Chapter 375 · vs. Camerupt!

"Gary is going to win—Mr. Moore only has one Pokémon left!" Max said happily.

"It feels like Gary's still struggling though," May replied.

"Of course. Mr. Moore is a former Elite Four. His battle skills are still top-class," Brock explained.

Ash said nothing but silently wondered—if it were him battling Moore, could he have reached this point?

Especially using only Pokémon caught in the Hoenn region.

Ash asked himself honestly: if he limited himself to his Hoenn Pokémon, he doubted he'd be able to control the battle the way Gary had. Moore's strength would likely suppress him.

"This Gary is incredible... he's actually pushing Grandpa back." Even Flannery was surprised.

Growing up watching Moore battle, Flannery knew his strength well. Most challengers who came to the Lavaridge Gym lost more often than they won.

But Moore remained calm. Even with only one Pokémon left, he knew the battle wasn't over.

"Camerupt, I'm counting on you." Moore tossed his final Poké Ball.

Flash!

[Lv. 35 Camerupt ♂ / Gym]

A massive Camerupt appeared, resembling a volcanic camel. White smoke poured from the two craters on its back, and red-hot magma bubbled inside them.

Ash and the others recognized it immediately. They had seen Camerupt before with Team Magma at Mt. Chimney. They knew how powerful it could be.

Moore was being fair—even now, he didn't send out his Typhlosion. If he had, the Gym battle would've been over instantly.

"Grovyle, strike from the side with Leaf Blade!" Gary commanded.

Relying on its speed, Grovyle quickly closed the distance with Camerupt.

Although Camerupt was bulky, its attack power wasn't slow to respond. It was like a living heavy artillery turret—terrifying when it struck.

"Lava Plume!" Moore ordered.

Camerupt's two peaks erupted with thick white smoke, and a wave of superheated air radiated outward.

"Zah!!"

Grovyle couldn't dodge in time and was engulfed by the Lava Plume.

Gary was shocked. Lava Plume had such a wide area of effect that Grovyle had nowhere to run.

Digging underground wouldn't help either—against a Ground-type like Camerupt, going underground was like walking straight into a trap.

"Camerupt, use Incinerate!" Moore followed up without giving Grovyle time to recover.

Camerupt launched a barrage of fireballs. Grovyle, unable to take them head-on, countered with Solar Beam.

Boom!!

Solar Beam and the fireballs collided, erupting in an explosion that filled the field with smoke.

"Lava Plume again!" Moore called.

Camerupt's blast of hot smoke blew away the smog—but Grovyle was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Where is Grovyle?"

"Where did it go?" May and Max both wondered aloud.

Moore froze for a moment, then quickly called out, "Underground—Bulldoze!"

Camerupt stomped the ground, unleashing a powerful shockwave.

Bang!

Just as Camerupt's foot hit the ground, Grovyle burst out from underground three meters away, narrowly avoiding the eruption point.

"Leaf Blade!"

To dodge the Bulldoze damage, Grovyle leapt into the air, the leaves on its arms merging into twin blades, and slashed down on Camerupt.

Camerupt, slow and heavy, couldn't switch tactics fast enough. The Leaf Blade struck hard, lifting Camerupt slightly off the ground.

"Now—Eruption!" Moore unleashed Camerupt's strongest move.

Barkuu!!

Camerupt's humps exploded with molten lava and flames, filling the entire field with a blazing inferno. Grovyle, still airborne, tried to dodge but was struck by a blast of flaming magma. More fireballs rained down, burying Grovyle beneath them.

When the smoke cleared, Grovyle lay unconscious.

"Grovyle is unable to battle—Camerupt wins!" Flannery announced.

"What was that move just now? It was terrifying!" May said, wide-eyed. It was the first time she'd seen such a devastating attack. If the blast radius had been bigger, it would've been like a natural disaster.

"That was Eruption," Brock explained. "A Fire-type move. The higher the user's health, the stronger the attack."

"What will Gary send out next?" Max wondered.

"I'm not sure, but it'll definitely be another Hoenn Pokémon. At the very least, it won't be another Grass-type," Brock reasoned.

"Really?" May asked doubtfully. "He's already used two Grass-types so far."

"Haha, let's just keep watching," Brock said, not bothering to explain further. Gary had started thinking outside the box lately.

On the battlefield, Gary recalled Grovyle and pulled another Poké Ball from his belt.

"Lairon, your turn." He threw the Poké Ball.

Flash!

[Lv. 37 Lairon ♂ / Elite]

"Lairon?" Ash said, scanning it with his Pokédex.

Pokédex: "Lairon, the Iron Armor Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Aron. It feeds on iron ore and has a rock-hard steel-plated body. It fiercely defends its territory."

"Oh, so that's what Aron evolves into," Ash said, remembering the Aron he saw in Granite Cave near Dewford Town. He hadn't expected it to grow so large.

"You're actually using Lairon?!" Brock was stunned. Gary's choices were baffling him.

"What's wrong with Lairon?" May asked.

"Lairon is a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon. It's extremely weak to Ground-type attacks. Camerupt is part Ground-type and knows Ground moves," Max explained.

"Then Gary's going to lose, right?" May asked.

"Not necessarily," Ash said quietly.

Ash knew Gary well—if he dared to send out Lairon, he must have a plan.

Moore didn't understand Gary's thinking either. Normally, Trainers avoided sending out Pokémon that were weak to the Gym Leader's type. But Gary didn't follow convention. Every one of his Hoenn Pokémon was weak against Moore's Fire-types.

Even Ash had only sent out Treecko, a Pokémon weak to Fire.

"I won't hold back. Camerupt, use Bulldoze!" Moore ordered.

Barkuu!

Camerupt raised its foot and stomped, shaking the entire field with a Ground-type shockwave. Given Lairon's heavy body, dodging was impossible.

"Body Slam!" Gary called out.

To everyone's surprise, Lairon jumped—momentarily escaping the shockwave—and came crashing down from the air, body-first, aiming straight for Camerupt.

Take this—Body Slam!!

Lairon's ability was Heavy Metal, doubling its already massive weight. When combined with Body Slam, the impact was devastating.

Speed is power.

But weight—weight is also power.