If one were to ask which of Natsui's Pokémon was the most popular, neither the beautiful and elegant Gardevoir nor the mischievous Haunter that scored a two-for-one in the battle against Melissa could compare to the majestic and imposing Gyarados!
The spectacles it created and the strength it displayed had left a deep impression on the audience!
In fact, in the official Indigo Conference "My Favorite Pokémon" poll, Gyarados was in a class of its own, leading the second-place Gardevoir by over a hundred thousand votes!
As the pre-evolved form of Rhydon, although Rhyhorn had poor cognitive abilities, its strength was immense. It was said that its bones were a thousand times harder than a human's, allowing it to shatter skyscrapers with a simple Tackle!
Interestingly, due to its short and thick limbs, it was very difficult for Rhyhorn to turn when running, forcing it to charge straight ahead. Furthermore, its small brain capacity meant it could only remember one thing at a time, which is why it was often seen running wildly until its stamina was completely depleted.
When facing Rhyhorn, Gyarados not only had an absolute advantage due to its typing, but most importantly, its own strength was also immense, meaning it wouldn't be at a disadvantage even in a contest of pure power.
Rhyhorn, on the other hand, with its Rock and Ground typing, had a four-times weakness to Water, putting it in a truly precarious situation!
Corey was, of course, well aware of all this. Therefore, when the battle resumed, he made a decisive move, opting to strike first to gain the upper hand!
"Rhyhorn, use Take Down!"
Hearing the command, Rhyhorn moved its four limbs, its heavy body charging towards Gyarados like a tank with unstoppable momentum!
Thump, thump, thump!
The entire field seemed to tremble violently from Rhyhorn's charge!
However, Gyarados was far too slow on land. Natsui decided not to waste its energy on a futile dodge and instead prepared to meet the attack head-on!
"Gyarados, stop it!"
Gyarados opened its mouth, gathered energy, and fired a powerful Hydro Pump at the charging Rhyhorn!
Bang!
The Hydro Pump was a direct hit to the face, but unexpectedly, Rhyhorn ignored the attack, pushing through the powerful jet of water to close the distance with Gyarados!
The next second, with immense force, it tilted its head up and slammed its sharp horn viciously into Gyarados's body!
ROAR!!
Gyarados let out a painful cry and stumbled backward. Fortunately, just as it was about to fall, it used its tail to brace against the ground and stabilize itself.
Seeing this, Natsui couldn't help but frown slightly.
Although Rhyhorn's attack would also cause it to take recoil damage, the damage inflicted seemed to be even heavier than he had anticipated!
However, after a moment's thought, he understood the key.
"I see. So your Rhyhorn's ability is Reckless!"
Seeing that Natsui had figured out his secret after just a brief exchange, Corey was inwardly terrified but openly admitted it.
"That's amazing, you saw through Rhyhorn's secret in an instant. You're right, its ability is indeed Reckless!"
The audience naturally couldn't hear the conversation between the two trainers, but in the commentary box, Lance had also identified the ability at the same time.
Seeing the announcer's confusion, Lance's voice was broadcast through the microphones to everyone's ears.
"The ability 'Reckless' means that when a Pokémon uses recoil moves like Take Down, Flare Blitz, or Brave Bird, the power of those moves is increased, allowing them to cause greater damage."
"I see! So that's why Gyarados couldn't handle the damage and almost fell?" the announcer said, enlightened. He then asked, "So, can Rhyhorn use this ability to turn the tables?"
Lance shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. The type disadvantage between the two Pokémon is simply irreversible. Besides, now that trainer Natsui knows this, he certainly won't let this Rhyhorn use such a move again!"
The announcer nodded repeatedly at Lance's analysis, and the ensuing battle unfolded just as Lance had predicted. Natsui completely shut down Rhyhorn's movements, giving it no opportunities whatsoever!
Under Natsui's direction, Gyarados stayed coiled around Rhyhorn at all times, preventing it from building up speed. Without being able to run, it naturally couldn't use that move again!
Corey was at a loss. No matter what he commanded, the immobilized Rhyhorn just couldn't shake off Gyarados!
"Rhyhorn uses Earthquake, and Gyarados and the entire field begin to shake violently! It looks like the attack was quite effective, but Gyarados immediately returns the favor with an Aqua Tail—oh, my goodness! That four-times super-effective damage is off the charts! It looks like it nearly knocked Rhyhorn out in one hit!"
With the announcer's rapid-fire commentary, Rhyhorn's condition deteriorated rapidly. After taking several Water-type attacks, it was in a critical state!
Corey took out his Poké Ball, wanting to recall Rhyhorn to preserve its strength, but his intention was anticipated by Natsui!
Trying to escape!?
It's not that easy!
"Gyarados! Bind it!"
Gyarados's snake-like body wrapped around Rhyhorn. The red beam of light from Corey's Poké Ball hit Gyarados, but with it in the way, the recall had no effect!
"It's time to end this!" Natsui shouted. "Crunch!"
Gyarados opened its massive jaws and bit down on Rhyhorn's lower abdomen—the softest and most vulnerable part of its armored body!
Rhyhorn struggled desperately, but as Gyarados's fangs sank deeper, its strength waned until it finally collapsed to the ground, completely powerless.
"2-0!" As the referee raised the red flag, the announcer shouted, "It's that familiar feeling, that same suffocating pace! Trainer Natsui has defeated two Pokémon in a row! Could it be that this final match will be another clean sweep, just like his previous battles!?"
Terrifying approval ratings naturally brought with them terrifying cheers of support!
A tsunami of cheers echoed through the stadium. Although he knew these people were his supporters, being on the field and hearing the deafening noise, Natsui actually felt a sense of suffocation!
It was the intense resonance created by his heart pounding wildly in extreme excitement, combined with the cheers!
In an instant, he broke out in goosebumps!
And compared to him, Corey's situation was even worse.
He looked around at the crowd and was so frightened by the scene that his face turned pale. He felt like he was on the verge of tears.
The Pokémon League final is supposed to be an exhilarating battle against an evenly matched opponent, isn't it?
I went through so much to finally make it here, so why did I have to run into such a terrifying opponent!?
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