"Go, Gyarados!"
A flash of red light erupted as the battlefield quaked under the appearance of Gyarados.
Its blue scales glistened with menace as it reared its colossal frame, unleashing an earth-shaking roar.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
Considering that Johan had deployed Tinkaton, a Steel-type Pokémon, Lucy opted against her signature Seviper. Now was the time for her Gyarados to shine.
Standing at nearly 6.5 meters tall, Gyarados' sheer size exuded an aura of oppression. The very sight of it made the livestream audience hold their breaths.
This was the effect of Gyarados' Intimidate ability, which lowered the Attack stat of opposing Pokémon by unnerving them.
Facing the titanic serpent, Tinkaton's diminutive figure appeared almost laughable in comparison.
Yet, Tinkaton remained utterly composed.
In fact, it even bared its teeth in a cheeky grin, countering Gyarados' intimidation with a sass all its own.
"Cha~!! |*▼皿▼)"
Big guy, don't get cocky! Wanna get smashed?!
While other Pokémon might have been shaken by the Intimidate, Tinkaton shrugged it off.
After all, Johan's Tinkaton had already stared down fiercer Pokémon. Compared to Lance's infamous red Gyarados, this one wasn't nearly as terrifying.
And the result back then? It smashed the red menace to pieces with a single swing.
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"Did Intimidate not work?"
"It's said that truly strong-willed Pokémon can resist the effects of Intimidate," Steven remarked from the sidelines, watching with amusement.
But the truth?
Tinkaton simply didn't feel threatened.
Flannery smirked, noting the flood of "Unfair!" comments in the livestream chat.
"Unfair? Then you must be new here—this is how Johan's Pokémon operate."
The battle resumed.
"Tinkaton, use Swords Dance!"
Johan seized the chance to boost first, knowing full well what Lucy's next move would be.
Sure enough, Lucy mirrored him.
"Gyarados, Dragon Dance!"
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Gyarados let loose a deafening roar as its power and speed surged. It whipped its tail, sending chunks of debris flying.
For Gyarados, Dragon Dance was practically a must-have.
Lucy had always been a straightforward attacker, a strategy that was no secret to Johan.
Likewise, Tinkaton also favored pure, unrelenting aggression.
Soon, both Pokémon had completed their respective boosts.
With Gyarados' speed heightened by Dragon Dance, it was now faster than Tinkaton.
"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"
Lucy wasted no time launching a ferocious attack.
A torrent of water shot toward Tinkaton with incredible force.
But to land such a hit?
Did Gyarados think it was a Dragonair?
Tinkaton let out a mocking laugh and nimbly dodged to the side.
BOOM!
The Hydro Pump missed its mark, slamming into the ground instead and carving a deep groove in the arena.
"Keep sweeping it across!" Lucy commanded.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
The water beam swiveled toward Tinkaton's new position.
But Johan's Pokémon was prepared.
Tinkaton planted its hammer firmly into the ground and began spinning it at incredible speed, generating a gust of wind that scattered the water.
While the redirected attack lost most of its force, Lucy wasn't discouraged.
Her plan was coming together.
Then, to everyone's shock, Tinkaton hurled its hammer at Gyarados with astounding precision.
THUD!
The massive impact staggered Gyarados, sending it reeling.
Tinkaton seized the opportunity to close the gap.
"Gyarados, Flail!"
Suddenly, Gyarados' body ignited with fierce flames.
[Flail]
A Fire-type move with 75 base power. However, if the preceding attack missed, the move's power doubled to a staggering 150.
Lucy grinned.
Missing with Hydro Pump had been part of her plan.
"Now, Tinkaton! Stone Edge!"
"Cha!!"
Tinkaton slammed its hammer into the ground, summoning jagged stone spires that erupted beneath Gyarados.
The combined attack lifted Gyarados into the air before slamming it back down into the arena.
The fiery energy dissipated from Gyarados' body as it collapsed, unconscious.
"Gyarados is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
"Cha!!"
Tinkaton stood amidst the battlefield rubble, hefting its hammer triumphantly.
Bring on the next challenger!
"Awesome!"
"Tinkaton is so cute yet so brutal! But man, it's expensive on arenas."
"Honestly, this match is so satisfying."
Lucy hesitated before throwing her final Poké Ball.
A hulking steel serpent emerged.
"ONNNIIIIXX!!"
Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. A Steel- and Ground-type, it is the evolved form of Onix. Its body is said to be harder than any known metal.
The spectators gasped at Steelix's sheer size — it dwarfed even Gyarados.
Scott, watching the already devastated battlefield, began to sweat.
How much worse could this arena get?
"Go ahead," he muttered under his breath. "It's ruined anyway. Might as well finish the job."
"Cha?! (☆▽☆)"
Tinkaton's eyes sparkled at the sight of Steelix, as if it had found buried treasure.
"Oh no," Roxanne muttered, massaging her temples.
"Sending out a Steel-type against Tinkaton?" Flannery snickered. "Bold move."
While Steelix had immense defensive stats, it wasn't ready for the chaos that was Tinkaton.
"Steelix, Iron Defense!"
Steelix's metallic sheen intensified as it reinforced its body, making it almost impenetrable.
But to Johan's Tinkaton, this was merely a challenge.
"Use Brick Break!"
Tinkaton dashed forward, hammer raised high, and brought it down with explosive force.
CRACK!
Steelix's body cracked under the pressure, shocking Lucy.
"Steelix, shake it off and Body Slam!"
Steelix roared and launched itself at Tinkaton.
Johan narrowed his eyes.
"Tinkaton, dodge it!"
At the last moment, Tinkaton sidestepped Steelix's attack, letting it crash harmlessly into the ground.
Now came the real show.
"Tinkaton, grab its tail!"
"Cha!!"
Tinkaton latched onto Steelix's tail with both hands.
"What's it doing?!"
"Tinkaton, Seismic Toss!"
To everyone's disbelief, Tinkaton began to spin Steelix around like a lasso.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Steelix crashed into the ground repeatedly, leaving craters in its wake.
The livestream chat erupted in chaos.
"Steelix… got tossed?! By THAT tiny thing?!"
"That's it. I'm done. Tinkaton's the GOAT."
"This is the most ridiculous battle I've ever seen."
Finally, Steelix's massive body lay limp. It had fainted, utterly defeated.
Tinkaton wiped its hands on its hammer and glanced back at Johan, its expression saying:
"Who's next?"
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I've started uploading on fanfiction.net and scribblehub.
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Powerstones?
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