On the battlefield, Meowscarada and Rhyperior faced off.
"Earthquake!" Giovanni wasted no time.
Rhyperior lifted its massive, wrecking-ball-like tail and slammed it into the ground with full force.
BOOM!
A devastating shockwave of raw seismic energy erupted from the battlefield, rippling toward Meowscarada.
"Exchange damage? No… something's off."
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
Meowscarada had resistance to Earthquake, but its Grass-type attacks dealt massive damage to Rhyperior.
Logically, Dylan could have just ordered a Grass move, taking Earthquake in exchange for a finishing blow.
But Giovanni wasn't the type to ignore something that obvious.
Something wasn't right.
"Sucker Punch!"
Meowscarada's eyes gleamed darkly, and in a flash, it dashed toward Rhyperior like a shadowy blur.
As the Earthquake waves crashed through the battlefield, Meowscarada leaped into the air, dodging the impact zone.
Giovanni frowned slightly—a missed opportunity.
If Dylan had gone for a direct attack, he could have baited him into a trap, using Dig to escape and get a free hit.
Rhyperior was a master of underground combat—its Dig execution was extremely fast.
But now that the moment was lost—
BAM!
Meowscarada's Sucker Punch slammed into Rhyperior's forehead, but the massive Pokémon barely staggered an inch.
As expected, its monstrous Defense made direct attacks almost useless.
"Heat Crash!"
Rhyperior roared, its body suddenly bursting into flames.
A Fire-type version of Heavy Slam!
The heavier the user compared to its opponent, the stronger the attack—and Rhyperior was significantly heavier than Meowscarada.
A wall of flames surged forward, the massive Pokémon charging like a meteor of destruction.
"Dodge!"
Meowscarada effortlessly twisted its body, sidestepping the attack with fluid elegance.
It was far too agile for a lumbering tank like Rhyperior.
Giovanni wasn't surprised.
It was worth trying, but Meowscarada's speed was simply too overwhelming.
"Energy Ball!"
Meowscarada immediately countered, summoning a pulsating green orb of energy and launching it at point-blank range.
BOOM!
The Energy Ball exploded against Rhyperior's back, causing the massive Pokémon to stagger and growl in pain.
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
That reaction…
This Rhyperior had Solid Rock—a passive ability that reduced super-effective damage.
Without it, that Energy Ball would have done far more damage.
Giovanni remained calm.
"Stone Edge!"
Sharp, floating jagged rocks materialized around Rhyperior.
"Magical Leaf!"
Meowscarada whipped its arm, sending a swarm of glowing green leaves at Rhyperior.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Stone Edge easily smashed through the Magical Leaf attack, overpowering it as the remaining stone blades shot toward Meowscarada.
Meowscarada leaped gracefully, dodging the projectiles.
But—
When it looked back—
Rhyperior was gone.
A black hole of a Dig tunnel remained in its place.
"It's underground again… Stay sharp."
Meowscarada narrowed its eyes, ears twitching cautiously.
"Double Team."
Meowscarada split into eight afterimages, spreading out across the battlefield.
A classic evasion tactic—and unlike in the games, it worked visually in real battles.
With so many copies, an underground attacker would struggle to find the real target.
But—
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath one of the Meowscarada clones.
Dylan's brow twitched—
This fast?!
In the blink of an eye—
Rhyperior burst from the earth, targeting the correct Meowscarada in an instant.
"Superpower!"
Rhyperior's fist glowed red-hot, its entire body radiating pure brute force.
If that landed, Meowscarada was finished!
"Acrobatics!"
Meowscarada's white aura flared as it suddenly flipped midair, using the power of Acrobatics to boost its evasive maneuver.
Rhyperior's Superpower punch just barely missed, smashing into the ground with a thunderous crash.
Dylan exhaled slightly.
That was too close.
Giovanni smirked.
"You should've known, Dylan."
"Rhyperior may be slow, but underground, it doesn't need speed—it senses pressure."
"Your Double Team illusions didn't have real mass. Rhyperior could immediately tell which one was real."
Dylan's eye twitched.
That was the same trick he used when controlling Garchomp underground.
No wonder Giovanni saw through it.
"Tch."
"Leaf Storm!"
Meowscarada's body shone bright green, a massive whirlwind of razor-sharp leaves bursting from its form.
BOOM!
The full-powered Grass-type attack engulfed Rhyperior, slashing through its rocky hide mercilessly.
Rhyperior bellowed in pain, the storm shredding through its defenses.
When the attack finally ended, Rhyperior was badly battered—but still standing.
Its deep, labored breathing filled the battlefield.
It wasn't down yet, but it was heavily weakened.
Dylan smirked.
"That ability of yours saved you—but you're at your limit now."
"Flower Trick!"
Meowscarada whipped its bouquet, sending a deadly red flower hurtling toward Rhyperior.
Still weakened from Leaf Storm, Rhyperior had no chance to dodge.
The moment it struck—
BOOM!
A massive explosion of petals and energy engulfed Rhyperior.
As the dust settled—
Rhyperior remained motionless, eyes shut.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle. Meowscarada wins."
Matori announced the result, adjusting her glasses slightly.
She gave Dylan a long sideways glance.
This guy… really is insane.
Even she had heard the rumors about Dylan and Rota Gym—after all, he was responsible for taking down so many Team Rocket officers.
But actually seeing him fight Giovanni on equal ground?
That was unreal.
"Yes!"
Lillie clenched her fists in excitement.
Her brother had won the round.
"An impressive Meowscarada."
Giovanni recalled Rhyperior, offering a nod of approval.
That last dodge into Acrobatics was perfectly executed—if it had been even a second slower, Rhyperior's Superpower would've ended the fight right there.
Not many trainers could react that quickly.
Meowscarada flicked its tail smugly, obviously enjoying the praise.
"Dylan, you may have won this round…"
Giovanni retrieved his fourth Poké Ball.
"But let's see how you handle this one."
The Poké Ball burst open—
Dugtrio!
On the battlefield, Dugtrio's three round heads bobbed slightly, each one subtly different in size and expression.
Beep—Scanning…
Dugtrio, Ground-type, Mole PokémonAbility: Arena TrapMoves: Fissure, Earthquake, Earth Power, Dig, Slash, Sucker Punch, Sand Tomb, Stomping Tantrum…
Lillie's eyes flicked to the Rotom Pokédex screen.
This Dugtrio was ridiculously strong!
And more importantly—
Arena Trap!
That meant Dylan couldn't switch out Meowscarada!
"Arena Trap, huh?" Dylan muttered, glancing at the fine grains of sand slowly swirling around Meowscarada's feet.
A classic Dugtrio strategy—lock the opponent in and wear them down.
But it wasn't a problem.
Because Meowscarada knew U-turn.
"Rock Slide."
Giovanni's calm command came immediately.
Dugtrio let out a sharp cry, summoning a barrage of large boulders that rained down toward Meowscarada.
"Sucker Punch!"
Meowscarada's eyes flashed dark, its sleek green body blurring as it lunged forward at lightning speed.
But—
Dugtrio vanished into the ground in an instant.
The attack missed.
Meowscarada landed lightly on the battlefield, eyes darting around warily.
Dugtrio had disappeared.
For Dugtrio, digging underground wasn't just a move—it was an instinct.
"Sand Tomb."
A smirk curled at Giovanni's lips.
The battlefield began to shift, the ground beneath Meowscarada slowly turning into a swirling vortex of sand.
A Ground-type trap move—it would continuously damage the target while restricting movement.
Meowscarada's eyes narrowed as it instinctively leapt backward—but the Sand Tomb kept expanding!
The swirling sands spread across the battlefield, pushing Meowscarada closer and closer to the edge.
In the very center—
Dugtrio poked its heads out briefly, shifting slightly before disappearing again.
"Dylan, what now?" Giovanni mused.
Dylan studied the battlefield.
That Dugtrio was playing dirty.
Its constant underground movement made it nearly impossible to target directly, and the expanding Sand Tomb was slowly backing Meowscarada into a corner.
"If I had Earthquake, this would be easy," Dylan muttered under his breath.
Earthquake could collapse the sand traps and flush Dugtrio out—but Meowscarada didn't know it.
Fine.
They'd force Dugtrio out another way.
"Frenzy Plant!"
Meowscarada's deep voice rumbled, its entire body glowing with intense green energy.
BOOM!
The battlefield trembled as massive thorned vines erupted from the ground, writhing and twisting like a storm of living blades.
One by one, the vines ripped through the swirling sands, shattering the Sand Tomb completely.
Dugtrio barely managed to surface, only to be met with a wall of oncoming vines.
A direct hit was imminent.
But Giovanni only smiled.
"As expected. Dugtrio, Fissure."
Dugtrio thrust its heads forward, its entire body shaking violently.
A deep, jagged crack ripped through the battlefield, heading straight for the stunned Meowscarada.
A one-hit KO move in the games—but in reality, Fissure was just an overwhelmingly powerful Ground-type attack.
Meowscarada couldn't move.
Not because of Sand Tomb—but because of Frenzy Plant's cooldown.
BOOM!
The ground erupted, and Meowscarada let out a cry of pain, its body slammed with raw seismic force.
When the dust settled—
Meowscarada lay motionless.
"Meowscarada is unable to battle. Dugtrio wins."
Matori pushed up her glasses, glancing sideways at Dylan.
"That Dugtrio…" Lillie frowned slightly.
This wasn't a normal Dugtrio.
Dylan remained silent for a moment before recalling Meowscarada.
"You did great."
Then, he looked up at Giovanni, smirking.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
But—
How would Giovanni handle this?
Dylan plucked a Luxury Ball from his belt.
"Let me introduce you to something special."
The Poké Ball opened with a brilliant flash, and a large, armored insectoid Pokémon landed in front of Dylan.
Its body was covered in sleek, violet plating, and a large, high-tech cannon rested on its back.
Its glowing red eyes burned coldly, radiating an unnerving mechanical precision.
Genesect.
The extinct hunter revived by science.
One of the Genesect that Colress had given him—not the prototype, but still one of Dylan's most powerful Pokémon.
Beep—Scanning…
Genesect, Bug/Steel Type, Ancient PokémonAbility: DownloadMoves: Techno Blast (Water Drive), Lock-On, Zap Cannon, Simple Beam, X-Scissor, Iron Head…
Description: Feared as the strongest hunter of the ancient world, Genesect ruled the planet 300 million years ago before its kind went extinct. It has since been revived and modified by Team Plasma.
"Genesect?"
Giovanni's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had never seen this Pokémon before.
"That's right—Genesect."
Dylan's smile widened.
"It also has another name."
Giovanni watched as the mechanical predator adjusted its stance, its cannon humming to life.
Dylan's voice was casual, but carried a hint of amusement.
"The Doomsday Bug."