Chapter 34: Gurdurr VS Ursaring

"It actually... evolved in the heat of battle?! This young man... can he actually control the precise timing of his Pokémon's evolution!?"

Misaki was utterly dumbfounded. This was the first time she had ever witnessed such an extraordinary circumstance.

The newcomer before her, who claimed this was his "first Gym challenge," possessed a level of commanding presence and reaction speed that even elite veteran Trainers would struggle to match. Battling him made Misaki feel as though she had been transported back to the Indigo Plateau Conference; the constant, suffocating pressure of facing a top-tier opponent left her heart racing in shock.

To manipulate the timing of evolution... not even Elite Four members could claim to have a perfect grasp on exactly when a Pokémon would change. Yet, the youth across the field acted as if he had anticipated this all along, showing not a hint of surprise.

Is this guy really a rookie?!

Gurdurr stood composed, shouldering a massive red I-beam weighing nearly 50 pounds. Its muscular arms, thicker than tree trunks, were a terrifying sight to behold. Coupled with its transformed, overwhelming aura, Misaki could easily gauge the new heights its power had reached.

Alpha-level.

A Trainer on his very first Gym challenge already possessed an Alpha-level Pokémon!

Furthermore, this Gurdurr was only in its middle evolutionary stage. It still had one more evolution left, another opportunity for its strength to take a qualitative leap. This meant that, in the future, it was a near-certainty that this Gurdurr would break into the quasi-Elite Four rank upon evolving again. The boy before her looked like a mere high schooler, yet he wielded such power; to call him a prodigy would be an understatement.

Now, the playing field between Gurdurr and Ursaring had finally leveled!

"Rock Throw."

N's calm command snapped Misaki out of her spiral of thought. She had nearly forgotten she was in the middle of a match. She had committed the amateur mistake of zoning out due to sheer shock.

"Use Rock Tomb to protect yourself!"

Gurdurr slammed a foot into the ground, using its immense strength to effortlessly kick several large boulders into the air. Ursaring reacted quickly, tapping into the power of the earth to summon massive stones that encased it in a protective shell.

Using an offensive move like Rock Tomb for defense was a common high-level tactic among elite Trainers. However, Misaki never expected her own technique to become her undoing.

"Use Dynamic Punch."

"What?! Ursaring, pull ba—"

Before she could finish, Misaki realized that Ursaring was still trapped inside its own Rock Tomb. It couldn't clear the debris fast enough to retreat.

Meanwhile, Gurdurr was no longer in its starting position. The moment it had launched the Rock Throw, it had already begun its charge!

Dynamic Punch was a move of devastating power, but because it required significant wind-up, its accuracy was notoriously low. No Trainer would be foolish enough to let their Pokémon stand still and take such a hit.

But now, with the enemy unable to flee, it was a different story.

Dynamic Punch!

With every muscle tensed and coiled, Gurdurr drove a foot into the dirt, pivoting its waist to funnel its entire weight into its right fist. The bulging veins on its forehead made Gurdurr look truly monstrous.

The muscles in its thick arm rippled like a surging dragon as its fist took on an orange-gold glow, as if the energy of a Hyper Beam had been compressed into a single point.

BOOM!!!

With an earth-shattering explosion, Ursaring's massive frame, along with the boulders of the Rock Tomb, was sent flying by the punch. The reinforced stones shattered into dust instantly, and Ursaring, bearing the full brunt of the impact behind the rocks, was blasted backward dozens of meters!

"What insane power! How can its physical strength be that terrifying?"

"That Gurdurr is way too strong... That was Ms. Misaki's Ursaring!"

The audience wasn't the only ones in shock; Misaki herself stared at her Ursaring in disbelief. If that Dynamic Punch hadn't been partially cushioned by the Rock Tomb's boulders, the consequences of a direct hit would have been unthinkable.

"I was completely played... He read my moves perfectly?"

She never expected to encounter such a formidable challenger in a standard Gym match. N had used Rock Throw to force a choice: Ursaring, which lacked high-speed defensive moves, either had to smash the incoming rocks with brute force or use Rock Tomb to shield itself.

N had clearly gambled on her choosing Rock Tomb, ordering Gurdurr to close the distance the moment the first move was made. He used the Rock Tomb as a natural cage to guarantee the hit for Dynamic Punch!

"Ursaring, can you still stand?"

Ursaring struggled to rise, but it was a losing battle. Fighting-type moves were already super-effective against a Normal-type like Ursaring, and it had just taken a point-blank Dynamic Punch. Honestly, the fact that it was even trying to move was a testament to its tenacity.

However, Misaki knew the match was decided.

A Pokémon struck by Dynamic Punch is guaranteed to fall into a state of deep confusion due to the intense shock. For the battered Ursaring, this status ailment was the final nail in the coffin. There was no point in continuing.

"Gym Leader Misaki chooses to forfeit! Therefore, the winner of this match is the challenger, N!!"