On the battlefield, Barbaracle lunged forward, using its speed to strike first.
Two claws shot out, covered in Razor Shell, pinning down Annihilape's fists.
Immediately after, its other two claws thrust out simultaneously, water condensing into another manifestation of Razor Shell.
However, Barbaracle did not aim for Annihilape's vitals; it only intended to incapacitate the Pokémon.
The moment Barbaracle's Razor Shell struck Annihilape, a red glow enveloped the latter.
Counter activated. Not only did it prevent Annihilape from falling to the offensive, but it also hurled double the power of the Razor Shell back at Barbaracle.
The red light solidified into a beam, blasting Barbaracle backward.
Charging out instantly, Annihilape's Rage Fist flew straight toward Barbaracle's chest. However, it did not follow through, instead allowing Bowen to recall Barbaracle into its Poké Ball.
"My Barbaracle has lost. Next, I send out my ace—Hydreigon!"
Frankly admitting his defeat, Bowen released his second Leader Rank Pokémon.
A dragon's pressure diffused alongside the aura of a Leader Rank, making Annihilape feel a sudden twinge of envy toward Charizard.
Although Annihilape badly wanted to fight Hydreigon, it followed the prior agreement and obediently returned to its Poké Ball, allowing Charizard to take the stage.
There was no need for the trainers to offer words of encouragement.
The moment they locked eyes, a surging fighting spirit erupted from both Charizard and Hydreigon.
"Flamethrower!"
"Dragon Pulse!"
As the commands rang out, Charizard and Hydreigon launched their attacks simultaneously.
Raging flames collided with a dragon-shaped wave of energy, exploding instantly.
Immediately after, Charizard accelerated, flames flickering across its body.
"Hydreigon, Tri Attack!"
"Avoid it with Dragon Dance!"
Flapping its wings, Charizard used its graceful movements to easily evade the strafing fire of Tri Attack.
Bowen countered by having Hydreigon accelerate before unleashing Hyper Voice.
Hydreigon's hands were unique, being two dragon heads identical to its primary one. This allowed the range of its Hyper Voice to be exceptionally wide, leaving Charizard with nowhere to hide.
Flames swirled as scorching heat burst forth; a Fire Blast intercepted the shockwave of the Hyper Voice for Charizard.
Yet, as the flames dissipated, Hydreigon used Body Slam to swoop down upon Charizard.
"Flare Blitz!"
Without dodging, Gu Yuan chose to tank the hit.
Scalding flames enveloped Charizard, turning it into a literal meteor that slammed directly into Hydreigon, sending it flying.
"Dragon Rush!"
"Dragon Rush!"
Gu Yuan seized the opportunity to order a follow-up Dragon Rush, but Bowen reacted instantly, ordering an identical counterattack.
Dragon energy condensed. In the next moment, the audience saw two massive dragons collide. They remained locked until the center of the impact could no longer contain the power and exploded, forcing the two Pokémon apart.
But this was merely the horn sounding for the next clash.
"Outrage! Dragon Rush!" X2
The commands echoed. Both Gu Yuan and Bowen were now fully immersed in the joy of battle.
In this state, there was no thought of dodging; only a fist-to-flesh offensive constituted "manly romance."
Outrage activated. Feeling the immense power within their bodies, Charizard and Hydreigon once again unleashed Dragon Rush to charge at one another.
"Roar!"
A deafening dragon's roar rang out, causing the spectators in the stadium to feel the ripples of the dragon's pressure.
Twisting their bodies, the two great dragons began a dogfight in the sky above the arena.
The collision of these two behemoths tugged at everyone's heartstrings.
Through repeated clashes, the dragons formed from energy began to shatter and scales began to fall, but the only thing that remained unaffected was the ever-rising fighting spirit of Charizard and Hydreigon.
"Bang!"
A dull thud sounded. In yet another collision, the power of Dragon Rush was completely exhausted, but Charizard and Hydreigon took the opportunity to grapple with one another.
Dragon Claw struck, Dragon Breath sprayed, and dragon roars thundered. It was as if two true dragons were locked in a death struggle.
From the sky to the ground, the entire area became their battlefield.
At this moment, Charizard and Hydreigon saw only their opponent, having long forgotten everything else.
Whether it was the Dragon-type Hydreigon or Charizard with its dragon bloodline, both had ignited a dragon's primal desire for victory.
Striking one last blow against each other, Charizard and Hydreigon finally pulled apart.
Only then did the audience snap out of the trance induced by the fierce battle, erupting into ear-splitting cheers.
To Charizard and Hydreigon, however, this was merely the signal for the final act.
"I didn't expect your Charizard to be this strong!"
At this moment, Bowen truly admired Gu Yuan's strength.
His Hydreigon was a pseudo-legendary, yet the opponent's Charizard could fight it to this extent without falling behind. That spoke volumes.
"You're not bad either. Now, it's time to settle this."
"I'd be happy to!"
"Hydreigon, Draco Meteor!"
"Charizard, Blast Burn!"
During the accumulated exhaustion of the battle, Charizard's Blaze ability had triggered.
Mobilizing every ounce of its strength, Hydreigon unleashed the strongest Dragon-type move: Draco Meteor.
Meteorites streaked across the sky, falling toward Charizard.
Scorching flames condensed and then erupted as a pillar of fire.
During its charge, the fire pillar continuously exploded and expanded. By the time it was about to collide with the Draco Meteor, it had transformed into a sea of flames.
Billowing heatwaves rolled out, spreading frantically in all directions.
Despite this, the spectators kept their eyes glued to the final collision, desperate to know the victor.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions rang out continuously. Scattered flames and explosive shocks soon swallowed the entire battlefield, including Charizard and Hydreigon, until everything went silent.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the flames to dissipate and the final victor to appear.
Under the gaze of ten thousand eyes, the flames were like a coquettish beauty slowly lifting her veil, until the full view of the battlefield was revealed.
Charizard and Hydreigon stood simultaneously on the ruined, unrecognizable ground.
In a silent standoff, Hydreigon was ultimately the first to lose its strength and collapse. The victor had emerged.
With Hydreigon incapacitated, Bowen was left with only one Ace Rank Pokémon; the result was self-evident.
At this moment, Bowen couldn't help but feel a bit dejected—dejected that he didn't have a third Leader Rank Pokémon to fight Gu Yuan to his heart's content.
But regardless of what Bowen thought, the battle was over, ending in victory for the Kanto League.