"It can move?!" Troy was stunned. Wasn't it supposed to be immobilized under the gravity's effect? How could it adapt so quickly?
Terrance blinked slightly, then looked toward Onix's gleaming body. Suddenly, he shook his head. So it was Rock Polish.
During the brief moment when movement was impossible, Bruno and Onix must have somehow communicated. Onix had used Rock Polish to increase its speed, lessening gravity's influence.
A mistake.
But—
As Carbink caught in Onix's Bind showed a pained expression, Terrance gave his command. In an instant, Carbink's body expanded, forcing the Bind slightly apart, then quickly spun with Gyro Ball to break free, dealing some damage to Onix in the process.
This sudden turn of events left Troy dumbfounded once again.
"Sharpen," Bruno thought silently.
Sharpen: Increase angles of the body, making it more sharp, thereby increasing its Attack, and indirectly enlarge Carbink's size.
Using this move, Terrance and Carbink successfully escaped danger. Their coordination drew Bruno's admiration.
"It seems I underestimated you. I didn't expect your Carbink's willpower to be so strong. My Onix's Bind packs quite the force."
"You underestimated Carbink's defensive strength," Terrance replied with a faint smile. "Now it's our turn."
Carbink, Reflect!
As Onix's fierce Iron Tail swept toward it, a wall materialized in front of Carbink, shielding it.
The Iron Tail, executed at full power upon Bruno's command, struck as if smashing directly into thick ground, unable to break through.
"What a powerful defensive wall," Bruno exclaimed.
More than Carbink's defensive strength, it was the defensive move Reflect that surprised him most.
Normally, at the same level, Reflect can only withstand about half of the attack's force before shattering. But this Reflect didn't budge an inch, meaning Carbink's mastery of Reflect was at least twice, if not more, than Onix's mastery of Iron Tail!
Then, use Iron Defense.
Through mental communication with Terrance, Carbink, at the very instant it blocked the Iron Tail, strengthened itself, its body becoming as hard as steel, its defensive power increasing even further.
"Master Bruno, do you agree with this principle? When defensive ability, that is, physical strength reaches its peak, the offensive power it carries becomes all the more terrifying." Terrance spoke calmly.
"There's some truth to that," Bruno replied with a grin.
"Onix, full-power Iron Tail!!"
"Carbink, Gyro Ball!"
By now, the gravity field had already dissipated when Carbink was first caught in Onix's Bind. Enhanced by Rock Polish, Onix's reduced air resistance caused its speed to become terrifying; its Iron Tail swept down like a beam of light.
On Carbink's side, it suddenly propelled itself through the spinning force, turning into a rotating steel sphere, which collided with the Iron Tail.
Iron tail and Iron sphere collided with each other, constantly rubbing. Both Bruno and Terrance stared intently at the two Pokémon. As the friction noise grew louder, Iron Tail was suddenly deflected by Gyro Ball, and Terrance's face lit up with delight.
"Keep attacking!"
Because Gyro Ball's power had rebounded the tail, Onix was off balance for a moment, leaving it open to the next Gyro Ball, which struck its face directly!
Boom!!!!
The impact sent Onix hurtling backward again, it's huge body crashing into the ground and leaving a huge crater.
"Ah, man…" Bruno scratched his head, suddenly feeling a little frustrated.
At that moment, Troy rushed forward, staring in disbelief at the fainted Onix.
Bruno, the Elite Four Master, had been defeated?
"Young man, announce the result," Bruno said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah..right!"
Troy quickly announced, "Onix has lost the ability to battle, so the winner is Carbink…"
Even now, Troy's mind was still a little dazed. He couldn't believe that Mr. Gym Leader had actually defeated an Elite Four. What was that battle with endless variations in every clash?
"Troy, go ahead with Rotom Pokédex," Terrance said, glancing at Troy, who was still immersed in the battle, and called out Rotom Pokédex.
The next conversation wasn't something Troy should hear.
"I understand… Mr. Gym Leader." As Teacher Rotom gently patted his head and floated ahead to lead the way, Troy hurriedly followed, still flustered.
Once Troy had gone far enough, Bruno approached and said, "Incredible. You've trained your Carbink's defensive capabilities to such an outstanding level."
"I focused its training mainly on defensive moves," Terrance explained.
After undergoing Fairy Aura training, it was only natural that Carbink's mastery of defensive moves would be anything but weak.
Attack is the best form of defense, and likewise, defense can become the best form of attack. That principle had been perfectly demonstrated in this battle.
"What a shame. With that kind of potential, don't you ever think about challenging for an Elite Four position?" Bruno asked.
"The Elite Four position sounds troublesome. Although the honor would certainly tempt any Trainer, and I won't deny I'm interested, but when I think about all the official duties that come with it, I can't bring myself to decide it for now," Terrance replied with a helpless shrug.
"Young people shouldn't get too comfortable being lazy," Bruno said with a hearty laugh.
"By the way, you…" Suddenly, Bruno's tone shifted.
"Investigating Team Rocket is one thing, but setting up such an elaborate plan… what exactly are you trying to do?"
He was referring to the incident when Terrance had deliberately let one of the Team Rocket squads go.
"So it wasn't hard to see through," Terrance replied calmly.
"Listen, kid, you're playing with fire. Even if you've got the strength to protect yourself, Team Rocket's reach goes far beyond what you understand." Bruno fixed Terrance with a piercing glare, as if trying to make him back down.
"Thank you for the warning. I understand, and that's why I'll act within the limits of my own abilities," Terrance answered calmly.
"Ahem, just like Lance in his early days," Bruno coughed. When Lance had just become an investigator, he too was fearless. If not for his extraordinary potential, which propelled him into the ranks of the strongest Trainers in no time, he might've already been crushed.
After all, dealing with these criminal organizations was never simple.
The waters were far too murky; even most Elite Four members preferred to stick to the duties within their own domain.
Terrance fell silent for a moment, understanding the subtle warning behind Bruno's words.
Collusion between light and shadow?
Of course, he had considered that. Going up against an organization as vast as Team Rocket was a daunting task. An organization's strength wasn't just in its fighting power; its main weapon was influence.
For Team Rocket to have survived repeated open crackdowns by the League, it was clear they wouldn't be easy to deal with. The backing behind them must be massive, something Terrance had already prepared himself for.
"If only I had the strength of Cynthia or Steven," Terrance frowned slightly. "Maybe… if I tried to challenge for an Elite Four position, I could grow stronger faster?"
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