Tyranitar was absolutely furious.
The Sand Gems she'd saved for her child had all been stolen.
They were meant to be food for her Larvitar, to help it grow strong.
Everyone knew Tyranitar were natural-born big eaters. If a Larvitar didn't get enough energy during its growth stage,
it would become listless…
and in severe cases, its talent would even degrade.
"Tyranitar, let's talk this through!"
Lin Yu rubbed the Key Stone in his hand, feeling tense.
This level-58 Tyranitar was unbelievably powerful. A single Rock Throw sent boulders the size of small meteors — over ten meters wide — crashing down.
Thankfully, all three of his Pokémon were blisteringly fast
and fought with perfect coordination,
harassing Tyranitar from all sides with their speed.
But defeating her outright seemed impossible.
"I wanna fight too, Lin Yu!" Latias said, eager to join in.
For some reason, he hadn't let her battle even once.
"Me too!"
Manaphy just wanted to play. It had just been born and was curious about everything.
"No, the three of them have it. If things get bad, we'll Mega Evolve. This Tyranitar is the perfect test for Charizard's Mega Evolution!"
"Oh…"
Latias pouted and hugged Manaphy, settling in to watch.
Lin Yu frowned. "Can't we reason with her?"
But under his Aura Power, Tyranitar's rage only burned hotter.
"Riolu!"
Riolu's eyes blazed. It hated watching its partners battle while it could only stand by.
White light burst forth.
Its Aura Power surged like growing vines, exploding outward.
At that moment…
Riolu evolved into Lucario!
Even without his Inspection Eye, Lin Yu could feel Lucario's massive power spike.
It glanced up at the battle, then back at Lin Yu, its gaze firm.
"Go. Be careful."
If words wouldn't work…
they'd beat her into listening.
Lucario's body flared red.
Lin Yu gripped his Key Stone — Charizard's Key Stone.
Even with Lucario joining in, the tide didn't turn. Master-tier Pokémon were just that strong.
Even in a blind rage,
they were far beyond his team's normal level.
After evolving, Lucario activated World King Fist — but it still couldn't turn the battle.
"ROAR!!"
Charizard seemed to sense Lin Yu's feelings.
It glanced back, and its pale-white fire swirled into a vortex, trapping Tyranitar for a moment.
"Now, Charizard! Let's go!"
The bond between Lin Yu and Charizard was deeper than any other.
As his finger gently brushed the Key Stone,
memories flashed through his mind: the abandoned Charmander he'd found,
meeting in the rain,
staying together in an abandoned building, their first battle, the joy of winning.
Later, the High School Tournament in Shuimu City…
when he became champion, Lin Yu could almost feel Charmeleon wanting to cry.
It had proven itself.
Proven it wasn't a useless Charmander that couldn't even master Ember.
It could stand on the battlefield and shine.
Their journey had never been easy.
They'd faced foes they couldn't beat: Gyarados, Pidgeot, Articuno, Torterra…
but none had broken its spirit.
"Come on, Charizard! Show them our bond!"
Lin Yu's blood boiled.
It felt just like their very first battle.
Fire erupted, light surging across Charizard's body.
Tyranitar finally realized this tactic wasn't working — she was just being held down.
Standing over four meters tall, she slammed her claws together, forming a massive boulder and hurling it straight at Linyu.
She knew exactly how to take down a Trainer: target the leader first.
"ROAR!!"
The light faded. Fire blazed across the sky like a burning curtain.
"Charizard, Dragon Claw!"
At the critical moment, the fully Mega Evolved Charizard stepped in front of him.
With a flash of its claw, the boulder shattered like tofu.
Its scales were pitch-black, and blue-white fire raged in its throat, ready to burst forth.
Mega Charizard X!
A quick check with Inspection Eye:
Level 46!
Mega Evolution had boosted Charizard's power by a full 8 levels!
[Ocean's Protection — 30% more damage to Fire and Rock types]
[Food Supply Station — Special Attack +20%]
[Wind Rhythm — Speed +30% in wind]
Three buffs stacked onto Charizard!
Finally, it could deal real damage to this Master-tier Tyranitar.
The rest of the battle was clear.
Mega Charizard X led the offense, while the others harassed from the sides,
keeping the slow Tyranitar constantly off-balance.
Even so,
the fight dragged on for three to four hours.
In the end, Charizard's endless stamina outlasted Tyranitar, and a massive Fire Blast took her down.
This wasn't a clean knockout.
Tyranitar had simply been worn down completely.
Even with Mega Evolution, the level gap was still enormous.
The sandstorm died down,
revealing the landscape underneath.
Lin Yu slowly approached Tyranitar with his Aura Power, showing he meant no harm.
"TYRANITAR!" (Give me back my food!)
The defeated Tyranitar was finally willing to communicate.
"Food?"
Lin Yu stepped closer. Tyranitar was huge — like a small mountain collapsed on the ground.
He was confused…
until Gardevoir, Charizard, Greninja, and Lucario all stepped aside.
A tiny figure burrowed up from the earth.
It was a Larvitar — small, with a single horn on its head and tiny limbs.
But its scales were mostly black.
A shiny Larvitar!
"LARVI…"
The little one stared up at them nervously, afraid they'd hurt its mother.
When Tyranitar saw Larvitar appear, she panicked, urging it to run.
They were clearly mother and child.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
Lin Yu held out a Sand Gem.
Tyranitar only grew angrier.
So he had taken them!
Lin Yu had no choice but to explain everything that had happened with the pirates.
He learned that Tyranitar and Larvitar had been asleep when the thieves broke in and stole the gems — they'd even fought to stop them.
Without those Sand Gems,
Larvitar would have to eat ordinary rocks.
No wonder Tyranitar had been so furious.
"Hey, little guy, wait here. I'll make you something tasty~"
Lin Yu smiled. This shiny Larvitar was exactly the one his Precious Pokémon Guidance had led him to!
"Don't worry. I won't hurt your mom."