"Frosmoth, return."
Grusha recalled Frosmoth in a beam of red light. His expression hardly changed, but Gary could tell the Gym Leader had already revised his opinion of him. Anyone who could defeat an Articuno in the wild and then flatten a Terastallized Frosmoth in a single blow clearly wasn't an ordinary challenger.
Gary rolled his shoulders once, exhaling slowly. He hadn't come here intending to let one Pokémon sweep the entire Gym, but the system's conditions left him with almost no choice.
For this challenge he was restricted to Paldea Pokémon. His true monsters—Garchomp, Charizard, even Great Tusk—were all off the board. Among the partners he did have with him, only Annihilape had the raw power to face down Grusha's full strength. If he wanted that Ice‑type Tera Shard, he had to let the "Annihilape" do most of the heavy lifting.
Grusha pulled out his second Poké Ball. "All right," he said quietly. "Let's see how you handle this one. Altaria, take the field."
He threw the ball.
A swirl of white light resolved into a sky‑blue dragon wrapped in clouds—Altaria. Its soft, cotton‑like wings spread wide as it hovered lightly above the ice, eyes calm and focused.
[Lv. 50 – Altaria – Elite Potential]
"Chiu‑hee!"
Altaria called out, voice clear and musical despite the biting cold.
Before Gary could speak, Grusha added, "This Altaria's Tera Type is Ice. It still meets the Gym's rules."
"I get it," Gary said with a nod.
The Paldea League allowed each Gym Leader to carry one Pokémon whose base typing didn't match their Gym, as long as its Terastallized form did. For Glaseado, that meant an Altaria that became pure Ice when it Terastallized.
And this one was level 50—right on the edge of what a Gym match could reasonably allow, a hair above the usual cap. Grusha definitely wasn't underestimating him anymore.
"I'll open," Grusha announced. "Altaria, Moonblast!"
Altaria's beak glowed soft pink. Fairy‑type energy gathered in front of it, compressing into a shining orb, then hurtled across the battlefield like a miniature moon on a collision course with Annihilape.
"Dodge with Phantom Force," Gary said calmly. "When you come out, hit it with Ice Punch."
Annihilape grunted once and sprang forward. As it leapt, its form blurred, then faded completely, slipping into the shadows between worlds.
Boom!
Moonblast slammed into the ice where Annihilape had just been. The impact tore a shallow crater in the arena and sent a wave of snow spraying outward, but the target was already gone.
"Terastallize," Grusha snapped. "Altaria—shine!"
He raised his Tera Orb, which flared with icy light, then hurled its power toward Altaria.
Pillars of crystal erupted around the Altaria midair, enclosing it in a jagged cocoon of translucent ice.
Bang!
The crystal shell shattered an instant later. Altaria emerged transformed, its feathers turned to pale‑blue crystal, an oversized ice‑blue crownlike gem gleaming on its head. Its aura shifted—no longer Dragon/Flying, but pure Ice‑type. Shards of frost spiraled off its wings like tiny comets.
"The Ice Tera Crown," Gary noted inwardly. "Full Ice power now."
At that exact moment, Annihilape phased back into reality—more than a meter above Altaria, right where the Terastallized dragon least expected it. Its right fist glowed a harsh, bitter white, ice crystals forming along its knuckles.
"Ice Punch," Gary finished, voice level.
Annihilape drove its fist straight down into Altaria's back.
"Chiu—!"
The blow sent the Ice‑type dragon plummeting. It crashed into the arena hard enough to kick up a plume of snow, sliding several body lengths before coming to a stop.
Even as a Terastallized Ice‑type with natural resistance to Ice‑type moves, Altaria had taken heavy damage. The level difference was simply too large.
"The gap in strength is obvious," Gary thought, eyes narrowing.
Grusha's jaw tightened. "We're not out yet. Altaria, Ice Beam!"
"Rage Fist!" Gary countered immediately.
They spoke almost as one.
Altaria, breath frosting the air, gathered a searing point of cold in front of its beak and unleashed a brilliant blue beam across the field.
All the lingering fury in Annihilape's heart exploded. Dark energy coiled around its right arm, the spectral chains tightening. It stepped forward and threw a punch—another colossal shadowy fist tearing ahead of it, wrapped in spirals of ghostly fire.
The two attacks crashed together midair.
The power surging through Rage Fist created a shockwave that made the Ice Beam hesitate for a heartbeat, its stream warping under the pressure. Then the fist ripped straight through it, scattering the frozen energy into a spray of mist and ice dust.
Bang!!
The giant fist crashed down onto Altaria's head. Snow and shards of ice erupted skyward; a fresh crater gouged itself into the field.
When the blizzard of powder finally settled, Altaria lay at the bottom of the pit, eyes rolling in circles. The crystal Tera Crown on its head flickered, then shattered into glittering fragments that dissolved back into the air.
"Altaria is unable to battle!" the referee cried, disbelief plain in his voice. "Annihilape wins again!"
"Altaria… lost too…?" Luna whispered, stunned.
She knew that Altaria, alongside Frosmoth, was one of her brother's trump cards. To watch it be defeated in just two exchanges—after Terastallizing—made her feel like the ground had tilted.
Grusha recalled the fallen dragon without a word. His face was as cold and composed as ever, but Gary could sense a sharp tension beneath the surface.
Even so, the Gym Leader's voice remained steady when he drew his third ball. "Beartic, your turn. Let's move."
He launched the ball onto the ice.
A huge white bear with icicles hanging from its muzzle emerged in a burst of light—Beartic. Its breath steamed in white clouds, thick claws carving grooves into the ice as it stomped once, fixing Annihilape with a fearsome glare.
[Lv. 47 – Beartic –Elite Potential]
"Ughh…" Beartic growled, lowering its head in challenge.
"Roar!"
Annihilape met its gaze, fighting spirit flaring. It wanted to know whether this was a true warrior—or just another opponent to knock flat.
"Cross Chop!" Gary ordered.
Annihilape shot forward, arms crossing over its chest. Its hands flattened into blade‑like chops, muscles bulging as it prepared to cleave.
"Icicle Crash!" Grusha countered. "Don't back down!"
Beartic roared. Ice‑type energy built around it; jagged icicles like huge swords condensed above its head, then crashed down and launched forward in a wave toward the charging ape.
"Roar!"
Annihilape's twin hand‑blades flashed, slicing through the falling ice. Each chop cleaved another icicle in half, scattering shards across the arena. The wave of frozen blades never even slowed its advance.
"Ice Punch!" Grusha snapped, changing tactics mid‑exchange.
Beartic lunged, its right paw sheathed in thick, biting cold. It swung in a heavy arc aimed straight at Annihilape's skull.
Annihilape didn't retreat. Seeing the attack coming, it pivoted and brought its already‑primed Cross Chop down to meet the incoming paw, turning offense into defense.
Bang!!
Cross Chop and Ice Punch collided with a bone‑jarring impact. Beartic was shoved backward, claws tearing twin trenches in the ice as it slid several meters before it finally stopped, panting hard.
Even at Gym level, Beartic's raw strength was something to respect. Most opponents would have crumpled from that Cross Chop, but the big bear stayed on its feet.
Gary didn't give it a chance to catch its breath. "Don't stop—Dynamic Punch!"
"ROAR!!"
Annihilape's fighting spirit flared even higher. Its right fist glowed with a blinding, swirling aura, radiating so much force that the air around it warped.
Beartic, still off‑balance from the last exchange, had no time to dodge.
Whooosh!!!
Dynamic Punch slammed into its chest like a runaway truck.
Beartic was thrown clear off the ground, launched backward in a blur of white fur. It smashed into the energy barrier surrounding the arena, making the transparent shield ripple visibly, then dropped onto the snow in a crumpled heap.
It didn't move.
"Beartic is unable to battle! Annihilape wins again!" the referee announced, this time in open shock.
The man had officiated matches at Glaseado Gym for years, but this was the first time he'd ever seen Grusha lose three Pokémon in a row to a single opponent—and so decisively.
Around the rink, the murmurs swelled.
"It's a sweep… he's actually sweeping Grusha…"
"Three of the Gym Leader's Pokémon, all taken out by one Annihilape?"
"If this is what he brings to a Gym battle, what does his full team even look like…?"
Grusha recalled Beartic, snowflakes still drifting down around him. For a heartbeat, something like regret flickered across his eyes—regret not for the loss itself, but for agreeing to a full four‑on‑four when a one‑on‑one or two‑on‑two would have sent the same message with less spectacle.
If this had been a private spar with no audience, he might have conceded right here. But the stands were packed with locals and tourists. Word would spread fast.
If he raised a white flag now, the "strongest Gym Leader in Paldea" would forever be remembered as the man who folded in front of a foreign Trainer and half the skiing community.
He couldn't afford that.
Grusha drew his final Poké Ball and looked across the field at Gary and Annihilape.
"All right," he said quietly. "You've earned it. Time to see my last trump card."
He tossed the ball in a high arc toward the center of the arena.
"Cetitan—come out!"