Pokémon: Gyarados
Ability: Overconfidence
Strength: Elite
Potential: Elite
Moves: Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam, Dragon Rage, Ice Fang, Hurricane…
Aoki let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this was just an Elite-level Gyarados. Though Water-types naturally countered his Boss Lairon, the latter's Rock-typing also had an advantage against Flying-types like Gyarados. It would be a battle of mutual weaknesses.
He had faith that Boss Lairon could overcome this opponent.
If he could defeat Gyarados, the Diamond Treasure Chest would be his.
Encountering an Elite-level Pokémon in the wild was truly rare, which explained why such a high-tier treasure chest was here. Most wild Pokémon he had encountered so far were only at the Gym Leader level, or at most, quasi-Elite. Elite Pokémon were usually those who had been trained by powerful trainers.
Thus, Diamond-grade treasure chests typically appeared in places with seasoned Pokémon.
"Boss Lairon, go provoke that Gyarados and lure it into battle."
Boss Lairon let out an earth-shaking roar, instantly drawing Gyarados' attention.
The enormous serpent-like Pokémon, disturbed in its territory, glared at Boss Lairon. Mistaking the challenge as an attempt to seize its domain, Gyarados responded with a deafening roar of its own.
ROOOOAAARRR!!!
The sound reverberated across the lake, sending ripples through the water's surface.
Boss Lairon, not backing down, stomped the ground and roared back.
Aoki's mouth twitched.
This Boss Lairon… it really had a wild personality. It just outright taunted the Gyarados!
Given Gyarados' notoriously short temper, it wasn't going to tolerate this insult.
It surged forward, cutting through the lake with incredible speed before launching a Dragon Rage attack directly at Boss Lairon.
A surge of purple energy formed a spiraling blast, hurtling toward its target.
"Boss Lairon, use Thunderbolt!"
A burst of golden electricity crackled from Boss Lairon's body, colliding head-on with the Dragon Rage blast. The impact triggered a massive explosion, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.
Smoke and debris filled the air.
Gyarados, however, didn't hesitate. It whipped up a powerful Hurricane, dispersing the smoke while generating a fierce windstorm that rushed toward Boss Lairon.
"What a smart Gyarados," Aoki muttered, eyes narrowing.
Wild Pokémon typically panicked when faced with an obscured battlefield. But this Gyarados had swiftly countered the smokescreen effect, displaying tactical awareness beyond the norm.
"Boss Lairon, counter with another Thunderbolt!"
Sparks flew from Boss Lairon's steel body as another surge of electricity shot forward, disrupting the incoming Hurricane and dispersing it mid-air.
Gyarados, unfazed, twisted its massive body and launched a Hydro Pump—a high-pressure blast of water roaring straight at Boss Lairon.
The two powerful attacks collided in mid-air, causing yet another explosion of energy.
"The power behind these attacks… have they both fully reached the Elite level?" Kamizrei murmured, watching from the sidelines with wide eyes.
She was stunned by the sheer force of the battle.
Each explosion left behind craters more than ten meters deep. The destructive force of their clash was terrifying.
This… this was Aoki's power?
Kamizrei watched him intently, heart racing as he commanded his Pokémon with calm precision.
This was the man she liked.
Gyarados roared again, its eyes flashing dangerously as it prepared another Dragon Rage attack.
"Boss Lairon, don't dodge. Stand your ground and use Hone Claws!"
Instead of moving, Boss Lairon dug its claws into the ground, sharpening them with a glowing aura.
The Dragon Rage attack struck it directly.
BOOM!
The force of the hit sent dust flying, but Boss Lairon didn't flinch. It only took a single step back, leaving deep trails in the ground.
Despite the impact, it gritted its teeth and endured the pain.
Thankfully, Steel-types had some resistance to Dragon-type moves, which mitigated the damage. Even though Gyarados was Elite-level, Boss Lairon could take the hit.
Kamizrei, however, looked concerned. She instinctively grasped Aoki's arm.
Sensing her worry, Aoki gently patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Dragon Rage has a fixed damage output—it's not strong enough to defeat Boss Lairon."
He was genuinely confident.
Boss Lairon had fought Slaking before, learning invaluable battle experience from the encounters. Compared to that, tanking Dragon Rage wasn't a big deal.
"Good, now that your attack is boosted, use Rock Wrecker!"
Boss Lairon roared, bringing its massive arms together to form a gigantic rock.
With a forceful motion, it hurled the boulder at Gyarados.
The serpent-like Pokémon retaliated, firing a Hydro Pump to intercept the attack.
The powerful stream of water crashed against the enormous rock, but after a brief struggle, the boulder smashed through the Hydro Pump, slamming into Gyarados' body.
BOOM!
The lake surface exploded as the impact sent Gyarados crashing down, its massive form rolling violently across the shore.
Rock-type moves were super effective against Flying-types, making this attack deal devastating damage.
The blow was far more damaging than the Dragon Rage Gyarados had unleashed earlier.
Wounded, Gyarados let out a deep, guttural roar.
Its eyes burned red.
It was enraged.
Though it hadn't entered a full-blown rampage yet, Aoki could tell it was on the verge of losing control.
Gyarados opened its mouth wide, gathering a brilliant golden light—Hyper Beam!
"Boss Lairon, counter it with Hyper Beam as well!"
Both Pokémon fired their attacks at the same time.
Two golden beams clashed in mid-air, creating an intense explosion that sent shockwaves in all directions.
When the dust settled, both Pokémon were momentarily frozen, unable to move after exerting so much energy.
"Boss Lairon, push through and use Thunderbolt!"
After a moment's struggle, Boss Lairon managed to move first. Sparks erupted from its body as it released a final surge of electricity toward Gyarados.
CRACKLE—BOOM!
The attack struck the weakened Gyarados head-on.
Aoki exhaled in relief.
Although Hyper Beam wasn't one of Boss Lairon's primary moves, its rigorous training had given it superior endurance. That brief moment of recovery was all it needed to seize victory.
And with that, the battle was decided.
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