"Come out! Mr. Mime!"
Marvin took out a Poké Ball, and tossed it high into the air.
With a flash of light, Mr. Mime emerged, but instead of the usual pink, this one was mostly blue. Fluffy, clown-like growths curled around its cheeks like icy earmuffs, and its wide eyes and small blue triangle nose gave it a mischievous look. It had mitten-like hands, a frosty suit-like body with a diamond-shaped crystal resembling a tie, and ice-blue shoes that looked made for tap dancing.
Mr. Mime stood on the battlefield, its thick, ice-blue shoes scraping back and forth against the ground. It looked half like it was hopping from the cold beneath its feet and half like it was performing a tap dance routine.
Across from it, Rhyperior remained still, its rocky arms planted on the ground as it stared blankly ahead.
It waited for Shiro's command.
But Shiro wasn't in a rush. He didn't need to order an attack yet. This Mr. Mime had only just reached Advanced-level strength—it wasn't much of a threat to his Rhyperior.
Marvin understood this too. He realized Shiro was giving him some face by not ordering an immediate strike. Seizing the chance, he swung his arm and shouted.
"Mr. Mime! Use Ice Shard!"
The moment the order was given, Mr. Mime raised its mitten-like hand. A chunk of ice quickly formed in the air before it flung the shard forward with a swift flick of its arm.
Bang!
The ice shard collided with the massive horn on Rhyperior's forehead and shattered instantly into scattered ice fragments.
Rhyperior barely felt a thing—just a faint chill. It instinctively shook its head, not even registering any pain.
Seeing this, Marvin sucked in a sharp breath, his mind racing for a countermeasure.
'How do I even fight this thing?'
Facing an opponent with such overwhelming strength, offense, and defense, his Pokémon's attacks felt more like light taps than actual hits.
"If you don't make a move soon, I will." Shiro tilted his head back, speaking calmly. Seeing the tense look on Marvin's face, he stopped holding back and gave his command.
"Rhyperior! Use Earthquake!"
"Earthquake?!"
From the sidelines, Nessa gasped, turning to look at Granny Shae.
It was already absurd that this Rhyperior was allowed into the battle. But now, If it unleashed a wide-range attack like Earthquake… wouldn't it tear the entire battlefield apart?
Nearby, Allister released his Dusclops and casually sat on its head to avoid the incoming tremors.
"Hehe, no need to worry." Shae remained seated on her little red stool, her expression unchanged. She tapped her cane lightly, smiling as always.
At the same time, Rhyperior raised one massive, brown foot. A deep yellow glow of Ground-type energy spread over its wide, thick sole.
Boom!
The foot slammed down like a falling pillar from the sky, smashing into the ground. Cracks spread out like a spiderweb, expanding rapidly. The fractures grew larger and deeper, as if threatening to carve a deep trench into the battlefield.
The powerful Ground-type energy surged along the spreading cracks, slamming into Mr. Mime and sending it flying backward.
"Miiimee!"
The Ice-type Pokémon struggled to prop itself up with its white-gloved hands. It let out a weak, pained cry before a red beam of light pulled it back into its Poké Ball.
Marvin clenched the ball tightly, biting his lower lip as he reached for his next Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the cracks from Earthquake continued spreading, but as they reached the edge of the battlefield, they suddenly stopped. The violent Ground-type energy seemed to crash into something solid beneath the surface and disappeared.
Shiro noticed the odd scene. After confirming that the usual psychic barriers were still in place and nothing else seemed to be protecting the arena, his eyes drifted toward Shae's cane.
'Did she freeze the ground?' He wondered.
It wasn't obvious, but the idea made sense. Somehow, the old woman must have used her Pokémon to release freezing cold air, solidifying the soil underneath and stopping the Earthquake from going any further.
Shae caught Shiro's gaze and chuckled softly.
"Hehe... Don't mind an old woman like me. Focus on the battle, alright?"
Hearing that, Shiro looked away and turned his attention back to his opponent.
Marvin clutched a Poké Ball tightly, hesitating for a long moment.
This was his last Advanced-level Pokémon—and truthfully, it wasn't that strong.
His strongest partner was the rare Frosmoth, followed by Galarian Mr. Mime. After that came this one.
The remaining two Pokémon on his team were recently caught and barely trained, far from ready for a battle of this caliber.
But when his eyes met Granny Shae's calm, knowing gaze, his hesitation faded. With a determined swing of his arm, he hurled the Poké Ball forward.
"Go! Lapras!"
"Laaap-ras!"
A stunning, blue-coloured Pokémon emerged in a flash of light. Gray, jagged shell-like ridges lined its back, and its long, elegant neck swayed gently. The graceful aura it carried immediately captured Nessa's attention from the sidelines.
"What a beautiful Pokémon..." she murmured to herself. Though Nessa was fixated on becoming stronger, she was still a young girl. Beautiful things still held a special place in her heart.
If she ever had the chance, she even dreamed of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry someday.
Her eyes drifted to Rhyperior. Faced with such a brutal, powerful Pokémon, she couldn't think of any way to handle it.
'Lapras won't get hurt… will it?' The thought crept into her mind, worry flickering in her eyes.
On the battlefield, Marvin shared that same concern.
The reason he hesitated to send Lapras out was precisely because he feared it might get caught in Rhyperior's brutal attacks, and suffer serious injuries.
Even though he held Lapras' Poké Ball, ready to recall it at a moment's notice, that didn't ease his mind. What if something went wrong?
Since joining his team, Lapras had never experienced a battle this intense.
But today…
"Laaap-raaasss~"
Lapras lifted its neck and let out a long, melodic cry, drawing Marvin's attention.
Its bright eyes were filled with unwavering determination. It wanted to grow stronger—to fight alongside its Trainer.
Feeling Lapras' resolve, Marvin clenched his fist and shouted.
"Lapras! Use Water Pulse!"
The Water-type move had quadruple effectiveness against Rhyperior's Rock and Ground typing—this was his best shot at turning things around.
Shiro, of course, was fully aware of his intentions.
Quadruple damage from a Water-type attack was the only realistic way Marvin could hurt Rhyperior.
But Shiro wasn't about to let that happen. He had already prepared a countermeasure.
"Rhyperior, Rock Tomb! Build a wall in front!"
"Rrraaahhh!"
With a roar massive chunks of rock shattered and shot up from the ground, merging into a thick, solid wall just before Water Pulse could hit. The wave splashed against the stone barrier and dispersed, leaving the massive Pokémon untouched.
"It blocked it perfectly!" Nessa exclaimed from the sidelines, her expression tense. "This Rhyperior's been trained so well… it can create a defensive stone wall with just a move, stopping Water Pulse like it's nothing…"
Hearing her, Shae, seated at the referee's seat, spoke in her raspy voice.
"That's no ordinary Rhyperior. It's nearly at the peak of the Gym level. Its previous trainer was a Gym-level Rock-type specialist."
It was clear Shae recognized Rhyperior's former trainer, but she didn't seem eager to say more.
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