Claydol was one of the few Pokémon that could naturally learn Teleport, and the way this one used it so fluidly made it clear: it was no easy opponent.
The best choice to counter it would be Gardevoir, but seeing how eager Tyranitar was to jump into battle, Sato didn't bother switching them out.
After all, Claydol was a Psychic-type Pokémon. Letting Tyranitar give it a try wasn't a bad idea.
At the same time, Claydol moved Baltoy to a corner behind it, then actively launched an attack on Tyranitar!
Claydol, originally floating in the air, suddenly smashed downward toward the ground. A visible wave of brown energy surged along the cave floor straight at Tyranitar.
Earth Power!
"Stomping Tantrum to defend. Then charge with Crunch."
"TYRAN!"
Tyranitar didn't flinch, stomping down hard with its right foot. Ripples of energy burst out and soon clashed head-on with Earth Power.
Earth Power surged like sharp spears, while Stomping Tantrum's waves were like layers of heavy shields. The two forces canceled each other out, neither gaining ground!
Tyranitar may not have reached Elite Four level yet, but as a fully evolved pseudo-legendary, it was invincible among its peers, and not incapable of surpassing its level.
At the very least, it had no fear facing this Claydol!
After the failed attack, Claydol retreated quickly, because Tyranitar was charging at it with full momentum.
A blue beam lit up the dim cave; Claydol instinctively avoided close combat and switched to ranged suppression.
Consecutive Ice Beams!
Tyranitar didn't back down, either. It summoned its signature Stone Edge again and again to intercept the Ice Beams while steadily pressing forward.
Though Claydol had multiple eyes, its gaze was vacant; but the increasing frequency of its Ice Beams revealed its growing anxiety!
An Elite Four losing to an Ace… who would believe that?
Finally, Tyranitar stepped right up to Claydol, opening its jaws wide to deliver a Crunch attack!
As expected, Claydol used Teleport to escape just before it was bitten…
And right then, Sato and Tyranitar both wore matching triumphant grins! 'HAH!'
"Snarl!"
"Tyran! TYRANY~TAAAAAAAR!"
Opening your mouth isn't just for biting~ You can also yell!
With an ear-splitting roar infused with thick Dark-type energy, Tyranitar stunned Claydol on the spot. Its gaze lost focus!
At the same time, Tyranitar's Snarl echoed farther and farther, shaking the quiet cave system awake.
Seizing the moment, Tyranitar lunged again; this time landing a true Crunch attack.
Crunch!
Claydol was hit squarely, taking massive damage instantly!
Seeing this, Tyranitar got even more excited, ready to press the advantage and seal the win.
But in the next moment, the entire cave suddenly began to shake. Caught off guard, Tyranitar had to struggle to stay upright.
Claydol, with its Levitate Ability, got a momentary reprieve and floated away from Tyranitar's reach.
As the tremor slowly subsided, Sato noticed that three new Pokémon had appeared at Claydol's side…
Low Elite Four, Rhyperior…
Low Elite Four, Cradily…
Mid Elite Four, Armaldo!
Seeing the three Pokémon that had suddenly appeared, Sato frowned almost instantly. Four Elite Four level Pokémon showing up at once was far beyond what he had anticipated.
And what's more… they were cooperating harmoniously under the desert!
For safety's sake, Sato didn't hesitate to send out the rest of his Pokémon.
Three flashes of red light later, Hydreigon, Sharpedo, and Zoroark all emerged at once.
In terms of level, Sato was being completely outclassed. But after what Tyranitar had just proven, Sato wasn't nervous at all; in fact, he was even more excited…
Which of his partners wasn't undefeated at their level?
Which of them lacked the power to battle beyond their stage?
"TYRAAAN!"
Eager to go, Tyranitar charged forward with heavy steps. With its teammates watching, it pushed itself even harder!
"Stone Edge, target Armaldo. Flamethrower! Aqua Jet! Fire Blast! Take down Claydol first."
Sato issued his commands in rapid succession. Each Pokémon locked onto their move without confusion.
The three Pokémon focused fire on the already-wounded Claydol, and Armaldo was only included because of the grudge left by the Anorith swarm earlier.
Sato held grudges, after all…
But what came next -the opponent's seamless coordination- nearly made Sato want to applaud.
Rhyperior acted first, stepping up to block Tyranitar's charge. In terms of mass, it was even more unshakable.
Armaldo stepped forward too, using Protect to block the attacks from Zoroark, Sharpedo, and Hydreigon; buying time for Cradily and Claydol in the back.
Cradily trusted its teammates completely. It stood still without moving and immediately used Pain Split on Claydol!
Pain Split averaged out the remaining health/stamina between the two.
In just a second, Claydol had recovered more than half of its health/stamina, and Cradily followed up with Recover, fully restoring its own lost vitality[1]¹.
Pain Split + Recover…
Even Sato, who had lived two lifetimes, couldn't help but be amazed.
'Pain Split wasn't just for annoying enemies…' Who knew it could be used like this?
A new trick learned!
But admiration was one thing.
The very next second, Sato redirected his focus straight onto Cradily.
In team battles, the importance of the healer was self-evident. The more important they were, the earlier they needed to be taken off the field!
"Focus Blast, Ice Fang! Target Cradily! Hydreigon, keep the other three busy!"
Zoroark and Sharpedo charged straight at Cradily. Both Focus Blast and Ice Fang could deal considerable damage to it.
But Tyranitar had already been dragged into a brawl with Rhyperior and couldn't break free for the moment.
Hydreigon, however, stayed calm. Lefty fired a Dragon Pulse to intercept Armaldo, while Righty blasted Claydol back with a Dark Pulse.
Middy turned its head and looked around. It thought about helping Tyranitar… but in the end, chose not to.
As a fellow pseudo-legendary, Hydreigon fully understood Tyranitar's desire to prove itself!
By now, Focus Blast and Ice Fang were already closing in on Cradily. Cradily was extremely slow, so it rarely dodged in battle; this time was no exception…
But that didn't mean it would just sit there and take the hits!
Suddenly, Cradily's entire body turned red and began to sway rapidly. Then it let Focus Blast and Ice Fang hit it head-on.
Curse: trading Speed for a boost in Defense!
In the next moment, a soft moonlit glow radiated from Cradily's body; Recover followed seamlessly!
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¹.Thinking about using "vitality" instead of health and stamina, that can cover both, right?
[1] Thinking about using "vitality" instead of health and stamina, that can cover both, right?