While it mainly relied on Marowak's perseverance, Flint's ability to train Pokémon well was also his skill.
"Not bad." Giovanni recalled his Rhydon and praised Flint.
Giovanni had to admit, he had misjudged him.
It seemed that besides being a bit unreliable and irresponsible, Flint still had some merits.
It was no wonder; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to have Brock.
Flint smiled awkwardly and recalled his unconscious Marowak. He looked at Takeo.
Although Takeo had kept a straight face, he didn't necessarily have to be constantly harsh; sometimes, appropriate praise was needed. "You did well."
Flint's fighting spirit instantly soared.
Takeo smiled helplessly, then waved his hand, "Then the battle continues!"
However, when Giovanni raised his hand and sent out his Gym Leader Level Dugtrio, Flint's smiling face visibly stiffened.
There was no need to immediately increase the intensity, right? He had just won against one Pokémon, hadn't he?
Takeo hadn't anticipated this either, but overall, Flint's gains today were already quite good.
As expected, Flint's remaining two Pokémon were easily defeated by Dugtrio, and Flint's last Pokémon was a massive Onix.
This Onix also seemed to be in good spirits and appeared to be a valiant and skilled fighter.
Flint shouted at Giovanni:
"Although it's my last Pokémon, I won't surrender without a fight."
He spoke with quite a lot of imposing aura, much better than before.
Giovanni looked at Flint indifferently, "I won't go easy either."
As Giovanni's words fell, the showdown between Dugtrio and Onix officially began.
Giovanni gave the command, "Sand Tomb!"
Dugtrio attacked first, quickly burrowing underground, leaving only its flickering eyes on the surface.
Immediately after, the ground began to shake, and Sand Tomb was suddenly activated. Onix's massive body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, gradually sinking into a flowing sea of sand.
The swirling sand seemed to transform into the most natural trap.
Onix roared repeatedly, struggling hard, but the restraints of Sand Tomb slowed its movements, making it difficult to escape.
Fortunately, its body was massive, preventing it from being directly dragged down.
Facing Dugtrio's extremely cunning attack, Onix refused to show weakness. It roared and unleashed the Rock Throw move.
Huge rocks appeared out of nowhere and descended with immense power, attempting to strike Dugtrio.
However, Dugtrio skillfully moved through the underground using the Dig move, cleverly dodging all the falling rocks, while simultaneously using the Sand Attack move to kick up a large amount of silt, obscuring Onix's vision.
Onix didn't know what to do for a moment.
And the agile Dugtrio had already launched a counterattack. It used the Feint Attack move, suddenly bursting out from underground, its body carrying powerful force directly aiming for Onix's vital points.
Flint also saw Onix.
"Onix, behind you!"
Although Onix reacted quickly, blocking the blow with its hard body, it was still shaken back several steps, clearly taking a significant impact.
"Harden." Seeing this, Flint quickly commanded Onix to Harden, increasing its defense, which allowed it to block Dugtrio's attack.
Dugtrio then seized the opportunity to use Triple Kick, and dazzling energy transformed into powerful attacks that were launched simultaneously.
But they were all blocked one by one by Onix's rock-solid defense. However, Dugtrio was still a powerful Gym Leader Level Pokémon.
The continuous attacks still caused cracks to appear all over Onix's body, leaving it covered in wounds.
The battle thus entered a heated phase.
Giovanni's lips curled slightly; it was merely a spent force. "No rush, slowly wear it down."
Dugtrio nodded and changed its tactics.
It created distance from Onix, then began to use Growl to distract Onix's attention.
Onix was tormented by the piercing sound, roaring repeatedly. Just as it was about to counterattack, Dugtrio threw clumps of mud, covering Onix in mud.
It was truly pitiful.
However, Onix still had a Trainer after all.
After regaining his confidence, Flint became somewhat more competent.
"Onix, Dugtrio is to your southeast, twenty meters away! Rock Throw!"
Following Flint's command, Onix accurately determined Dugtrio's position and unleashed the Rock Throw move with full force.
Huge rocks fell from the sky, accurately landing above Dugtrio!
Boom, boom, boom!
Dugtrio was a bit disoriented by the hit, but it dodged very quickly, so it only sustained some superficial injuries.
It quickly adjusted its state. Giovanni gently waved his hand, "Earth Power!"
Dugtrio fully activated the power within its body, using the Earth Power move.
Boom!
Blazing rock pillars rapidly rose from underground, appearing precisely beneath Onix's body.
They continuously struck Onix's body.
Onix let out continuous cries of pain, its injuries worsening again, and cracks spread across its body.
Not only that, but Earth Power also triggered a small Earthquake, shaking Onix precariously.
Seeing that Onix could no longer hold on, Flint gritted his teeth and shouted loudly: "Rock Polish! Let's go all out!"
Onix roared, the rocks on its massive body shattered, its body became smoother, and its aura surged!
It was heart-to-heart with Flint!
However, Giovanni and Dugtrio did not give it this chance. Dugtrio used the Dig move to circle behind Onix underground, preparing to launch a Feint Attack move.
Fortunately, Onix sensed the danger, but it was too late to dodge, so it could only endure the blow.
Dugtrio's attack flashed like lightning, carrying immense and powerful force.
Boom!
Onix's massive body was knocked downward by this impact!
"Hold on! Use Iron Tail!!!"
Flint roared at Onix, commanding it to use the Iron Tail move.
Onix used all its strength to steady itself, then its massive rocky tail, gleaming with a metallic luster, swung out like lightning, colliding with Dugtrio and producing a deafening roar.
Boom!
Dugtrio was directly sent flying and didn't move for a long time. Onix let out a triumphant roar.
"We won!" Flint shouted excitedly, looking at Giovanni.
But Giovanni's expression was calm, and he quietly called out:
"Ancient Power."
Suddenly, Dugtrio, which Flint and Onix had thought was out of the battle, stood up, releasing the power that had been building up within its body!
A powerful force instantly erupted!
Huge rocks wrapped in purple energy continuously smashed into Onix's body.
Onix let out cries of painful agony, looking extremely miserable!