The triple threat was active: Curse, Whirlpool, and Will-O-Wisp.
Individually, these moves weren't immediate knockouts, but layered together, they were a ticking time bomb that would shave off at least half of Sceptile's HP in no time.
"A pity we didn't get a chance to land a Hex," Kashiwagi thought, a hint of regret crossing his mind.
Even with Galarian Corsola's modest offensive stats, a boosted Hex against a burned target would have left Sceptile teetering on the edge of a faint.
Since Sceptile was suffering from a status condition, Hex's power would have doubled.
However, Tyson's reflexes were sharp. Or perhaps, he had finally found his opening. The moment the burn took hold of Sceptile, he recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Even as fast as Corsola was, she couldn't chain a new move before the red light retracted her target.
"You did great. Come back and rest for a bit," Kashiwagi said, returning Galarian Corsola to her ball.
The surrounding crowd erupted in confused whispers.
"Why'd he pull it out?"
"Yeah! He had the momentum, and that Corsola looked like it was doing fine! What a waste!"
"I mean, I agree with you, but... with that face like it's seen a hundred years of bad luck, how can you even tell if it's 'doing fine'?"
"Just... trust me, it was fine, okay!?"
Arguments broke out among the spectators. But as a Trainer, Kashiwagi knew better.
While it looked like Corsola was dominating Sceptile, the reality was that after using so many moves and sacrificing half of HP for Curse, her status was precarious.
Most Ghost-types don't exactly have "stamina for days." With HP stats usually hovering around the 50s or 60s, they rely entirely on their defensive bulk to tank hits.
While they are durable, they aren't built for marathons—unless they can spam recovery moves. Since there was no opening for a Rest right now, it was time for a sub.
Corsola, for her part, seemed perfectly happy to go back to sleep.
...
Across the field, after a brief moment of deliberation, Tyson sent out his second Pokémon.
"Donphan, let's go!"
"Don-phannn!"
The sturdy Armor Pokémon slammed onto the battlefield. Its snout and back were covered in a rocky, jet-black hide as tough as iron.
Its long, white tusks gleamed like polished jade under the sunlight, sharp and imposing.
Kashiwagi knew Donphan well—he'd seen hundreds of them back in Pyrite Town. Judging by its size and the luster of its tusks, this one was a high-level powerhouse.
More importantly, like Sceptile, this Donphan was a veteran of Tyson's Championship-winning team.
Whether or not Tyson had raised new Pokémon over the years didn't matter; the fact that he was bringing out his "A-team" meant he was going all out.
Kashiwagi was more than satisfied.
He reached for a specific Poké Ball, summoning a long-time heavy hitter.
"This one's all you!"
"STEEEEEEL-IX!"
The Ultra-Giant Steelix materialized. Its low, tectonic roar echoed through Central Park like rolling thunder. Its colossal body cast a shadow like a storm cloud over half the battlefield.
The metallic surface of its skin reflected the sun, creating a dazzling, silver halo around its massive frame.
"Hiss!" "Whoa!"
Gaps and shrieks of terror rippled through the crowd. Many spectators instinctively scrambled back a few steps, terrified that the giant Iron Snake Pokémon might tip over and flatten them.
But most stayed, eyes glued to the behemoth. Steelix were rare enough; an Ultra-Giant one was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
The battle was drawing a massive crowd now, with passersby calling their friends to come see the "Mountain of Metal."
"Too scary, too scary-roto!" The Rotom Phone hovered at a safe distance, not daring to get closer.
Tyson and Donphan were equally stunned, staring up with their necks craned back.
"It's... it's huge!"
From their perspective, Steelix looked less like a Pokémon and more like an ancient mountain peak.
A sense of awe washed over them, but it was quickly replaced by a surging battle spirit. Tyson hadn't won a Hoenn League Championship by luck. He'd faced terrifying odds before.
When facing a mountain, you don't run. You climb.
"Strike first! Earthquake!" Tyson bellowed.
Donphan reared back, lifting its trunk and forelegs high. "DON-PHAAAN!"
THOOM!
The impact sounded like a detonating bomb. The ground buckled and groaned under Donphan's "Stomp." Spiderweb cracks raced across the dirt, and a visible, brownish shockwave rolled forward toward the giant!
But to Tyson's shock, before the shockwave could reach it, the Ultra-Giant Steelix began to rotate the three horizontal rock-rings on its upper body. With a sudden burst of power, it leaped into the air!
WHOOSH!
The sound of displaced air was heavy and oppressive. The rotating segments spun like a massive windmill, humming with energy as bright rings of electricity coiled around them.
"Magnet Rise," Kashiwagi's voice finally drifted through the air, nearly drowned out by the crowd's cheering.
Like a floating dreadnought, Steelix didn't just dodge the Earthquake—it began to circle in the sky like the legendary Rayquaza, looking down at the tiny Donphan standing in the center of the cracked earth.
Its copper-red eyes glowed with an intimidating light.
Tyson stared up, his expression grim. He knew the move, of course. He just hadn't expected a Pokémon that massive to use it so gracefully. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck.
Should I switch? Not necessarily. He ran through his options. There was still a way forward.
"Rollout!" he shouted, his fist clenched.
Donphan tucked itself into a ball, transforming into a high-speed black tire that began to tear around the perimeter of the field.
"Dragon Breath."
Steelix took a deep breath and unleashed a scorching beam of azure energy. The blast slammed into the ground, but missed the accelerating Donphan as it gained momentum.
Tyson's plan was in motion. But what was he aiming for?
Kashiwagi squinted, trying to read Tyson's endgame. Most of Donphan's moveset relied on physical contact, and in a typical battle, a Ground-type stuck on terra firma has a snowball's chance in Cinnabar Island of hitting a floating target.
In the anime, Ash's Swellow only got tagged because Ash spent half the match daydreaming.
Under normal circumstances, the moment Steelix took to the skies, Donphan should have been a prime candidate for a switch-out.
But Tyson looked confident. He clearly had a trick up his sleeve.
Fine then, Kashiwagi thought. If you're going to give me a free turn, I'll take the buff.
"Curse!"
High above, Steelix's eyes flickered with a ghostly purple light. A shadowy aura erupted from its silver hide, followed by pulses of orange and blue light as its physical stats shifted.
Its body became heavier, its movements more deliberate, but its hide grew as hard as diamond.
Seeing this, Tyson didn't panic. In fact, his eyes lit up. "Now! This is the chance! Use your tusks to launch yourself!"
The command hit Donphan's ears just as it hit peak velocity from its Rollout.
"DON-PHANNN!"
The high-speed black tire suddenly snapped its thick, ivory tusks forward, using them as a powerful lever against the pavement to vault its entire weight upward.
BOOM!
Under the autumn sun, a massive black projectile shot into the air like a surface-to-air missile, screaming toward the hovering "Metal Dreadnought" with zero hesitation!
The speed was incredible!
Are you kidding me!? Kashiwagi's jaw nearly hit the floor. He'd seen Pokémon use rocks as ramps for Rollout before, but he'd never seen one literally pole-vault itself into the stratosphere.
Using tusks as a fulcrum? Won't they snap?
He had to hand it to Tyson—the sheer precision required to launch a Donphan at that trajectory without spinning off-course was insane. That kind of aerial control only came from years of grueling practice.
Even better, Tyson had timed it perfectly. By aiming for Steelix's lower segments just as the Curse animation ended, he'd caught the giant at its slowest moment. Steelix was too massive to swing its head around in time to intercept; all it could do was brace.
But bracing wasn't enough for Kashiwagi.
"Iron Tail!"
"Superpower!" Tyson countered with a roar.
The brownish Ground-type energy surrounding Donphan faded, replaced by a fierce, glowing reddish-brown aura of raw physical might.
Size usually meant intimidation, but it also meant a massive hit-box. In other words? Steelix was too big to miss!
CLANG!!
The "missile" Donphan collided with the swinging, girder-thick tail of the Ultra-Giant Steelix.
The sound of metal on reinforced hide was bone-shaking, vibrating through the teeth of everyone in the park.
Donphan's Superpower seemed to inherit all the terrifying momentum from its previous Rollout.
Instead of being swatted back to earth, Donphan actually deflected the Iron Tail, bouncing off the massive limb with explosive force!
"Don-phann!"
The Armor Pokémon spun even higher into the air. Though it uncurled from its tire shape back into its squat, elephantine form, it had successfully seized the high ground.
It now looked down upon the Great Steelix from above.
Steelix winced, a flicker of pain crossing its metallic face.
Even with the Defense boost from Curse, that Superpower had clearly left a mark.
"Okay, I see you," Kashiwagi muttered, his respect for Tyson leveling up.
He'd started to underestimate the former Champion after how easily Sceptile was handled.
It seemed the first round was just a bad type-matchup—or perhaps Tyson just wasn't prepared for the "misery" that is Galarian Corsola.
Now, the real battle had begun.
As Donphan reached the apex of its arc and began its descent, Tyson smelled blood in the water.
"Keep the momentum! Fire Fang!"
Tyson wasn't waiting for a reaction. The "Superpower" boost had given him the confidence he needed to turn this match around.
Unfortunately for him, Kashiwagi wasn't done playing.
"DON-PHANNN!"
Donphan adjusted its posture in mid-air, its sharp tusks igniting with fierce, orange flames. It hurtled toward Steelix's head like a blazing meteor.
FROOOOOM!!
The air groaned under the intense heat of the descent.
But just as the "fireball" was about to make impact, a massive, silver-clad tail whipped out from the shadows.
Ignoring the flames entirely, the iron limb coiled around Donphan's body with lightning speed, snaring it mid-flight.
"Don-ph?!?"
Donphan's eyes bulged in panic. It found itself completely pinned; every time it struggled, the iron tail constricted tighter.
Within seconds, its internal organs were letting out a faint, creaking protest under the crushing pressure.
"Don... phann..." it whimpered, the flames on its tusks flickering out into smoke.
On the ground, Tyson stared in disbelief at Steelix's bizarre, contorted pose. He hadn't expected the giant's tail to be so preternaturally agile—or fast enough to snatch a projectile out of the sky.
"Bind... Focusing only on the head and forgetting the tail is a rookie mistake," Kashiwagi noted, his tone cool as he waved a hand toward Tyson's stunned face.
"Now, Slam!"
"STEEEEEEL-IX!"
The Iron Snake Pokémon's tail began to glow with a brilliant white light.
With a roar, it swung the massive limb like a champion pitcher, hurling Donphan toward the earth with devastating force!
THOOM!
The ground buckled. A massive cloud of dust erupted, but through the haze, one could see the spiderweb of deep craters blooming beneath Donphan's impact point.
"Donphan! Get up!" Tyson shouted desperately, his hand already reaching for a Poké Ball to switch. But Kashiwagi wasn't about to let the momentum slip.
"Heavy Slam."
The command was a death knell.
In the sky, Steelix's tail arched upward, its colossal body snapping into a perfectly straight line. Steel-type energy, thick enough to distort the air, manifested as shimmering silver rings around its frame.
The four massive horizontal rock-rings spun like high-speed turbines, providing a terrifying downward thrust.
VREEEEEE—
The air began to scream.
In an instant, the Ultra-Giant Steelix transformed into a silver streak of light, vanishing from its high-altitude perch!
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact was so violent that spectators felt their feet leave the ground for a split second.
A deafening explosion went off in everyone's ears, and a pillar of dust shot into the sky, swallowing the entire battlefield.
A literal shockwave of wind forced people back, many shielding their faces.
A few onlookers even stumbled over themselves, scrambling backward on all fours to get away from the epicenter.
What kind of monstrous power is this?!
Kashiwagi waved away the drifting dust, his expression calm.
Heavy Slam was arguably Steelix's most terrifying weapon—converting its staggering, "mountain-class" weight into pure destructive force.
Even if Tyson's Donphan was larger and heavier than most of its kind, it was still a flyweight compared to this behemoth. The damage calculation was maxed out.
As the dust began to settle with the sound of shifting rubble, a massive dark shape moved within the haze.
With a gust of wind from its rotating segments, Steelix raised its head, clearing the air.
Beneath it lay a horrific, jagged crater. At the very bottom sat Donphan, its eyes spinning in classic "fainted" swirls, legs pointing helplessly toward the sky.
After taking a three-hit combo from a giant, not even Donphan's legendary physical bulk could save it.
The crowd stood paralyzed in awe, the dense circle of spectators having widened significantly as people instinctively gave the giant more "breathing room."
Even when Elite Four Glacia gave public lessons, she rarely displayed this level of raw, terraforming destruction.
Of course, destructive power doesn't always equal technical skill—but to the audience, the visual was enough to leave them speechless.
The Rotom Phone, which had been blown back by the wind, wobbled its way back to the center and scanned the crater.
"Donphan is unable to battle-roto! Steelix wins!"
"STEEEE-LIX!" the giant roared at the clouds.
Tyson recalled Donphan, looking over at Kashiwagi with a face full of genuine admiration.
"I didn't expect my advantage to be overturned so effortlessly. You're incredible. But don't think I'm handing the win over just yet!"
He snatched a fresh Poké Ball and threw it with everything he had.
"Go! Metagross!"
POP!
"META-G!"
The Iron Claw Pokémon appeared, its body looking like it was forged from blue-tinted steel.
Its disc-shaped torso was supported by four massive, hammer-like legs, and a gleaming silver "X" was bolted across its face. It looked like a predatory, metallic tank.
Tyson's Metagross was a beast. In the Hoenn League, it had famously crushed Ash's Swellow and Grovyle, and it had been the MVP of his semi-final and final matches.
In Kashiwagi's eyes, this Metagross was on a completely different level than Sceptile or Donphan. This was the real challenge.