Inside the great canyon.
"Bzzzz—Regi! Rock!"
Regirock raised both arms, and rocks formed from countless grains of sand rained down.
Rumble!
Yellow dust billowed up as the rocks fell.
Gengar cackled as he darted back and forth, narrowly dodging several times with impressive agility. But just as he was about to reach Regirock, a jagged rock struck him square on the head.
Thud!
"Geng—"
He grunted, landed face-first in the sand, and went still.
Gengar's trainer looked stricken.
"How did that happen...?"
"Bzzzz—"
Regirock made no move to follow up. It simply "watched" the opponent it had defeated, like a stone golem in a fantasy story built to test challengers' strength.
The onlookers nearby laughed and chattered.
"Told you Ghost types wouldn't work!"
"Another one who didn't even get a chance to throw a ball. Should've let me try."
"Give it a rest! Yours got smashed the moment it got close. What difference did throwing a ball make?"
"Next challenger!"
Amid the noise, Gengar's trainer recalled him, but no one stepped forward to take his place.
The trainers exchanged glances, then looked toward the man in black lounging atop a huge rock to one side.
Registeel and Regice stood guard on either side of him, like two mysterious colossi bearing the marks of history.
"That it?"
Baimu noticed their stares, jumped down from the rock, and rolled his shoulders.
These kids were every bit as weak as he'd expected, each in their own way. Forget catching Regirock—hardly any of them had even managed to throw a ball.
So much for the idea that ordinary trainers were full of hidden masters.
Or perhaps anyone strong enough had terrible luck and simply hadn't found this place.
He turned to Registeel. "It's our turn. Let's go!"
A Rock-type Pokémon called for a Steel