Tyrantrum's Pride

A flash of red light appeared, and Geodude sprang from its Poké Ball, landing heavily on the rock battlefield and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Geodude stood nearly a meter tall, a full head taller than Tyrantrum. Its gray rocky body was covered in dents of varying depths, battle scars that served as its medals. Every mark carried the ferocity of countless fights.

Four stone arms extended from its spherical rocky body. The two in front were short and thick, their muscles bulging, while the two behind were long and powerful, hanging casually at its sides as it watched Tyrantrum like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Geodude... the backbone of the second echelon!"

Lin Mo frowned as he looked at the battle scars covering Roxanne's Geodude, then at the Pokémon information provided by the system panel.

[Pokémon: Geodude]

[Type: Rock type, Ground]

[Category: Rock Pokémon]

[Ability: Sturdy (When at full HP, it cannot be knocked out in one hit by a move. One-hit KO moves also have no effect.)]

[Moves: Defense Curl, Rock Polish, Rollout, Stomping Tantrum, Rock Throw, Smack Down, Explosion, Stealth Rock, Rock Blast, Earthquake...]

Even faced with Geodude's imposing body, Tyrantrum showed no fear. It let out a low roar and took the initiative to close in.

Its body, strengthened by Dragon Dance, brimmed with power. Every step it took sent a dull thud through the ground. Battle intent burned in its amber eyes—the momentum from defeating Lileep was still with it, and it wanted to press its advantage.

"Close combat? Just what I wanted!" Roxanne's lips curled into a confident smile. "Geodude, charge in! Use Rollout!"

The instant the command fell, Geodude let out a deep grunt. Its thick limbs bent slightly, and its four arms wrapped tightly around itself as its massive body curled into a perfectly round stone ball.

Its gray stone body, covered in rough patterns, shot forward like a cannonball, tearing through the air as it charged straight at Tyrantrum.

Even the ground along its path trembled faintly from the force of its charge.

"Tyrantrum, watch out and dodge! Counter with Dragon Tail!" Lin Mo's eyes remained fixed on the battlefield as he issued his response, his voice urgent but steady.

With Geodude's charge nearly upon it, Tyrantrum reacted swiftly. It twisted its body sideways and narrowly avoided the powerful collision.

Using the momentum of its turn, its thick dragon tail lashed out like a fully drawn whip, whistling through the air as it slammed into Geodude's rolling body.

Bang—

A dull boom exploded across the battlefield, making the ground tremble faintly.

Geodude's rolling momentum faltered. Its massive body swayed, but it only swayed!

A faint white mark was left on its steel-hard rocky shell. Against its formidable defenses, that amount of damage was practically insignificant.

"What incredible defense!"

Gasps rose from the audience, one after another.

At the same time, just as Tyrantrum's tail made contact with Geodude, Geodude swiftly unfolded its body and broke out of its Rollout state.

With its back facing Tyrantrum, the two long arms above its body suddenly tensed like steel whips poised to strike, then lashed backward with overwhelming force!

With a sharp smack, the two hard stone arms slammed into Tyrantrum's back.

The little Pokémon let out a pained cry. Its body staggered back several steps as though struck by a heavy hammer, and the red glow from Dragon Dance dimmed somewhat.

This is getting troublesome. Lin Mo's heart sank.

Tyrantrum's breathing had already become somewhat ragged. The real world was different from the games; boosting moves did not come without a cost. The increase in attack and speed granted by Dragon Dance was draining Tyrantrum's stamina at an accelerated rate.

Its battle against Lileep had already consumed some of its energy, and now things had only gotten worse.

"Tyrantrum, use Ice Fang! Increase the cold output! Aim for Geodude's arm joints and try to freeze them, restricting its movements!"

Aside from Dragon Tail, Ice Fang was Tyrantrum's most familiar offensive move. Since Dragon Tail could not break through Geodude's defenses, Lin Mo could only place his hopes on Ice Fang's freezing assault.

Tyrantrum gave an unyielding roar. Its amber eyes sharpened as it ignored the lingering pain in its back, pushed off with both feet, and lunged at Geodude.

It opened its mouth, the frost on its teeth thicker than before. Its target was the gap where Geodude's arm connected to its body—the relatively weaker part of its rocky frame.

"Block it!" Roxanne's command was brief and forceful.

Geodude quickly crossed its short front arms, using them like two sturdy shields to protect its joints.

Tyrantrum's Ice Fang bit down hard on the short arms. With a crack, ice spread across the rocky surface. A look of pain appeared on Geodude's face; the Ice type advantage still dealt it a certain amount of damage.

But with its short arms blocking the attack, Tyrantrum's attempt to freeze Geodude's joints failed.

At the same time, Geodude's long rear arms rose once again and smashed toward Tyrantrum's abdomen with crushing force.

"Urgh—"

Tyrantrum was struck head-on. Its body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into a boulder and sending shattered rocks flying.

It struggled to stand, but the red glow around its body had completely vanished. It had clearly suffered serious injuries.

"Tyrantrum!"

Lin Mo could not help taking a step forward.

The livestream chat immediately became frantic—

"It's over! Geodude's defense is insane!"

"Tyrantrum's stamina is almost gone! Dragon Dance drains too much energy!"

"Switch Pokémon already! Don't keep forcing it!"

"..."

Geodude gave Tyrantrum no chance to catch its breath. Its deep roar echoed across the battlefield.

The scattered rocks on the field stirred in response, rapidly gathering before its broad chest and eventually forming three massive stone spheres half the height of a person.

Its thick short arms steadily lifted one, while its two long rear arms each grabbed another. The heavy stone spheres trembled faintly in its palms. It was the powerful Rock type move—Rock Blast—ready to fire.

"Throw them!" Roxanne's order was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Geodude's arms suddenly exerted force. As its muscles bulged, the three stone spheres shot out like cannonballs, flying several times faster than the rocks created by Lileep's Ancient Power.

The shrill sound of tearing air rang out as the stone spheres came from three directions, sealing off every route Tyrantrum could use to evade.

"Tyrantrum, watch out! Dodge!" Lin Mo urgently warned it.

Tyrantrum's pupils contracted. It threw itself into a fierce roll to the left with all its strength, barely avoiding the first two stone spheres hurtling toward it.

But the third stone sphere was already close. It had no time to adjust its posture and could only swing its thick dragon tail, its hard tailbone whipping through the air and smashing toward the incoming rock.

Boom—!

A deafening explosion rang out. Tyrantrum's dragon tail struck the incoming stone sphere hard, but the impact containing Geodude's immense strength surged through its hard tailbone and instantly spread across its body.

The little Pokémon's body suddenly arched, and it could not stop itself from trembling violently. Its limbs weakened slightly, leaving it unsteady even as it stood. A trace of exhaustion flashed through its amber eyes.

"Tyrantrum, come back!" Lin Mo's voice was filled with concern as he quickly took out a Poké Ball. "You've already done more than enough. Leave the rest of the battle to Feebas!"

Hearing its trainer's call, Tyrantrum struggled to lift its head. Its amber eyes locked tightly onto Lin Mo's, showing not the slightest hint of retreat. Instead, a stubborn flame burned within them.

It vigorously shook its dizzy head. A hoarse yet exceptionally resolute roar escaped its throat, as if protesting stubbornly and declaring that it could still keep going.

Looking into its eyes, Lin Mo understood Tyrantrum's intentions. He clenched his fist.

"Alright! I understand, Tyrantrum! Let's charge in and use Ice Fang!"

"What a tenacious little one."

Roxanne watched the battlefield, and a trace of barely noticeable approval flashed through her eyes. Yet her command held no mercy.

"Geodude, use Earthquake and end this battle!"

As the command fell, Geodude let out a deep roar. Its thick legs lifted sharply, sending its massive body into the air, before it stomped down on the ground with crushing force!

Rumble—!

The violent tremor erupted like thunder. The entire Gym seemed to shake as spiderweb-like cracks split across the hard rocky ground and fragments of stone flew everywhere.

The shockwave spread outward from Geodude like a tide, slamming into the already injured Tyrantrum.

The little Pokémon could no longer endure it. Its slender body was thrown into the air by the tremor, tracing a brief arc before crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

It struggled to raise its head, but its eyelids were as heavy as lead. In the end, they drooped helplessly, and it lost consciousness completely.

"Tyrantrum is unable to battle. Challenger, switch Pokémon!" the referee announced.

Lin Mo immediately pressed the switch on the Poké Ball. A red beam shot out and steadily recalled the unconscious Tyrantrum. He gently stroked the cold Poké Ball in his palm and murmured softly,

"Thanks for the effort, Tyrantrum. Get some good rest."

Then Lin Mo took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and looked toward the inflatable fish tank beside him.

Feebas swished its fins and tail, lifting its little head slightly as its gaze met Lin Mo's. There was not the slightest trace of fear in its round eyes—only determination. It had long been ready for battle.