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Tyranitar went completely wild, slamming its fists and feet downward in a furious barrage. Dust and debris exploded into the air as Ampharos was smashed straight into the ground.
But even that brutal assault wasn't enough to finish it.
As Thrash came to an end, Tyranitar fell into confusion. It didn't stop attacking just the opposite. It continued swinging wildly at anything nearby, and that chaos gave Ampharos the opening it desperately needed.
Ampharos scrambled up from the crater and retreated to a safer distance as quickly as it could.
Only when it turned back and saw Tyranitar standing there, momentarily motionless, did it finally exhale in relief. At the same time, pain flooded its body—every bone felt like it had been shattered, leaving it barely able to stand.
Seeing Ampharos hesitate, Wattson shouted urgently,
"Ampharos! Don't freeze up counterattack, now!"
Snapped back to reality by its Trainer's voice, Ampharos hastily gathered its remaining strength and began charging up an attack.
On the other side of the field, Kai could only wait for Tyranitar's confusion to wear off.
There was no way around it confusion was an unavoidable drawback. Rushing things wouldn't help.
Still, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
No wonder it's one of Wattson's ace Pokémon…
After taking a full-force charge, then being pinned and hammered into the ground, Ampharos still had enough energy to fight back. Its durability was genuinely impressive.
A powerful electric blast erupted from Ampharos's tail in a flash of light, striking Tyranitar head-on.
Crackle—!!
Electricity surged across Tyranitar's body. The pain made it roar, but the shock had an unexpected effect—Tyranitar snapped out of its confusion.
This time, Kai didn't need to risk close-quarters combat again.
Ampharos was clearly exhausted, its body battered and its stamina nearly spent. At Kai's command, Tyranitar unleashed Dark Pulse from a distance.
Unwilling to go down quietly, Ampharos fired back with Signal Beam.
But this time, Kai deliberately adjusted Tyranitar's angle.
The two attacks didn't collide.
Instead, they skimmed past each other at point-blank range each strike landing squarely on its target.
Both Pokémon staggered.
Then, at last, Ampharos's legs gave out. Unable to endure any longer, it collapsed to the ground.
Volker raised the flag at once and announced loudly,
"Ampharos is unable to battle! The winner of this Gym Battle is the challenger—Kai!"
With Kai's current team, this Gym challenge had been genuinely difficult. That wasn't because Wattson's Pokémon were overwhelmingly strong, but because of the clever way he arranged his lineup.
Most Gyms sent out Pokémon from weakest to strongest but Kai had never seen such a drastic gap in strength between a Gym Leader's Pokémon as he had here.
And more importantly—
Wattson hadn't warned him in advance.
Luckily, Kai's Pokémon rose to the occasion. Otherwise, this battle could've ended very differently.
Of course, it was a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. Before challengers even entered the Gym, they had already been tested by Wattson's electric machinery.
Anyone who passed that test was guaranteed to have real skill, which was exactly why Wattson felt confident adjusting his lineup to match each challenger.
After losing the match, especially with Ampharos, Wattson was clearly disappointed. Still, his trademark hearty smile soon returned as he walked over to Kai.
"That was impressive," Wattson said warmly. "You might not know this, but that Ampharos is one of my strongest Pokémon. The fact that you defeated it means you're already at a level where you can challenge the League."
If Wattson had known more about Kai, he probably wouldn't have taken the loss so hard.
Kai, however, had no intention of explaining. He simply smiled and replied,
"You flatter me. My Pokémon still have a long way to go—I've got plenty left to work on."
Wattson nodded in satisfaction. "That attitude will take you far. Keep it up, young man I'll be rooting for you."
At that moment, Volker stepped forward. Wattson took a Badge from him and handed it to Kai.
"Take it. This is the Dynamo Badge proof that you've beaten me."
The Dynamo Badge was fairly simple in design, resembling a yellow electromagnetic ring. It wasn't flashy, but it carried real weight.
Kai thanked him and placed the Badge into his case.
With the Dynamo Badge added, Kai had now defeated three Gyms and earned three Badges. Just one more, and he'd be halfway to qualifying for the League.
Wattson's sharp eyes caught sight of another Badge in the case the Heat Badge. He burst into laughter.
"What's this? You beat that old guy from Lavaridge too?"
For some reason, Kai felt like there was a hint of schadenfreude in Wattson's tone.
Unfortunately for him, that expectation was misplaced.
"No," Kai shook his head. "When I reached the Lavaridge Gym, Mr. Moore had already retired. The Gym is being run by his granddaughter, Flannery."
"He retired!?" Wattson exclaimed. "He actually gave up the Gym!?"
The shock was written all over his face. It was clearly the first he'd heard of it, and he stood there stunned for a long moment.
It made sense—Mr. Moore was around the same age as Wattson. If even he had retired, perhaps Wattson himself would have to think seriously about the future.
Volker chuckled and gently advised,
"Sir, you're not getting any younger either. Your back isn't what it used to be. Maybe it's time you and Mr. Moore both took a break."
"Nonsense!" Wattson snorted. "I'm still in my prime! Retirement? Talk to me again in ten years! Hmph! But honestly, that old man didn't even bother telling me something this big. Just wait till I run into him I won't let him hear the end of it!"
From his words, it was clear the bond between the two old Gym Leaders ran deep.
That, however, had nothing to do with Kai anymore.
After putting away his Badge case and recalling Tyranitar, Kai and Misty politely nodded to Wattson before leaving the Mauville Gym.
They were traveling Trainers. Once their business was done, it was only natural to move on to the next destination.
Still, Mauville City had left a deep impression on Misty. After they'd gone some distance beyond the city, she turned back for one last look at the heart of central Hoenn.
This had been her first time here.
And it would probably be her last.
Goodbye, Mauville City.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
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