A brief standoff, the air thick with tension.
Gyarados's massive body coiled on the puddles, looking down at its opponent, its crimson eyes filled with savagery.
"Since cleverness is useless, let's go for something tougher!" Wattson waved his hand. "Gyarados, Ice Fang!"
"My pleasure!" Ariel's eyes narrowed. "Sneasel, Ice Punch!"
Both commands were given almost simultaneously!
Gyarados opened its massive maw, and bone-chilling frost quickly condensed on its pristine white teeth, biting fiercely towards Sneasel!
Meanwhile, Sneasel's small body erupted with astonishing power, its right claw clenched into a fist, instantly enveloped in deep blue ice energy. It charged straight at the giant mouth without dodging!
Two figures with vastly different sizes, one colossal and one swift and agile, collided with a resounding crash!
"Bang!"
Ice shards flew everywhere!
The clash of fist and fang produced a dull thud, like metal striking metal.
A visible white chill exploded from the point of contact, sweeping across half the battlefield.
The relaxed comfort on Wattson's face completely vanished, replaced by a look of profound astonishment.
He had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined that in a pure test of strength, they would be evenly matched!
How was this possible?
Gyarados was a final evolution, with a physical attack base stat of 125! Its level was also three levels higher than that little guy!
And Sneasel was merely an unevolved form, with a slender build. How could it possibly withstand Gyarados's full-power attack?
Ariel took in Wattson's expression, his heart filled with understanding.
pokémon like Sneasel are born to hunt.
In the wild, hunting prey several times their size is commonplace for them.
Extreme speed, combined with equally extreme attack, makes them the most deadly assassins of the night.
What's more, his Sneasel had a rare, top-tier talent!
Coupled with the life-and-death training along the way and his meticulous care, such a performance was perfectly normal.
Old man, your surprise is still to come.
On the field, after a single clash, Sneasel used the recoil to skillfully spin in mid-air, like a light feather, silently landing beneath Gyarados's massive body—a complete blind spot!
"Not good!" An alarm blared in Wattson's heart.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Ice Punch!"
Ariel's command was calm and swift.
Sneasel didn't hesitate, its fist, imbued with terrifying cold, solidly struck Gyarados's soft underbelly!
"Roar!!!"
Gyarados let out an extremely painful roar, its massive body trembled violently, and its belly was instantly covered in a thick layer of frost.
Under the intense pain, its ferocity was completely unleashed!
Gyarados completely disregarded the injury to its belly, abruptly lowered its head, and its huge mouth didn't Bite Sneasel's body, but precisely bit the claw that had just struck it!
Sneasel was startled, trying to pull back, but found that the opponent's teeth were like iron pliers, locking it firmly in place!
"Now, Aqua Tail!" Wattson's roar sounded simultaneously.
The restrained Sneasel couldn't dodge, only watching helplessly as Gyarados's huge tail, covered in surging water, swept in from the side!
"Protect!" Ariel shouted urgently.
Sneasel subconsciously tried to activate an energy barrier, but continuous combat and tense nerves made its reaction half a beat slow. The Protect energy had just condensed when it failed!
"Bang!"
The heavy Aqua Tail solidly struck Sneasel, sending its small body flying like a kite with a broken string. It crashed into the Gym's hard wall before stopping, emitting a dull thud.
Sneasel slid down from the wall, struggled to get up, its body drenched, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of its mouth. But in its red eyes, there was no sign of retreat, only a more vigorous fighting spirit burning!
It stared intently at Gyarados in the distance, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
"That's it! Sneasel, you can still fight!" Ariel's voice came, like a shot of adrenaline. "Hone Claws!"
Strike while the iron is hot! This was Wattson's tactical style; he would never give his opponent any chance to breathe.
"Gyarados, trap it with Whirlpool!"
Gyarados roared, spewing a massive water vortex from its mouth, rapidly swirling towards Sneasel, which was powering itself up.
Once caught, it would not only take continuous damage but also have its mobility completely locked down!
Sneasel dared not be slow, rapidly sharpening its claws while exerting all its strength to dodge sideways.
Just a second before the Whirlpool was about to engulf it!
Power-up, complete!
Sneasel's attack power increased by another level!
But the next moment, it was still caught by the edge of the Whirlpool. The turbulent water currents, like countless hands, pulled at its body, continuously draining its stamina.
"Can't drag this out any longer!" Ariel's eyes sharpened, and he made a decision.
"Sneasel, stake everything, maximum power Ice Punch!"
Wattson, not to be outdone, issued his final command.
"Gyarados, use your strongest Waterfall to finish it off!"
Trapped in the water current, Sneasel's eyes flashed with determination. It ignored the surrounding restraints, pouring all its remaining power into its right fist. The ice-blue light was almost blinding!
And Gyarados roared towards the sky, its entire body covered in a surging Waterfall, like a water dragon emerging from the sea, launching a devastating charge towards the tiny Sneasel!
One was the ultimate chill, breaking through with a single point.
The other was a colossal torrent of water, capable of destroying everything.
In the center of the entire Gym arena, they collided with a thunderous impact!
"Boom!!!"
A huge explosion sounded, water and ice fiercely colliding, instantly steaming up into a sky full of white mist, obscuring everyone's vision.
The entire Gym trembled slightly under this violent impact.
When the mist gradually cleared.
The scene in the arena finally revealed itself.
Gyarados's massive body crashed down, splashing large amounts of water. Its eyes had turned into swirls, completely losing its ability to battle.
Not far from it, Sneasel was covered in injuries, swaying precariously, but with tenacious will, it stubbornly held on without falling.
It won.
Ariel watched this scene, his heart stirred. Without further words, he directly pulled out a Poké Ball, and a red light drew the tottering Sneasel back inside.
Inside the entire Gym, for a moment, only the sound of dripping water remained.
Wattson silently recalled his Gyarados, his expression unreadable, merely looking deeply at Ariel.
"Remarkable."
He spoke slowly, his voice a little hoarse.
"Your Sneasel is very well-trained. No, I should say, you, the Trainer, are truly remarkable."
After speaking, he took out his last Poké Ball from his waist.
"But the assessment isn't over yet. Next, you'll see the true power of my Mauville Gym!"
Wattson tossed the Poké Ball high, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly sharp.
"Come out!"
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