"Rhydon is down."
Dobo retrieved the defeated Rhydon and sent out his second Pokémon.
"Golduck, let's go!"
A blue-colored Golduck appeared on the field.
[Lv. 48 Golduck / Gym-Level]
"Golduck, use Rain Dance!" Dobo ordered immediately.
Golduck's eyes glowed blue. Dark clouds gathered above the stadium, and it began to drizzle lightly.
Gary quickly recognized Dobo's intent—to weaken Fire-type moves and slow down the charging speed of Solar Beam. But he seemed to forget that Charizard was also a Flying-type Pokémon. For Flying-types, rainy weather wasn't necessarily a disadvantage.
"Hurricane!" Gary commanded.
Charizard beat its wings powerfully, summoning a violent Hurricane. The whirling storm carried slicing wind blades that swept across the battlefield, shattering the surrounding stone pillars.
Golduck was repeatedly battered by the wind blades.
It couldn't hold on for long. Soon, it was swept off the ground, slammed into the arena's protective energy barrier, and fell unconscious.
"Golduck is unable to battle. Charizard wins!" the referee declared.
"Oh my! Rain Dance didn't help Golduck—it actually boosted the power of Hurricane! In rainy conditions, Hurricane gains both power and accuracy!" a commentator explained.
Dobo was speechless. He hadn't expected Gary to be this overwhelming. His main Pokémon had been utterly suppressed.
"I don't believe this…" Dobo muttered, refusing to accept that he couldn't even take down one of Gary's Pokémon. He threw out another Poké Ball.
A massive, steel-bodied serpent emerged from the light.
[Lv. 50 Steelix / Quasi-Elite]
"Flamethrower!" Gary ordered.
Charizard unleashed a stream of flames at Steelix. The giant serpent quickly burrowed into the ground to evade the deadly attack.
Although the Rock-type battlefield technically limited the use of Dig, it didn't fully prevent Steel-type Pokémon like Steelix from burrowing into the terrain.
Just as Dobo exhaled in relief, Gary gave a sudden command:
"Use Iron Tail—smash the center of the battlefield!"
"Roar!!"
Charizard dove down, its tail glowing silver, and slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
The arena trembled violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the field, and chunks of stone were sent flying. Steelix, hidden underground, was affected by the shockwaves and forced partially above ground.
The rock-based battlefield, while durable, couldn't fully absorb the impact. Unlike soft sand, stone transferred the force directly—making attacks like this especially devastating.
"Flamethrower!"
Charizard instantly launched a second attack. The exposed Steelix was engulfed in flames, shrieked in pain, and immediately surfaced, its body covered in fire.
"Dooooh!"
Steelix roared in agony before collapsing, eyes shut—completely unconscious.
"Steelix is unable to battle. Charizard wins!" the referee announced.
"Trainer Dobo's three Pokémon have all lost. The match is now suspended for the halftime break."
In under five minutes, Dobo's three Pokémon had been wiped out. He wasn't even close to being Gary's equal.
"Dobo is useless. I bet he could at least beat one of Gary's Pokémon… guess not."
"Now it's over. If Steelix is down, the remaining three are probably weak to Charizard or just too slow."
"No way… Is Gary really going for a one-on-six in the finals?"
"Dad Gary, I have a dream—I want to see you sweep the second half with Charizard too. Please."
"Uncle Gary, my terminally ill brother asked me to tell you: he wants to see a Charizard one-on-three sweep before bedtime. We're counting on you."
…
"This is so one-sided."
Gary sat calmly in his chair during the break, silently waiting for the second half. He had expected Dobo to at least put up a fight, but this level was disappointing.
The break ended, and the referee called out:
"The halftime break is over. Will Trainers Gary and Dobo please return to the field?"
As the announcer finished, both players emerged from the rest area and returned to their command zones.
"The second half of the match has begun! Let's see who Gary will send out next."
Gary tossed a Poké Ball.
"ROAR!!"
Charizard appeared again.
Gary did not disappoint the crowd. He sent Charizard right back out, signaling his intent to finish the battle with a clean sweep.
To many watching, especially those struggling in life, Gary now seemed like a divine figure—flawless and unstoppable.
"Piloswine, let's go!" Dobo shouted, releasing another Pokémon.
[Lv. 46 Piloswine / Gym-Level]
"No wonder…" someone in the audience muttered. "Dobo's remaining team is all weak to Fire…"
Without hesitation, Gary commanded, "Flamethrower!"
Charizard unleashed a powerful flame. Piloswine tried to counter with Blizzard, but it couldn't hold up. The fire overwhelmed it, and within moments, Piloswine was scorched and unconscious on the ground.
After a few seconds of checking, the referee announced:
"Piloswine is unable to battle. Charizard wins!"
Dobo looked defeated. The Pokémon he had trained for years weren't even putting up a fight. His heart—his very will as a Trainer—felt like it was crumbling.
Still, the match wasn't over. He sent out his fifth Pokémon.
A giant, dark-blue rhinoceros beetle emerged onto the field.
[Lv. 48 Heracross / Quasi-Elite]
Dobo was truly unlucky. So many of his choices were weak to Fire.
Especially Heracross—being a Bug/Fighting-type—was doubly weak to Flying moves.
As expected, Charizard unleashed Hurricane once more and defeated Heracross in a single blow.
Dobo now had only one Pokémon left.
As predicted, his final Pokémon was none other than his starter.
"Meganium, I'm counting on you!" he called out, his spirit still burning despite everything.
[Lv. 55 Meganium / Quasi-Elite]
Meganium's level wasn't bad—but it still wasn't a match for Charizard.
"Charizard, Inferno!" Gary ordered.
"ROAR!!"
Charizard soared into the sky and spat out a massive blue flame. The flames formed a blazing cage that closed in on Meganium.
"Hurry, use Light Screen to protect yourself!" Dobo yelled, still trying to hold on.