"Welcome, everyone, to the Solaria Town Gym. I have already explained the rules of this challenge before, so now... let this unofficial Gym battle begin."
"The rules of the battle have already been published. On this occasion, I will defend the stage. Whoever wants to challenge me, simply come up."
As soon as Ethan's calm words fell, the entire stadium erupted into an uproar.
Spoken in such a flat tone, those phrases even gave the feeling that he was not putting any of his opponents in his eyes.
It had to be remembered that all the Trainers in training present were candidates for a World Championship spot from their respective Leagues, all of them with extraordinary strength. Was Ethan not showing excessive confidence?
"Damn it, that guy really is too arrogant!"
One of the Trainers in training sitting among the audience clenched his fists.
At that moment, he was already impatient to go up onto the stage and face Ethan to teach him what it meant not to know the immensity of heaven and earth.
"Since no one wants to come out first, then I'll let myself be the first!"
At the same time, as soon as Ethan finished speaking, a young man with somewhat dark skin went up onto the stage.
At first glance, he should have been around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore a combat uniform and had a very robust body.
"Then, let us begin the battle."
After a brief mutual introduction that seemed cordial, Ethan smiled as he said it.
Then he opened the Poké Ball in his hand, and Rhyperior's figure appeared on the field.
"It's out! Leader Ethan's first Pokémon is Rhyperior!"
Seeing the Pokémon Ethan had sent out, the spectators immediately began cheering.
"Eh, but isn't Leader Ethan supposed to specialize in Fire-type Pokémon?"
Among the audience, some tourists from Solaria Town who did not know Ethan well showed their confusion.
"Fire-type Pokémon?"
"Then you are mistaken. Leader Ethan became famous by relying on a sandstorm team."
"Fire-type Pokémon are only one of the types he masters. If we talk about the attribute he truly excels in most, it would have to be Ground type."
"Besides, Leader Ethan's first Pokémon was precisely a Ground-type Sandslash!"
Sitting right beside that tourist was a villager from Solaria Town, who immediately began explaining with pride.
Ethan's very existence was the absolute pride of Solaria Town. Practically all the villagers were his most fervent admirers.
After all, it was Ethan who changed the town and changed all their lives, making it so that they no longer had to leave their home to go elsewhere.
"Ground type!"
"That Rhyperior is a Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon!"
The tourist understood immediately and stared at the field with shining eyes.
"But... That challenger wearing a combat uniform seems to be a Trainer specialized in Fighting type."
"Rhyperior is completely countered."
At the same time, other spectators were also analyzing the battle that was unfolding, frowning.
And, just as that spectator said, the challenger on the field really was a Trainer specialized in Fighting-type Pokémon. Now, seeing the Pokémon Ethan had sent out, even a hint of anger appeared on his face.
Facing a Fighting-type Pokémon of his, and yet Ethan still sent out a Rock- and Ground-type Rhyperior... he felt that he was being looked down upon far too much.
"Arrogant guy. In that case, I won't be polite with you."
When the Poké Ball opened, a Machamp appeared on the field.
"The attribute disadvantage... naturally, it is not something you need to worry about. Bring out all your strength. Otherwise, later you won't have the chance to regret it."
As soon as he said that, the challenger on the other side raised an eyebrow.
"If that is so, as you wish."
"Machamp, directly use Superpower and crush it!"
Fighting-type energy wrapped around its fists as Machamp shot forward, throwing a direct blow against Rhyperior.
"Rhyperior, we also use Superpower!"
At the same time, Ethan also gave his order.
The same instruction resounded for both, and the two Pokémon collided head-on in an instant.
Afterward, the two began exerting strength at the same time and, with that terrifying power from both sides, they became locked in a tense struggle in the middle of the field.
"They're evenly matched! The strength of both is terrifying!"
Seeing that, the spectators were very surprised.
Just by looking at how the ground beneath both their feet was beginning to crack, one could realize how much strength they were displaying.
And that was only from the shock waves of the clash between both forces. If they had struck the ground directly, everyone could imagine that the terrain would have exploded instantly.
"Are they tied?"
"No... no, wait, look carefully at Machamp."
"Right now Machamp is already using the strength of its four arms. Only in that way can it withstand Rhyperior's strength."
"If Machamp did not have the advantage of those two extra hands, its strength would not be able to compare with Rhyperior's at all!"
Among the audience, there was no lack of people with very good eyes, and upon realizing what was really happening on the field, they became even more impressed.
Crack!
At that moment, the sound of something fracturing was suddenly heard.
And immediately afterward, the ground beneath Machamp's feet suddenly broke apart!
In contrast, Rhyperior's figure remained completely motionless.
Rhyperior's terrifying body weight gave it frightening base strength.
And, moreover, as a Ground-type Pokémon, as long as it was on the ground, it could continuously obtain power from the earth itself.
Sometimes, a tiny advantage was enough to completely decide the result of a battle.
And, in the midst of that constant contest of strength, Rhyperior slowly began to take the lead.
Using only the move Superpower, it gradually suppressed Machamp, forcing it to retreat again and again.
In the end, Machamp's figure was directly knocked down to the ground by Rhyperior, causing the entire surface to break and cracks to spread in all directions like a spiderweb.
"Finish it! Use Hammer Arm!"
Boom!
When both of Rhyperior's arms smashed downward, the entire battlefield trembled and smoke shot out in all directions.
"Is it over?"
Feeling the vibration coming from the ground beneath their feet, everyone felt their hearts jump.
In a situation like that, it would truly be too difficult for Machamp to withstand Rhyperior's full-power attack.
"It seems so, it is over. Although, fighting this way really destroys the stage too much."
"Just in repairs, this will already be an enormous expense."
Seeing that, Alex first felt his eyelid twitch, and immediately afterward, he began lamenting the money.
But, as long as they won, it was fine. The increase in fame brought by such a victory could not be compared at all with the cost of fixing a battlefield.
Little by little, the smoke began to disperse, and then Machamp could be seen lying at the bottom of a large crater, completely unable to continue battling.
In a contest of strength against Rhyperior, Machamp, a Pokémon famous precisely for its power, had been defeated in that way! It was something absolutely no one had expected.
(End of chapter)