Of course Chen Shi already knew that Swampert's strengths had been exposed.
He never planned to start by setting the weather anyway.
"Swampert—Rock Throw!"
"Swaaamp!"
Swampert stomped the ground.
A boulder lifted from the earth, and Swampert grabbed it, hurling it at Gyarados with brutal force.
"Gyarados, Aqua Tail—shatter it!"
"ROAR!"
Gyarados' tail surged with swirling water.
With a single whip-like motion, the boulder exploded into rubble.
"Good—Swampert, Waterfall! Catch him—then Rock Slide!"
"Swaaamp!"
Swampert exploded forward, his signature Waterfall propelling him at terrifying speed.
Lance's face darkened.
"Gyarados—Whirlpool, now!"
Too late.
Even without rain, Swampert's raw burst speed was monstrous.
Before Gyarados could launch the move, Swampert flashed behind him—
—and grabbed Gyarados by the tail, slamming him down like a living battering ram.
"BOOM!!"
Dust and shattered stone flew as Gyarados struck the ground.
Then—
three gigantic boulders materialized overhead—
Rock Slide crashed down on the pinned Gyarados.
"Swampert—Rock Tomb! Don't let him get up!"
Hearing Chen Shi's command, Swampert followed immediately—
encasing Gyarados in jagged stone, sealing off every attempt to rise.
The announcer shouted, voice trembling:
"Oh—Chen Shi is giving Gyarados NO room to breathe! Swampert has used Rock Tomb to prevent any chance of escape!"
"Gyarados is in real danger!"
Lance reacted fast.
"Gyarados! Get it together—Outrage!"
"ROOOOAR!!"
Gyarados' eyes turned blood-red as he thrashed violently, smashing his body against the arena floor.
Fueled by Outrage, he burst free—then rammed Swampert away with brutal force.
Chen Shi didn't panic at losing momentum.
His voice stayed calm.
"Swampert—again. Waterfall! Into Rock Slide!"
Lance gritted his teeth.
Even without rain, Swampert's acceleration was overwhelming.
Gyarados simply couldn't match it.
He made a split-second decision.
"Return—Gyarados!"
He raised the Poké Ball—
but Chen Shi narrowed his eyes.
"Swampert—stop him!"
"Swaaamp!"
Swampert instantly shifted direction, throwing his entire body between Gyarados and the incoming recall beam—
blocking the capture light completely.
The crowd exploded.
"UNBELIEVABLE! Lance tried to recall Gyarados, but Swampert physically blocked the Poké Ball's beam!"
A tactic no one had ever seen.
The arena shook with excitement.
Gyarados, in his final throes of Outrage, slammed into Swampert once more, inflicting heavy damage—
but after that last desperate strike, the great leviathan collapsed.
The referee raised his hand.
"Gyarados is unable to battle! Lance, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Lance inhaled slowly and withdrew the fallen Gyarados.
Then he pulled out a new Poké Ball—
and the moment it opened, the stadium erupted.
A massive gray-purple shape spread its wings, screeching as it descended.
Aerodactyl.
A fossil Pokémon long believed extinct.
Though the Sivuchi family's fossil revival tech had succeeded recently, the news hadn't yet spread—
so the audience was shocked.
Chen Shi's heart sank as he scanned it.
A late-stage Elite.
Even with type advantage, Swampert would struggle without weather.
He made up his mind instantly.
"Swampert—Rain Dance!"
Lance's lips curled slightly.
"Aerodactyl—Sunny Day!"
Chen Shi's expression stiffened.
If Aerodactyl had attacked, Swampert could've taken a hit—
as long as he got the rain up, it would've been worth it.
But competing weather…
against an opponent several levels higher?
Swampert couldn't win that clash.
Sure enough—
Heat flooded the battlefield, sunlight intensifying rapidly until the air shimmered.
Swampert's rain didn't even get the chance to manifest—
Sunny Day overwrote it instantly.
"Aerodactyl—Agility into Aerial Ace!"
"SKREEEE!"
Aerodactyl shot upward, weaving through the air with blinding speed.
Chen Shi's face tightened.
If Aerodactyl completed Agility, Swampert's advantage would vanish entirely.
"Stop him! Swampert—Waterfall!"
"Swaaamp!!"
Swampert launched upward, trying to intercept—
—but Aerodactyl finished Agility first, blurring across the sky.
A split-second later—
WHOOOOSH!
Twin wing-blades unleashed a slicing gust: Wing Attack + wind pressure.
Swampert was falling—no room to dodge.
"Protect!"
Swampert threw up a green, shimmering barrier just as he hit the ground—
blocking the hit, but only barely.
Lance didn't hesitate.
"Aerodactyl—Aerial Ace!"
Chen Shi's pulse spiked.
"Swampert—dodge!"
But Swampert had just landed—
and had just used Protect.
He couldn't move fast enough.
"BOOM!"
Aerial Ace struck true, knocking Swampert back with immense force.
"Swaaamp…!"
The pain tore a grunt from him.
"Follow up—Dragon Claw!"
Aerodactyl's talons glowed azure with draconic power as it dove.
Chen Shi steadied his breath.
His eyes faintly shone pink—
he activated psychic telepathy.
［Swampert—don't panic. Wait for the timing. Catch him.］
Breathing heavily, Swampert fixed his gaze on the incoming Aerodactyl.
And...
Chen Shi's eyes sharpened.
［Now!］
"Swaaamp!!"
Swampert roared—twisting his body, narrowly slipping past the Dragon Claw—
and grabbed Aerodactyl's wing with both hands, locking it in place.
"Aerodactyl!"
Lance's voice cracked in shock.
He hadn't expected the advantage to flip this suddenly.
［Hammer Arm—smash him into the ground.］
With a guttural roar, Swampert's arm surged with Fighting-type power—
"SWAAAAAMP!!"
And he brought it down on Aerodactyl's torso—
"BOOOOM!!"
The arena shook.
Dust exploded into the air.
And every spectator leaned forward—
waiting to see which titan would rise first.
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