A near-Heavenly King Zoroark, Krookodile, and Houndoom faced off against a Shiny Scizor, Blaziken, and two Volcarona.
On the surface, Xia Yong and his son Xia Luo held a slight advantage. However, the reality was far different. Xu Xiu still had a Heavenly King-tier pseudo-legendary Tyranitar that he had yet to deploy. If he summoned it, the battle would become overwhelmingly one-sided.
A Tyranitar above Heavenly King level possessed near-Champion strength, capable of effortlessly crushing several near-Heavenly King Pokémon.
Xu Xiu observed the Pokémon summoned by Xia Yong and his son, his brow furrowing slightly. Time was running out. If he delayed any longer, Heavenly King trainers from other cities might arrive, and he'd have no chance of escape.
Without hesitation, Xu Xiu retrieved a Luxury Ball from his waist, his gaze fixed on Xia Yong and Xia Luo. He spoke slowly, "Time's tight. To save us all some trouble, let's end this quickly."
"Go, Tyranitar!"
A flash of light erupted as Tyranitar took the stage, its body encased in an armor-like green shell. Several spikes of varying sizes protruded from its head, neck, and shoulders, with a ring of smaller spikes circling the end of its tail. Its upper and lower jaws each bore a pair of sharp fangs, and its hands and feet had three claws each.
Tyranitar's shell featured two triangular holes on either side of its chest, one in the center of its back, and one at each knee, all revealing a black interior. A diamond-shaped gap on its abdomen and lower back exposed an inner shell matching the color of its pre-evolution, Pupitar.
As a second-generation pseudo-legendary, Tyranitar was one of only two non-Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, the other being Metagross. Its power was immense. Though its Rock/Dark typing wasn't ideal, its Sand Stream ability, combined with exceptional durability, made Tyranitar the undisputed core of sandstorm teams.
The moment Tyranitar appeared, it whipped up a raging sandstorm, its ferocious eyes locking onto every Pokémon on the field. Its sheer presence dominated the battlefield, exuding the aura of a sovereign ruler.
Xia Yong and Xia Luo's faces darkened at the sight of Tyranitar. This specimen was impeccably trained—Xu Xiu had clearly poured his heart and soul into it. Its strength was at least Heavenly King level.
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!" Xu Xiu commanded.
The ground around them cracked open, countless rocks levitating into the air, enveloped in Rock-type energy, and hurtling toward Xia Yong and Xia Luo's Pokémon.
…
Xia Yu, of course, couldn't witness the battle. After bidding farewell to the Sceptile clan, he hesitated but ultimately decided to head toward the Ancient Forest Tree. Clinging to a faint hope, he wanted to check if the Grass-type Z-Crystal was still there, hoping Xu Xiu hadn't taken it.
The Sceptile clan's territory was only a ten-minute journey from the Ancient Forest Tree. As Xia Yu walked, a massive explosion suddenly echoed from the direction of the tree.
Flames shot into the sky, and a sandstorm raged.
The swirling sandstorm obscured Xia Yu's vision, the flying grains stinging his skin.
"This is bad," Xia Yu's heart sank. The sandstorm reminded him of Xu Xiu—and Xu Xiu's Tyranitar. If Xu Xiu had unleashed Tyranitar, who could be facing it?
The towering flames could only mean one thing: his brother Xia Luo and father Xia Yong!
With no time to think, Xia Yu quickened his pace, sprinting toward the Ancient Forest Tree.
Braving the blinding sandstorm, Xia Yu arrived at the Ancient Forest Tree just in time to see the cloaked man from that night—Xu Xiu—preparing to climb onto his Braviary's back to flee.
The battlefield was a scene of devastation. Pokémon littered the ground, defeated. Only Xia Yong's Shiny Scizor remained standing, barely, shielding Xia Yong and Xia Luo. Xia Luo's Blaziken and Volcarona, along with Xia Yong's Volcarona, lay motionless, blood pooling around them.
The vivid scarlet made Xia Yu's heart clench. With no time to check on the fallen Pokémon, he rushed to support his father and brother.
"Kabutops, Scizor, Charizard—protect them!" Xia Yu didn't hesitate, releasing three Pokémon to confront Xu Xiu.
These Gym Leader-tier Pokémon were formidable in their own right, but against Xu Xiu, they seemed woefully inadequate.
"Oh? Dealt with the old man, and now the kid shows up?" Xu Xiu glanced at Xia Yu, dismissing his weaker strength. "This your youngest son?"
"Xia Yu, don't!" Xia Luo, bloodied and clutching a wound at his waist, reached out to stop Xia Yu from confronting Xu Xiu.
Perched on Braviary's back, Xu Xiu smirked at Xia Luo. "You should be grateful I'm short on time today. I'll let you off—for now. Xia Luo, I'm curious. With your two strongest Pokémon gone, what will you do? How will you handle this year's Gym Leader ranking battles?"
Xu Xiu's mocking grin widened. Having slain Xia Luo's ace Pokémon—Volcarona and Blaziken—he was in high spirits. Crushing a prodigy like Xia Luo felt exhilarating, and he could barely contain his laughter.
He despised Xia Luo, the golden child favored by the Pokémon Association. He wondered what Xia Luo would do without his ace Pokémon, unable to hold his Gym Leader position. What would the Pokémon Association do with their fallen star?
Xu Xiu could already picture Xia Luo abandoned by the Association, broken and defeated. The thought alone filled his twisted mind with satisfaction.
"Let's go, Braviary." Xu Xiu patted his Pokémon, signaling it to take off.
"Caw!"
Braviary spread its wings and soared, carrying Xu Xiu toward a silver vortex in the sky. In moments, they vanished from the secret realm.
The sandstorm gradually subsided, and the scene grew quiet. Xia Yu applied Potions to his father and brother, then tended to the Shiny Scizor.
As for the two Volcarona and Blaziken, they were already gone, their bodies covered in horrific wounds—a testament to the brutal battle they'd endured.
Xia Luo sat against a tree, his gaze vacant as he stared ahead, lost in thought.
"Brother…" Xia Yu's heart ached at the sight. Xia Luo had always been cheerful and radiant. This was the first time Xia Yu had seen him so broken.
He wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say. The loss of two beloved ace Pokémon, companions Xia Luo had spent countless days with, had left him in a dire mental state.
Especially his Volcarona—the Pokémon that had grown up alongside him, now dead at Xu Xiu's hands.
"I'm fine." Xia Luo snapped back to reality, turning to Xia Yu. He forced a smile onto his pale face, masking his pain.
Xia Yong reached out, patting Xia Luo's shoulder. Looking at his eldest son, who had always made him proud, he didn't know what to say. This blow was too heavy for Xia Luo.
Though Xia Yong had also lost a Pokémon, his age and experience with loss made him far more composed than Xia Luo.
At that moment, the silver vortex in the sky rippled again. A massive Aerodactyl descended, speeding toward the trio.
*Boom.*
Aerodactyl landed, and a man around thirty-five years old leapt off its back.
One of the four Heavenly Kings of the Southwest Region, the Flying-type specialist known as the Storm Heavenly King—Li Yunyao.
"Heavenly King Li."
...