Inside the Mauville Gym, the blinding white lights illuminated the entire battlefield as bright as day.
A faint scent of ozone permeated the air, a lingering trace of the previous Thunderbolt.
Sandile narrowed its eyes slightly, its body subconsciously tensing up. A low growl rumbled in its throat, its fighting spirit soaring.
At this moment, Ariel was entirely focused on the battle.
He knew well how difficult this fight was; Ampharos not only had a high level but also possessed several skills that could Counter Sandile.
He had to create an opportunity to tilt the scales of victory back, bit by bit!
Ariel's gaze swept across the wide field, quickly constructing a tactic in his mind. Ampharos's strengths lay in Special Attack and durability, while its weakness was speed.
Use speed to pull away and set up!
"Sandile, pull back and use Hone Claws!"
Ariel gave the order decisively.
Understanding the plan, Sandile pushed off with its four limbs, its body like a streak of black lightning as it instantly darted backward, creating a distance of over ten meters from Ampharos.
"Trying to buff? Too naive!" Wattson immediately saw through Ariel's intention and waved his hand. "Ampharos, don't give it the chance! Rush in and use Dragon Tail!"
Ampharos took somewhat clumsy steps and charged toward Sandile. Although it wasn't fast, every step made the ground vibrate slightly, exuding a powerful aura.
However, Sandile was faster. Just as Ampharos covered half the distance, Sandile had already finished its preparation. Its sharp claws swiped through the air with a soft'shing' sound, its sharpness and attack power increasing simultaneously!
"Gia!"
Sandile let out a confident low growl, feeling the power surging within its body.
"What?!" Wattson's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected Sandile to be so fast, completing its buff before Ampharos could even get close.
"Now, Sandile, Protect!" Ariel's voice was as cold as ice.
Ampharos charged in front of Sandile with overwhelming momentum, its thick tail glowing with green light as it swung down fiercely with a whistling wind!
However, the moment the Dragon Tail was about to hit, a pale green energy shield appeared out of thin air in front of Sandile.
"Bang!"
The Dragon Tail slammed hard against the shield, producing a dull, heavy thud. The energy shield flickered violently a few times but ultimately held firm against the strike.
"Dammit! Protect again?!" Wattson huffed in frustration, blowing at his mustache as he couldn't help but complain loudly, "How rich are you exactly? Did you give every pokémon a Protect tm?!"
This was already the third time! From Sneasel to Inkay, and now Sandile, every single one had used Protect to block his crucial attacks. It felt like throwing a full-strength punch into a pile of cotton—indescribably frustrating.
Ariel only smiled and didn't explain. The skill Protect was a lifesaver in critical moments; how could he not equip his main team with it?
Blocking the Dragon Tail was the signal for the counterattack!
"Sandile, now, Stomping Tantrum!"
The opportunity had come!
At this point, Sandile's attack power had already increased by one stage. Combined with the double effectiveness of Ground-type moves against Ampharos and the boost from the Soft Sand, the power of this strike was absolutely beyond imagination!
Sandile gave a low growl, suddenly lifted its front legs, and then stomped heavily onto the ground!
"Rumble!"
A powerful shockwave centered on Sandile instantly swept across the entire field! The ground shook violently, and cracks spread out like a spiderweb.
"Not good!" Wattson's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Ariel's counterattack to be so swift and fierce. "Ampharos, intercept it with Fire Punch!"
Amidst Wattson's roar, Ampharos reacted extremely quickly. Facing the lethal impact coming from the ground, it didn't dodge. Instead, its right fist instantly ignited with raging flames, and it punched down hard toward the source of the shockwave!
"Boom!"
The flames and the shockwave collided violently!
The power of Stomping Tantrum was still superior. The powerful impact broke through the obstruction of the Fire Punch and slammed squarely into Ampharos's body.
"Amph—!"
Ampharos let out a pained cry, its large body shaken back repeatedly. It stumbled on its feet, nearly falling over.
The Ground-type effectiveness caused it to take massive damage.
But at the same time, the Fire Punch that Ampharos had thrown in haste also struck the charging Sandile.
Flames exploded on Sandile's body. The searing heat made it cry out in pain, and its body was knocked back by a great force, sliding across the ground for a distance before it could steady itself.
A trade of blows; both sides were heavily wounded!
The dust on the field gradually cleared.
Ampharos was panting heavily, with multiple injuries from the shock, and its eyes showed exhaustion.
It had first been worn down by Inkay, and now it had taken a buffed, super-effective Stomping Tantrum head-on. Its stamina was almost depleted.
On the other side, Sandile's situation was equally grim.
It had been hit directly by Fire Punch, leaving conspicuous scorched marks on its body. Combined with its previous battle against Raichu, its stamina was also heavily drained.
The entire Gym fell into a brief silence, with only the heavy breathing of the two pokémon remaining.
Ariel and Wattson's gazes met in the air, both seeing gravity and determination in the other's eyes.
They both understood that the battle had reached its climax. Victory or defeat would be decided in the very next move!
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Wattson's forehead. He stared fixedly at Sandile, his mind racing.
He couldn't give the opponent any more chances; it had to be a one-hit kill!
Ariel also held his breath, his palms slightly damp. Sandile's stamina was at its limit; if it took another hit, even if it wasn't a super-effective move, it might go down.
He had to seize the initiative!
At that moment, a sharp light flashed in Ariel's eyes!
He thought of a risky tactic that might just settle the matter!
"Sandile, now's the time! Counter!" Ariel's voice suddenly rose, filled with a desperate resolve.
Use the massive damage from the previous Fire Punch and return it all to the opponent!
"What?!" Wattson turned pale with shock. He never expected Ariel to choose to use Counter at this time. The risk of this skill was extremely high, but if it hit, the battle would end immediately!
But now, he had no choice! If Sandile successfully pulled off Counter, Ampharos would surely lose!
"Ampharos, quick! Use Dragon Tail to interrupt it!" Wattson roared hysterically.
Ampharos forced out its last bit of strength, let out a roar, and its thick tail glowed green once more, sweeping toward Sandile with a determined aura!
Sandile roared, a strange red energy halo appearing around its body, gathering all the damage it had just sustained from the Fire Punch.
"Now, go down!" Ariel commanded loudly!
"Boom—!"
The Dragon Tail slammed heavily into Sandile's position, kicking up a cloud of dust!
But the expected image of Sandile being defeated did not appear. Instead, the attack had hit nothing!
Sandile hadn't used Counter to clash head-on with Ampharos!
Instead, in the gap of Ampharos's attack, it had moved behind Ampharos using Dig!
Seeing this, Ariel felt a sense of certainty.
He was sure that after spending so much time together, Sandile would definitely understand his meaning!
As it turned out, Ariel was right.
This feint was something Ariel had learned and applied on the spot.
Wattson's Gyarados had hidden a Dragon Tail within Waterfall; Ariel's Sandile had superficially used Counter to bait the opponent's attack, while Dig was the actual killing blow!
With a bite from Sandile, Ampharos completely lost its ability to fight and collapsed.
The entire Gym was as silent as death.
Wattson stared dumbfoundedly at the fallen Ampharos, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
Lost?
Just like that, he lost?
Looking at Ampharos on the ground, Wattson shrugged helplessly. He hadn't expected to be played by a junior.
He took out the Gym Badge and handed it to Ariel.
Wattson patted Ariel on the shoulder. "Your pokémon are quite badly hurt. Hurry and take them to the Pokémon Center for treatment."
"Thank you for the reminder, Leader." Ariel snapped back to reality and nodded.
Wattson looked at Ariel with admiration in his eyes: "Your tactical thinking is very clear, and you have your own way of nurturing pokémon. Especially those few uses of Protect—they were a real headache."
"Keep it up."
Ariel thanked Wattson, accepted the badge, and left the Gym.
Watching Ariel's departing back, Wattson murmured to himself.
"A genius from Team Rockets, tsk tsk."
"Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."
...
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