"Rooaaarrr!!"
A deafening roar echoed across the field.
"Rhydon! It's a Rhydon!
Silas has sent out a Ground and Rock-type Pokémon on a water field!"
The commentator shouted in disbelief.
"But—wait a second—Silas's Rhydon can swim?!"
Before the commentator could even start analyzing Silas's choice, what happened on the battlefield left him completely dumbfounded.
The Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon that should have been terrified of water stepped right into it, showing almost no sign of discomfort on its face.
"T-Then that means Sean Grant's Eelektross will be heavily restricted!"
The commentator quickly caught on. Even though no one understood why a Rhydon—normally weak to Water-type moves and reluctant to touch water—was swimming so comfortably, the fact remained undeniable:
this swimming Rhydon was a huge counter to Sean's Electric-type Eelektross.
To be precise, it wasn't a complete counter. Rhydon's immunity to Electric moves was one thing but Eelektross was a very special kind of Pokémon.
As a pure Electric-type Pokémon, it normally would be weak only to Ground-type moves.
However, because Eelektross's only possible Ability is Levitate, all Ground-type attacks are rendered ineffective against it.
In other words, Eelektross is one of the few Pokémon in existence that has no natural type weaknesses.
No move can ever hit it for super-effective damage.
Moreover, it even resists Flying, Steel, and Electric-type attacks, making it extremely resilient.
That also meant that some of Rhydon's own moves would be limited but still manageable.
Besides, this was part of Silas's plan all along. He had fully prepared for this.
"Use Scary Face."
While Sean was still stunned, Silas calmly launched his offensive.
"Rroarrr!!"
Rhydon, its head breaking the water's surface, let out a thunderous roar that drew Eelektross's attention.
Under the influence of the move, Rhydon's expression became terrifyingly distorted.
Eelektross, instinctively glancing back at Rhydon, was so startled that it slapped the surface of the water with its tail and involuntarily retreated a few meters.
"Eelektross, don't be scared! Use—"
Sean froze mid-command.
Use what, exactly?
Putting aside that all its Electric-type attacks were now useless, Eelektross did have a few Poison-type moves in its arsenal.
Unfortunately, Rhydon quadruple resists Poison-type attacks, so those would barely leave a scratch.
Then what about its Normal-type moves?
Bad news again—Rhydon double resists those too.
Sean's face turned pale.
Sure, Normal-type moves weren't completely useless in terms of raw power,
but the issue was that almost all of Eelektross's Normal-type attacks were close-range physical moves.
And while Eelektross and Rhydon were similar in length and weight on paper,
no trainer in their right mind would send an eel-like Electric Pokémon to physically brawl with a Rhydon.
Their species and physiology decided this matchup from the start
Rhydon completely dominated Eelektross in close combat.
Eelektross glanced at its trainer with helpless eyes as if saying, Boss… this isn't what you promised before the match.
Sweat beaded on Sean's forehead as his brain raced to find a countermeasure.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Eelektross, use Discharge—into the water!"
Eelektross knew its Electric-type moves wouldn't hurt the opponent, but trusting its trainer's judgment, it released a burst of dazzling electricity into the water.
Blue ripples turned golden in an instant as electric currents danced across the surface of the water field.
The next second, the thing Sean dreaded most happened.
The glowing electrical currents began to converge and spiraled directly toward Rhydon, enveloping its entire body.
The water field reverted to its calm appearance,except now Rhydon's body faintly glimmered with white light.
But this wasn't Eelektross's electricity attacking Rhydon.
In fact, Eelektross was desperately trying to control the current and stop it from flowing toward the opponent.
It was useless.
Rhydon's Lightning Rod Ability automatically absorbed all Electric-type attacks, nullifying them completely while boosting its own Special Attack.
And Lightning Rod doesn't discriminate between friend or foe as long as an Electric-type move is used, it's drawn right in.
Silas smiled faintly.
Who said Lightning Rod is only useful in Double or Triple Battles?
Definitely not him.
Used wisely, even a so-called "niche" Ability like Lightning Rod could shine in a Single Battle.
"Not a bad idea," Silas said calmly.
"Normally, even though Rhydon is immune to Electric-type damage, it can still be afflicted with paralysis from those moves.
If your Eelektross had managed to paralyze it, then in water—where Rhydon already lacks mobility—you could have turned the match around despite the typing disadvantage."
It was a quick and clever thought.
Most people in Sean's position would've tried to rush in for a desperate melee instead.
Sean sighed, shaking his head.
Unfortunately, that plan had been shut down completely by Rhydon's Ability.
Lightning Rod didn't just nullify Electric attacks it even blocked status moves like Thunder Wave.
Both trainers silently chose not to mention the other purpose behind Sean's command to use Discharge.
It was irrelevant now.
"Use Crush Claw."
Sean decided to go on the offensive.
Eelektross dove underwater with a powerful splash, its large body forming a shadow beneath the surface as it charged rapidly toward Rhydon.
A thunderous impact split the calm water moments later.
Thud!
Rhydon's glowing arm collided head-on with Eelektross's gleaming claws.
Splash!
After a brief struggle lasting only a few seconds, Eelektross was overpowered—smashed down into the water by Rhydon's mighty Hammer Arm.
Water exploded into the air, obscuring everyone's view.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"Left rear—Superpower."
Rhydon didn't hesitate.
Its legs stayed rooted as it raised its heavy tail high, then slammed it down with full force in the direction Silas indicated.
BOOM!
The massive crash echoed through the arena.
Just as Eelektross surfaced for a sneak attack, it was smashed back underwater again by the sudden blow.
Sean licked his dry lips nervously.
Normally, when most Pokémon use Superpower, they have to consider how to channel their strength. However, Rhydon's physique allowed it to use the move in multiple ways — it could perform a full-body tackle, swing its heavy tail, or even attack with the sharp drill on its forehead.
It was practically an attack without blind spots.
"Rhydon, use Surf!" Silas ignored what his opponent was thinking and pressed the advantage, showing no mercy to the Eelektross that had just fallen into the water.
"Rooaar!"
Rhydon let out a mighty roar and, with its massive body, leaped up and rode a surging wave. The Water Field erupted into a huge tide, crashing from one end to the other.
The several-meters-high wave immediately darkened Sean's view.
For a moment, both the commentator and the audience were struck silent.
Rhydon using Surf—that was unbelievable!
Sean's eyes flickered with disbelief. Was this really a Rhydon?
Actually, even Silas hadn't known at first that the Rhydon he caught wasn't afraid of water. He knew from his previous knowledge that Rhydon could technically learn Surf, but in this world, he had never once heard of a specimen that could do so, and thus never gave it serious thought.
It all began thanks to the engineering team from Pewter Gym that specialized in digging tunnels through rocky mountains.
During one of their operations, they discovered something unusual about Silas's Rhydon—it could carve tunnels even through areas with water seepage.
As its Trainer, Silas was immediately informed of this.
After repeated testing, it was confirmed that his Rhydon was indeed a rare individual unafraid of water.
When Silas told his friends, they were stunned—especially Seiichiro Sasaki, who never thought a Ground-type Pokémon could exist that wasn't afraid of water. They had debated that very topic for hours!
Of course, "not afraid of water" didn't mean it took reduced damage from Water-type attacks. It simply meant Rhydon itself did not fear or avoid water. Water-type moves still dealt heavy damage as usual.
Professor Oak was deeply intrigued when he heard this. He even borrowed the Rhydon for research for quite some time.
During that period, Oak personally taught Rhydon how to use Surf. As he explained, "It's a data-based experiment — if it makes sense in theory, we should test it in practice." To everyone's surprise, it worked!
Silas could only marvel. If he hadn't already known that Rhydon could learn Surf, he would never have even considered training it in that direction.
Professor Oak — truly, a legend.
Now that Silas thought about it, he suddenly understood why Rhydon's den had been so close to an underground water source, in such a damp environment, and why it lived far away from the Nidoking and Nidoqueen habitats. At the time, he had assumed it simply liked the area's moisture and occasional water access — he never imagined the real reason was that it wasn't afraid of water at all.
Thanks to that discovery, Silas had designed this entire strategy for the Water Field. His earlier match with Pidgeot had been part of the setup.
Sean choice had fallen perfectly into his trap.
The waves created by Surf slowly receded, and Rhydon stepped proudly back to Silas's side.
Floating unconscious on a board behind it was Eelektross, its eyes spinning in circles.
"Eelektross is unable to battle! Rhydon wins! Will the blue side be making a substitution?" The referee immediately raised a flag and announced the result.
Silas shook his head.
At the same time, Sean recalled Eelektross and, following the referee's cue, sent out his third Pokémon—a cute and energetic Cinccino.
If things had gone according to his original plan, and Silas's later Pokémon were either Togekiss, Ampharos, or Serperior, then Cinccino would have been a smart counterpick.
Its pure Normal typing meant it was only weak to Fighting-type moves, and its broad movepool allowed it to handle a variety of opponents.
Unfortunately, Rhydon's unexpected presence completely disrupted Sean's plan.
Against such a massive and durable opponent, Cinccino's agility couldn't make up for the overwhelming power gap.
Still, Sean had no other choice.
"Cinccino, use Charm!" he shouted, taking a deep breath and launching the first move.
"Surf!" Silas countered directly, showing no restraint.
The size difference between the two Pokémon was immense.
Few minutes later—
The referee once again raised the blue flag. "Cinccino is unable to battle! Rhydon wins!"
Of course, Rhydon wasn't in great shape either. Cinccino had darted around using the floating boards to chip away at its stamina. Now, the Drill Pokémon was covered in bruises and clearly exhausted.
Silas didn't switch Pokémon. He decided to let Rhydon keep fighting—if it could weaken Sean's last Pokémon even a little, it would be worth it.
"Go! Braviary!" Sean shouted, sending out his final Pokémon.
"Finish it quickly—use Superpower!"
Sean opened with a direct assault.
Rhydon managed to endure one or two strikes before finally collapsing, unable to continue.
Silas calmly recalled it. That was enough. Braviary had taken a noticeable toll on itself from using Superpower.
"I'll be counting on you again—go, Pidgeot!" Silas threw out another Luxury Ball.
Having rested for some time, Pidgeot had recovered most of its strength and now faced its long-time rival, Braviary, once again.
But the situation between the Trainers was now completely different from before.
Silas still had an almost fully restored Pidgeot and one more Pokémon he hadn't yet revealed, while Sean had only his worn-out Braviary remaining.
Even if both Pokémon were at full strength, everyone knew who had the upper hand from their previous encounter.
The winner, at this point, was already clear.
Still, out of respect for both the Trainers and their Pokémon, the audience and commentators continued to watch the match intently.
Braviary accelerated with Tailwind, trying to close the distance, while Pidgeot countered from afar with Air Slash combined with Agility. The two Pokémon put on a breathtaking aerial duel above the Water Field.
"Congratulations to Silas Alaric from Viridian City in Kanto for defeating Sean Grant from Mistralton City in Unova! He officially advances into the Top 64 of the Indigo Plateau Conference! Next, his battles will take place in the grand Indigo Main Stadium—what kind of surprises will he bring us there?!"
As the commentator's excited voice echoed across the field, Silas ended his final qualifying battle as the victor.
After shaking Sean's hand and leaving the arena, he looked up at the blazing sun and clenched his fist.
"The Main Stadium—here I come."
....
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