"Tyrunt, you're up."
Lionel stroked the top of its head, calm and steady.
"Ao—!"
With a roar of excitement, Tyrunt pushed off its thick hind legs and marched to the center of the field, every step ringing like metal.
Crimson scales flashed razor-sharp under the sun. It opened its fang-lined maw, bellowed a deafening war-cry, planted its limbs, and set itself in a battle-ready crouch.
"Begin!"
Grandma Guangdai's voice sliced the air, her palm-leaf fan sweeping a crisp arc.
Haruhiko struck first:
"Linoone, Dig!"
Linoone gave a low growl and, with shovel-like claws, tore into the earth. A spray of sand, and it vanished underground, the hole closing behind it in a blink.
Only faint tremors sketched its rapid tunneling beneath the soil.
Lionel's expression stayed placid; since the foe chose to hide, he could run the tactic he'd long prepared:
"Tyrunt, Sandstorm."
"Ao—"
Tyrunt let out a deep roar, a pale rocky aura rising around it.
Loose grains whirled upward as if pulled by invisible strings, condensing into a small Sandstorm that swallowed the center of the field.
The storm wasn't large, but the fine dust clouded sight and dulled every sense.
Underground, Linoone was caught off guard.
It had tracked Tyrunt through ground vibrations, yet the swirling grit masked every tremor; no matter how it groped blindly, it found only empty earth.
When it burst toward the spot Tyrunt had stood moments earlier, there was nothing but hollow soil.
Lionel seized the opening and snapped the next order:
"Tyrunt, Dragon Dance."
Within the churning sand, the big dinosaur twisted its massive frame, head swaying to a mystic beat, thick tail whipping up howling wind.
A faint red halo gathered: attack and speed quietly climbing.
Beneath the awning, Haruhiko's face changed.
He knew too well the terror of Dragon Dance—once the boosts stacked, Tyrunt's onslaught would turn unstoppable.
If it managed several dances, Linoone—and even Guangdai—would be pointless; they'd have to concede.
"Linoone!"
Haruhiko shouted urgently:
"Quit hiding! Surface—find it now!"
Linoone burst from the earth, yet the sand still raged; dust blocked every line of sight.
It spun in frantic circles, charging blindly, but never caught so much as a shadow of Tyrunt.
Exactly as Lionel had engineered for Tyrunt:
whip up a Sandstorm to cloak Dragon Dance.
As long as the foe stayed confused long enough for several boosts, the final assault would be all but certain.
Both moves taxed Tyrunt's stamina; future training would revolve around endurance.
The tactic wasn't yet complete—in Lionel's blueprint, Tyrunt would loose Stealth Rock while the sand was still rising.
[Stealth Rock: gather rock energy into unseen shards, littering the field with invisible traps. Any foe entering or moving through the arena risks rock-type damage on contact.]
Thus, blinded by sand and pricked by hidden stones, the enemy would grant Tyrunt even more dances.
Gradually the Sandstorm settled; vision cleared.
Tyrunt's red aura now burned brightly, eyes sharp as blades, muscles coiled and deadly.
Two dances complete—its presence already transformed.
Haruhiko acted at once:
"Linoone, Dig again! Keep moving—bleed its stamina dry!"
Linoone slipped back underground, leaving only a fleeting furrow.
Tyrunt tracked the trail, sprang like a loosed arrow, and swept its thick tail through the air, cutting the badger's path with pinpoint timing.
Cornered, Linoone exploded from the soil beside Tyrunt's foot, claws laced with grit, slashing for the dinosaur's belly.
But a Tyrunt twice-danced was faster than Linoone could imagine.
It instinctively leapt back, evaded the lethal claws, and before Linoone could reset, the dinosaur's tail was already whipping in.
Dragon Tail.
Bang!
The heavy tail smashed square into Linoone's flank.
With a yelp, the badger was flung like a ragdoll, skidding several metres and caked in sand.
"Linoone!"
Haruhiko jumped to his feet, shouting.
Linoone struggled upright, a white glow flickering over its fur—its berry activating, restoring health.
It shook its dazed head and, shakily, stood firm, fighting spirit still burning.
"Linoone, Flail!"
Haruhiko barked through clenched teeth.
Snarling, Linoone dropped to all fours and charged like a gale, claws slashing in a desperate, all-out rush.
Lionel's eyes narrowed:
"Tyrunt, meet it—Dragon Tail again!"
Tyrunt didn't flinch; it thundered straight at the oncoming badger.
At the instant before impact,
Tyrunt dug its heels into the ground, halted dead, and whipped its tail high overhead, the heavy vertebrae crashing down with crushing force!
Crack!
The tail caught Linoone square across the face.
Already battered, the badger had no time to dodge; the blow sent it flying, slamming into the wooden rail at the field's edge.
It slid limply to the ground, eyes swirling, and did not rise again.
"Linoone is unable to battle—Tyrunt wins!"
Grandma Guangdai delivered the verdict, a trace of gravity in her tone.
"Daddy! Linoone!"
Marina cried, running to kneel beside the badger and gently stroke its head.
Tyrunt threw back its head and roared, proud and eager, as if asking:
"Who's next? Bring them on!"
Beneath the awning, Grandma Guangdai rose slowly, her smile gone, eyes turning steely.
The Renshinkas had now lost twice; next, she would enter the field herself.
"Lionel,"
her voice carried unquestionable authority:
"your two Pokémon are remarkable. Now let this old woman test you."
۞۞۞۞
p-atreon.com/PokeFicLord
40+ Chapters in p-atreon.com.
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)