"No, Fearow! Dodge it!"
The Pokémon hunter barely had time to react. He could only shout as Fearow attempted to evade.
Rhyperior also tried to dodge, but its bulky frame made it significantly slower than Boss Lairon. Coupled with Boss Lairon's immense strength and the element of surprise, Rhyperior had no chance to react. The Heavy Slam connected with full force.
Being a Rock/Ground-type, Rhyperior suffered double the damage from the Steel-type attack. The power difference between a peak quasi-Elite Boss Lairon and a mere Gym-level Rhyperior was immense.
With a deafening crash, Rhyperior was sent flying, hitting the ground hard. It let out a pained growl before its eyes rolled back, completely incapacitated.
A single move.
The Pokémon hunter's face twisted in frustration.
What kind of ridiculous power is this?!
His strongest Pokémon, taken down in one hit. He cursed inwardly.
Damn it! Boss Lairon is this strong AND it got a sneak attack?
If it had been a head-on fight, Rhyperior could have at least retaliated with Earthquake. But now, it was already over.
Fearow fared slightly better. Although it had failed to dodge completely, only its lower body was frozen by Froakie's Psybeam.
The attack had been super effective, making Fearow screech in pain, but it was still in fighting condition.
"Fearow, use Air Slash!" the Pokémon hunter barked, his face darkening.
Fearow flapped its wings aggressively, releasing shimmering white slashes of air. However, instead of aiming at the opposing Pokémon, it targeted Aoki directly.
A true Pokémon hunter's tactics—take down the trainer first.
"Boss Lairon, Protect!"
Without hesitation, Boss Lairon positioned itself between Aoki and the attack. A translucent shield of energy appeared in front of it.
Fearow's Air Slash struck the barrier and scattered harmlessly.
"Tch. Fine! Fearow, use Drill Run!"
The Pokémon hunter gritted his teeth. If he couldn't attack Aoki, he would at least take out Boss Lairon.
Fearow's beak started spinning like a drill, glowing with ground energy as it dived at Boss Lairon.
Drill Run—a Ground-type move. Against a Steel/Rock Pokémon like Boss Lairon, it would deal quadruple damage.
The hit would be devastating. Even with Boss Lairon's immense defense, it wouldn't come out unscathed.
But Aoki remained calm.
"Boss Lairon, tank it and counter with Stone Edge!"
Boss Lairon braced itself as Fearow's attack landed. The ground trembled from the impact, but Boss Lairon gritted its teeth and endured.
Aoki's Viridian Power flared to life, casting a soft green glow over Boss Lairon's body. The healing energy mitigated most of the damage instantly.
Then, before Fearow could retreat, jagged rocks shot out from the ground, striking it directly.
Fearow screeched as the Stone Edge attack landed cleanly. Already weakened from before, it had no chance. The bird plummeted, unconscious before it even hit the ground.
The Pokémon hunter's expression turned ugly.
His two strongest Pokémon—Rhyperior and Fearow—had been taken down effortlessly.
And looking at Boss Lairon, it barely seemed injured at all.
"Damn brat! You actually ambushed me?! How shameless can you be?"
The Pokémon hunter snarled, frustration boiling over.
If Aoki hadn't landed that first sneak attack, he could have fought back properly. With Rhyperior and Fearow working together, Boss Lairon wouldn't have stood a chance!
As for Torchic and Froakie? He barely considered them a threat. They were unevolved Pokémon—mere rookies compared to his Gym-level team.
Aoki smirked, folding his arms.
"Cry all you want. Instead of complaining, why don't you figure out how to beat me? Otherwise, I'll be handing you over to the authorities."
The Pokémon hunter clenched his fists. He knew Aoki was right—if he didn't act now, he was finished.
Gritting his teeth, he grabbed another Poké Ball and threw it.
"Forretress, Explosion!"
A black, spiky Pokémon emerged, spinning in midair. Its body started glowing ominously.
Aoki's eyes widened.
Crap.
A Superior-tier Forretress using Explosion? That could be dangerous. Even though it wasn't as strong as Rhyperior, its self-destruct move could deal massive area damage.
"Boss Lairon, Protect! NOW!"
Boss Lairon immediately generated a shimmering energy barrier around Aoki and May.
A deafening explosion erupted. A shockwave tore through the clearing, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
Even behind the Protect, Aoki felt the sheer force of the blast.
As the dust settled, he exhaled in relief.
The shield had held.
If he hadn't reacted in time, he might have been caught up in the explosion. Boss Lairon could have survived, but he wasn't so sure about himself.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon hunter was scrambling back toward his vehicle, coughing from the explosion's aftermath.
He had used Explosion as a distraction.
"Tch. Stupid brat, you got lucky today!"
He climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.
But before he could escape, Aoki's voice rang out.
"Boss Lairon, Hyper Beam."
The Pokémon hunter paled.
A bright glow gathered in Boss Lairon's mouth as it prepared to fire.
"W-Wait! Let's talk abou—"
BOOM!
A massive white beam blasted forward, striking the vehicle head-on.
The car exploded instantly, flames and metal fragments scattering everywhere. The Pokémon hunter was thrown from the wreckage, landing in a crumpled heap.
May gasped. "Is… is he dead?"
Aoki walked over, checking the hunter's condition.
"No, but he's close."
The man groaned weakly, barely clinging to consciousness.
This was the Pokémon world, after all. People here were much more durable than in the real world. If this had been modern Earth, a direct Hyper Beam would have turned him to ashes.
Aoki turned to the wreckage. The cages holding captured Pokémon had been thrown clear of the blast.
"Let's check on the Pokémon," he said, striding forward.
Boss Lairon and Torchic followed closely, while May hesitated before hurrying after them.
The fight was over. Now, it was time to clean up the mess.