Roxanne's Lileep settled firmly onto the battlefield, facing off against the Tyrunt.
The unique forms of the two fossil Pokémon immediately drew the attention of both the spectators in the arena and the viewers watching the livestream.
Lileep resembled a strange, mutated plant.
Its entire body was a pale lavender color, and its base resembled a suction cup, seemingly designed to stabilize its body.
But the most striking part was its top.
From within a deep-purple calyx stretched seven or eight fleshy tentacles, colored in alternating shades of pink and white.
The tips of the tentacles carried a faint rosy hue as they softly unfurled outward, almost like eerie petals at first glance.
Embedded at the center of those tentacles was a pitch-black circular core with a pair of round, beady yellow eyes.
It had no mouth, giving it an uncanny, almost unsettling appearance.
At this moment, the basic information about the Lileep appeared in Theo's vision.
[Pokémon: Lileep]
Type: Rock / Grass
Category: Sea Lily Pokémon
Ability: Suction Cups (Anchors itself firmly, preventing forced switching or displacement by moves or items)
Moves: Ingrain, Confuse Ray, Acid, Ancient Power, Mega Drain, Brine, Giga Drain, Mud-Shot…
Roxanne glanced at her partner and gave the first command:
"Lileep, observe the situation first. Use Ingrain."
Lileep gently swayed its petal-like appendages. From the bottom of its base, numerous thin tendrils extended downward.
With a faint kaka sound, they burrowed deep into the rocky terrain of the battlefield.
The move Ingrain allowed a Pokémon to absorb energy from the ground, slowly restoring its stamina.
Since Roxanne still did not understand Tyrunt's true strength or its combat pattern, she chose the most stable and reliable approach—
use sustained recovery to secure her footing and prepare thoroughly for the rest of the battle.
This kind of steady and methodical strategy was considered the optimal choice against most ordinary trainers—
relying on Ingrain to maintain endurance, gradually control the tempo, and gain the advantage.
It was safe, practical, and had a high margin for error.
But her opponent was Theo.
And perhaps fate was simply favoring him today, for no one expected Roxanne to deviate from her usual Gym lineup and send out a Rock-and-Grass-type Lileep.
Yet the special training Theo had put Tyrunt through in Petalburg Woods had just so happened to prepare him perfectly to deal with a Pokémon like Lileep—as if by premeditated design.
[Pokémon: Tyrunt]
Type: Rock and Dragon
Category: Royal Heir Pokémon
Ability: Strong Jaw (Biting-type moves gain increased power due to its powerful jaws)
Moves: … Dragon Tail (Mastered), Stomp (Beginner), Dragon Dance (Proficient), Ice Fang (Proficient)
As Lileep used Ingrain, Theo immediately issued his command:
"Tyrunt, show the results of our training!"
Tyrunt had been brimming with anticipation.
At Theo's order, it dug its claws into the rocky terrain and began to move.
Its head swayed left and right, its tail swung with a mysterious rhythm, and a faint red aura gradually gathered around its body.
It was performing Dragon Dance, one of the finest support moves for Dragon-types
"Not good!" Roxanne's expression changed abruptly as she instantly realized Theo's intention.
Although Ingrain granted continuous healing, it also restricted Lileep's movement.
If Tyrunt completed Dragon Dance and boosted its physical strength and speed, Lileep would become dangerously passive.
"Lileep, use Ancient Power! Target the area—interrupt its move!"
Upon hearing the order, Lileep halted the spread of its roots.
The petal-shaped structure on its head suddenly folded inward, then snapped open.
A multitude of stones materialized around it and shot toward Tyrunt at high speed.
Although Ancient Power was not the strongest attacking move, its wide range and chance to raise all stats made it incredibly valuable.
Roxanne's aim was clear—not only interrupt Tyrunt's Dragon Dance, but also attempt to trigger the move's potential stat boost.
"Keep moving, don't stop!" Theo's voice was steady and firm.
Tyrunt showcased the results of its intense training—
It dodged swiftly among the incoming stones, twisting its body, rolling aside, and using the rocks on the battlefield to block some of the impact.
Throughout the entire sequence, its rhythm of Dragon Dance remained unbroken.
The faint red aura intensified, its attack and speed steadily rising.
Tyrunt's figure flickered among the scattered rock formations like a streak of light.
Dragon Dance—successfully executed.
"It can maintain the rhythm of Dragon Dance even while moving…?"
A slight frown appeared between Roxanne's brows.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat and the spectators erupted with excitement—
"Holy crap! This movement is insane! You can use Dragon Dance like THIS?"
"It's done! Dragon Dance is complete! Lileep is in trouble!"
"Tyrunt is crazy strong! I'm stealing this moving-Dragon-Dance tactic!"
"Steal what? First go catch yourself a Dragon-type!"
Ultimately, Lileep's Ancient Power failed to interrupt Tyrunt's move—and it didn't trigger the stat boost either.
Now empowered by Dragon Dance, Tyrunt's muscles tightened, and its amber eyes gleamed sharply.
In the next instant, it shot forward like a red lightning bolt toward Lileep.
"Lileep, use Bullet Seed! Stop Tyrunt in its tracks!" Roxanne urgently commanded.
Lileep's funnel-like petals contracted, then burst open.
From the center, tiny emerald particles lit up brightly.
A barrage of green seed-like projectiles sprayed outward in a fan-shaped spread, the dense rain of bullets tearing through the air and nearly sealing off Tyrunt's path entirely.
But Tyrunt was now far too fast.
It accurately sensed the firing rhythm of the Bullet Seed, twisted sharply to the left, and weaved through the barrage with astonishing agility.
Then it pushed off a protruding boulder with explosive force, shattering the rock beneath its feet.
Using the recoil, it twisted in mid-air, arcing around to Lileep's flank, jaws wide open as it lunged with a piercing cry.
"Now! Ice Fang!'' Theo ordered, his voice resolute.
Tyrunt opened its jaws, a layer of visible frost coating its sharp teeth.
The icy energy swirled between its fangs, emanating a bone-chilling cold.
Its ability, Strong Jaw, activated.
The power of a biting move surged dramatically.
And against a Grass-type, the ice element was devastatingly effective.
Tyrunt's Ice Fang sank into Lileep's body with overwhelming force, carrying the intent to tear through anything in its path.
"—leeep!"
Lileep let out a sharp, trembling cry.
The tentacle that Tyrunt bit down on froze instantly, frost spreading rapidly across its body as it shuddered uncontrollably.
The type advantage of Ice over Grass showed its full impact here—
and with Strong Jaw boosting the attack, the damage exceeded all expectations.
Lileep's top tentacles wilted, and even its ingrained roots spasmed violently.
It was clearly suffering a serious injury.
"Such power…!" Even the referee couldn't help exclaiming.
The livestream exploded—
"Instant kill-level damage!! Ice Fang is OP!"
"Ice > Grass… Lileep got deleted!"
"Too strong!! Tyrunt is insane!"
Seeing that Lileep was barely holding on, Roxanne's gaze tightened with determination.
"Lileep, use Giga Drain! Give it everything you have!"
Lileep mustered the last of its strength.
Its tentacles emitted multiple green energy threads that wrapped tightly around Tyrunt, beginning to absorb its vitality.
Tyrunt staggered slightly, clearly affected.
But instead of loosening its grip, it bit down even harder.
"Tyrunt, use Ice Fang again!"
With a fierce howl, icy energy burst anew through Tyrunt's jaws—
This time piercing straight through Lileep's petals and reaching its core.
The energy threads snapped.
Lileep's petals lost all color and drooped weakly.
The roots withdrew from the ground, and its entire body collapsed, no longer able to fight.
"Lileep is unable to battle!"
The referee raised a flag and announced the result loudly.
Once victory was confirmed, Tyrunt released its bite, shaking its head.
Though it had taken damage from Giga Drain, its eyes still burned with resolve.
It wagged its tail toward Theo, as if reporting its triumph.
Roxanne recalled Lileep into its Poké Ball, gently stroking it.
The tension on her face faded, replaced by a calm and sincere smile.
She looked up at Theo, her gaze filled with unmistakable admiration:
"Your Tyrunt is trained wonderfully.
Integrating Dragon Dance into evasive movement—absolutely stunning.
I accept this defeat wholeheartedly.
But be careful—next I'll be using my second tier of main Pokémon.
Regardless of the outcome, as far as I'm concerned, you've already proven yourself worthy of the Stone Badge."
She raised her next Poké Ball.
"Go, Graveler! I'm counting on you!"
(End of Chapter)