" Miltank, maximum-power Rollout! Charge straight in!!!"
Yushu seized the opportunity.
"Mooo!!"
Miltank stopped dodging and charged straight at Steelix with her greatest speed and strength!
Whoosh-boom!!
Her body left a pink afterimage in the air, her speed so extreme that it even produced a piercing sonic boom!
Steelix had no time to dodge and could only brace itself to meet the attack.
Double-Edge!
Boom!!
This collision was fiercer than any of the previous ones.
Rollout erupted into Steelix, sending its body sliding backward over a dozen meters before it slammed into the wall with a thunderous crash.
Before Steelix could recover, it saw a pink ball of flesh hurtling straight at its face!
Don't come any closer!!!
Boom!
Steelix swayed a few times, then crashed to the ground, completely unable to battle!
On the other side, Lucario's battle was also nearing its end.
Lucario's fighting style was completely different from Steelix's.
If Miltank won through strength and endurance, then Lucario relied on speed and technique to maneuver around its opponent.
"Steel!"
Steelix swept an Iron Tail toward Lucario.
Rather than take it head-on, Lucario jumped back a step, barely avoiding it.
Immediately afterward, Steelix opened its huge mouth, and silver light gathered in its throat.
Flash Cannon!
Riley called from behind:
"Lucario! Dodge!"
" Luca!" Lucario darted sideways, and Flash Cannon grazed past its body, blasting a large hole in the wall.
Steelix's attack missed. Seizing the opening while Steelix was recovering from its attack, Lucario rushed forward, formed a bone club in its hand, and smashed it into Steelix's tail.
Clang!
Steelix winced in pain, but quickly steadied itself and swung its head around to bite Lucario.
Crunch!
"Lucario! Use your bone club!"
Lucario held the bone club horizontally in front of itself, wedging it between Steelix's jaws.
Crack!
Steelix's teeth clamped onto the bone club. Lucario took the opportunity to push off, kicking Steelix in the chin and using the force to leap backward and put some distance between them.
The kick knocked Steelix's head upward, and its gaze grew even fiercer. It began gathering power, brown light appearing around its body.
Sandstorm!!!
Fierce winds suddenly rose, sweeping countless grains of sand and fragments of rock into the air to form a swirling sandstorm that engulfed the entire battlefield.
Visibility grew hazy, and even breathing became difficult.
"It disappeared?"
Riley narrowed his eyes, searching for Steelix in the sandstorm.
But Steelix had disappeared.
No! It had not disappeared-it had used the cover of the sandstorm to use Dig again!
"Use your aura!"
Something stirred in Lucario's mind, and it picked up faint vibrations coming from underground.
On the left! It abruptly jumped to the right.
The next second, Steelix burst out of the ground where it had just stood, its huge jaws biting empty air.
Lucario counterattacked immediately upon landing, forming an Aura Sphere in its palm and blasting it toward Steelix's face at close range.
Boom!!!
The blast knocked Steelix backward, and Lucario rushed forward.
Bone Rush!!!
Its bone club became countless afterimages, raining blows onto Steelix's joints.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
A dense series of impacts rang out, forcing Steelix back again and again!
"Finish it with Aura Sphere!!"
"Luca!!"
Lucario released the bone club and brought its hands together, forming an Aura Sphere between its palms.
Aura Sphere! Point-blank!
Boom!
Aura Sphere exploded against Steelix's chin. Its body jolted violently before crashing to the ground.
The battle was over!
Riley walked over to Yushu and praised him sincerely. "Your Miltank has gotten stronger again."
Miltank had finished her battle even faster than Lucario, which spoke to her strength.
Yushu waved a modest hand. "It's all their own hard work. I'm just the support guy cheering them on."
Looking at the Pokémon lying all over the ground, Riley's eyes took on a thoughtful look:
"There are clearly more Steelix here than elsewhere. Although Iron Island has a natural geographical advantage, Steelix still aren't that easy to evolve."
Yushu understood.
No wonder Riley was so certain there was something in here. He'd worked it out from the Pokémon's distribution.
Pretty sharp observation skills.
Just then, a deafening roar came from deep within the passage.
"Steel!!!"
Immediately afterward, an enormous Pokémon emerged from the darkness.
It was a Steelix a full size larger than the two they had just fought.
Its entire body was covered in a pitch-black steel shell bearing many marks left by battle. Its tail dragged along the ground, and danger radiated from its whole body.
Yushu instinctively activated the Eye of Detection.
[Steelix] [Type: Steel + Ground] [Ability: Sturdy] [Level: Late Gym Stage] [Moves: Sand Tomb, Autotomize, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Iron Tail, Double-Edge, Rock Tomb, Flash Cannon, Dragon Breath, Stone Edge, Sandstorm, Heavy Slam...] [Status: Angry, believes you have invaded its territory]
A late Gym stage wild Pokémon!
Yushu swallowed. "This Steelix is a little too strong."
Aside from Uxie, who was watching from the sidelines, probably none of the Pokémon he had with him could beat it one-on-one.
Would I have called for backup if it weren't strong...? Riley's expression also grew solemn:
"This should be their leader. Yushu, let's take it on together."
"All right!"
Without hesitation, Yushu sent Miltank out again.
An ordinary Pokémon would probably have lost some stamina after that battle, but Miltank's staying power was absurdly high. She could still keep going!
Riley also sent out Lucario.
"Steel!"
Seeing that these two humans had defeated all its underlings, Steelix let out an angry roar. It swung its tail, sweeping it straight toward Miltank in front of it.
Iron Tail!!!
The tail carried tremendous force. If it landed a direct hit, even Miltank's defenses would probably not spare her considerable damage.
"Miltank, Protect!"
Yushu hurriedly shouted.
Miltank quickly raised a green barrier.
Boom!!!
Iron Tail slammed into Protect, its powerful defense blocking the attack.
But Steelix did not stop attacking.
It opened its huge mouth, and silver light gathered in its throat.
Flash Cannon!
"Lucario, interrupt it with Aura Sphere!"
Riley hurriedly gave the order.
Lucario brought its hands together, forming a blue ball of energy between its palms. With a sharp thrust, it sent Aura Sphere whistling straight toward Steelix's face.
Steelix was forced to stop and dodge sideways. Aura Sphere grazed past its body and blasted a large hole in the wall.
But it reacted quickly as well, its body flashing with light.
Autotomize!
Its formerly heavy, massive body suddenly became light and nimble, its speed rising a notch. Steelix swung its tail, sweeping it toward Lucario.
"Luca!!"
Lucario had no time to dodge and could only block it head-on with its bone club.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the passage. Lucario was sent sliding backward over a dozen meters, barely bracing itself with its bone club.
Yushu's expression grew even more solemn. "This Steelix leader has a lot of battle experience. It's not the kind of wild Pokémon that only knows how to charge in recklessly."
Riley was frowning too. "And its defenses are very strong. Our attacks will have a hard time doing any real damage to it."