Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

There was no denying it—Giovanni's skill as a Trainer surpassed that of 99% of the Trainers in this world.

Take the Rhydon in front of him, for example.

Not only was its size considerably larger than that of an ordinary Rhydon, but its gray skin, tough enough to withstand magma-level temperatures, revealed powerful muscles that could be seen with the naked eye.

Even though Rhydon seemed calm, without an ounce of savagery, it radiated an inexplicable aura of pressure.

Just one glance, and anyone would feel a natural sense of dread.

"This Rhydon is strong!" Luo Yuan felt a wave of caution rise within him.

It wasn't just Rhydon itself—it was also because his opponent was Giovanni. Luo Yuan knew he'd have to give this battle everything he had.

"Dragapult, huh?"

On the other side, Giovanni observed Luo Yuan's Dragapult and immediately understood Luo Yuan's intent.

A flying Dragapult had a major advantage when facing Ground-type Pokémon.

But...

As an expert on Ground-types, Giovanni was more than familiar with Ground-type weaknesses.

By this point, Rhydon and Dragapult were already exchanging probing moves.

Rhydon's Rock Tomb and Dragapult's Shadow Ball shot toward each other, but both were deftly avoided.

Rock Tomb was too slow and clunky, making it easy for Dragapult to dodge.

Meanwhile, Dragapult's Shadow Ball had a predictable trajectory, and Rhydon had no trouble dodging as well.

Then, Giovanni issued his first command.

"Rhydon, use Smack Down!"

Smack Down—a move that could knock a flying opponent out of the air and bring it crashing to the ground.

Perfectly suited for taking on airborne foes.

With a flick of Giovanni's hand, Rhydon instantly grasped his intent.

"Roar!"

Rhydon, now fully in battle mode, let out a powerful roar.

Opening its mouth, it charged an energy ball and spat it out forcefully.

As it soared through the air, the energy coating dispersed, transforming into rock aimed straight at Dragapult.

Dragapult wasn't a sitting target. The moment it saw Rhydon's attack, it dodged.

Even though the oncoming projectile whistled through the air at breakneck speed, Dragapult, with its ability to fly at supersonic speeds, evaded it with ease.

The gray-green figure darted through the air, avoiding each of Rhydon's four or five Smack Downs in a row, and Dragapult's confidence surged with each missed attack.

Seeing all of Rhydon's attacks miss, Giovanni's face remained impassive.

Smack Down was just a test.

In the short span of several seconds, Giovanni had roughly gauged Dragapult's speed.

He immediately switched up his strategy.

"Mud Shot!"

Rhydon opened its mouth and fired a torrent of thick mud.

Compared to the prior move, which required a moment of charging, Mud Shot's strength lay in its ability to continuously spray out without pause.

Although Dragapult was incredibly fast, it couldn't completely avoid the incoming mud and soon found itself splattered with globs of the thick sludge.

The mud was heavy, clinging to Dragapult and severely slowing it down.

With its agility hampered, Dragapult let out a frustrated roar.

But that was exactly what Giovanni had intended.

If Dragapult had been able to maintain that speed, even Rhydon would've struggled to land a hit.

Luo Yuan also noticed Giovanni's tactic and reacted immediately. "Don't give Rhydon another chance! Dragapult, use Dragon Pulse."

Dragapult's speed was its greatest strength.

If Dragapult lost that advantage, it would likely become a sitting target for Rhydon.

"Roar!"

A fierce light flashed in Dragapult's eyes as it unleashed a Dragon Pulse at Rhydon.

The purple Dragon Pulse surged down from the sky, crashing into the oncoming mud and scattering it everywhere.

The mud rained down in all directions like a shower of blossoms. Matori, who was officiating the match from the sidelines, had to call on her Xatu to use Psychic to avoid getting hit by the mess.

Matori's use of Xatu to shield herself was a minor distraction.

Meanwhile, in the field, Dragapult's Dragon Pulse had gained the upper hand over Mud Shot, clearing it away and surging forward toward Rhydon.

"Dodge!"

With Dragon Pulse descending at an angle from above, Rhydon leaped to the side.

However, its bulky body made it impossible to fully dodge the attack. Half of Rhydon's body was hit by the Dragon Pulse, and it let out a pained grunt.

Giovanni's expression remained unchanged.

The fact that Rhydon couldn't completely dodge had been expected.

And for him, the injury was still within acceptable limits.

Rhydon was resilient; even taking a direct hit from Dragon Pulse wasn't an issue. The more important thing was that he had just created a perfect opening for an attack.

"Now, Rhydon, use Stone Edge!"

At that moment, Dragapult, still airborne after launching Dragon Pulse, found itself in a vulnerable position.

With mud clinging to it, Dragapult's acceleration was severely hindered. Reaching its top speed would now take extra time, and this gap was the perfect moment for a counterattack.

The muddy setup earlier had now shown its value.

At Giovanni's command, Rhydon pounded the ground with its fist, causing cracks to spread and sending rocks floating up around it.

Fixing its gaze on Dragapult above, Rhydon swung its arm, launching a barrage of stones at Dragapult!

The rocks whistled through the air. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

If Dragapult got hit, the consequences would be serious.

Faced with Rhydon's Stone Edge, dodging would be challenging. Luo Yuan was left with two options.

He could use Protect or Reflect.

Using Protect was the safe choice; it would guarantee a block against the incoming attacks. However, Protect couldn't be used consecutively in a high-level battle like this, where it would be essential to have available.

Reflect, on the other hand, was a gamble. If it held up, it would save him the chance to use Protect later. If it didn't, while the damage wouldn't be as severe, it could leave Dragapult vulnerable to a follow-up attack.

For a regular Trainer, this might be a tough choice, but Luo Yuan had always been decisive in situations like this.

When in doubt, act swiftly!

"Dragapult, use Reflect!"

Safe play meant caution—how could he win if he didn't take risks?

Dragapult trusted its Trainer unconditionally. A transparent Reflect barrier formed in front of it, intercepting the barrage of stones with loud cracks.

The rocks shattered, and the surface of the Reflect barrier trembled.

In the end, though weakened, Reflect held up against Rhydon's Stone Edge.

"Dragapult, use Dragon Darts!"

---

Greetings, esteemed reader.

Your presence throughout this Chapter's journey is deeply appreciated. In Liyue, we hold that every tale, much like the enduring stone, gains strength through the appreciation of those who encounter it.

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With sincere regards,

Zhongli