"Dragon Rush!"
Standing on the drenched battlefield, Lance's sharp eyes locked onto the swiftly charging Dragapult as he gave his order to Dragonair.
The Blizzard attack hadn't been able to stop Dragapult, so there was no point in persisting with it. A shift in tactics was necessary.
Dragonair ceased the Blizzard, its long serpentine body rising rapidly as a violent, draconic aura gathered around it.
Dragon Rush!
The next moment, Dragonair launched itself forward, colliding head-on with Dragapult in midair.
A tremendous shockwave erupted from the impact—so powerful it was nearly tangible—rippling outward in all directions.
The fierce blast of wind that followed scattered the heavy rain for an instant, clearing the sky momentarily with the sheer force of the clash.
But soon, the tide began to turn. Even though Dragonair had attacked from above, it was gradually being overpowered by Dragapult.
Lance's sword-like brows furrowed slightly. He had already anticipated this outcome. After all, Dragonair's Dragon Rush had been used hastily, without much preparation.
Though Dragapult had been worn down somewhat by the Blizzard earlier, its remaining strength still far exceeded that of a Dragonair forced to rush its charge.
Realizing that its opponent's momentum was faltering, Dragapult roared and drove itself harder into the clash, completely breaking through Dragonair's Dragon Rush.
With a thunderous crash, Dragapult slammed directly into Dragonair's body.
Dragonair cried out in pain—after all, the recoil damage from Dragon Rush was considerable.
"Ice Beam!"
As Dragonair plummeted downward, Lance's eyes darkened. Though this was all within his expectations, watching Dragonair lose ground still left a sour taste in his mouth.
Dragonair opened its eyes mid-fall, energy gathering rapidly in its mouth before a shining blue beam shot straight toward Dragapult.
"Dodge it."
Leon frowned slightly. He had originally planned to press his advantage and continue the assault, but Dragonair's counterattack came too quickly.
Forcing Dragapult to take a direct hit from an Ice Beam just to keep attacking would be far too reckless.
Dragapult twisted its body in a blur and narrowly avoided the frozen beam.
"As expected of Lance—finding an opening against him is never easy."
Seeing this exchange, Lucas let out a small laugh. Once you gained an advantage, you had to seize every opportunity to expand it.
That was one of the most effective strategies in Pokémon battles.
In Lucas's eyes, Leon's style was still too cautious.
If he had simply forced Dragapult to endure the Ice Beam and counter with a Dragon Pulse immediately afterward, the trade would have easily been in his favor.
Lance's battle style, on the other hand, was extremely aggressive and forceful—true to the nature of dragons. As a Dragon-type specialist, he perfectly embodied their fierce and relentless spirit.
When battling Lance, the simplest way to hold an advantage was to be even more ferocious than him—overwhelm his Pokémon completely and never give him room to breathe.
Of course, that didn't mean Leon's cautious approach was wrong.
Right now, Dragapult held the upper hand. Preserving its stamina for the long, full-team match ahead was a reasonable and sound strategy.
Still…
Would the battle really allow things to proceed so smoothly?
With Dragapult halting its pursuit, Dragonair quickly regained its balance, the two dragons once again facing each other through the sheets of pouring rain.
"Surf!"
Lance was the first to attack again. In his eyes, there was no such thing as a disadvantage—everything was unfolding just as he had foreseen.
He already knew from Lorelei's intel that Dragapult was Leon's second strongest ace.
If Leon wanted to use Dragapult to turn the tide, how could Lance not have predicted that?
Seismitoad and Aegislash were clearly the sacrificial pawns meant to eliminate his Mega Gyarados, and Lance was well aware of it.
After all, Mega Evolution gave such an overwhelming power boost that even trading two mainstay Pokémon for it would still be worthwhile.
But Lance had his own plans.
Use Dragapult to counterattack? Heh. Dream on.
"Draaa—!"
Dragonair's melodic cry echoed through the downpour as waves surged beneath it.
The next instant, a massive tsunami rose from the ground, towering high into the air before crashing down toward Dragapult.
Surf!
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Ice Beam!"
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he issued his commands.
That towering wave looked terrifying—but it was just that.
However, Lance's voice overlapped with his in perfect synchronization.
The massive wall of water cast Dragapult in shadow as it began gathering a blazing orb of dragon energy in its mouth, preparing to blast a hole straight through the wave—
—but Dragonair moved faster.
Its Ice Beam shot forth, not at Dragapult, but straight at the Surf itself!
Crack—crack—! The sound of freezing water filled the arena as the towering wave began to solidify at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In mere seconds, the once-swirling ocean had turned into an enormous sculpture of ice!
"I see now…"
Leon's eyes sharpened. He understood Lance's intent instantly.
"Draco Meteor!"
He barked his next command as his mind raced at lightning speed.
Dragapult dissipated its charged Dragon Pulse and instead summoned a glowing sphere—one that pulsed with the energy of countless stars—rising into the air.
"Dragon Tail!"
Lance gave his own command calmly. He knew the Draco Meteor couldn't be stopped, but that wasn't the point.
Dragonair rose lightly into the air, then brought its long tail crashing down on the frozen wave.
The ice exploded apart, breaking loose into a colossal avalanche that came roaring forward—straight toward Dragapult!
If that ten-meter wall of ice hit, it would be no joke.
"Dragon Rush!"
Leon's voice hardened, his expression tense. He hadn't expected the fierce and direct Lance to employ such a roundabout, deceptive strategy.
A miscalculation.
The falling ice wasn't the true attack—the real threat was Dragonair, lying in wait just behind it, ready to strike the moment Dragapult broke through.
"Champion Lance… what's he doing? The Draco Meteor's about to hit!"
From the stands, Green frowned in confusion as he watched Dragonair lurking behind the falling ice.
Even if it managed to catch Dragapult by surprise, the meteor attack was about to land as well.
"He's planning to trade blows," Lucas said, shaking his head. "If Dragonair can seriously injure Dragapult in the exchange, then Lance won't consider it a loss."
From this move alone, it was clear—Lance was deliberately forcing a mutual destruction scenario.
Dragapult was incredibly strong; taking it down without some sacrifice was impossible.
Not to mention, Leon still had his true ace—Charizard—waiting in reserve.
"This guy Lance… he's not as straightforward as he looks," Lucas murmured, raising an eyebrow.
Though Lance always appeared calm and cold on the surface, his actual fighting style was surprisingly dirty—full of cunning feints and hidden traps.
Dragonair might not have the same raw power as Dragapult, but its flexibility and adaptability were unmatched among Lance's team.
He could've sent out a stronger Pokémon for a direct clash, but why waste the effort when Dragonair could still put up a fight and wear Dragapult down?
Dragapult excelled at lightning-fast attacks and relentless pressure. Facing such a nimble opponent was always troublesome, and Lance knew it.
Sure enough, the following moments played out exactly as expected.
In a brutal exchange where Lance forced a blow-for-blow battle, the previously unscathed Dragapult ended up taking several solid hits from Dragonair.
Eventually, Leon realized something was wrong and immediately ordered Dragapult to end it—a full-power Dragon Rush that finally took Dragonair down.
"Dragonair is unable to battle! Dragapult wins!"
The referee raised his flags high, declaring the result.
Lance's second Pokémon had fallen.
But Leon wasn't celebrating. Not at all.
Before him, Dragapult was panting heavily, its breath ragged.
If one looked closely, faint traces of frost still clung to its legs—the lingering mark of Dragonair's Blizzard earlier.
For a Pokémon that relied so heavily on speed, maintaining perfect condition was crucial.
And Dragonair had left its mark—it had hurt Dragapult far more than it seemed.
"Your dragon is stronger than I expected," Lance said calmly as he recalled Dragonair.
His tone was as cool as ever, his expression unreadable.
Dragonair's defeat didn't faze him at all. To him, that had only been the second gift in this battle.
The real show was about to begin.
"Of course it's strong," Leon replied confidently. "It'll keep taking down your dragons, one by one."
"Oh?" Lance's lips curved into a sharp, predatory grin. "You sure talk big. I'm looking forward to seeing your face when reality hits."
He plucked a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it high into the air without hesitation.
So, they thought taking down his Dragonair gave them the right to boast, huh?
"Then your next opponent… is this one!"
A burst of white light illuminated the rain-soaked battlefield.
A large, orange, dragon-like Pokémon landed heavily before Lance, the ground trembling beneath its weight.
Its body was thick and powerful, its limbs sturdy, and its wings—small and almost comical compared to its size—fluttered slightly as it growled.
The Indigo Stadium erupted into a deafening roar of excitement.
Because this Pokémon was none other than Dragonite, the pseudo-legendary dragon of Kanto!
And Dragonite wasn't just any Pokémon—it was Lance's signature partner, the symbol of the Dragon Master himself!
It was thanks to Dragonite's overwhelming might that Lance had remained undefeated to this very day!
"Come," Lance said, his grin widening, voice cold and edged with arrogance. "Let me see—how exactly do you plan to defeat this one?"
That proud, icy tone echoed in Leon's ears, sending a chill down his spine.
So… this was his next challenge?
Very well.
He'd show this so-called Dragon Master exactly what a true champion's battle looked like!
Lance, however, simply laughed under his breath, watching his opponent's reaction with amusement.
He wanted to see how this man planned to defeat his invincible fatty… No.3!
The "Fatty Army" of Lance Blackthorn—invincible under the heavens!
Well… except for that annoying cousin of his, of course.
"Dragonite…" Leon muttered, staring at the bulky orange dragon across from him, his brows furrowing deeply for the first time.
This was completely against common sense!
Its expression was gentle, even a little goofy—but the oppressive dragon aura it exuded was terrifyingly immense.
This Dragonite… was incredibly strong!
What the hell?!
Your first Pokémon was a Mega Gyarados, and now your ace Dragonite's already out this early?!
Do you even know how to pace a full six-on-six battle?!
(End of Chapter)