Seeing this, the Beldum at the edge of the field immediately tensed up, its body stiffening as its red eyes locked tightly onto Manectric. The metallic shell covering its body gleamed with a wary, vigilant sheen.
"Alright, Beldum, come back and take a rest," Theo called out gently, his tone filled with reassurance.
Beldum was clearly a little reluctant as it floated back to Theo's side, rubbing its icy-cold head lightly against the palm of his hand. Its body let out a series of faint ding-ding metallic sounds, and its crimson eyes were full of unwillingness, as if saying, I can still fight.
Theo couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and gently patted Beldum's head, his voice warm and calm. "I know you're amazing, but let the next opponent be handled by your teammate. Let Tyrantrum come out too. Ever since it evolved, it hasn't really made an official appearance in front of others yet. You watch from the side and cheer it on for me."
Hearing that it was a familiar partner, the one who used to play headbutt games with it all the time—who would be going on stage, Beldum immediately stopped sulking.
After all, it was very generous.
Although ever since Tyrunt evolved into Tyrantrum, it had been overly protective of the crown-like protrusion on its head and was no longer willing to play headbutt games with it; Tyrantrum would still use its iron tail to play collision games together and was even willing to let Beldum climb around and fool about on top of its "crown." It was still its very best partner.
Meanwhile, the moment Theo's words reached the livestream audience, the chat instantly exploded.
"What?! Tyrunt evolved?! Did I hear that right?!"
"Oh my god! In the desert training video the streamer posted a few days ago, it was still panting while pushing rocks around! And now it's evolved already?! That's way too sudden!"
"No wonder we didn't see Tyrunt today—so it was charging up a big move! This surprise came out of nowhere!"
"Hurry and show us! What does Tyrunt look like after evolving?! Is it even cuter?!"
Murmurs rippled through the spectator stands as well, everyone's gaze focusing on the other Poké Ball in Theo's hand, their faces filled with anticipation and curiosity.
Theo took a deep breath and raised the Poké Ball high. "Then let me show you all how Tyrunt has grown."
"Come out, Tyrantrum!"
"TYRAAANT—!!"
Accompanied by a thunderous, earth-shaking roar, a flash of red light erupted as a massive, deep-red behemoth suddenly appeared at the center of the battlefield.
Standing nearly three meters tall, Tyrantrum's towering body resembled a small mountain. The moment it appeared, it let out a powerful roar toward Manectric.
The draconic pressure radiating from its body made the spectators at the edge of the field instinctively hold their breath, as if even the air itself had grown heavier and more solid.
"S-So this is what Tyrunt looks like after evolving?" many of Theo's fans exclaimed in shock around the battlefield. "That's insanely imposing! That size, that presence—coming all the way from Rustboro City to watch the streamer's match in person was totally worth it!"
The livestream chat, meanwhile, went completely berserk, refreshing at a waterfall-like speed.
"Holy crap! This is Tyrunt's evolution?! It's that tall?! Way bulkier than I imagined!"
"No wonder the streamer dared to let Beldum go first—turns out he was hiding such a trump card!"
"If I remember correctly, the streamer's Tyrunt is Dragon and Rock-type, right? That's basically an Electric-type killer! And now it's evolved, Manectric is in serious danger!"
"This size difference is just ridiculous! Manectric looks like a kitten in front of it."
Wattson stared at Tyrantrum on the field, a trace of gravity flashing through his eyes.
He remembered that when Watt had introduced Theo to him earlier, he had mentioned that Tyrunt. As a fossil Pokémon with dual Dragon and Rock typing, now evolved into Tyrantrum, the disadvantage created by typing suppression was truly a headache.
Manectric also seemed to sense the pressure emanating from its opponent, letting out a low growl from deep in its throat. The electricity around its body grew increasingly active, and the golden mane atop its head stood on end as it assumed a ready-to-strike stance.
Theo looked at the two Pokémon facing each other, feeling the tension thick in the air. A confident smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Tyrantrum, show them your strength."
At the side, Beldum shook its body excitedly, waving its short little arms as hard as it could to cheer on its good partner. Metallic ding-ding-clang sounds rang out nonstop, like it was beating a drum in support.
Wattson stared at Tyrantrum, his brows tightly knitted as he thought hard about what command to give next. His face was full of seriousness and concern.
Tyrantrum's sheer size was nearly twice that of his Manectric. The crimson scales covering its entire body reflected a cold, sharp gleam under the lights. Just standing there, it exuded the overwhelming pressure unique to Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Rock plus Dragon typing…" he muttered under his breath, his fingers unconsciously brushing the Poké Ball at his waist. "If only I'd sent out Magneton instead. Steel-type moves could counter Rock-types—maybe there'd still be a chance to turn things around. Sending Manectric out now was really—"
The more Wattson thought about it, the trickier the situation felt.
Manectric was one of his main Pokémon, but it specialized almost entirely in Electric-type attacks. Facing a dual Dragon- and Rock-type Tyrantrum, it was practically born at a disadvantage.
What made things worse was that among Manectric's moves, only Swift, a Normal-type special move—could deal any real damage, and even that was resisted by Rock-type attributes.
As for physical attacks, just looking at Tyrantrum's massive body, combined with the formidable defenses typical of Rock-type Pokémon and the many resistances of Dragon-types, they would likely be no more effective than tickling.
"Forget it. Since it's already on the field, we'll fight it out!"
Wattson's eyes hardened as he issued his command in a deep voice. "Manectric, use Thunderbolt to draw in electricity and boost your power, then follow up with Swift!"
His plan was simple:
Use Thunderbolt to take advantage of Lightning Rod and raise its Special Attack, then test the waters with Swift to see if there was any opening.
Theo watched as electricity began to crackle around Manectric's body, his expression utterly calm.
From the moment Manectric appeared, its information panel had already surfaced in his mind:
[Pokémon: Manectric]
Type: Electric
Category: Discharge Pokémon
Ability: Lightning Rod (Draws in Electric-type moves, taking no damage and instead increasing its Special Attack)
Moves: Fire Fang, Bite, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Discharge, Thunder Fang, Charge, Thunderbolt, Swift—
In his eyes, this move set posed almost no threat.
Manectric excelled at special attacks, but aside from Swift, all its Electric-type moves were completely ineffective against Rock-types.
As for its physical moves, against a Tyrantrum that held absolute advantages in size and defense, they were little more than drops in the bucket.
"Tyrantrum, Sandstorm—and then charge straight in! Let them see what you can do!"
Theo's command was concise and domineering.
"TYRAAANT!"
Tyrantrum threw its head back and roared as a violent torrent of sand instantly whipped up around its body.
Tiny grains of sand buried beneath the battlefield were stirred awake by its power, seeping out bit by bit from the ground.
As if granted life, they spun wildly, gathering into a massive, sky-obscuring sandstorm that engulfed the entire battlefield in an instant.
Within the swirling yellow haze, only the faint silhouette of Tyrantrum's massive crimson body could be seen moving through the storm.
Each step made the ground tremble slightly, like a sovereign ruling over the sandstorm itself, charging straight toward Manectric with unstoppable momentum.
(End of Chapter)