"Snorlax is unable to battle!" Rotom's electronic voice pierced through the soundproof barrier.
Wei Duyan tremblingly recalled Snorlax, his back already drenched in cold sweat.
"Jiang Mo..."
Wei Duyan gritted his teeth, squeezing out the name, his fingers digging deep into his palm.
He had never imagined he would be pushed to such a desperate situation in the very first match of the ranking competition.
Now, Wei Duyan had already lost three Pokémon consecutively, while Jiang Mo's Gengar, though severely depleted of stamina, still stood menacingly on the field.
He knew he had reached a dead end and had to bring out his last trump card.
Under the breathless gaze of the entire audience, Wei Duyan abruptly tore off the metal pendant from his neck, which held an exquisite Ultra Ball.
"Let me show you what true power is!"
"Come out, Slaking!"
"Boom—!"
A white pillar of light shot up into the sky, and when the light dissipated, a Slaking, nearly three meters tall, stood in the center of the field.
Its brown fur stood on end like steel needles, and the muscles on its chest were gnarled like rocks; just its breathing created gusts of wind.
Jiang Mo frowned and immediately scanned Slaking's data with the game panel:
"Pokémon": Slaking
"Gender": Male
"Attribute": Normal
"Level": Level 57 (Gym Leader Class Late Stage)
"Characteristic": Truant
"Held Item": Silk Scarf
"Skills": Scratch, Encore, Yawn, Slack Off, Sucker Punch, Amnesia, Covet, Abyssal Thrust, Counter, Flail, Fling, Mega Kick, Giga Impact, Protect, Endeavor
"Inherited Skills": Body Slam, Snore
"Evaluation": A specially trained Slaking that can temporarily suppress its "Truant" ability, allowing it to attack twice consecutively before entering the lazy state.
Jiang Mo's heart tightened. This Slaking's level had already reached the late stage of Gym Leader Class, and it was holding a Silk Scarf. Coupled with its terrifying attack power, it was definitely a formidable opponent.
"Slaking, use Sucker Punch!" Wei Duyan decisively ordered, a hint of madness in his voice.
Slaking's body instantly transformed into an afterimage, moving with incredible speed.
It almost instantaneously charged in front of Gengar, its massive fist carrying destructive power, smashing fiercely towards Gengar.
"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"
At the same time, Jiang Mo also commanded Gengar to use Shadow Ball, attempting to strike first.
However, Gengar's stamina was too depleted, and its speed had noticeably decreased. Before it could even unleash Shadow Ball, Slaking's Sucker Punch attack arrived.
"Abyssal Thrust!" Wei Duyan pressed his advantage.
Slaking slammed its fists into the ground, and dozens of pitch-black spikes shot out from beneath, pinning Gengar in mid-air.
The severely injured Gengar desperately tried to gather a Shadow Ball, but Slaking casually swatted it away.
"Gengar!"
Gengar let out a painful shriek, its body sent flying by the immense force, crashing heavily to the ground, losing its ability to battle.
"Gengar is unable to battle, Slaking wins!" Rotom's electronic voice echoed throughout the arena.
"He's sending out Slaking as his second-to-last Pokémon? It seems he's going all out."
Jiang Mo recalled Gengar, pondered for a moment, then threw out a Poké Ball.
"Pupitar, prepare for battle!"
The dark green cocoon landed heavily, its hard shell clashing with the ground, producing a metallic sound.
At this moment, Slaking suddenly found its entire body difficult to move, clearly having fallen into a lazy state.
Jiang Mo had been waiting for this moment of stiffness and immediately commanded: "Pupitar, use Rock Slide!"
"Pupitar!"
Countless massive rocks rained down from the sky. Slaking wildly swung its fists, trying to smash the rocks in front of it, but Pupitar's true killing move was hidden within the scattered debris.
"Stone Edge!"
Innumerable sharp rocks pierced through the stone rain, accurately hitting Slaking's chest.
Wei Duyan's face drastically changed; he hadn't expected Pupitar's ability to control rocks to be so proficient!
Jiang Mo, however, smiled faintly. Don't underestimate the effort our training maniac puts in every day; playing with rocks everyday can produce wonders.
"Use Arm Thrust to finish it!"
The enraged Slaking swung its massive fists and charged towards Pupitar, but Pupitar suddenly used Dig, burrowing underground.
When Pupitar emerged, faint white light seeped from the cracks in its shell.
Jiang Mo's heart almost stopped—is it coming?!
"Now!"
Pupitar suddenly let out a deafening roar, and dazzling white light burst from the cracks in its shell.
"Could this be?! Pupitar is evolving!" The host excitedly shouted.
Slaking instinctively tried to interrupt the evolution, but its Truant ability activated at that moment, and its massive body suddenly froze in place.
However, even if it hadn't frozen, according to the rules of the match, if a Pokémon on the field is about to evolve, the opponent is not allowed to interrupt, otherwise it's an immediate disqualification.
At this moment, the sand in the entire arena began to float against gravity, and the sky, at some unknown point, had whipped up a sky full of yellow sand.
......
......
When the light dissipated, a three-meter-tall Tyranitar stood in place, letting out a sky-piercing roar.
The Desert Tyrant, has arrived!
The "Sand Stream" ability activated, and the yellow sand domain automatically unfolded, forming a death storm of sand whipped up by the strong winds across the battle arena.
The unsolidified evolution patterns on Tyranitar's back shell glowed green, and its gaze locked onto the immobilized Slaking.
"Tyranitar!"
At this moment, Tyranitar suddenly roared to the sky, and a powerful Ground-type energy slowly gathered, finally forming a sharp blade!
"Oh my god, could this be—"
"Precipice Blades!!!"
Jiang Mo was incredibly shocked at this moment; there was no other reason, this was simply too overpowered!
"Could it be that Tyranitar mutated after digesting that Groudon fragment??"
Before Jiang Mo could recover, Tyranitar's Precipice Blades struck Slaking head-on.
"Slaking, use Giga Impact!" Wei Duyan reacted immediately, commanding Slaking to counterattack.
Slaking then enveloped itself in immense energy, making a desperate struggle.
"Boom!"
A massive collision echoed throughout the arena. The Sandstorm grew increasingly fierce, kicking up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, Slaking's figure, kneeling on one knee, silenced the entire audience.
Wei Duyan tremblingly reached for his Poké Ball, only to see Tyranitar suddenly open its massive maw.
"Hyper Beam!" Jiang Mo's cold voice came.
The Hyper Beam, compressed to its extreme, pierced through the heavens and earth. All that remained where Slaking had been was a massive, charred crater.
"Tyranitar!"
The Sandstorm gradually subsided, and Tyranitar raised its head, letting out a mighty roar, announcing its victory.
"Slaking is unable to battle, the winner is Tyranitar!"
At Rotom's declaration, Wei Duyan slumped to his knees in despair.
"I... we surrender..."
His Slaking was already exhausted, and the last remaining Pokémon couldn't change the outcome of the battle.
Surrendering at this point, to minimize meaningless harm to his Pokémon, was also a quality a qualified Trainer should possess.
"Jiang Mo, Jiang Mo!"
The audience erupted in a tsunami of cheers, and the sky full of yellow sand swept across the entire battleground.
Jiang Mo looked up, letting the fine yellow sand hit his face. This Sandstorm would complete the final transformation for a certain little guy from the Evergreen Secret Realm.
The true Desert Tyrant was born today...