BANG!!!
Slaking caught Lairon with both arms, but Lairon's Iron Head still landed squarely on his forehead.
However, Slaking barely flinched—he wasn't seriously hurt by the impact. With brute strength, he hoisted Lairon overhead and hurled him away.
"Doraaah!!"
Lairon wasn't used to the feeling of being airborne and crashed hard into the ground.
Even after being thrown twice, he still managed to stay on his feet.
"You're still standing? That's so amazing defense," Norman acknowledged. "But this ends here—Slaking, use Fire Blast!"
"We're not done yet! Stone Edge!" Gary commanded.
Slaking opened his mouth and launched a massive fireball. The flas expanded into a blazing '大'-shaped symbol as they hurtled forward.
Lairon struck the ground with his claws, and jagged stone blades erupted upward.
BOOM!!!
The two moves collided mid-air, causing a powerful explosion. The shockwaves rippled across the battlefield, but they barely affected Lairon—his armored body absorbed the impact.
But before the smoke even cleared, a massive shadow erged through the haze—Slaking ca charging out, his fist glowing with golden fighting energy.
"Protect!" Gary shouted.
Lairon imdiately raised a shimring green shield. Slaking's fist slamd into the barrier, but couldn't break through. Still, Slaking was now right in front of him—Protect would only block one attack.
As the barrier faded, Gary quickly countered, "Iron Head!"
"Hamr Arm!" Norman ordered in response.
WHAM!!
Slaking's powerful arm smashed down onto Lairon's head before he could act, slamming him to the ground.
"Doraaa…"
Lairon let out a groan and collapsed, unconscious.
"Lairon is unable to battle! Slaking wins!" the Gym apprentice declared.
"You did great, Lairon. You really held your ground," Gary said as he returned Lairon to his Poké Ball.
He hadn't expected Lairon to win, only to wear down Slaking and hopefully deal so damage.
"Grovyle, it's your turn!" Gary called as he sent out his final Pokémon.
Great!
[Lv. 35 Grovyle / Elite]
"Oh, Grovyle?" Norman was slightly surprised.
Since Gary's previous two Pokémon hadn't evolved to their final forms, he'd expected the last one to be a fully evolved powerhouse.
But Grovyle was just one level away from evolving—and clearly not to be underestimated.
"Start with Leafage!" Gary commanded.
"Grooo-vyle!!"
Grovyle clapped his hands, summoning a storm of razor-sharp leaves that ford a wall and surged toward Slaking.
"Flathrower!" Norman ordered.
Slaking unleashed a stream of flas that incinerated the leaves instantly—but Grovyle was nowhere to be seen.
"On the left!" Norman warned.
Grovyle had stuck to the wall on the left side of the arena and launched himself at Slaking. A glowing Leaf Blade extended from his arm as he slashed past his opponent.
The two Pokémon crossed paths midair—and Leaf Blade landed cleanly.
"Hamr Arm!"
Slaking countered imdiately, but Grovyle darted away at the last second, leaping up the wall to avoid the attack.
"Flathrower!" Norman ordered again.
Slaking fired more flas at Grovyle.
"Double Team!"
"Grovyle!!"
In an instant, Grovyle split into a dozen clones. They scattered across the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. The battlefield was now filled with Grovyle images—it was impossible to tell which one was real.
Slaking could only fire Flathrower randomly, hoping to hit the true Grovyle.
But Grovyle had already made his move.
From above, the real Grovyle dove down toward Slaking and struck the back of his head with Leaf Blade—a direct hit that sent Slaking staggering forward.
And Grovyle didn't stop there. He quickly created another burst of Leafage and attacked Slaking from behind again.
"TAAK!!"
Slaking roared in frustration and turned around, burning the remaining leaves with flas—but Grovyle had already disappeared again, reusing Double Team to scatter more illusions across the field.
The clones darted around wildly, and Grovyle used the confusion to land another Leaf Blade from a blind spot.
Gary knew better than to use other moves in this mont. If Grovyle paused to charge anything else, Norman might seize the opportunity to counter.
So Gary played it safe—continuous Leaf Blades to chip away at Slaking.
Norman was frustrated. The battlefield was too narrow. The walls were less than two ters from the arena edge, and Grovyle used them to his full advantage.
With walls and a ceiling within reach, Grovyle moved like a ninja through the terrain.
Sceptile might be known as the "King of the Jungle," but Grovyle's agility was proving just as deadly.
It was this sa mobility that helped Ash defeat Norman years ago.
Norman knew then—after this match, he would probably need to renovate the gym and widen the arena significantly.
"Taaak…"
Slaking growled, clearly annoyed. He couldn't land a hit on the nimble Grovyle and didn't know how to respond.
"Slack Off!" Norman finally ordered.
Slaking perked up at the command. With a pleased expression, he lay down on his side, assuming his signature lazy pose.
His wounds began healing rapidly—Slack Off restored a visible portion of his health.
"Now, Dynamic Punch!" Gary launched his decisive move.
All of Grovyle's clones charged Slaking at once.
Slaking, still lying down, had no ti to react.
"Earthquake!" Norman barked.
"TAAK!!"
Slaking slamd his palm onto the ground. A powerful tremor rippled outward, shattering the clones one after another.
"Zhaa!!"
When the dust cleared, only one Grovyle remained—the real one.
Though affected by the tremor, Grovyle powered through the pain, sprinted forward, and launched a glowing fist.
WHAM!!
"Taaak!!"
The punch smashed into Slaking's face, and his body wobbled.
Slaking staggered, dizzy. His eyes swirled as he fell into a confused status.
Norman's eyes widened.
Grovyle knows Dynamic Punch?!
If he'd known that, he would never have risked ordering Slack Off.
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