Dragonair's defeat had worsened Shali's situation. Gongping simply stood opposite her, still wearing that cool, detached expression, making the beautiful trainer before him begin to lose her composure.
The exhibition tour used six-on-six rules, which was quite an ordeal for Gongping, who was accustomed to three-on-three battles.
"Ninetales, use Flamethrower!"
Shali's third Pokémon was the Fire-type Ninetales. Its entrance was as gorgeous as ever, with glittering sparks appearing all around it, yet against the current state of the battle, it only created an utterly absurd atmosphere.
It used Flamethrower under the sunny conditions to deal powerful damage. Unfortunately, Rhyperior reacted extremely quickly. Its massive body stomped hard on the ground, sending out enormous waves of tremors as it unleashed the Ground-type move Earthquake.
The trembling earth swept toward Ninetales, leaving it nowhere to dodge. As Flamethrower struck Rhyperior, Earthquake engulfed Ninetales as well.
Having severely injured Ninetales with a single blow, Rhyperior endured the fire damage and approached it step by step.
"Don't let that monster get close to Ninetales!"
Ninetales looked so frail, whimpering and panting on the ground, that many spectators felt a trace of pity. Many began cheering it on involuntarily, while Shali adopted the air of someone who would fight to the end and never give up.
Seeing Shali like this, Gongping could not help frowning. "Ninetales is no match for Rhyperior. Another Earthquake could seriously injure it. Are you sure you don't want to switch Pokémon?"
"The word 'retreat' isn't in my dictionary."
Shali's reply was impassioned. If she could not defeat this Sandstorm King head-on, she would have to adjust her image and strategy. Being a trainer who never backed down could also earn her plenty of points.
The battle was only halfway through. It was not as though none of Shali's three remaining Pokémon could stand against Rhyperior, yet she insisted on letting her disadvantaged Pokémon keep fighting like this. It made Gongping question the judgment of the League higher-ups who had selected this trainer.
Many of Shali's fans screamed, but more traditional trainers began shaking their heads. This beautiful trainer was far too concerned with personal gain to be an excellent trainer.
To put it bluntly, this was just a show. It looked like I was expecting too much, hoping to meet some outstanding trainer.
In an instant, Gongping's gaze changed. Rhyperior strode forward, seized Ninetales before it could recover, and viciously stomped down on it. The savage noise, accompanied by Ninetales's agonized cries, lent the battle a hint of frenzy.
Unable to withstand Rhyperior's assault, Ninetales spat a scorching blaze from its mouth. But Rhyperior turned and caught hold of it, clamping down on several of its tails and wrenching hard, swiftly swinging Ninetales off its feet and hurling it away.
"Ninetales is unable to battle. Rhyperior wins."
With the match halfway over, Shali's situation was growing increasingly unfavorable. Yet the beautiful trainer had already thrown caution to the wind, acting as though she were the victor. After she sent out her fourth Pokémon, Venusaur, Gongping recalled Rhyperior.
"It looks like Rhyperior has used up quite a lot of stamina too."
The weather was still sunny, giving Venusaur a certain field advantage. In fact, Shali should have switched to Venusaur when Ninetales had fallen behind earlier. Thus, when many trainers saw her Venusaur, their impression of the beautiful trainer worsened considerably.
Of course, Shali's fans were still screaming. After all, flowers fluttered everywhere as Venusaur appeared, making its entrance just as gorgeous.
"You're mistaken. I simply thought excessive violence would detract from the spectacle of this match."
Gongping's words made Shali's face twitch. The beautiful trainer looked solemn. "This is a sacred, serious, full six-on-six battle. Isn't worrying about its entertainment value a little disrespectful to everyone watching?"
"Since Miss Shali wants me to give it my all, I'll show you the strength of a true Sandstorm King in the rest of this match."
Gongping's voice was undeniably deep and low at that moment, sending a chill through those who heard it. Shali's theatrical performance had made him extremely impatient, and he took a blood-red Poké Ball from his waist.
"Tyranitar, unleash the Sandstorm!"
The moment the blood-red Poké Ball opened, a vast blanket of sand swept across the field, instantly obscuring the clear skies above. Amid the sand swirling everywhere, an utterly ferocious face emerged.
Slaughter, bloodshed, death, fear-countless negative emotions seemed to converge on the field in an instant. Combined with the endless sandstorm before them, it felt like the end of the world.
The crushing pressure signified that Tyranitar's own Dark-type traits had been fully brought out. Together with the billowing sand, it showed that its mastery and development of its Sand Stream Ability had reached a very considerable level.
Tyranitar was one of the most vicious Pokémon, a monstrous beast capable of controlling sandstorms. When it appeared, even with its body concealed by the sand, it still inspired a shudder.
Through the outer curtain of sand, its icy gaze could be discerned within, radiating an aura of primal bloodshed and slaughter. As a Grass-type Pokémon, Venusaur was extremely sensitive to this and could not help taking a step back, only to see countless grains of sand rush toward it, forming a terrifying torrent.
"Dragon Dance."
"Oh no, Venusaur!"
Before Shali could issue any commands, air currents swirled around Tyranitar within the sandstorm, forming a powerful surge. Under the control of those currents, countless grains of sand pierced Venusaur's body, leaving numerous wounds and traces of blood across its surface.
"Dragon Dance is just a boosting move. Why is it dealing damage?"
In the stands, several trainers exchanged glances. Clearly, they did not understand why Dragon Dance could inflict such serious injuries on Venusaur.
"Although it's a boosting move, using the air currents it generates together with grains of sand can still deal considerable damage."
Gongping had taken inspiration for this method from the Counter Shield developed by Dawn, Ash, and the others in the original work. By combining Dragon Dance with the Sand Stream Ability, he had created this boosting method that incorporated both offense and defense.
As Dragon Dance ended, Venusaur followed Shali's instructions and fired a full-power Solar Beam into the sandstorm. Yet the beam of light failed to hit Tyranitar within it.
"Keep using Dragon Dance. Get ready to clear the field."
Countless air currents swirled around Tyranitar as it began its second Dragon Dance. While Venusaur was immobilized by the backlash from its failed Solar Beam, the sand-laden currents generated by Dragon Dance swept toward it again.
Venusaur suddenly looked terrified, because the winds generated by this Dragon Dance were faster and more frightening!
Venusaur's entire body was swept up. With a crash, the sand formed a massive deluge and slammed down, shattering the huge petals on Venusaur's back. Blood sprayed everywhere, making the scene utterly horrifying for a moment. A short while later, the Grass-type Pokémon collapsed completely.
The shocking display made many trainers gasp. Across the field, Shali was utterly stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Dragon Dance alone defeated its opponent. And the more times it uses Dragon Dance, the greater this Tyranitar's destructive power becomes. Add that terrifying, uncanny speed..."
Unlike the ordinary trainers, who focused on Tyranitar's ingenious use of Dragon Dance, Lorelei, watching from afar, was more concerned with the role Tyranitar could play in group battles.
The Sandstorm King's fighting style had always been better suited to group battles, with several Pokémon forming a battle formation around a sandstorm setter. Yet Tyranitar's performance now suddenly made Lorelei look forward to the upcoming mission at Mt. Moon.
It looked like Team Rocket was going to suffer a major loss this time.
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