A flash of red light appeared, and a deafening roar instantly swept through the entire Gym!
A ferocious beast, its size so massive it nearly obscured half the field, appeared with a boom!
Deep blue scales reflected a cold luster under the Gym lights; its long body resembled a flood dragon in the water, its whiskers moved without wind, and a pair of crimson eyes firmly Lock-On to the Sandile in the arena.
Gyarados! Level 26!
Almost at the same time Gyarados appeared, an invisible pressure spread out like a tide.
Sandile's momentum, which had just surged due to triggering the "Moxie" Ability after defeating Raichu, was like having cold water poured on it in the face of this pressure, instantly withering away.
Intimidate Ability!
By intimidating upon entry, it forcibly lowers the opponent's Attack!
Jiang Han's pupils contracted slightly.
He watched as Sandile's Attack power, which had stacked and then been neutralized, finally returned to its starting point, and everything became clear in his mind.
What a brilliant move to cut the ground from under me!
This old fox, Iron Xuan, had no intention of playing by the book at all!
Using a Ground-type Pokémon immune to Electric-type moves to challenge an Electric-type Gym was already a nearly foolproof scheme.
Coupled with Sandile's "Moxie" Ability, which makes it stronger with every battle, one could easily sweep three opponents and take the badge with proper maneuvering.
But Iron Xuan just had to send out Gyarados as his second Pokémon.
Its Water and flying-type combination not only perfectly immunized it against Sandile's strongest Ground-type moves, but its Water-type moves could also deal double super-effective damage to Sandile!
This move completely locked down Sandile's advantage.
Jiang Han now finally understood firsthand why the Alliance strictly mandated that Gym Leaders must use Pokémon of their corresponding type.
Otherwise, if a Gym Leader wanted to make things difficult for you, they could just pull out a Pokémon that counters your lineup, and most rookie Trainers probably wouldn't even make it past the first Gym before having to pack their bags and head home in disgrace.
This battle was indeed an assessment carefully arranged by the Team Rockets.
The goal was to see exactly how far he could go under absolute headwinds and disadvantages.
"Come back, Sandile."
Jiang Han decisively recalled Sandile; there was no point in continuing the fight.
He looked up at the calm Iron Xuan opposite him, his finger lightly brushing another Poké Ball at his waist.
"Since you want to see, then I'll show you plenty!"
"Go, Sneasel!"
A flash of light, and a sleek black and red figure appeared on the field.
Compared to Gyarados's massive size, Sneasel looked exceptionally small, but its eyes, flashing with cunning and cold light, met Gyarados's gaze without a hint of fear.
"Oh? Using Sneasel?" Iron Xuan's eyebrows rose slightly. "Ice-type counters flying-type, but Gyarados's Water-type happens to cancel that out."
Jiang Han didn't respond.
Battles aren't won with words.
"Sneasel, Agility!"
He was the first to issue a command!
Facing an opponent like Gyarados, a final evolution whose power and defense held an absolute advantage, Sneasel's only chance of victory was to utilize its speed advantage to the fullest!
Sneasel's figure instantly turned into an afterimage, darting rapidly across the open field.
"Want to take the initiative?" Iron Xuan smiled. "Naive. Gyarados, Dragon Dance!"
Gyarados's massive body began to writhe in a strange and powerful rhythm, as a faint crimson aura gradually emerged around it.
With every dance, the air seemed to vibrate, and waves of power surged into its body, increasing its Attack and Speed simultaneously!
Both sides were buffing!
This was a race against time!
Jiang Han's gaze sharpened; he knew very well that he couldn't let Gyarados stack Dragon Dance.
A Gyarados after one Dragon Dance is already a team-sweeping existence!
"Now, Sneasel, use Ice Shard!"
In the trajectory of its Agility, Sneasel didn't even pause; it just swiped its claws as it passed Gyarados's side!
Several ice crystals flashing with cold light condensed out of thin air, shooting toward Gyarados as accurately as bullets!
"Bang! Bang!"
The Ice Shards hit Gyarados's hard scales with a dull thud, not dealing much damage, but the stinging sensation from the Ice-type energy successfully enraged the behemoth!
"Roar—!"
Gyarados let out a roar, fire erupting in its crimson eyes. It stopped its Dragon Dance, and its massive body suddenly swung, charging toward Sneasel, engulfed in a massive wave!
The huge waves even crashed against the barriers at the edge of the field!
"It's Waterfall!"
The momentum was grand, as if the heavens were collapsing!
Facing this attack that seemed capable of swallowing everything, Jiang Han's eyes were exceptionally calm.
He knew Sneasel's weakness—its fragile defense. Taking this move head-on, even if it didn't lose its Ability to fight, it would definitely be heavily injured.
"Dodge it!"
The command burst out.
Relying on the extreme speed from Agility, Sneasel turned into a black shadow and narrowly skirted past the water wave just as it was about to hit.
Just then, the corners of Iron Xuan's mouth, which had been wearing a kind smile, curled into a smug arc.
That smile was just like an old fox finally waiting for its prey to step into a trap.
"Now!"
With Iron Xuan's sharp shout, a sudden change occurred!
Under the cover of the surging waves, Gyarados's thick tail had at some point lit up with deep Dragon-type energy.
As its body twisted, it swung in a horizontal sweep like a steel whip, whistling through the air as it slammed toward Sneasel, who had just dodged the Waterfall and hadn't yet regained its footing!
What a brilliant feint!
Waterfall was just a diversion; the real killing move was the Dragon Tail hidden within the waves!
This series of maneuvers was as smooth as flowing water, so fast it left no time to react!
If it were an ordinary Trainer, they would probably have to watch helplessly as their Pokémon was heavily struck, thus losing the match!
But Jiang Han was not!
The moment Iron Xuan revealed that smile, the alarm bells in his mind rang at maximum volume!
"Protect!"
In an almost instinctive reaction, Jiang Han's command burst out!
At the critical moment, an emerald green energy shield instantly deployed in front of Sneasel!
"Thud—!"
A dull thud so heavy it made the heart skip a beat!
The Dragon Tail slammed solidly into the Protect barrier. The massive force caused the barrier to shake violently, even creating ripples, but in the end, it steadily blocked the lethal strike!
The waves receded, leaving the entire field in a mess.
Sneasel landed lightly on the wet ground, shook off the water droplets, and the coldness and alertness in its eyes intensified.
"Clap, clap, clap."
Iron Xuan slowly clapped his hands, a hint of praise in his smile.
"Good reaction time. To be able to make the most correct judgment instantly in that situation, you are even more excellent than I imagined."
"You're not bad yourself, you old fox," Jiang Han retorted without hesitation.
He also felt a wave of lingering fear in his heart.
That moment just now was truly too dangerous.
The massive water curtain created by Waterfall not only obscured vision, but its deafening roar also covered the sound of Dragon Tail charging up.
Iron Xuan had calculated that he would have Sneasel dodge, and after dodging, there would inevitably be a moment of stiffness; that Dragon Tail was aimed right at that opening.
Every move was linked, airtight and flawless.
This was no longer a simple exchange of skills, but a battle of tactics and psychology.
Interesting.
Instead of finding it difficult, a long-lost excitement ignited in Jiang Han's heart.
This was the battle he wanted! This was the true test!
"The old fox's trick has been seen through." Jiang Han looked at Iron Xuan, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. "Now, it's my turn."
The smile on Iron Xuan's face remained unchanged as he simply made a "please" gesture, but a touch of gravity appeared in his eyes.
He knew that the young man before him had become completely serious.
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