Tyrantrum's Pride

A flash of red light appeared, and Geodude sprang from its Poké Ball, landing heavily on the rocky 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, medals earned through battle. Every mark carried the ferocity of countless fights.

Four stone arms extended from its round 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 with predatory intent.

"Geodude... the main force of her second team!"

Lin Mo frowned slightly 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, Ground]

[Category: Rock Pokémon]

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

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

Tyrantrum was not intimidated by Geodude's imposing body. It let out a low growl and took the initiative to close in.

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

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

The instant the command was given, Geodude let out a deep growl. Its thick limbs bent slightly, its four arms wrapped tightly around itself, and its massive body curled into a perfectly round boulder.

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

Even the ground along its path trembled under that momentum.

"Tyrantrum, watch out! Dodge it, then counter with Dragon Tail!" Lin Mo's eyes remained fixed on the battlefield as he gave his response, his voice urgent but steady.

With Geodude's charge almost upon it, Tyrantrum reacted swiftly, twisting its body sideways and narrowly avoiding the powerful collision.

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

Bang—

A dull explosion echoed across the battlefield, making the ground tremble slightly.

Geodude's rolling momentum paused, and its massive body swayed—but only swayed!

A faint white mark was left on its iron-hard rocky shell. Against its formidable defense, that damage was practically negligible.

"Such powerful defense!"

A wave of shocked gasps rose from the audience.

At the same time, the instant Tyrantrum's Dragon Tail made contact, Geodude swiftly uncurled itself and exited its Rollout state.

With its back turned toward 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 crack, the two hard stone arms smashed brutally into Tyrantrum's back.

The little Pokémon cried out in pain. Its body staggered backward several steps as though struck by a heavy hammer, and the red glow from Dragon Dance dimmed considerably.

This is a bit troublesome. Lin Mo's heart sank.

Tyrantrum's breathing had already become somewhat labored. Reality was different from the games—boosting moves did not come without a cost. The increase in attack and speed brought by Dragon Dance was draining Tyrantrum's stamina at a faster rate.

Its battle against Lileep had already consumed some of its strength. Now things had only gotten worse.

"Tyrantrum, use Ice Fang! Increase the cold output and aim for Geodude's arm joints. Try to freeze it and restrict its movements!"

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

Tyrantrum let out an unyielding growl. 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 jaws, the frost on its teeth thicker than before. Its target was the gap where Geodude's arms connected to its body—the relatively weaker part of its rocky frame.

"Block it!" Roxanne's command was short 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 those short arms. With a crack, ice spread across the rocky surface. A pained expression appeared on Geodude's face; the type advantage of Ice still inflicted some damage.

However, with its short arms blocking the attack, Tyrantrum failed to freeze Geodude's joints as intended.

At the same time, Geodude's long arms rose again behind it, swinging toward Tyrantrum's abdomen with tremendous force.

"Ugh—"

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

It struggled to stand, but the red glow around its body had completely vanished. It was clearly badly hurt.

"Tyrantrum!"

Lin Mo could not help taking a step forward.

The livestream chat instantly became anxious—

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

"Tyrantrum's stamina can't keep up! Dragon Dance is draining too much energy!"

"Switch Pokémon already! Don't force it!"

"..."

Geodude gave Tyrantrum no chance to catch its breath, its deep growl echoing across the battlefield.

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

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

"Throw them!" Roxanne's command was crisp and decisive, without a trace of hesitation.

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

Sharp whistling sounds tore through the air as the stone spheres came from three directions, sealing off every route Tyrantrum could use to evade.

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

Tyrantrum's pupils contracted. It used every ounce of strength it had to roll sharply to the left, barely evading the first two incoming stone spheres.

But the third stone sphere was already upon it. With no time to adjust its posture, it could only whip its thick dragon tail around, its hard tailbone smashing toward the sphere with a howl of wind.

Boom—!

A deafening crash erupted. Tyrantrum's dragon tail struck the oncoming stone sphere head-on, but the force contained within Geodude's powerful attack instantly traveled through its hard tailbone and spread throughout its body.

The little Pokémon's body arched sharply as it began to tremble violently. Its limbs weakened, and it could barely remain standing. A flash of unmistakable exhaustion appeared in its amber eyes.

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

Hearing its trainer's call, Tyrantrum raised its head with difficulty. Its amber eyes locked onto Lin Mo's, showing not the slightest retreat. Instead, a stubborn fire burned within them.

It shook its dizzy head hard, and a hoarse yet exceptionally resolute growl 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.

"All right! I understand, Tyrantrum! We'll charge in and use Ice Fang!"

"What a tenacious little one."

Roxanne watched the battlefield, a faint trace of approval flashing through her eyes. Yet her command held no mercy.

"Geodude, use Earthquake and end this battle!"

At the command, Geodude let out a deep roar. Its thick legs rose sharply, launching its massive body into the air before it stomped down with tremendous force!

Rumble—!

The violent tremor exploded like thunder, and the entire Gym seemed to shake. The hard rocky ground instantly split with vicious spiderweb-like cracks as shattered stones flew everywhere.

Centered on Geodude, the shockwave spread outward like a tide and slammed into the already injured Tyrantrum.

The little Pokémon could no longer hold on. Its slender body was thrown into the air, tracing a brief arc before crashing heavily to the ground in a cloud of dust.

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

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

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

"You did well, Tyrantrum. Rest properly."

Then Lin Mo took a deep breath and slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the inflatable fish tank beside him.

Feebas swished its fins and tail, lifting its tiny head slightly as its eyes met Lin Mo's. There was not a trace of fear in its round eyes, only determination. It had long been ready to battle.