"Roar!!"
As soon as Dragonite appeared, it exuded an extremely high fighting spirit, evidently fueled by the previous battles with Gyarados and Charizard, laying an excellent foundation of morale for it.
As a Quasi-God Pokémon of the Kanto Region, "Fatty," oh no, Dragonite still had an impressive presence, greeted by a frenzy of cheers as it came on stage.
"Alakazam!"
In front of Natsuhiko, the solemn-looking Alakazam also made its appearance.
Honestly, the pressure it faced was no less than that of Beedrill, but inside, it was very excited.
The reason it is so determined is not just to bear more responsibility and share Natsuhiko's pressure?
Today, the opportunity has arrived!
Moreover, Alakazam is not fighting alone; its psychic power and Natsuhiko's have fully merged together.
Why do Psychic-type Pokémon love to choose superpower users as trainers so much?
Isn't it to enjoy the ability enhancements brought by the fusion of psychic power?
Buzz—
The space around quivered lightly as the azure psychic power fluctuated with Alakazam's thoughts, gently levitating its body into the air.
Rippled pink fields expanded swiftly with it at the center, and the "Psychic Arena" covered the entire battlefield.
No need for excessive communication, the summoning of Pokémon by both sides signified the beginning of the battle.
"Dragonite, Dragon Dance!"
Sticking to the signature move, "Dragon Dance" as the opener.
Evidently, Lance has put a lot of effort during training on this move, "Dragon Dance," so much so that his Pokémon execute it very quickly. Just this fact alone allows one to see the gap between Xiaochun and Lance.
"Alakazam!"
Unmoved by Dragonite's Dragon Dance, Alakazam calmly waved its spoon, and a nearly transparent light shield, resembling glass, wrapped around it.
Reflection Wall!
Although Dragonite's physical attack ability and special attack ability are both strong, the focus is still more on its physical attack. The Reflection Wall can significantly mitigate the threat posed by Dragonite's physical attacks.
If it could force Dragonite to have to use special attack moves, then Alakazam would have gained the upper hand.
Seeing this, one can find that Natsuhiko's lineup arrangement is indeed well thought out.
Togekiss had just evolved and was not yet proficient in mastering crucial moves. Only against opponents like Gyarados, with almost no flying capabilities, does it have a speed advantage. In contrast, when facing Charizard or Dragonite, it lacks such an advantage and becomes very passive.
Additionally, Lance's Dragonite has the trait "Spiritual Power," which is immune to the "Wither" effect caused by moves, essentially causing Togekiss to lose an advantage.
Secondly, Beedrill is at a disadvantage in terms of attributes when facing either Charizard or Dragonite, and among Lance's Pokémon, Dragonite might not be much stronger than Charizard; handling these two is quite challenging.
Fortunately, Beedrill fulfilled the heavy responsibility given by Natsuhiko very well.
Finally, Alakazam under the boost of psychic power might be the only one capable of standing strong against Dragonite, while others, without making changes, would not compare as well.
Initially, the audience didn't quite feel it, but as the attention of the battle kept rising and after Genji came forward to clarify a bit, the audience finally understood the intricacies involved.
It must be said, while Natsuhiko's strength is not as strong as Lance's, reaching this situation owes significantly to the pivotal role of his lineup strategy.
The audience exclaimed, truly a Master Tactician!
Eyes back to the arena.
"Dragonite, approach it with Divine Speed!"
Lance initiated the attack first.
Don't be misled by Dragonite's bulky body and small wings; its flight speed is not slow at all, especially with the boost from the "Dragon Dance."
Choosing such a tactic comes down to Lance's understanding of Natsuhiko.
Lance had watched every single one of Natsuhiko's battles without missing a beat and knew the characteristics of his Pokémon quite well.
Among them, Alakazam belonged to a spatial-type Pokémon, capable of maintaining a distance from enemies through "Instant Movement" at all times and gradually wearing down opponents with long-range attacks.
So, when fighting against Alakazam, one must not allow it to gain such an opportunity entirely; otherwise, even Dragonite would struggle.
But.
Is the tactic Natsuhiko uses with Alakazam only just one?
Natsuhiko's mouth curved slightly.
Whoosh!
Dragonite was extremely fast, and even though "Psychic Arena" suppressed high-priority moves like "Divine Speed," Alakazam couldn't teleport away in time.
But that's okay; it didn't plan to use space to defeat its opponent this time. Its trump card is...
Crackling—
A bit by bit, ice crystals covered Alakazam's hands, slowly forming a fist the size of a sandbag.
Frozen Fist!
Alakazam's inherited move, rarely used but that doesn't mean it can't use it.
And if you look closely, you'll notice that it's not just "Frozen Fist."
Inside the Frozen Fist, Alakazam's hand always tightly held onto the spoon, which was glowing with psychic power that gradually extended from the inside to the outside of the ice crystals, faintly condensing into a sharp, slender blade.
It's the Spirit Blade!
Frozen Fist + Spirit Blade!
Boom!!
Dragonite's robust body crashed into Alakazam's abdomen, lifting it up directly.
Despite the "Reflection Wall" blocking, Dragonite's strength, power, and impact were already substantial, making Alakazam squint in pain.