After a long rest, Tyrunt and Beldum's breathing steadied; Lionel gently brushed the sand from the dinosaur's scales and the steel-type's metallic hide, restoring their shine.
"Next up: move training."
Lionel took a fist-sized stone item from his backpack—Gym Leader Roxanne's parting gift, a Hard Stone.
The rock was dark gray, veined with fine natural patterns, and gave off a faint pulse of energy when held.
Besides boosting Rock-type moves, it sharpens a Pokémon's sensitivity to Rock-type energy.
That lets Pokémon master Rock moves faster during training.
Once Lionel clipped the Hard Stone to Tyrunt's chest, the chilly stone touched its scales and the little dinosaur roared in delight, eyes sparkling.
At that moment, the rock energy hidden in dunes and cliff faces seemed to turn into countless glimmering ochre motes, drawn by an invisible force toward Tyrunt like streams into a river.
"Feel that?"
Lionel crouched to meet Tyrunt's eyes. "Now try Sandstorm—should be easier, right?"
Tyrunt nodded hard, growling low in its throat.
This time it whipped up the surrounding sand with almost no effort, far smoother than before.
"Next, you'll train with Feebas."
Lionel turned to Feebas; the little fish had just finished watching Milotic videos and was now curling Aqua Rings with its tail fin, practicing fine control.
Layers of crystal-clear water bands circled its body, gleaming like glass ribbons.
Occasionally it wove in Rain Dance practice, cloaking itself in a thin mist.
At the order, Feebas blew a happy bubble and, buoyed by the current, zipped to Tyrunt's side.
Its tail flicked, surrounding it with rich aqua light, ready to strike.
"Feebas, Rain Dance; Tyrunt, Sandstorm—oppose each other. Start with minimum power and focus on rhythm."
Tyrunt took a deep breath, threw its head back, and loosed a clear roar—Sandstorm activated.
Abruptly, wind burst from the ground, lifting countless grains into a spinning column.
The yellow torrent, infused with rock energy drawn by the Hard Stone, looked especially fierce.
The sand pillar howled toward Feebas, spraying grit and turning the air murky.
At the same time, Feebas gathered every wisp of moisture around it.
With a swing of its tail, the aqua halo flared; a small black raincloud formed overhead.
Rain Dance's water fell not as fine drops but as a thick curtain, a transparent wall blocking the sand column.
Under normal conditions, with Feebas's masterful Water control, Tyrunt's Sandstorm would have been quelled in moments.
But here in the desert heart, endless sand grains constantly fed the storm.
Feebas's available moisture was limited; even straining, it could barely keep the water wall intact.
Boom—
The sand pillar slammed the water curtain, producing a dull thunder.
Sand and rain mixed into muddy slurry that rained down, coating the ground.
The column tried to bore through; the curtain fought to smother the frenzy.
Back and forth they eroded each other, deadlocked, neither able to win outright.
"Excellent!"
Lionel's eyes lit up—exactly what he wanted.
In this setting, Tyrunt could use the Hard Stone to speed up its grasp of rock energy and refine Sandstorm.
Meanwhile, Feebas had to ration every droplet in the arid desert, sharpening its Water control to the utmost.
"Gradually raise the energy, but keep the moves stable."
Lionel coached.
At the cue, the Hard Stone on Tyrunt's neck flared; it glared at Feebas and growled.
The sand column spun faster, outer grains flung wide while the core condensed into a yellow drill that rammed the curtain.
Feebas adjusted output; the rain wall tilted, and the falling water turned into angled, razor-thin arrows that lanced the sand spout's flank.
Each watery arrow tried to break the rotation, every impact spraying mist into the air.
The two Pokémon traded blows inextricably.
Tyrunt's Sandstorm grew wilder, grains whipping like steel needles and cracking against the cliff walls.
Feebas's rain curtain thickened, drops growing heavy and splashing craters in the sand.
Sunlight filtered through sand and rain, refracting a strange rainbow that arched between the column and the curtain—wildly spectacular.
Beldum hovered beside Lionel, its red crystalline eye locked on the duel.
It deftly wove Confusion into an invisible barrier around Lionel.
Flying sand and splashing droplets bounced off harmlessly, keeping him safe.
In spare moments it lifted loose sand and water with Confusion.
Mimicking the clash, it formed tiny sand spouts and thin water veils, letting them collide and fade, then reform—playing an absorbing little game with focused diligence.
The clash lasted half an hour until Tyrunt's breathing turned heavy and the sand pillar slowed.
Feebas's aqua glow dimmed; the curtain thinned and could no longer hold its angle. Both Pokémon stopped at almost the same instant.
Deprived of energy, the sand column dissolved into drifting dust.
The raincloud dispersed; the last drops fell and were swallowed by the dry sand.
With a thud, Tyrunt flopped onto the ground, panting hard but eyes shining with excitement.
During the duel it had clearly felt its control over Sandstorm growing smoother.
Feebas sank back into its inflatable water tank, purple body trembling.
Exhausted in the arid desert, it still flicked its tail stubbornly, sending up tiny sprays of water.
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