Chapter 454: A Duel on a Razor's Edge!
Salamence's dive was met head-on by Old Flame, who braced himself and caught the full force of the attack!
BOOM!!
The deafening explosion shook the stadium! The nearby maintenance staff looked like they were about to cry. The post-match repair work for the field was going to be astronomical…
Ignoring his grievous injuries, Old Flame let out a roar, shoved his opponent away, and spun around, swinging his heavy tail in a powerful arc that slammed into Salamence's head!
The Dragon-type move: Breaking Swipe! It utilized a sweeping motion of the tail to not only deal damage but also disrupt the opponent's stance, causing weakness and a slight daze.
When the physical strength of both combatants has been pushed to the absolute limit, single-mindedly chasing high-power moves becomes less important in a real fight. After all, if one hit isn't an instant knockout, the difference between dealing 99% damage and 88% is negligible.
Forrest's grasp of damage calculation at this peak level was clearly inferior to Arthur's. His own Salamence had not yet reached the power level of this ancient beast.
Arthur's judgment was far more accurate—he knew that a single Dragon Rush wouldn't be enough to take Old Flame down. In that case, the priority wasn't dealing more damage, but seizing the initiative for the next exchange!
Breaking Swipe shattered Salamence's stance, and the direct hit to the head left it momentarily stunned.
"Now! Press the attack!"
Arthur seized the opportunity, his commands coming in rapid succession!
Old Flame roared, lunging forward to deliver a punch that sent Salamence's head reeling. He then immediately back-stepped, predicting that his opponent's head would snap back with a counter-swipe. He created distance just in time to evade the retaliatory claw strike and pivoted smoothly.
CRACK!
Another bone-jarring tail sweep!
In their fully buffed state, even a normal, non-move-enhanced attack packed the punch of a cannonball! The point of impact exploded with a visible shockwave of air!
The aged Salamence was sent flying, hurtling dozens of meters back before it could spread its wings and stabilize.
It was at this moment that Forrest finally proved his worth as a Trainer, spotting Old Flame's follow-up attack before Salamence could.
"Drop fast! Duck and evade!"
Salamence instantly folded its wings and plummeted. The moment it landed, it felt a razor-sharp chill slice through the air just above its head, sending a cold sweat down its spine. It was the pursuing Old Flame's claws, tearing through the sky!
Damn it! the aged Salamence cursed inwardly. My old rival isn't holding anything back! And who the hell said a Charizard his age was 'old'?! He's still a complete monster!
But this thrilling, life-or-death moment also reawakened the hot-blooded battle spirit that had long lay dormant within the ancient dragon.
"ROAR!!"
This is how a real battle should feel!
Meanwhile, the commentators were completely awestruck. Both Pokémon had stacked at least three layers of Dragon Dance, their speed becoming a blur of motion, like lightning. Their eyes could barely keep up, let alone provide a play-by-play! The sheer pace of the offense and defense far exceeded the standards of a typical professional match, leaving them tongue-tied.
But even without commentary, a battle of this caliber was electrifying. Just listening to the sharp, piercing shrieks of the air being torn asunder by the two dragons was enough to get anyone's blood pumping!
Back in the lounge, the members of the Blaze Team were sucking in sharp breaths as they watched the broadcast.
One of them said pitifully, "Oh my god… I don't think my Pokémon would last a single second out there!"
His teammate finally found the perfect chance to roast him. "Be more confident. You can drop the 'I think'."
Fully buffed, Old Flame and Salamence had truly reached the point where their basic attacks were as strong as special moves. Every claw and tail swipe was devastatingly powerful. Any missed attack that hit the field blew a massive crater in the ground!
The crowd's screams were incessant! This explosive visual feast was just too exhilarating!
Thanks to winning the initiative in the opening exchange, Old Flame had been relentlessly pressuring Salamence in the subsequent physical brawl. Furthermore, the cooldown on Breaking Swipe was shorter than that of Dragon Rush.
But it was here that Forrest finally demonstrated his professional expertise as a top-tier Trainer, his timing impeccable.
"Senior, take this next hit and create some distance! Ascend quickly!"
Anticipating that Old Flame's move was about to come off cooldown, he immediately ordered Salamence to take a hit in order to pull away. At this level of attack power, trying to tank a full-on move could easily result in an instant knockout.
But Arthur once again predicted his opponent's prediction!
"Use Double Team!"
He had guessed his opponent would try to flee. With five stacks of Dragon Dance, Salamence was as fast as a bolt of lightning. Any move without a sure-hit property was likely to be dodged, and pressing the attack at that moment could create an opening. Better to focus on self-improvement!
Old Flame instantly created seven copies of himself, then began weaving and crisscrossing through the air with them, making it impossible for his opponent to pinpoint the real one. In a high-stakes fight like this, even a single hit absorbed by a clone could be a deciding factor!
"Senior, use Heat Wave!"
Salamence's move was off cooldown as well. Forrest was forced to use a wide-area AOE attack to clear the clones.
But this gave Old Flame his chance! The Fire/Dragon-type Mega Charizard X had a double resistance to Fire, and a pure energy-based attack like Heat Wave didn't benefit from Salamence's extreme physical buffs. This attack would not be enough to finish off the already injured Old Flame!
"Pull all the clones in front of you!"
Arthur commanded Old Flame to gather the illusions. The searing blast of wind swept over them, and the shimmering images instantly ignited and exploded into plumes of white smoke.
"Damn it!" Forrest immediately realized his mistake. His opponent was using the smoke from the detonating clones as a visual screen! Double Team could be used like that?!
What terrifying strategic awareness!
The smoke and fire blinded Salamence for a split second. It instinctively began to circle, trying to find Old Flame's position.
Forrest shouted a command, "Ascend, senior! Don't look for him!!"
But it was too late!
When it came to these split-second, life-or-death battles, Arthur's experience was simply far greater. His commands were precise and swift, once again a step ahead of Forrest's!
"One o'clock, front right! Full-speed charge! Grab him and then ascend!"
Old Flame couldn't see through the smoke either, but his Trainer was his eyes. The bond between the man and the dragon, forged through countless battles, had reached a point of perfect, zero-lag synchronicity.
Just as the aged Salamence's instincts screamed danger, Old Flame burst through the smoke and fire, charging straight for him!
Two hundred years ago, Salamence lost because its growth cycle was too slow.
Two hundred years later, he lost because he no longer had the Trainer who knew him best guiding his every move.
Forrest's commands were not bad. But in the end, he was simply outmaneuvered by Arthur's sheer experience.
Once airborne, Old Flame locked onto Salamence, refusing to let him break free. Both of their strengths were now terrifyingly immense, and Old Flame didn't have a clear advantage, but he could certainly hold his opponent in place for a short time.
And a short time was all he needed. The cooldown on Double Team was also very fast.
And then—
"Hold him tight, and use Dragon Rush… straight into the ground!"
All the buffs they had applied were purely for speed and attack. Neither Pokémon had bolstered their defenses. This duel was always a dance on a razor's edge.
Victory and defeat were decided in an instant!
Arthur's calculation was perfect. This Dragon Rush would be the final blow
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