"Shoo!"
Combusken darted forward in a blur, its knee driving squarely into Larvitar's chest, sending the little Rock Skin Pokémon flying across the field.
Combusken's raw power was overwhelming—just that single strike left Larvitar clearly reeling, its tiny face twisted in pain.
"Use Fire Spin!" Hotaru pressed her advantage, refusing to relent.
"Fwoooosh!"
A spiral of flames wrapped tightly around Larvitar, searing its body.
When the fire finally dissipated, Larvitar collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Larvitar was still only Larvitar, after all. In terms of endurance, it simply couldn't be compared to Tyranitar.
"Larvitar is unable to battle. Combusken wins!" Nurse Joy raised her hand, declaring the result.
"It's one to one!" Hotaru winked playfully and gave Yozora a cheeky victory sign.
"Not bad at all."
Yozora nodded slightly. With a calm expression, he recalled Larvitar back into its Poké Ball, then sent out his second Pokémon."Go, Slakoth!"
"Slakoth?"
Hotaru's eyes widened. In her impression, Slakoth were always the embodiment of laziness—lying on the ground, half-asleep, and barely moving.
But Yozora's Slakoth looked completely different: alert, brimming with energy, and radiating fighting spirit!
And she wasn't the only one surprised—Nurse Joy, standing at the sidelines, clicked her tongue in amazement.
She had been in this profession for years, had seen countless Slakoth, and had even once treated a Shiny Slakoth. But Yozora's Slakoth? This one was unlike any she had ever known.
Even shiny Slakoth were lazy!
Yet Yozora's Slakoth had broken free of its species' nature altogether.
"Fascinating… a Slakoth that's not lazy? Show me what you can really do!"
Hotaru's eyes lit up. She raised her hand and commanded sharply: "Combusken, Flamethrower!"
A torrent of fire roared forth—but Slakoth darted aside at an astonishing speed, the flames missing entirely.
"So fast?!" Hotaru gasped in disbelief. A Slakoth—moving like that?
She barely had time to process it before Slakoth was already upon Combusken.
"Now, Slakoth—Water Pulse!" Yozora's voice rang out.
Slakoth raised one clawed hand. A swirling orb of water formed, spinning rapidly like a miniature vortex, before being slammed straight into Combusken's chest.
"BOOM!"
The watery blast exploded, sending Combusken tumbling backward.
Water beats Fire—it was supereffective.
Hotaru's eyes widened. This… this was ridiculous!
Not only was this Slakoth fast—far faster than any Slakoth had any right to be—Not only could it use Water Pulse—a move utterly unexpected—But it had executed it physically, like a melee strike, instead of the usual special attack!
This Slakoth was a complete monster.
Before Hotaru could recover from her shock, Slakoth gathered a Shadow Ball and hurled it point-blank at Combusken.
The Fighting-type collapsed instantly.
"Too strong…"
Hotaru could only stare in disbelief as her second Pokémon fell.
Meanwhile, Yozora smiled with satisfaction.
After spending the past month training it, he had discovered that his Slakoth wasn't just unusually fast—it also possessed incredible battle instincts.
It could learn moves at an astonishing pace and even adapt them in unique ways.
For instance, Water Pulse was designed as a special move. But Slakoth executed it as a physical strike, amplifying it with its Huge Power ability—making the attack devastatingly strong.
"Combusken is unable to battle. Slakoth wins!" Nurse Joy declared firmly.
Two Pokémon down already, Hotaru felt the pressure building. Still, she quickly reached for her next Poké Ball.
"Go, Kirlia!"
A flash of white light revealed a graceful humanoid Pokémon, about one meter tall, with flowing green hair and a white dress-like body. It resembled a delicate young girl.
Kirlia was the evolved form of Ralts, and with one more evolution, it would become the famed Gardevoir.
Gardevoir—the beloved "waifu" of many male Trainers. Though, of course, Gardevoir were evenly split between male and female. The same held true for Kirlia.
"Kirlia, huh?" Yozora smiled faintly. He recalled Slakoth, then sent out Mightyena.
The moment the ferocious wolf Pokémon appeared, its oppressive aura spread across the field, locking onto Kirlia.
Intimidate!
"Wuu…"
The instant Kirlia entered the zone of intimidation, its body trembled uncontrollably, fear written all over its face.
It was locked in terror—perhaps even in the deeper state of dread.
Terror weakened strength and speed. Dread meant complete paralysis.
"Mightyena, Shadow Ball!" Yozora ordered.
Mightyena unleashed a Shadow Ball that engulfed the frozen Kirlia, knocking it out instantly.
Kirlia never even moved.
The gap in power was simply too great.
Yozora's Mightyena was at the Commander-tier, mid-level.
Hotaru's Kirlia, by contrast, was only Senior-level. There was no comparison.
"Kirlia is unable to battle. Victory goes to Yozora!" Nurse Joy announced, raising her hand toward him with a congratulatory smile.
"So strong… this is what true strength looks like…" Hotaru's eyes shone, gazing at Yozora with admiration despite her loss.
It wasn't unusual. She was just a girl, and it was easy to feel awe toward someone truly powerful.
After lunch at the Pokémon Center, Yozora set off toward the Rustboro Gym. To his mild surprise, Hotaru tagged along.
"Yozora-senpai, are you going to challenge the Gym now? I'd really like to watch and learn—would that be okay?" Her eyes sparkled with expectation.
"Of course." Yozora agreed easily. Together, they arrived at the Gym.
The Gym Leader, Roxanne, greeted them warmly. "It's been a long time, Hotaru. I can't believe you've grown so much—and already become a Trainer!"
Hotaru flushed with embarrassment. Roxanne had once been her teacher.
"Come then, Hotaru," Roxanne said kindly. "I want to see how much you've improved as a Trainer."
But Hotaru quickly shook her hands. "No, Teacher… please let Yozora-senpai battle first! I only came to observe and learn."
Roxanne blinked in surprise. Hotaru had always been a top student—talented, confident, even a bit proud. Yet here she was, humble and deferential?
Her eyes shifted to Yozora, curiosity piqued.
Meeting her gaze, Yozora smiled. "Leader Roxanne, please accept my challenge."
Roxanne nodded. Very well, then. I want to see just what kind of Trainer this boy is—to have humbled one of my brightest students.
Soon, they stood within the Gym battlefield—a rugged rock arena, filled with jagged boulders and sheer stone walls.
A fall here would be brutal for frail Pokémon. But Rock-types and Steel-types, with their hardened bodies, could charge through such terrain with ease.
"How about a three-on-three?" Roxanne asked directly, holding three small Poké Balls between her fingers.
"No problem," Yozora agreed confidently.
"Then let's begin."
Roxanne tossed her first Poké Ball. "Go, Geodude!"
As the Rock-type Gym Leader, it was fitting her first choice was Geodude—a true symbol of Rock-types.
Though still a Geodude, its aura showed its level was no joke—it was Senior-tier.
She wasn't underestimating him.
"Your turn, Larvitar!" Yozora sent out his partner.
"Larvi~!"
The little green Pokémon waddled onto the field, its short legs carrying it proudly. It had already fully recovered from its earlier battle.
"So it really is Larvitar," Roxanne mused. "Then let's see which rock is stronger! Geodude, Rollout!"
"Use Harden, Larvitar!" Yozora called almost simultaneously.
On the field, Larvitar's body gleamed as its skin grew tougher, boosting its defenses.
Meanwhile, Geodude tucked into a ball and rolled forward at high speed, dust trailing behind it like a roaring motorcycle.
CRASH!
The two collided, both sent flying. Even with Harden, Larvitar took significant damage—proof of Roxanne's skilled training.
"Don't give in, Larvitar! Use Payback!"
Larvitar's eyes flashed. It lunged forward, driving its fist straight into Geodude's body, hurling it back into a stone wall.
CRACK!
The wall split apart, shards of stone scattering as Geodude groaned in pain.
"Geodude!" Roxanne gasped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
How could a Larvitar hit that hard?
Even without evolving, Geodude's defense was formidable—and its level was higher. Yet Larvitar had blasted through it.
The truth was simple: this wasn't an ordinary Larvitar. This was a Huge Power Larvitar. Its strength was monstrous.
"Finish it with Rock Smash!" Yozora shouted.
"Thud-thud-thud—!" Larvitar charged, its short legs moving faster and faster as its Speed Boost ability triggered, propelling it forward.
Energy gathered in its right claw, glowing with a faint white aura as it slashed down.
"Geodude, dodge!" Roxanne called desperately.
But Geodude was stuck, lodged in the broken wall, unable to escape.
The Rock Smash landed clean.
BOOOOM!
The impact shattered the wall completely. Geodude, along with an avalanche of rubble, was flung out across the arena.
For the first time, Geodude's stone body showed a visible crack.
"Geodude is unable to battle. Larvitar wins!" the referee declared decisively.
"A Larvitar this strong… what will it become when it evolves into Tyranitar?" Roxanne thought in awe.
Larvitar, as a pseudo-legendary base form, wasn't supposed to be this powerful. Tyranitar was where its true might began.
But this Larvitar was already terrifying. When it evolved, it would be unstoppable.
She couldn't help but feel envious. As a Rock-type specialist, she adored Rock-types—especially pseudo-legendaries like Tyranitar. But she had never been lucky enough to obtain one.
Just as she thought this—
"Shhhhhh!"
Larvitar's body suddenly erupted in radiant white light!
When it faded, Larvitar had evolved—into Pupitar!
Its new form was a gray-blue cocoon-like body, reminiscent of Kakuna or Metapod—but with a far more menacing face, bearing the first traces of Tyranitar's ferocity.
Its power surged dramatically. No ordinary cocoon Pokémon—this was Pupitar, the evolving shell of a pseudo-legendary.
[Pokémon]: Pupitar
[Type]: Rock + Ground
[Abilities]: Shed Skin, Huge Power, Stamina, Speed Boost
[Level]: Senior-tier, high stage
[Potential]: Tier 3 Legendary
[Moves]: Howl, Rock Smash, Harden, Payback, Rock Tomb, Sandstorm, Iron Defense, Screech
[Description]:"Pupitar is a Pokémon building immense energy to burst from its shell. This one, with its extraordinary talents, is far stronger than its kin."
The moment it evolved, Pupitar instantly learned three new moves—Sandstorm, Iron Defense, and Screech.
"Congratulations, Pupitar." Yozora smiled, pleased beyond measure. He hadn't expected Larvitar to evolve so soon.
Now that it had overcome its hardest stage, its growth would accelerate rapidly, climbing in strength until it finally became Tyranitar!
"To evolve at a moment like this… what luck." Roxanne shook her head with a faint smile. "But it changes nothing!"
With that, she threw her second Poké Ball.
In a flash of light, a strange Pokémon appeared—its body blue, its form like a pile of assembled rocks, with a large red nose always pointing north.
"Nosepass!"
To many travelers, Nosepass was a trusted companion, able to guide them with its unerring sense of direction.
Its body radiated durability, far tougher than Geodude's. Its defense would be much harder to crack.
"Come, Yozora," Roxanne said with a confident grin. "Show me if your Pupitar can break through Nosepass's defense!"
Yozora's eyes narrowed. "Pupitar, Rock Smash!"
A Fighting-type move—supereffective against Rock.
The battle was far from over.
(End of Chapter)