On the battlefield, Arbok and Blastoise faced off against each other.
"This match…"Wallace frowned slightly, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Isn't this from the very first video that spread about Dylan?" Steven recalled quickly."And I think the opponent back then was Red."
After getting to know Dylan, Steven had watched a lot of his recorded battles.
Among them, the famous 'Dylan Vermilion City Battle Video' stood out, with extremely high views and comments.
It was also the earliest widely known tutorial on using Toxic Spikes.
"Right, right! That's the one!"Wallace's eyes lit up as his memory caught up.
"And those pre-battle trash talks too… it's been a long time since we heard those," Wallace said with emotion.
Unknowingly, Dylan's pre-battle "trash talk" had become iconic.
Steven glanced at Wallace, speechless.If you're feeling nostalgic, why don't you challenge Dylan's Gym yourself?
Wouldn't you hear it then?
On the field.
Red licked his slightly dry lips.Standing across from Dylan on the battlefield was, for any Trainer, an indescribable pressure.
Even Red was no exception.
In fact, precisely because he had already fought Dylan twice, the pressure felt even heavier.
But pressure aside—he was even more excited now.
This battle… he had been waiting for it for far too long.
"Arbok."
Dylan called out calmly.
Arbok hissed as its upper body rose slowly, cold eyes staring directly at Blastoise.An invisible sense of oppression spread outward.
Intimidate!
A layer of white light rippled over Blastoise as its Attack was lowered.
"Red, I've assembled the strongest Poison-type team," Dylan said as the corner of his mouth curled upward."Let me see whether you can push me to my limit!"
"Come on! Show me everything you've got!"
"Blastoise! Water Spout!"
Red pressed down the brim of his cap, crimson eyes blazing.
Blastoise let out a low roar as deep-blue water light gathered in the twin cannons on its back.
Water Spout!
A terrifying torrent of water erupted—Blastoise's strongest Water Spout at full HP.
"Sucker Punch!"
A dark glint flashed in Arbok's eyes.Its massive body shot forward like an arrow, skimming past the edge of the Water Spout as it closed the distance at shocking speed.
"Blastoise!"
Red's gaze sharpened.
Blastoise immediately retracted its limbs and head, withdrawing fully into its shell—Withdraw.
Bang!
Arbok's Sucker Punch slammed into the shell, but the damage was minimal.
Thanks to Withdraw, Blastoise's Defense even rose further.
"Thunder Fang!"
Dylan didn't hesitate and continued pressing the attack.
"Hydro Cannon!"
Red reacted instantly.
Electric sparks crackled as Arbok's fangs bit into Blastoise's shell.Golden electricity surged across Blastoise's body—Electric beats Water, and the damage was substantial.
Moreover, Arbok had adjusted its patterns beforehand to boost physical power—its attack strength was very high.
But Blastoise endured the pain.
Its shell began spinning rapidly as blue light flared.
Boom!
As the shell rotated, three Hydro Cannons fired simultaneously, blasting Arbok head-on.
Arbok was sent flying.
"…Hm?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
That method of using Hydro Cannon felt extremely familiar—Ash's Squirtle used to fight exactly like that.
The difference was that Squirtle could only fire one Hydro Cannon from its mouth while spinning.
Blastoise, however, had two cannons and its mouth—three beams at once.
An attack-and-defense integrated technique.
"Blastoise! Surf!"
After forcing Arbok back, Red gave the next command without hesitation.
Blastoise stopped spinning as waves roared into existence.
A massive surge of water lifted Blastoise upward and crashed toward Arbok.
"Dig."
Arbok dove underground just as the wave descended.
Though some water seeped into the tunnel, it hardly mattered.
Notably—Dylan's Arbok could swim and even dive briefly.
"Earthquake!"
Red didn't hesitate.
Back when he first fought Dylan, he hadn't reached his peak yet, and his main Pokémon hadn't even learned Earthquake.
But now?
Every Pokémon that could learn it—had.
"Arbok!"
As Blastoise raised its foot to stomp, the ground behind it suddenly burst open.
A massive cobra erupted from the earth, wrapped in earthen energy—Dig!
Blastoise instantly halted its Earthquake, tilting its body to adjust.
Bang!
The Dig slammed into Blastoise's shell, knocking it off balance.
"Wrap it!""Withdraw!"
In the next instant, Arbok shot forward, coiling tightly around Blastoise.
But Blastoise had already retracted its limbs and head again, its body spinning at extreme speed as it began lifting off the ground.
Blastoise spun so fast that its shape became a blur—like a living top.
Arbok had no choice but to tighten its coils just to avoid being flung away.
"So you're prepared this time?" Dylan chuckled softly.
Clearly, Red had learned from last time.
Back then, Blastoise had been wrapped and then poisoned, falling into a disastrous disadvantage.
This time—Red was ready.
The rotation was insanely fast.
Still not enough to shake it off?
Red frowned slightly—but it didn't matter.
"Blastoise!"
Red shouted.
Blastoise immediately understood.
Its spinning body began descending rapidly—aimed straight at the ground.
"He's going to smash Arbok into the ground!"
Gloria reacted instantly, eyes wide.
"Exactly!" Leon's eyes lit up."At that speed, plus the impact of the fall, it'll hurt like hell!"
"And Blastoise is withdrawn—the one taking the hit will be Arbok! That's brilliant!"
Dylan realized it at the same time.
"Arbok!"
Arbok immediately released its coils.
The immense centrifugal force flung it away, though it still slammed into the ground hard.
Thanks to its preparation, it landed safely—but its head swayed slightly.
That rotation had been way too fast.
"Hydro Cannon!"
Red didn't miss the opening.
Blastoise stopped spinning as two massive water cannons fired straight toward Arbok.
"Dodge!"
Still dizzy, Arbok forced itself to move, barely evading the blasts.
"Earthquake!"
Blastoise slammed down.
Rumble—!
The battlefield shook violently.
The shockwave surged outward, catching Arbok just as it stopped moving.
Arbok hissed in pain—Ground-type damage hit hard.
Fortunately, Blastoise's physical attack wasn't particularly high, and Intimidate had lowered it further.
Still, it was a solid hit.
As the quake ended, Arbok raised its upper body again, staring coldly at Blastoise.
Blastoise answered with an unyielding growl.
The standoff resumed.
"SO STRONG!! Red's Blastoise is insane!!"
Ash jumped up in excitement.
"Indeed—far better than during their first battle," Brock praised sincerely.
"Red's condition today feels abnormally good," Misty tilted her head.
"Did he 'evolve' again after fighting you?" Selene joked nearby.
"…"
Giovanni fell silent.
"That's just how he is," Blue clicked his tongue, arms crossed."The stronger the opponent, the better his condition gets."
Anyone could tell—Red's battle sense, decision-making, reactions, and mental state were all at their peak.
His condition was even better than when he fought Giovanni three days ago.
"Blastoise staying on the field isn't good news for Dylan," Giovanni analyzed calmly."Toxic Spikes can't be set."
Blastoise had Rapid Spin—Toxic Spikes would be useless.
Dylan would have to find a way to remove Blastoise.
"True, but Arbok can't beat Blastoise without something special," Blue shrugged."And landing Toxic isn't easy."
On the field.
"Come back, Arbok."
Dylan decisively recalled it.
Since Red was clearly more cautious this time…
"Toxapex! Ready for battle!"
Toxapex opened its tentacles and landed before Dylan.
The moment Red saw it, his gaze hardened instantly.
He remembered this way too clearly.
This Pokémon…
Was absolutely degenerate.