Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Reality once again proved Tyranitar's instincts right.

Its use of Protect had been crucial—Fighting-type moves dealt 4x damage to it, and no matter how tough its defenses were, there was no way it could survive Dragonite's Brick Break unscathed.

But while Tyranitar's decision was spot on, its trainer, Eito, found himself in an awkward position.

As a Pokémon trainer, having his Pokémon ignore his commands and make better decisions on its own was a direct blow to his competence.

To make matters worse, the elimination round was being broadcast live across the entire Kanto region.

The thought left Eito in silence.

But the battle on the field didn't pause for his embarrassment.

Barely managing to block the Brick Break with Protect, Tyranitar now fully understood that Dragonite had the power to take it down in one blow. Its movements became more cautious as it backed away, putting distance between itself and its opponent.

When Tyranitar saw Dragonite flap its wings and prepare to lunge forward again, it let out a low growl.

Swinging its arm, Tyranitar shattered nearby rocks, sending dozens of wheel-sized boulders hurtling toward Dragonite in an attempt to disrupt its flight path.

At the same time, energy began to gather in Tyranitar's mouth as it prepared its next move.

However, Tyranitar had underestimated Dragonite's strength.

As the incoming boulders from Rock Slide closed in, Dragonite reacted instantly, unleashing a burst of Dragon Rage.

The fiery energy collided with the rocks, triggering an explosion that obliterated the majority of the attack.

Ignoring the shockwaves and flying debris from the explosion, Dragonite charged straight through.

Pitter-patter.

Shards of stone bounced harmlessly off Dragonite's thick hide, their impact akin to raindrops on banana leaves.

Tyranitar's Rock Slide was utterly ineffective.

Even Kyosuke, commentating from the booth, couldn't hide his confusion at Luo Yuan's strategy.

"Luo Yuan's Dragonite chose to power through the explosion rather than dodging it. Malva, do you have any thoughts on why he might have done that?" Kyosuke asked.

Malva glanced at Luo Yuan, whose calm expression betrayed no hint of his thoughts.

After a brief pause, she replied, "...Perhaps he didn't want to waste any more time."

Her words proved prescient.

The moment she finished speaking, Dragonite activated Agility, further amplifying its already impressive speed.

In a flash, Dragonite appeared directly in front of Tyranitar, whose Hyper Beam was still only halfway charged.

Caught off guard, Tyranitar froze for a moment.

But its instincts kicked in, prompting it to abandon the charging Hyper Beam in favor of using Protect once more.

A blue shield enveloped Tyranitar, offering a fleeting sense of security.

Yet just as Tyranitar began to feel reassured, the sound of cracking glass reached its ears.

Dragonite's heavy body shattered the Protect barrier as if it were a fragile eggshell.

That was the last thing Tyranitar saw before Dragonite's Heavy Slam rendered it unconscious.

Boom!

The combination of Dragonite's colossal size and the force of its full-strength attack was devastating. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Although Protect had mitigated some of the damage, the remaining impact was far beyond Tyranitar's ability to endure.

The heavy blow rattled Tyranitar's skull, leaving its mind blank.

The force of the attack rippled through Tyranitar's body, splitting the battlefield beneath it.

Crack!

Spiderweb-like fissures spread across half the arena, centering on Tyranitar.

With a heavy thud, Tyranitar collapsed, its unconscious body sending a dull reverberation through the ground.

Dragonite landed gracefully, flapping its wings as it descended.

It tilted its head toward the referee, its gaze calm yet piercing.

Startled, the referee jolted upright, raising his flag without hesitation.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Dragonite wins! The victor of this match is Luo Yuan!"

The referee's announcement was met with deafening cheers as Dragonite turned to the audience and flashed a warm, friendly smile.

It even raised its hand, waving to the roaring crowd.

Luo Yuan rubbed his temples, exasperated by Dragonite's antics. He had no idea where it had picked up its showboating tendencies.

On the other side of the field, Eito stared at his fallen Tyranitar, his expression complicated.

By all rights, he should have felt disappointed at his loss.

Yet seeing the rebellious Tyranitar defeated by Luo Yuan left him oddly relieved.

"At least I won't be humiliated anymore," Eito thought, a strange sense of comfort settling over him.

Luo Yuan's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Dragonite held back during that attack. Tyranitar shouldn't be seriously injured. A bit of rest should be enough for it to recover."

Eito responded with a forced smile, his tone ingratiating.

"Thank you for that. Honestly, I'm glad you beat Tyranitar. Maybe now it'll stop being so unruly."

Luo Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

The Indigo League truly attracted all kinds of trainers.

To actually thank someone for defeating their Pokémon? Luo Yuan found the behavior utterly disgraceful.

His gaze shifted to Tyranitar, and a pang of pity stirred within him.

To be stuck with a trainer like Eito... it was no wonder Tyranitar was so rebellious.

Luo Yuan couldn't help but draw a comparison to Ash and his Charizard, another famously disobedient Pokémon.

The difference in how the two trainers handled their challenging partners was like night and day.

Shaking his head, Luo Yuan chose not to respond further to Eito.

Instead, he patted Dragonite affectionately.

As usual, Luo Yuan declined all media interviews, mounting Dragonite and leaving the arena.

Watching Luo Yuan and Dragonite disappear into the sky, Malva turned to Kyosuke and asked, "Is Luo Yuan always this... individualistic?"

Kyosuke sighed and nodded.

"As a commentator, I'm pretty close to the reporters covering the Indigo League. They've been begging me to arrange an exclusive interview with Luo Yuan."

"But between you and me, I've never even spoken to him. The closest I've gotten to Luo Yuan is the distance between the commentator's booth and the battlefield during matches. I wouldn't know where to find him, let alone get him to agree to an interview."

---

T/N: poor tyranitar :(( it could be real strong if it had a proper trainer

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