"Rampardos?"
The appearance of this Pokémon genuinely surprised Ash, as he still had the image of the smaller, goofy Cranidos in his mind. This was not the Rampardos standing before him, whose aura was even more powerful than Aerodactyl's. But considering this was the Gym Leader's true strength, this Rampardos was very likely one of Roark's ace Pokémon.
"You did great, Pidgeot. I'll leave the rest of the battle to Scizor!"
After stroking Pidgeot's soft feathers a few more times, Ash recalled it to its Poké Ball. It wasn't that Pidgeot couldn't beat Rampardos; even after taking a Thunder Fang from Aerodactyl, Pidgeot still had the stamina from Roost to keep fighting. But he had to consider the feelings of his other Pokémon. One Pokémon per battle was the agreed-upon arrangement.
"It's your turn, Scizor!"
Scizor, clad in its crimson armor, appeared on the battlefield. It raised its massive pincers at the enemy, its eyes sharp and ready.
"Rampardos, stay calm and assess the situation!" Seeing Ash send out the Steel-type Scizor, Roark knew he was at a disadvantage. He told Rampardos to be extra cautious and not let its guard down.
"Use Bullet Punch!"
With the first-move advantage, Ash immediately had Scizor use Bullet Punch, a move that always strikes first.
"Rampardos, stay alert!"
Roark and Rampardos kept a close eye on the nearby Scizor, watching its every move. But the moment Ash gave the command, the crimson figure vanished from its spot.
"It vanished!? It's that fast? The weight from its evolution didn't affect it at all?" Paul exclaimed, dumbfounded.
"I see, the Light Metal ability? Its weight is halved, giving it unparalleled speed while still having the incredible power and unbreakable defense from its steel armor." The more experienced Gym Leader, Roark, quickly understood the reason, but his expression became even more grim. Rampardos's weakness was its speed. Facing the lightning-fast Scizor, it might not even be able to land a single hit, making it hard to mount an effective counterattack.
Boom!
As Roark was lost in thought, Scizor swung its massive pincer and landed a direct punch on Rampardos's face. Without any time to react, Rampardos was sent flying backward, its huge body crashing heavily to the ground.
"Get up! Use Rock Tomb on Scizor!" Roark shouted at the fallen Rampardos. To break the stalemate, he had to restrict his opponent's speed.
"Roar!"
Rampardos quickly got to its feet. Yellow energy emanated from its claws and eyes, and huge rocks rose from the ground, rushing toward Scizor's position.
"Use Quick Attack!"
Faced with the rocks closing in from all sides, Scizor instantly vanished, becoming a crimson blur that escaped the Rock Tomb.
"Roar!"
But Rampardos was relentless, controlling the rocks to block Scizor's path, refusing to let it go.
"This... Rock Tomb is really persistent!" Seeing more and more rocks on the field, Ash said with a little anxiety. At this rate, the entire battlefield would become a rock field.
"Charge straight for Rampardos!" Since his opponent wanted to brawl, Ash would grant his wish.
"Scyther!" As a proud warrior, Scizor preferred a head-on battle. It didn't question Ash's command for a moment and charged directly toward Rampardos.
"Good! If that's what you want, use Head Smash!" Seeing his opponent wanting to go head-to-head with his Rampardos, Roark's eyes glinted. He excitedly ordered Rampardos to use its most powerful attack.
"Roar!" With a roar, yellow energy gathered around Rampardos's head, and it charged wildly toward the incoming Scizor. From a distance, it looked like a scene of an egg trying to smash a rock.
Bang!
The moment Rampardos's head collided with Scizor, the crimson figure disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Oh no, it's a Substitute!" Roark instantly realized he had been tricked. The real Scizor was already hidden.
"Hmph! The rocks you scattered everywhere now make a perfect hiding place for Scizor!" Ash knew better than to have Scizor go head-to-head with Rampardos's Head Smash. Instead, he had the real Scizor hide behind a rock and used a substitute to fool his opponent.
"Use Flash Cannon!"
Scizor gathered light at a single point on its body and fired a metallic energy blast that hit Rampardos, who had just stopped after its Head Smash. The Steel-type move, which had a 2x type advantage, hit Rampardos in the abdomen, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Roar!"
Rampardos howled in agony, its cries of rage aimed at the distant Scizor.
"Use Ancient Power!"
"Use Metal Claw!"
Rampardos managed to fire off one last large rock, hoping to make a final stand. But Scizor's pincers glowed white as it punched through the rock and, in a flash of crimson lightning, ended the match with a single punch from its massive Metal Claw. In an instant, the ancient headstrong Pokémon was knocked out.
"Rampardos is unable to battle! Scizor is the winner!" The disciplined referee immediately made his ruling.
"Great job, Scizor!" Ash praised the Pokémon, who had barely lost any stamina, before recalling it to its Poké Ball. He looked at Roark's next Pokémon, knowing that if it was sent out after Rampardos, it must be his ultimate ace.
"You did your best, Rampardos!" Roark said with a smile as he recalled Rampardos. Although he lost again, Roark didn't feel disappointed. On the contrary, he felt a surge of motivation. Sometimes, winning isn't the only thing that satisfies a trainer. The joy of a worthy rival is what trainers truly long for.
"Come out! I'm counting on you for this battle, Tyranitar!"
Roark threw a black-and-yellow Premier Ball, and a huge green-armored monster crashed onto the ground. Its entire body was covered in green armor, and the spikes on its back were there to intimidate its enemies.
"That's... a Tyranitar!" Paul in the audience said with a hint of surprise and envy. For a Rock-type trainer, a Tyranitar is their dream Pokémon.
"Tyranitar?" Dawn opened her pink Pokédex to check the Pokémon's information.
"Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon. The final evolution of Larvitar. It possesses powerful energy within its body, with enough strength in one hand to make a mountain collapse and cause earthquakes."