"Showtime—Dragapult!"
Even though he had already fallen behind by two Pokémon, Leon didn't panic. His eyes remained calm and sharp as he threw out his third Poké Ball.
A flash of white light burst across the battlefield, and a chilling green Pokémon emerged, its aura cold and ghostly, silently floating before Leon.
Its head was shaped like a strange, snake-like triangle, with four cannon-like holes on the extended sides. Its body stretched over three meters long, gradually turning transparent toward its tail, and its clawed hands hung loosely at its sides.
It was none other than the Dragon/Ghost-type pseudo-legendary of Galar—Dragapult!
"Not bad," Lance muttered, giving a small approving nod as he examined Dragapult from head to tail.
Though he was proud by nature, Lance always gave credit where it was due. Strong was strong, weak was weak. And this Dragapult was absolutely worthy of its pseudo-legendary title—it was an exceptional specimen.
With his dragon force, Lance could feel it clearly.
"Leon's about to start fighting back," Lucas said softly, narrowing his eyes slightly as he studied the ghostly aura surrounding Dragapult.
No doubt about it—this Dragapult was one of Leon's trump cards, a true ace in his main team.
Mega Gyarados had already performed spectacularly, managing to take down two of Leon's core Pokémon.
But Leon had never once lost his composure. Why?
Because Mega Gyarados's dominance came from its Mega Evolution—and that transformation had already been proven to be a one-time deal.
Though the reason still wasn't fully understood, the fact remained: a Trainer couldn't Mega Evolve two Pokémon within a short period of time.
So once Mega Gyarados was defeated, Lance would lose the ability to use another Mega Evolution in this battle. That was why Leon remained calm, even after losing two of his key Pokémon.
Now that Gyarados was near its limit, summoning Dragapult was the signal for his counterattack!
"Dragapult, use Dragon Darts!"
Without hesitation, Leon gave his command.
Dragapult's cold, serpentine eyes locked sharply onto Mega Gyarados, and its spectral form shot forward with incredible speed.
At the same time, from the cannons on its horns, two energy-formed Dreepy shot out at blinding speed—Dragon Darts, Dragapult's signature move!
"Hmph. Petty tricks. Gyarados!"
Even as the projectiles closed in, Lance's cold, confident expression didn't waver.
Mega Gyarados let out a thunderous roar, coiling its massive tail as water surged around it, then swung it in a powerful arc—instantly smashing the incoming Dreepy out of the air with Aqua Tail!
Even in its battered state, Mega Gyarados's strength was still terrifying.
"Blizzard!" Lance barked sharply.
To him, the best defense was an overwhelming offense!
Mega Gyarados opened its jaws wide, and a torrent of icy wind and snow burst forth, engulfing the entire arena in a freezing storm.
"Dragon Rush!"
Leon's eyes glinted sharply. Though Mega Gyarados's Special Attack wasn't high, Ice-type moves still held a clear advantage against dragons.
Dragapult's triangular pupils flashed with ghostly light as its body accelerated again—its already blinding speed climbing even higher.
Before the audience could react, a streak of eerie green light tore through the sky—Dragapult had already appeared behind and above Mega Gyarados!
Its speed was unbelievable!
Without slowing down for even a heartbeat, Dragapult's entire body flared with draconic energy, forming the shape of a raging azure dragon before it hurled itself straight at Mega Gyarados.
Dragon Rush!
"Don't get cocky—Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"
Lance's voice dropped to a low, commanding growl as his eyes chilled.
Mega Gyarados roared furiously, lifting its massive tail and swinging it toward the incoming Dragapult.
BOOM!
Dragon Rush vs Aqua Tail!
The impact released a violent shockwave that swept across the arena. Mega Gyarados's ferocious face twisted as it forced every ounce of remaining strength to overpower Dragapult—but its condition was already far from good.
"Dragapult!"
Leon's shout rang out across the stadium. Dragapult's cold gaze sharpened even more, and with a swift burst of movement, it slipped past Gyarados's tail, ramming its glowing draconic form straight into Gyarados's chin!
A guttural roar of pain ripped through the air as Mega Gyarados's colossal body was thrown backward, crashing into the ground with a deafening thud.
When the dust finally cleared, what appeared before everyone was Gyarados—no longer in its Mega form.
"Gyarados is unable to battle. Dragapult wins!"
The referee, after a quick inspection, raised his flag and announced the result.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the arena erupted in cheers—some from Galar fans, others simply excited by the incredible battle they had just witnessed.
"Phew… finally, we brought one down," Raihan exhaled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
No matter how confident he was, seeing that monstrous Gyarados take down two of Leon's Pokémon in a row had left his heart sinking into ice.
And it wasn't just him—most of the Galar audience had felt the same.
Losing two main Pokémon right at the start? That was practically a disaster.
But now, at least, there was a glimmer of relief—Mega Gyarados had fallen!
"That Dragapult's speed was insane," Green exclaimed in awe, her eyes wide as she watched the eerie dragon hover quietly in the rain.
"Speed is Dragapult's greatest weapon," Lucas explained calmly, his eyes flickering thoughtfully. "Among all pseudo-legendaries, it's the fastest by far."
Dragapult might look eerie and unconventional, but there was no denying its sheer strength.
In the games, it boasted stellar Attack stats, a staggering 142 base Speed, and a unique Dragon-type signature move. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Dragapult could easily be considered the strongest pseudo-legendary.
Unfortunately, it had one rather embarrassing flaw…
Just like Dragonite, Dragapult had neither Mega Evolution nor Gigantamax.
Well, what can you do? After all, Charizard is the favorite child. Even pseudo-legendaries have to make room for daddy's spotlight.
Didn't we already see Ash's Greninja lose to Leon's Gigantamax Charizard? If Dragapult had to give up the limelight for Leon's Charizard, so what?
No problem at all!
"This Dragapult might give Lance's team some real trouble," Lucas murmured, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the ghostly dragon float silently above the field.
With both incredible attack power and unmatched speed, this Pokémon was undoubtedly troublesome. It all depended on how Lance chose to handle it.
On the field, Lance—who had just recalled Gyarados—finally showed the first hint of a shift in his expression.
"To fight dragons… you need a dragon."
The corners of his lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile as he threw his next Poké Ball.
"Dragonair!"
A burst of white light revealed a beautiful, slender Dragonair gracefully floating in midair—one of Lance's two signature Dragonair!
"Dragonair, huh?" Leon murmured cautiously. He knew well that Dragonair was one of Lance's main Pokémon.
Naturally, he had to tread carefully.
"Dragonair, summon the storm!" Lance commanded.
Dragonair's special ability—to manipulate weather itself!
"Draa~"
Its melodious cry echoed through the Indigo Plateau stadium, and in an instant, the once-clear sky darkened.
Thick black clouds rolled in, and within moments, sheets of heavy rain poured down, drenching the battlefield.
A torrential downpour!
"So not a hailstorm, huh? I guess even he doesn't want to restrict himself too much," Leon muttered, unfazed by the rain, gazing through the curtain of water at the elegant Dragonair.
He had no intention of changing the weather, since Dragonair could easily restore the rain at will.
Normally, switching to a hailstorm could have slowed Dragapult's speed and worked to Leon's advantage… but this was still a dragon-type battle. The fierce wind and hail would hinder Dragapult's speed—but it would cripple Lance's own dragons even more.
So clearly, Lance had no plans to change the weather.
It made sense. As a Dragon-type specialist, a hailstorm would hurt him far more than it helped.
"Agility!"
Lance's command was swift.
Even though Mega Gyarados had fallen, he'd learned plenty about Dragapult during that fight.
Its speed was tremendous—but Lance wasn't the kind of man to underestimate an opponent's strength.
Otherwise, he would never have earned the title "Indigo's Invincible Dragon Master."
Dragonair arched its body gracefully, moving faster and faster, the flow of its movements growing sharper and smoother until its speed noticeably increased.
"Dragon Darts!"
Leon attacked again without hesitation.
Dragapult darted forward, firing two glowing Dreepy projectiles straight at Dragonair.
"Blizzard!"
A cold, predatory grin curled across Lance's lips.
Dragonair halted its movement and unleashed a furious storm of snow and ice that swallowed the entire field, roaring straight toward Dragapult.
The ferocity of this blizzard far surpassed even Mega Gyarados's earlier attempt.
The falling rain instantly froze under the assault, turning into tiny shards of ice that rained down like glass.
"So, the moisture in the rain really does amplify the freezing power… but still…"
Leon's tone remained calm. Water and ice were two sides of the same coin, and while the rain wasn't as effective as a full hailstorm, it definitely made Ice-type moves hit harder.
But his Dragapult wasn't going down that easily!
With a swift dive, Dragapult evaded the brunt of the storm, streaking toward Dragonair like a phantom bullet.
"You think the same trick will work on my Dragonair? Too naive," Lance sneered coldly.
He hadn't forgotten that Mega Gyarados was taken down by Dragapult's sheer speed—there was no way he'd fall for that again.
"Dragonair!"
Dragonair's jewel-like eyes locked onto Dragapult's position, and in an instant, the raging blizzard twisted midair, redirecting its fury straight toward the ghost dragon.
It lacked Gyarados's raw might, but in perception and agility, Dragonair was far superior!
"Dragon Rush!"
Leon didn't flinch, commanding with steady resolve.
If stealth wouldn't work—then they'd meet head-on!
Dragapult let out a low growl, its body flaring with bright turquoise aura that took the form of a savage dragon before it launched forward through the blinding storm.
Dragon Rush!
The draconic figure pierced through the snow and ice, charging directly toward Dragonair.
"Leon's style of battle really is also ferocious," Green muttered, her eyes wide as she watched the ghost dragon power through the raging blizzard. Even with Dragon Rush's aura shielding it, Dragapult was still taking heavy damage.
"Analyzing the situation and making the best possible call—that's the mark of a great Trainer," Marnie said softly. To her, Leon's strategy made perfect sense.
"Tch. Whatever. Lance is definitely going to win," Green replied, glancing sideways at Marnie with a smirk.
"We'll see about that."
As a Galar Trainer, Marnie naturally leaned toward Leon.
Green, on the other hand, was firmly in Lance's camp.
And just like that, the friendly tension between the two girls deepened—the kind of rivalry only close friends could have.
"Dragonair's having a hard time… or maybe this is all part of a setup," Lucas mused quietly, tapping his chin.
Lance's Dragonair was at its strongest when working in tandem with his other Pokémon. On its own, taking down Dragapult wouldn't be easy.
It made him wonder—just what was Lance planning next?
(End of Chapter)