The Protect energy barrier deployed instantly, stopping the Staraptor cloaked in a strange red light from advancing any further.
Tyranitar could clearly see the disbelief and shock in Staraptor's eyes.
The sa could be said for its Trainer, Jubilife Gym Leader Lolo.
While most Staraptor were capable of learning the move Endeavor, few Trainers actually used it, and even fewer were aware of how it worked.
Yet Tyranitar's final use of Protect blatantly revealed to Lolo that the strategy he had prepared for Staraptor had already been fully anticipated.
He couldn't help but recall what his old friend Forge had once told him: Sato even understood Fossil Pokémon deeply; how could he possibly be unaware of the typical counterattack strategies among the Starly line?
He had thought he was well-prepared… but in the end, he had still underestimated him. Lolo looked at the calm Sato on the opposite side and could only suffer in silence.
Soon, the Protect barrier disappeared, and the already worn-down Staraptor was too weak to resist; forced to watch helplessly as it was taken down with a single strike.
"Staraptor has lost the ability to battle. Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Seeing Sato secure the first round, the spectators in the audience stands offered thunderous applause without hesitation.
Then they looked again at the virtually unscathed Tyranitar and the "unshaken" Sato… his reputation was clearly well deserved.
With Sato taking the lead in the opening round, the crowd beca even more convinced that Lolo was biased, an aging Trainer lacking the strength to justify his arrogance.
The two on the battlefield had nothing more to say. Lolo recalled the fallen Staraptor and quickly sent out his next Ace level Pokémon.
A flash of red light revealed a massive dark green dragonfly now facing Tyranitar, it was the Bug/ Flying-type Yanga.
Yanga evolved from Yanma after learning Ancient Power. Before the effects of Abilities were fully understood, Yanga wasn't seen as very valuable.
But now, whether it had Speed Boost, Tinted Lens, or the Hidden Ability Frisk… they were all excellent choices.
As for the one in front of them, based on its nimble floating movents, it was highly likely to possess Speed Boost.
How powerful is Speed Boost? Just look at Sato's Sharpedo.
"Now… the battle continues!"
"Yanga, use Bug Buzz!"
"Tyranitar, use Snarl."
Sound against sound, their attacks canceled each other out. From Sato's perspective, Yanga's speed had indeed increased slightly.
There was no doubt… it had Speed Boost!
In that case, this needed to end quickly.
"Tyranitar, Sandstorm."
"TYRAAAAN!"
Tyranitar let out a mighty roar, stirring the sand all over the battlefield into a violent frenzy. With its full effort, the sandstorm engulfed the field entirely, rendering visibility nearly zero.
"Yanga, full vertical fly! Use Silver Wind to break out of the Sandstorm!" Lolo sensed sothing was wrong and imdiately ordered Yanga to escape the area.
Within the storm, a glimr of silver wind could be seen as it tried desperately to soar upward and break free.
"Tyranitar, Rock Slide."
At Sato's command, a dozen massive boulders suddenly materialized above the sandstorm and ca crashing straight down.
anwhile, deep within the storm, Yanga was struggling with all its might to ascend, but completely unaware that directly above it, the sky was now filled with falling rocks aid right at it.
"NOT GOOD! YANGA, DODGE TO THE SIDE!" Lolo shouted, clenching his fists tightly. 'This Sato-kid is way too damn devious.'
Lolo's shout did have so effect. At the very least, Yanga began drifting off course, shifting laterally by quite a bit.
Unfortunately, it hadn't yet fully escaped the radius of Rock Slide when it broke through the sandstorm.
From the audience's perspective, what they saw was Yanga, now a streak of silver light, slamming straight into Tyranitar's Rock Slide with no resistance, only to get smashed right back into the storm…
Following the "suicidal bird", Lolo had now sent out a "suicidal bug"… just as stubborn, just as iron-headed, exactly like their Trainer!
"Tyranitar, use Rock Tomb."
Facing the "suicidal bug" Yanga, Sato showed no intention of holding back.
Seeing it crash to the ground, Sato had Tyranitar imdiately use Rock Tomb to restrict its mobility.
"YANGAAAAA, USE BUG BUZZ! QUIIICK, BUG BUZZ!" Lolo continued shouting, trying to break Yanga free from Tyranitar's rhythm.
But as the saying goes: you might choose the wrong na, but never the wrong title…
Tyranitar, known as the Desert Tyrant, was invincible in a Sandstorm.
Any zone covered by the storm was within Tyranitar's sensing and control.
So yes, Bug Buzz ca.
…But before it could even reach Tyranitar, a mass of rocks had already erupted from the ground and sealed Yanga inside completely.
"YANGA! USE AIR SLAAAASH! USE AIR SLASH TO BREAK FREE!" Lolo continued to shout in exasperation.
It was one thing for the Staraptor's Endeavor strategy to fail, but for Yanga to not even get a chance to utilize its speed advantage before ending up like this?
This wasn't the script he had written…
The reason he had dared to send out a Yanga with a 4x weakness to Rock-type was precisely to suppress Tyranitar with speed, then wear it down with long-range moves like Bug Buzz.
But once again, he was wrong. Yanga wasn't the only Pokémon in the world with Speed Boost. Sato's Sharpedo was one of the best.
Even the Endeavor Final Gambit combo; Sato had long since considered it outdated, just like Trainers of their age.
Outdated…
"Tyranitar, finish it with Stone Edge."
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
The mont Sato gave the order, nurous sand-forged rock spikes shot toward the immobilized Yanga.
Boom…
A small explosion echoed. Tyranitar waved its hand to reduce the Sandstorm's intensity, and the crowd finally got a clear view of Yanga's condition.
Tattered transparent wings, dulled compound eyes, twitching limbs… it looked pitiful beyond words.
From beginning to end, Sato had never allowed Yanga to pick up any montum. Without its speed, it wasn't even as tenacious as Staraptor.
"Yanga has lost the ability to battle. Tyranitar wins. Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Two consecutive defeats!
Gasps echoed across the stadium. Those who had never seen Sato battle in person couldn't believe a young man could be this powerful.
Yet the truth was, even after defeating two opponents in a row, Tyranitar looked like it had only lost a bit of stamina.
Could it keep fighting? The answer was obvious.
"…Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!" the referee reminded again.
Only then did the stunned Lolo snap out of it and hastily recall Yanga.
Surprisingly, even after two straight losses, there wasn't the slightest hint of despair in his eyes.
He still had a trump card!
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