"But Shiro already used that move once. I saw him raise his hand then. Now, he didn't do anything."
"Not just that. Corviknight's follow-up action is completely different too!"
On the battlefield, Corviknight had climbed higher again, but unlike before, it didn't use Iron Defense or any other move to boost its stats. Instead, it flapped its wings and unleashed an Air Cutter from above.
Meanwhile, Duraludon was still crouched to the ground after using Dragon Tail. It didn't have the ability to dodge.
Numerous blades of wind rained down from the sky like a storm, slicing across its back and leaving a series of fine marks.
Since the Air Cutter was launched from a much closer range this time, it dealt significantly more damage. Even so, it still wasn't enough to break through the Dragon-type's defense.
Flying-type moves were heavily resisted by Steel-types, and Duraludon had excellent base defenses. Although Corviknight had boosted its attack, Air Cutter was a special move, not physical.
Shiro hadn't expected to land a decisive blow with Air Cutter anyway. It was simply meant to cause distraction.
Watching Duraludon pressed to the ground by the barrage of wind blades and unable to stand for the moment, many of the trainers turned their eyes to Bryan, hoping to hear an explanation for Corviknight's seemingly autonomous behavior.
But the old man rubbed his temples, frowning. He couldn't figure it out either.
The previous feints at least had visible hand signals or body movements, but this one, Shiro had done absolutely nothing. It was like he didn't even try to hide it anymore...
Shiro, however, paid no heed to others' confusion. His only goal was to lower Rylan's guard. As for how he gave orders without speaking... it was telepathy, of course. His own psychic power was still very weak, nowhere near strong enough to use that ability. But Unown A could.
The symbol Pokémon stayed close to his side. By acting as a bridge, it used telepathy to connect him and Corviknight, allowing silent command transmission.
Thanks to Unown A's immense psychic strength, there was virtually no delay between them. The instant he formed a thought, Corviknight understood what to do.
Then Shiro shouted:
"Corviknight! Use Quick Attack! Pull back!"
Hearing that, Corviknight seemed to obey. Just as Duraludon lifted its head, the Air Cutter stopped, and the bird made a motion to shoot upward.
Rylan, unwilling to waste any opportunity, quickly yelled, "Duraludon, use Hone Claws!"
Based on their earlier exchanges, where Corviknight always pulled back after approaching, he assumed it would do the same again. He didn't think the opponent was bluffing.
But the true command Shiro sent to Unown A was:
"Use Aerial Ace! Follow up with Power Trip!"
Corviknight ascended in the air, and while everyone thought it was about to retreat, it flipped abruptly and dived in a curved arc.
Under Rylan's stunned gaze, the bird appeared behind Duraludon in an instant, its body glowing with a strange black aura.
Power Trip was a Dark-type move that had no type advantage or disadvantage against Steel or Dragon-types. Its effect: the more the user's stats were boosted, the more powerful the attack became.
With five rounds of stat boosts, Corviknight's Power Trip had reached a terrifying level of damage, rivaling most high-power moves.
"Cooorv!"
A piercing cry echoed, and Duraludon only now turned its head. Before it could finish using Hone Claws, its alloyed, beast-like body was slammed backward by Corviknight's brutal strike.
The blow was so strong that a visible dent appeared on the Dragon-type's metallic shell.
Then, Corviknight smashed it hard into the battlefield's psychic barrier with tremendous force. The entire barrier trembled violently from the impact, as if it might shatter at any second.
"Dura..."
Duraludon was still groaning when both trainers shouted their orders at the same time.
"Corviknight, Steel Wing!"
"Duraludon, Dragon Claw!"
Right after completing Power Trip, Corviknight rose into the air. Its wings turned a dim, steely gray, then came crashing down hard on Duraludon's forehead.
Dazed and badly wounded from the previous collision, the Dragon-type couldn't react in time, and the heavy blows left its head spinning even more.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent. It was as if no one else was present. All eyes locked onto Corviknight and Shiro.
Nobody had expected the bird to gain the upper hand so suddenly. Its actions seemed entirely detached from verbal commands.
Even Raihan clutched the back of his head, baffled. 'What kind of command style is this? Is this the same preplanned misdirection trick using hand signals like before?'
But there was no time to dwell on it. The battle was already reaching its conclusion.
Rylan screamed at the top of his lungs from across the field, "Duraludon! Hurry! Dragon Claw! Dragon Claw!"
His whole body was drenched in sweat from anxiety, breathing heavy and uneven.
On the opposite side, Shiro remained calm as ever.
"Corviknight, use Steel Wing again."
Still dizzy, Duraludon didn't respond to the Dragon Claw command. Feeling the pressure of another incoming strike, it instinctively used Protect based on its past battle experience alongside Raihan.
Currently, Protect was its only option.
Bang! Bang!
Corviknight's wings struck the emerald-green barrier and Shiro waved his hand, signaling the bird to pull back and gain altitude. There was no point wasting energy hitting an unbreakable shield.
"Haa... haa..." Seeing that Duraludon successfully used Protect to block the attacks, Rylan finally breathed a little easier. He then followed up with another command. "Duraludon! Flash Cannon!"
Shiro called out as well, "Corviknight, Iron Defense!"
A few seconds passed as Duraludon finally recovered. The green shield of Protect faded, and it brought its claws together, gathering bluish-gray energy. It aimed straight at the airborne Corviknight.
But the bird Pokémon calmly weaved through the air, dodging the Flash Cannon with ease. Now and then, it would flap its wings and counter with a sharp Air Cutter.
At this point, Duraludon was nothing more than a sitting target. Severely injured, it couldn't maintain high-intensity moves, and there was no way it could outlast Corviknight in a battle of endurance.
Along the edge of the battlefield, the observing trainers looked visibly disappointed. Their sighs spread through the crowd, stirring up waves of discussion.
"Looks like Rylan's going to lose..."
"Not just looks like. He's already lost. He didn't even force out Shiro's third Pokémon."
"Man… a battle of Gym-level Pokémon is something else."
"No wonder he's the hero who saved Stow-on-Side. Shiro really is impressive."
"Of course. He's Spikemuth's number one prodigy!"
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