He knows Pokémon better than me.

"Iron-clawed lobster, use the crab claws to smash it!"

Mary attempted to take the hit head-on.

"Clatter—!"

The iron-clawed lobster roared excitedly, raised its two claws high, and water and bubbles quickly wrapped around them before it fiercely smashed down on the incoming air sand blade!
Clang! Clang!
The first few sand blades were smashed to pieces by the crab claw hammer, and the brownish-yellow sand particles were scattered by the airflow.

However, even with the added benefit of its adaptability, the power of the Crab Claw Hammer was already astonishing enough, and it was unable to completely block these dense air sand blades for a time.

After smashing open two or three channels, a continuous stream of sand blades came slashing down.

Bang Bang Bang!
The iron-clawed lobster was forced back by the sand blade, its red shell bearing numerous slash marks, until finally its entire body was swept away.

Mary frowned and immediately changed tactics:

"Dig a hole!"

The iron-clawed lobster understood, and its two pincers plunged into the ground. With a quick retraction of its body, it burrowed into the earth.

The remaining air sand blades fell to the ground, leaving several conspicuous long marks.

Cibana was not surprised; instead, he laughed loudly:
"They can't escape underground! Desert Dragonfly, use Earthquake!"

The desert dragonfly immediately folded its wings and swooped down, crashing to the ground like a mountain crashing down!

The lower limbs stomped heavily, but the expected massive tremor did not occur.

"Shaao?"

The desert dragonfly made a puzzled sound and looked down.

Its feet sank in as if they were stepping into a swampy beach.

The ground was wet and muddy, with mud and water constantly churning out. The once hard sports field had been transformed into a soft mudflat.

Mary's lips curled into a sly smile:
"That's it, muddy current!"

Suddenly, even more muddy water gushed out from underground!

Splash! Splash!
Muddy water gushed out from the cracks in the ground, splashing mud and sand, some of which even landed on the desert dragonflies.

During its training on Armor Island, one of the Iron Claw Lobster's greatest strengths was its ability to transform hard ground into its preferred damp mudflats.

The desert dragonfly's earthquake attack was immediately weakened by more than half.

Mary pressed her advantage:

"Now! Avalanche!"

Even without emerging from the ground, the iron claw lobster can condense ice rocks in mid-air and smash them at its opponents.

A chill began to gather above the arena.
Cibaner reacted just as quickly, immediately changing his strategy:

"Use ultrasound!"

The antennae on the top of the desert dragonfly's head immediately vibrated, releasing invisible sound waves downwards.

Om-!
The sound waves penetrated the mud and went directly underground.

"Clatter?!"

Underground, the iron claw lobster's head suddenly went into a state of confusion.

Although the ultrasound did not cause any actual damage, it interrupted the avalanche's condensation process on the spot.

What's even more troublesome is—

Ultrasound can also pinpoint its location!
Upon noticing the desert dragonfly's eyes light up, Cibaner immediately seized the opportunity:
"Now! Sonic Blast!!"

This time, the desert dragonfly opened its mouth and emitted a terrifying sonic boom.

A deafening roar—!

The violent sonic waves transformed into semi-transparent shockwaves, piercing through the ground and blasting into the underground!

This type of attack is not afraid of dampness or mud.

The entire stadium trembled violently, and the mud and water on the ground were shaken up.

Crash!

The iron-clawed lobster was violently shaken off the ground, its body tumbling and crashing into the air.

Cibana's voice suddenly rose in pitch:

"Let's settle this once and for all, Sonic Blast!!"

The desert dragonfly opened its mouth again.

This time, the sonic boom that erupted forcibly swept up the surrounding sand and dust.

The yellowish-brown sand grains spread along with the sound waves, merging to form a visible sandstorm shockwave!
Sand and sonic blast!
Boom—!! The terrifying sonic wave struck the iron-clawed lobster head-on, exploding in mid-air.

As countless grains of sand scattered, a piercing roar also spread throughout the stadium, making even those in the audience feel a tightness in their chests.

Boom!
The iron-clawed lobster fell heavily to the ground, its claws hanging limply. After twitching its body, it was unable to get up again.

In the stands, Ash crossed his arms and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Another sandstorm tactic? Interesting!"

This time, sandstorms and sonic booms have been combined.

The sonic boom was already an extremely powerful move, and when combined with the sand and gravel from the sandstorm, its explosive power was increased to another level!
All I can say is that he truly lives up to his reputation as Galar's strongest Gym Leader; he certainly has ideas.

Yuji, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement.

Flygon's use of sandstorms is far more sophisticated than his Dragonite's.

In the center of the arena, the Rotom drone quickly landed, circled the iron claw lobster, and then announced loudly:

"Iron-clawed lobster, incapacitated!"

The situation has reached the point where one of them has fallen.

Mary raised her hand and retracted the Crawdex, whispering a word of comfort through the Poké Ball:
"You've done very well."

Fine beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, and her eyes were serious.

Sure enough, when Mr. Cibaner got serious, the pressure immediately increased.

Just as Mary was about to take out the bandana thug's Poké Ball, she hesitated for a moment and finally switched to another one.

"Let's make the bandana thug the last one to appear."

After all, the air blades from the desert dragonfly were still too dangerous.

boom!
As the red light faded, Marnie's second Pokémon appeared.

This is a humanoid Pokémon, covered in thick, long, blackish-purple fur. It is tall and has a fierce demeanor, with its long fur hanging down in a messy manner, like that of a jungle savage.

Hairy troll!

In terms of attributes, Mary still has the advantage.

"Is it really that different?"

Looking at the opposing team, Cibana's lips twitched.

A pretty little girl released a strangely shaped, hairy troll.
However, he has no time to relax now and launches an attack:

"Fly! Blade of the Air!"

The desert dragonfly flapped its wings and immediately prepared to take off.

Mary spoke almost simultaneously:
"A surprise high-five!"

The hairy troll took a step forward and slammed his thick hand down.

Snapped! !

The crisp sound of clapping echoed across the stadium.

The desert dragonfly's takeoff attempt was abruptly interrupted, leaving it suspended in mid-air.

Both sides immediately entered a high-intensity battle.

"Shaao——!"

The desert dragonfly let out a loud cry and quickly broke free from the stunned state of the high-five attack.

Its wings unfolded again, and it rapidly ascended into the air with the help of the sandstorm's airflow, its diamond-shaped wings flapping forward once more.

Swish swish--!
Several air sand blades shot out.

This time, however, the brownish-yellow sand particles on the surface of the sand blade were noticeably thinner, no longer as coarse and heavy as before.

Mary was overjoyed; it seemed that this annoying sandstorm was finally going to end!

"Long-haired troll, use Light Wall!"

The long-haired troll pushed forward with both hands, and a semi-transparent wall of light immediately rose in front of him.

Whoosh! Bang! Bang!
The air sand blades pierced through the light wall one after another, but their power was greatly weakened. When the remaining slashes landed on the hairy troll, they only made it retreat a few steps.

"Long-haired!"

The hairy troll growled in a low voice, its thick fur whipping wildly in the wind blades, but it managed to withstand the attack. (End of Chapter)