Chapter 60The way Pokémon judge each other's strength is simple. If it's a first meeting, size comes first, then aura. Once a battle begins, the outcome quickly crifies who holds the upper hand.

  In terms of height and presence, Fmmel stood taller and prouder than the Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus. Years of rigorous training and fierce battles had carved a domineering aura into his being. His strength was undeniable.

  But to the Tyrantrum, Fmmel's ck of bulk—at least compared to its own thickset form—gave it confidence. It had bested many challengers before. Why should this be any different?

  With a guttural howl, the Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus struck first.

  It didn't care for battle etiquette. There were no rules in its world—only winners and losers. A powerful swing of its tail smmed into the cave wall, dislodging boulders and hurling them toward Bziken with a move akin to Rock Slide.

  "Break 'em apart, then Sword Dance," Tetsuya ordered calmly.

  Fmmel’s leg blurred with rapid, precise kicks, shattering the oncoming rocks mid-air. Dust scattered as he pivoted, crossed his arms in front of him, then fred them outward dramatically—an awkward but unmistakable Sword Dance. His energy surged, rising with intensity.

  "Looks like 4.3 seconds. Not bad. Scyther’s training paid off," Tetsuya murmured, calcuting the move’s execution speed. It was a huge improvement from the clumsy, ten-second charge-up Fmmel used to require.

  Tetsuya’s gaze sharpened. "Now, Brick Break."

  Fmmel shot forward, his feet barely touching the ground. Fire-type moves were less effective here—fighting-type techniques were the real damage dealers against this rock and dragon foe.

  Tyrantrum flinched. It had underestimated the Bziken’s speed. It pivoted defensively, swinging its shimmering iron tail toward the approaching threat.

  But Fmmel didn’t slow down. He leapt, powerful legs unching him toward the cave ceiling, evading the strike entirely. The tail smashed into the stone behind him, sending tremors through the cavern.

  From above, Bziken dropped.

  His cws, gleaming with energy, smmed directly into Tyrantrum’s armored shoulder.

  "Boom!"

  The dinosaur howled in pain as it was forced to the ground. It hadn’t expected that kind of force—lean or not, this Bziken hit like a freight train.

  Bziken flexed his cws, wincing slightly. "Hard armor... Should’ve aimed with my feet."

  And then he did. Two quick kicks, downward from above, struck Tyrantrum’s exposed, pale-yellow belly. The Pokémon skidded backward, carving a deep trench in the dirt.

  Tetsuya didn't hesitate. "Low Sweep."

  Another swift kick targeted the Tyrantrum’s left knee.

  "Wham!"

  Tyrantrum groaned, disoriented. The Brick Break had stunned it. The low sweep, with its added power against heavier foes, was devastating. Its massive frame crashed to the ground once more.

  Still, it wasn’t finished.

  Glowing white fists smmed into the floor. The cave quaked violently. Arm Hammer—a risky but well-timed move that could generate an Earthquake effect.

  Tetsuya’s brow arched in surprise. "Clever timing."

  Bziken staggered, struggling to maintain bance on one foot.

  "Rrroaaar!!"

  Tyrantrum pounced forward on all fours, reverting instinctively to its pre-evolved Rhydon movements. For something so big, it moved with shocking agility.

  "Now, use Superpower!" Tetsuya called.

  Fmmel’s eyes snapped open. He pushed off with his standing leg, vaulting backward just in time to dodge the full-body sm.

  Tyrantrum charged into the stone wall, stunned by Bziken’s sudden recovery.

  Back in the day, Earthquake followed by Sm had always worked. The enemy would stumble, and it would deliver the finishing blow. Why had this Bziken been different?

  But before it could answer that question—

  "Boom!"

  Fmmel's Superpower nded, a bone-rattling punch infused with raw force. Tyrantrum slumped, eyes rolling back as consciousness faded.

  Tetsuya stepped forward, tossing a Super Ball. A fsh of red, and the powerful dinosaur vanished into it.

  He stared at the sealed capsule, expression unreadable.

  Did... it not remember him?

  He'd come here for revenge. This Tyrantrum had once been part of a force that wronged him.

  And yet, it looked at him as if seeing a stranger.

  With a sigh, he picked up the ball—and released Tyrantrum once again.

  Tetsuya took out the high-grade medicine he had bought and carefully sprayed it on the most seriously injured parts of the Iron-Armored Tyrantrum—mainly its abdomen and legs. Then, from his backpack, he pulled out a few energy-restoring berries and pced them gently in front of the unconscious Pokemon.

  He quietly retreated behind Gigalith.

  Even though Tyrantrum hadn't resisted being captured by the Ultra Ball—a clear sign that Bziken had indeed bested it in combat—Tetsuya wasn’t about to take any chances. If this powerhouse of a Pokemon woke up in a bad mood, his body wouldn’t survive the wrath.

  Bziken, meanwhile, picked up a Sitrus Berry and started munching with audible satisfaction. That battle had been no joke—Tyrantrum’s defense was incredible.

  Leaning against the sturdy form of Gigalith, Tetsuya waited quietly for Tyrantrum to wake.

  "Pah."

  A few minutes ter, after finishing its berry, Bziken casually tossed the pit at Tyrantrum's armored chest.

  The powerful dinosaur stirred with a grunt, eyes opening in a mixture of shame and irritation.

  "Seriously? Can't a guy rest for a bit?" it seemed to growl.

  With a huff, Tyrantrum began devouring the berries left for it. Despite its foul mood, it wasn't about to turn down a good meal.

  Wild Pokemon, if not under constant threat, usually recovered quite quickly. Truth be told, Tyrantrum had regained consciousness shortly after the medicine was applied, but its pride was too wounded to get up immediately. It had barely nded a hit on Bziken. That stung.

  Tyrantrum had never tasted Sitrus Berries before, but it knew Oran Berries well. Curious about Bziken’s enthusiasm, it stuffed one of the yellow Sitrus Berries into its mouth. The sweet-sour burst was surprisingly pleasant. Its eyes narrowed in satisfaction as strength began returning to its limbs.

  Seeing Tyrantrum focused only on eating and not rampaging, Tetsuya spoke up. "So, what do you think? Convinced?"

  Tyrantrum gave a slight nod. That red fighter—Bziken, was it? Yeah, that one was strong. Real strong.

  In the wild, power ruled. Tyrantrum understood and respected that.

  "Then it's settled," Tyrantrum grunted. "From now on, I'm your Pokemon. Show me the ropes."

  Tetsuya smiled, pleased. One major objective down.

  Once the dinosaur had finished eating and looked fully recovered, Tetsuya asked, "Have you seen one of these before?"

  He tapped his watch and brought up a picture of a Moon Stone.

  Tyrantrum blinked. That rock looked familiar.

  "Oh! Yeah, yeah. I saw a few of those once. Ate one too. Didn’t taste great though."

  Tetsuya winced. That expined why it had no reaction to the Moon Stone earlier. It wasn’t compatible with its evolution path.

  "Let me guess," Tetsuya said dryly. "You stole it from a Nidoking-Nidoqueen pair?"

  Tyrantrum scratched its jaw with a cw. "Yeah. They tried to beat me to a pulp for it. Fought like crazy. But I got one. There were three."

  Tetsuya's heart skipped a beat. Three Moon Stones?

  Minus the one Tyrantrum wasted... there could still be two left.

  His pulse quickened. That was easily worth as much as everything he owned.

  He tried to py it cool. "We should probably go... see if they still have them. For... revenge, right?"

  No sense lying to himself. He definitely wanted those stones.

  He gnced at Tyrantrum. "Lead the way."

  With Tyrantrum taking point, Tetsuya, Bziken, and Gigalith followed closely behind. The group headed toward the den of Nidoking and Nidoqueen.

  As they walked, Tyrantrum asked, "How come that firebird didn’t fall over when I hit the ground so hard?"

  Tetsuya chuckled. "Good question. First, your seismic hammer wasn't quite strong enough. Second, Bziken’s kind of like a bird, and birds are great at keeping their bance. But mostly, we trained for it—jumping, nding, controlling the center of gravity."

  Tyrantrum gave a slow nod. The words were strange, but the tone was full of respect.

  "Xia Mo~!" Bziken shouted cheekily, striking a pose. "It’s easy once you train!"

  The two Pokemon started chatting back and forth, the cave echoing with "Xia Mo~" and "Ao!"

  Tetsuya, trailing behind, raised a hand and sighed. "Keep it down, you two. We're close."

  Despite not sensing anything unusual, both Pokemon quieted down.

  As they drew closer, fewer and fewer wild Pokemon appeared. Gigalith, with its innate connection to rock and its extraordinary senses, suddenly spoke up.

  "Movement ahead. Large Pokemon. Likely our targets."

  "How many?" Tetsuya asked.

  "Six. Two are heavy, likely Nidoking and Nidoqueen. One is airborne, probably a Zubat. Three on the ground—likely two Paras and a Parasect."

  Gigalith’s ability to read vibrations and echo patterns was unmatched. Zubat and Paras gave off familiar rhythms, but it couldn’t be 100% certain about Nidoking and Nidoqueen.

  Tyrantrum growled. It was ready to charge in and pick a fight like it always did.

  Tetsuya considered for a moment, then gave a nod.

  "Do it."

  With thunderous steps, Tyrantrum stomped forward, making no effort to hide.

  "ROAR!"