ding! Mission complete. Rewards have been sent to your inventory.]
"Zinnia is still waiting at the hotel. I'll head back first," Gary said, taking his leave.
Ash and the others stayed behind. Flannery still wanted to treat them to a sand bath in Lavaridge Town, and Ash was eager to battle Moore himself.
Mission Rewards: tagrossite!
After leaving the Gym, Gary checked his system to see what reward he had earned.
[tagrossite obtained!]
"What the—? A ga Stone?!"
Gary was stunned. He hadn't expected to randomly receive another ga Stone—and this one was for tagross.
"Seriously? But I don't even have a tagross!" Gary sighed in frustration.
ga tagross was an outstanding Pokémon with the Tough Claws ability and devastating offensive power.
But right now… Gary didn't even have a Beldum, let alone a tagross.
Actually, he did have his sights set on a specific tagross—rumored to be a powerful shiny tagross in the Sinnoh region.
Gary made a ntal note: Capture the shiny tagross in Sinnoh.
"Well, I'll hang on to the tagrossite for now," he decided.
If nothing else, Steven Stone would probably be thrilled to see it. At this stage, Steven likely hadn't found a tagrossite yet.
"Too bad Steven doesn't have the ga Stone I want," Gary muttered.
What he really wanted was the Blastoisinite, the ga Stone for his Blastoise. Unfortunately, Steven didn't own one.
Gary then thought about Fire-type moves.
Most Fire-type techniques were special attacks, and aside from the move Sunny Day, there weren't many utility Fire-type skills.
But he already had plenty of general utility moves—exchanging for Sunny Day didn't seem worthwhile.
As for Blast Burn, only Fire-type starter Pokémon could learn it, and his Skill Disc from the system could only be used on his own Pokémon—not others'.
Otherwise, Gary joked to himself, he could open a skill training shop and beco the richest man in the world overnight.
"Let's just go with Fire Punch," Gary finally decided.
Fire Punch was a physical Fire-type attack introduced in the newer gas, with 75 base power. It allowed physical attackers to have a solid Fire-type move.
He especially thought of Rhyperior, whose massive Attack stat would make Fire Punch terrifying.
[Skill exchange complete.]
After exchanging for Fire Punch, Gary imdiately taught it to Torchic and Rhyperior—both could learn it.
Once the Pokémon were healed at the Pokémon Center, Gary returned to the inn to find Zinnia.
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