"Do you really think raising your defense will save you?"
Darach's usually composed eyes sharpened as he reassessed the battlefield in an instant. He had already anticipated Iron Defense—but not the relentless pressure that followed.
"Gallade—use Sacred Sword!"
Gallade's blade-like forearm ignited in a deep crimson aura, energy condensing along its edge until the air around it trembled faintly. The technique was not merely a slash—it was a declaration of precision.
In a flicker of psychic light—
Gallade vanished.
Teleport.
The next heartbeat, it reappeared beside Tyranitar's flank, crimson blade descending in a decisive arc.
Clang!!
The strike landed cleanly.
Unlike Brick Break, Sacred Sword carried a unique property: it ignored defensive boosts.
Iron Defense meant nothing.
Tyranitar's armored body was forced backward several meters, heavy feet carving grooves into the battlefield stone as it staggered under the impact.
Sacred Sword—a calculated counter.
Darach had indeed anticipated Iron Defense.
But Gary's expression did not change.
"Snarl!" he commanded immediately.
"TYRANITAR!!"
Tyranitar roared again, the dark-infused shockwave erupting outward at point-blank range.
The Sandstorm twisted violently under the sonic assault.
Gallade was struck cleanly this time—
Yet the damage was limited.
Fighting-type Pokémon naturally resisted Dark-type attacks, and Gallade's high Special Defense further dulled the blow.
Still—
It disrupted momentum.
Darach adjusted instantly.
"Gallade—Swords Dance!"
Instead of pressing forward recklessly, Gallade crossed its blades before its chest. Sharp beams of light whirled around its body, forming a rotating halo of cutting energy.
Its Attack rose sharply.
The air around it grew more dangerous.
Gary responded without hesitation.
"Keep up the pressure—Earthquake!"
"TYRANITAR!"
Tyranitar lifted its massive foot and brought it down with titanic force.
The battlefield convulsed.
Cracks raced outward in jagged patterns as seismic waves tore through the ground.
Gallade endured the tremors mid–Swords Dance, forcing itself to complete the boost despite the destabilizing impact.
Dust coated its legs.
Its aura sharpened.
Its blade-arms hummed with lethal intensity.
Now fully empowered.
"Sacred Sword!" Darach called out again.
Gallade vanished.
Teleport.
Gary's gaze sharpened slightly—but there was no panic.
"Rock Tomb—defensive formation. Attack the moment the rocks break."
"TYRANITAR!"
Tyranitar slammed both fists into the ground.
Massive pillars of jagged stone erupted around its body—front, back, left, right—forming a rough circular barrier.
A defensive cage.
Flash!
Gallade reappeared at Tyranitar's side, blade already descending—
Only to find its path obstructed by towering stone.
For a fraction of a second—
Hesitation.
Darach saw it.
"Don't stop! Break through!" he commanded sharply.
Gallade's arm flashed crimson.
Slash!
The stone pillar split cleanly, shattering like brittle clay.
Fragments scattered.
But in the instant the final slab collapsed—
A massive jaw cloaked in dark energy lunged forward.
Crunch!!
Tyranitar's fangs clamped down viciously.
Sacred Sword shattered mid-execution.
Gallade was caught at close range.
The trap had closed.
"Stone Edge!" Gary's voice cut through the storm without delay.
Tyranitar stomped again.
Jagged stone pillars erupted upward beneath Gallade's feet, piercing through its guard and launching it violently into the air.
The impact sent it flying more than ten meters before crashing heavily against the battlefield.
Dust exploded outward.
Gallade struggled.
One knee touched the ground.
Its blades trembled.
It attempted to rise—
But its strength failed.
The accumulated damage—Snarl, Earthquake, Stone Edge—
Had reached its limit.
"Gallade is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins," the maid referee announced clearly.
Caitlin leaned forward slightly, eyes sparkling.
"What a brilliant sequence…"
Cynthia nodded in approval.
Using Rock Tomb not merely as offense, but as a defensive trap.
Crunch to restrain.
Stone Edge as a vertical finisher.
Tactical layering.
Though Gallade resisted Rock-type moves, its physical defense was comparatively lower. After enduring multiple debuffs and tremors, it simply could not withstand the final assault.
Darach exhaled slowly and recalled Gallade.
"As expected of the Trainer Mr. Scott personally warned me about," he said, tone composed but sincere. "You have suppressed me completely."
In Pokémon level.
In tactical tempo.
In move synergy.
Gary had maintained control throughout.
Yet the match was not finished.
Darach lifted his final Poké Ball.
"This is my last Pokémon."
He held it for a brief second.
"Houndoom—take the field."
The Poké Ball burst open.
"Houuun-doom!"
A sleek, black canine stepped forward, curved bone-like horns framing its head. Flames flickered ominously from its muzzle, casting orange light against the Sandstorm.
Houndoom – Level 66 – Elite Tier
Darach had deliberately saved Houndoom for last.
Against Tyranitar, it was not an ideal matchup.
That was why Gallade had been deployed earlier.
But Houndoom possessed speed.
And unpredictability.
"Houndoom—Flamethrower!"
"Tyranitar—Dark Pulse!"
Both commands were issued simultaneously.
Houndoom's jaws opened wide.
A blazing torrent of fire roared forward.
At the same time, Tyranitar unleashed a concentrated beam of dark energy.
Boom!!
The two attacks collided midair.
Fire and darkness twisted together, erupting outward in a violent explosion that briefly dispersed the Sandstorm before the winds reclaimed dominance.
Heat shimmered in the air.
"Stone Edge!" Gary pressed forward.
"Keep moving!" Darach responded immediately.
Houndoom dashed across the battlefield in a zigzag pattern, paws barely touching the ground.
Tyranitar lifted its foot—
But did not strike immediately.
Its crimson eyes tracked Houndoom's trajectory.
Measured.
Calculated.
Predicted.
Then—
Boom!
Tyranitar stomped.
The ground ahead of Houndoom shattered, a jagged stone blade erupting diagonally upward at the exact point of interception.
Houndoom reacted instinctively.
It leapt high—
The stone spike tore through the space it had occupied an instant earlier.
"Close in—Dynamic Punch!" Gary suddenly commanded.
"TYRANITAR!"
Before Houndoom could land, Tyranitar surged forward, fist glowing with unstable Fighting-type energy.
Dynamic Punch was inaccurate—
But devastating.
"Smokescreen!" Darach shouted urgently.
Houndoom exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke that exploded outward, swallowing Tyranitar's vision entirely.
The battlefield disappeared into darkness.
Gary's lips curved faintly.
"Earthquake."
Darach's expression changed instantly.
"Not good—!"
Visibility did not matter.
"TYRANITAR!"
Tyranitar drove its fist into the ground.
The battlefield convulsed violently.
Seismic waves tore through the smoke-filled arena, shaking every inch of stone.
"Awoo—!!"
Houndoom's cry echoed from within the haze.
The Sandstorm surged, dispersing the lingering smoke.
Houndoom was revealed—
Struggling.
Legs trembling.
Flames flickering weakly.
"Finish it—Stone Edge!"
"TYRANITAR!"
This time, Tyranitar did not attack from below.
Instead, sharp stone fragments materialized around its massive frame, hovering briefly before launching forward in a concentrated barrage.
A storm of blades.
Darach's eyes widened.
He had not expected the variation.
Houndoom, heavily injured, attempted to counter with Flamethrower—
But the flames were pierced through.
Stone shards sliced cleanly across its body.
"Awoooo—!"
Houndoom collapsed.
The Sandstorm slowly subsided.
"Houndoom is unable to battle," the maid announced, voice steady and clear.
"All three of Castle Butler Darach's Pokémon have been defeated."
A brief pause followed.
"The winner of this Battle Frontier challenge is—Gary."