Bzzt!
Bright yellow electric waves shot from Gyarados's horn, striking Wyatt's Gyarados directly.
"Aoooo~"
Wyatt's Gyarados froze mid-charge, its face contorting in pain. The ferocious Dragon Rush attack fizzled out before it could land.
Wyatt's Gyarados was paralyzed!
"What the hell? Caster's Gyarados knows Thunder Wave?"
Wyatt's eyes went wide as saucers, his face filled with shock.
Thunder Wave was technically in Gyarados's move pool, but the compatibility was extremely poor. It was incredibly difficult to learn.
And even if a Gyarados did manage to learn Thunder Wave, mastering it was nearly impossible.
The power was weak, the speed slow, and the cost-benefit ratio abysmal. As a result, Gyarados that knew the move were exceedingly rare.
Yet here was Caster, this absolute freak, who had not only taught his Gyarados Thunder Wave but had clearly put it through targeted training. Otherwise, there was no way Caster's Gyarados could execute it so quickly and smoothly.
Seeing Wyatt's Gyarados paralyzed and momentarily frozen, Caster shouted, "Now! Rain Dance!"
"Huh?"
Clair frowned, confused. "Rain Dance? Now?"
Rain boosted the power of Water-type moves, which was certainly advantageous for Gyarados.
But the problem was, Wyatt's Pokémon was also a Gyarados!
And weather effects only cared about type, not which side you were on.
As far as Clair could tell, while the opponent was paralyzed and vulnerable, the best options were either to launch an all-out assault for first blood or to use Dragon Dance to power up.
Caster's tactics made absolutely no sense to her.
"ROOOAR!"
Caster's Gyarados tilted its head back and let out a long cry as Water-type energy surged from its body.
The previously clear sky rapidly filled with gathering storm clouds.
Patter patter! Patter patter!
Raindrops began to fall, quickly intensifying into a steady downpour that thoroughly soaked the battlefield.
The Water-type Pokémon in the lake were completely unbothered, but most of the spectators on shore scattered to find shelter.
Hum!
The moment the rain blanketed the field, the golden crown within Gyarados's body trembled slightly, then released a surge of power that flooded through its form.
Ocean's Sovereignty, successfully activated!
"Here we go!"
Letting the rain drench his clothes and face, watching his Gyarados roar with newfound vigor, Caster's eyes grew especially bright.
Activating Ocean's Sovereignty was the real reason Caster had Gyarados use Rain Dance.
Of course, there was another bonus to the rain—moves like Hurricane and Thunder became guaranteed hits.
And Gyarados was a Pokémon with a 4x weakness to Electric-type moves.
Looking through the falling rain at Wyatt's Gyarados, Caster grinned.
Wyatt caught that expression perfectly, and his eyelid started twitching. He thought to himself, "Is he going to try boosting now?"
As much as it galled him, Wyatt understood that his Gyarados had most likely already lost.
Of course, it wasn't because Wyatt lacked skill. It was because Caster's Gyarados training approach was ridiculously unconventional.
With the element of surprise on his side, Wyatt naturally got the short end of the stick.
To prevent Caster's Gyarados from using Dragon Dance, Wyatt roared, "Taunt!"
At the same time, Caster gave his command. "Thunder!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Wyatt felt like he'd been hit by Thunder Wave himself, frozen in shock.
Thunder?
Caster's Gyarados didn't just know Thunder Wave—it knew Thunder too?
Wyatt's face was a mask of disbelief!
Are you seriously an Ampharos or a Gyarados?!
BOOM!
Before Wyatt could fully process this, a massive bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky.
The thunder engulfed and struck his Gyarados. Electric current surged across its entire body as it let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Taking a super-effective 4x weakness move head-on was nothing short of the most brutal punishment imaginable!
CRASH!
When the electricity finally dissipated, Wyatt's Gyarados performed a perfect "instant health bar deletion," collapsing heavily to the ground.
Its eyes had already gone spiraled.
"ROOOAR!"
And with that knockout secured, Caster's Gyarados's Moxie ability triggered.
Its Attack rose, completely negating the earlier drop from Intimidate.
"So Caster's Gyarados has Moxie!"
Light seemed to shimmer in Clair's eyes, but she didn't forget her duties as referee. She announced, "Gyarados is unable to battle. Wyatt, please send out your next Pokémon."
After speaking, Clair looked back at Caster and his Gyarados with renewed wonder.
Not only did it know Thunder Wave, it also knew Thunder, and it used both with incredible proficiency?
If she only looked at the moves, Clair would've sworn they came from an Electric-type Pokémon.
But in reality, this was a Gyarados with poor compatibility for Electric-type moves.
This was absolutely insane!
On the large stone, the Dragon Elder maintained his serene, unreadable expression, saying nothing.
"You did well, Gyarados."
After recalling his Gyarados, Wyatt took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Then he pulled out another Poké Ball.
"Caster, I never would've imagined your Gyarados was so skilled with Electric-type moves. My Gyarados lost fair and square!"
Wyatt looked at Caster seriously. "But I'll be straight with you—Gyarados has never been more than second-tier on my team. So now, let me show you my real ace!"
With that, Wyatt threw his Poké Ball.
"Waaayo~"
Red light flashed, and a Pokémon with a red-green body, large wings, and a long tail appeared on the field.
"A Flygon, huh?"
Caster raised an eyebrow, completely unsurprised.
Wyatt was a member of the Dragon Tamer clan, naturally specializing in raising Dragon-type Pokémon.
Gyarados is dragon-inspired, but without the Dragon type, it isn't a true Dragon-type Pokémon.
Flygon, on the other hand, might not have "dragon" in its name, but it was not only Dragon-type—it also had the Ground type. Plus, it could learn Dragon Dance, making it an undisputed Ground Dragon.
"Yooo~"
Though rain was falling from the sky, it didn't hinder Flygon from beating its powerful wings and soaring freely through the air.
And the sound of its vibrating wings, if you listened carefully, resembled a woman's beautiful singing voice.
"Using Flygon against Gyarados is definitely Wyatt's best option right now."
Clair nodded approvingly to herself.
For one thing, Flygon was a Ground-type Pokémon, completely immune to Electric-type moves.
That meant Gyarados's Thunder Wave paralysis and rain-boosted Thunder were both useless.
For another, Flygon could fly.
Speed beating slowness was an advantage, and flight beating ground-bound was undeniably another advantage.
"Sandstorm!"
As the battle resumed, Wyatt immediately started competing for weather control.