Chapter 105: Savage Claw vs. Tyrant

"Roar!" Tyranitar bellowed loudly, activating its Sand Stream ability. A vast torrent of golden sand erupted from its body, instantly whipping up a raging sandstorm that engulfed the sky.

"What’s happening, meow?" Rue cautiously shielded herself from the swirling dust.

"This is the ability of that Pokémon called Tyranitar—it can summon a sandstorm," Su Yi explained.

He had hoped to catch a glimpse of the Pokémon native to the Paldea region, but instead was immediately confronted by an old acquaintance from the Pokémon battling scene: the cornerstone of sandstorm teams, the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar.

At the same time, Su Yi began to reconsider his earlier assumption that his partner Pokémon might bully the young woman before him.

This Tyranitar was clearly well trained—massive in size, its armor gleaming distinctly, brimming with fighting spirit, its gaze sharp and piercing.

All signs pointed to one thing: the girl named Nemo was a formidable trainer, immensely strong.

From the very start, this battle was unexpectedly intense from every angle.

"Pokémon really do wield such tremendous power, meow!" Rue marveled at the swirling yellow sands, then lowered the cap on her head and put on the goggles attached.

"What a massive sandstorm! Such a fierce Pokémon!" Mary shielded her eyes from the dust but gazed at Tyranitar with shining eyes.

"Fierce Pokémon? Don’t you have one too?" Su Yi teased with a grin.

Nemo was eager: "Let me see your Pokémon already!"

Su Yi took a deep breath. Since she was the one who released Tyranitar first, he wouldn’t hesitate to play dirty.

"Rampardos! Get ready to battle!" Su Yi called out, filled with fighting spirit.

Boom!

The fierce beast, its body rippling with crimson muscles, landed heavily and assumed a battle stance.

"Oh wow! Such a huge and fierce Pokémon!" Nemo gaped in amazement, then pulled out her Rotom Phone and activated the Pokédex function.

"No data found for this Pokémon."

"Another one with no information?" Nemo said in surprise.

Huff!

Rampardos snorted, visibly uncomfortable amidst the raging sandstorm.

"This Pokémon is clearly very strong! Then I won’t hold back—Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Nemo immediately shifted into battle mode.

"Raaah!" Tyranitar roared and slammed its fists into the ground. The earth trembled, and massive blue-glowing jagged rock spikes erupted one by one from the ground, surging forward to impale Rampardos.

"What a magnificent Stone Edge attack!"

Su Yi admired the overwhelming power of the move but commanded without hesitation: "Rampardos, charge!"

"Howl!" Rampardos howled and dashed forward at full speed, heading straight for the incoming Stone Edge.

"Charging straight into the attack?" Nemo frowned in confusion.

As the Stone Edge neared, Su Yi seized the moment and shouted, "Jump!"

Whoosh!

Rampardos flexed its powerful muscles and leapt high into the air above the sandstorm. The Stone Edge passed harmlessly beneath, missing its target.

"Amazing jumping ability!" Nemo exclaimed.

Rampardos was known for its ability to leap high and counter low-flying opponents.

"Now, pounce and use Slash Claw!" Su Yi gestured firmly.

"Howl!" In midair, Rampardos raised its sharp claws, the ten-blade Slash Claw combination gleaming with a ghostly pale light, then arced fiercely downward toward Tyranitar.

Seeing this, Nemo’s blood boiled as she shouted, "Tyranitar! Counter with Dragon Claw!"

"Roar!" Tyranitar roared back fiercely, extending its claws as dragon energy instantly enveloped them, forming two massive glowing dragon claws that met Rampardos’s aerial assault head-on.

Bang!

Dragon Claw collided with Slash Claw in a fierce clash, the shockwaves dispersing the sandstorm to create a brief clear space.

"Roar!" Tyranitar staggered back two steps, while Rampardos was forced to halt its attack and landed hard.

"That Pokémon’s power is truly formidable! Excellent! This is exactly the kind of battle I want!" Nemo grinned broadly, her spirits soaring.

"Such a strong Tyranitar—its power can even match Rampardos," Su Yi marveled, his mood lifting as well.

Nemo commanded again: "Tyranitar, use Dragon Dance!"

"Roar!" Tyranitar stomped the ground fiercely, swinging its claws and roaring loudly. Dragon energy surged through its body, strengthening its speed and physical attack.

"Has it powered up?" Su Yi hesitated briefly. If Rampardos used its Frenzy Mode now, it would become exhausted after three minutes.

This wasn’t an ordinary status effect but a true physical fatigue that required proper rest and nourishment to recover.

Although Frenzy Mode's boost was powerful, using it prematurely might leave them vulnerable if they couldn’t defeat the opponent’s ace quickly.

But Nemo paid no mind to Su Yi’s brief hesitation. Once Dragon Dance finished, she shouted, "Use Earthquake!"

Tyranitar roared and slammed its foot down heavily. A tremendous boom echoed as the entire ground shook violently.

"Rampardos! Keep your balance!" Su Yi ordered.

Rumble, rumble!

The earth convulsed, the terrain heaving and trembling.

Rampardos struggled to maintain its footing but was battered harshly by the tremors.

"Dragon Claw!" Nemo, fully in battle mode, directed Tyranitar to press its relentless assault.

Seizing Rampardos’s unsteady stance, Tyranitar advanced like a heavily armored war machine, its dragon claws gleaming ominously once more.

"Counter with Iron Tail!" Su Yi shouted.

"Howl!" Rampardos twisted its body fiercely, its metal-clad tail whipping out with brutal force.

Bang!

Tyranitar caught the Iron Tail with its Dragon Claw.

With its physical attack boosted, Tyranitar held tightly onto Rampardos’s tail, exerting force while Rampardos roared wildly, gradually drawing it closer.

"Break free and strike back with Slash Claw!"

Rampardos roared fiercely, suddenly twisting to pull its tail free. It then spun around swiftly and slashed at Tyranitar with Slash Claw.

Swoosh!

The Fighting-type Slash Claw tore through Tyranitar’s armor, leaving ten jagged scars.

"Roar!" Tyranitar winced in pain and stepped back, but its eyes blazed with fierce determination.

"Howl!" Rampardos answered with a savage roar, unafraid of that glare.

Nemo clenched her fists excitedly: "This is it! This is the feeling of fighting with all your might! Su Yi, your Pokémon are really amazing!"

Su Yi smiled slightly: "Nemo, your Pokémon are strong too—stronger than I expected, like facing the champion Dande’s team."

"Thanks for the compliment. Next, you’ll have to give it your all too!" Nemo smiled brightly and pumped her fist with vigor.