"Heh—what a true Dragonite fanatic."
In a corner of the venue, Giovanni, wearing a black bowler hat, let out a faint chuckle. His calm smile carried a hint of mockery.
No matter how one looked at it, Lance simply had far too many Dragonites.
Of course, there was no denying that Dragonite itself was incredibly powerful.
"If he were to run into a trainer of the same level who specializes in Ice-types, this guy wouldn't even know where to cry," Archer, who was likewise disguised beside Giovanni, snorted coldly.
Archer had never liked Lance to begin with. Back then, Lance had chased Team Rocket like a rabid dog, biting down relentlessly without ever letting go.
Still, even Archer had to admit that Lance's strength was terrifying. Even the boss he revered most wouldn't dare claim absolute confidence in defeating Lance.
The so-called "Fat Dragonite Legion" was often joked about by others, but…
Dragonite really was damn strong.
That said, it didn't stop Archer from mocking him a little. After all, as far as Archer knew, there wasn't a single Ice-type trainer in the world capable of matching Lance head-on.
Otherwise, would Lance really be acting so arrogantly?
With a four-times weakness to Ice, an Ice-type team could theoretically crush Lance's Dragonite army—but that was only if the Ice-type trainer's overall level was comparable to Lance's.
Under a pure difference in strength, even an Ice-type Champion like Lorelei simply wasn't a match for Lance.
Type advantage was certainly effective, but trying to rely on type advantage alone to leapfrog levels in real combat was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"Another Dragonite, huh."
Lucas gazed at the Dragonite before him, clearly sensing the overwhelming presence it exuded.
This was Lance's ace Dragonite.
It was coming out this early? Was he trying to use his trump card to turn the tide?
"In that case…"
Lucas recalled his Rhyperior. After the previous battle, although Rhyperior had performed extremely well, its condition was already far from ideal.
Forcing it to fight Dragonite might still deal some damage, but defeat would be inevitable in the end.
"Dragonair! Prepare for battle!"
Lucas threw a new Poké Ball.
The ball opened in midair, white light flashing as a beautiful, serpentine Pokémon let out a gentle cry and appeared.
It was none other than Lucas's shiny Dragonair!
"Oh—A shiny Dragonair."
Professor Oak's eyes lit up at the sight. Shiny pseudo-legendaries were extremely rare.
And to think Lucas was using Dragonair against Dragonite!
Everyone knew that Dragonite was Dragonair's evolved form.
"Now this is going to be interesting."
Blue watched the two Pokémon facing off with great interest. He had personally experienced the strength of Lucas's Dragonair.
Back in Saffron City, even his ace Blastoise had been completely suppressed and battered by this very Dragonair. Its strength was unquestionable.
As for Lance's ace Dragonite, Blue had also fought it before in Vermilion City, it was just as terrifying.
And now, these two Pokémon of the same line were facing each other: one evolved, one not.
Very interesting indeed.
The audience, too, was buzzing with excitement. Although this wasn't some long-standing grudge match, battles with such strong narrative weight naturally stirred people's emotions.
"Dragonair?"
Lance's eyes sharpened slightly. Of course, he was no stranger to Dragonair.
Moreover, he had already fought Lucas's Dragonair before—they could be considered old opponents.
"Lance, you should know this already," Lucas said with a faint smile, his gaze filled with nostalgia as he looked at Dragonair.
"This was a gift my father gave me when I was young, my very first Pokémon."
"In the blink of an eye, it's been by my side for ten years now. Even though I now have many Pokémon stronger than Dragonair, its meaning to me is irreplaceable."
"It is my first dragon."
Lance's expression didn't change, but his eyes unconsciously drifted toward his Dragonite.
Yes. For dragon trainers like them, the significance of one's first dragon was beyond special.
"Cousin, your rise to fame began with Dragonite," Lucas continued, his gentle smile carrying a sharp edge of provocation.
"So today, let my Dragonair experience the Dragonite that carried you to the very peak of Championhood."
"Interesting."
Lance raised an eyebrow.
"Lucas, I admit you may surpass me in other aspects," Lance said bluntly.
"But I can tell you this straight—no one understands Dragonite and Dragonair better than I, the Dragon Master, Lance Blackthorn!"
He lifted his chin slightly, arrogance and ferocity flashing across his face as his words rang through the stadium.
Wild.
Utterly wild.
Yet no one could deny that Lance had the right to be arrogant.
Even Giovanni and his Team Rocket subordinates who disliked Lance had to admit this much.
When people thought of Dragonite, who did they think of?
Lance Blackthorn.
And within Lance's Dragon legion, Dragonite and Dragonair made up the largest numbers.
"Cousin, empty bravado only exposes one's weakness. Don't you think?" Lucas shrugged casually, clearly unimpressed by the provocation.
"Hmph! My dear cousin, then I'll show you properly."
Lance snorted. Was this kid saying he was just showing off?
What a joke. When it came to Dragonite, who could claim greater mastery than him?
He was the true Dragonite King.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it," Lucas replied with a light smile.
"Dragonair!"
"Woo~"
At Lucas's command, Dragonair rose gracefully into the air. The orb at its neck shimmered with mysterious light as its melodious cry echoed across the sky.
Dark clouds layered upon one another, instantly enveloping the entire Silver Arena. A torrential downpour followed, rain cascading from the heavens as the world was swallowed by a curtain of water.
In the blink of an eye, bright sunshine was replaced by a raging storm.
Dragonair's special ability—changing the weather.
Under the gray rain-soaked sky, the pink, slender Dragonair glowed faintly, mysterious and breathtakingly beautiful.
"Rain, huh?"
Lance wasn't surprised at all. For Dragonair, altering the weather was almost instinctual.
He had no intention of contesting the weather. After all, this was rain, not hail and it had little real impact on Dragonite.
A snowstorm was something Dragonair couldn't create anyway. Although Dragonair wasn't Flying-type and didn't suffer a four-times Ice weakness, it was still a Dragon-type Pokémon and wouldn't adapt well to icy conditions.
With the rain falling, it also signaled that the battle was about to begin.
"Dragonair versus Dragonite—oh, this is way too exciting!"
"It is, but is this really okay? Dragonite is Dragonair's evolution, after all."
"Evolution doesn't mean guaranteed superiority. Anyone saying that is just an evolution-theory trainer."
"That may be true, but evolution does bring greater power—and that's Lance's Dragonite!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Lance's Dragonite is strong, sure, but would Lucas's Dragonair be weak? His strength has already been proven, and it's a shiny Dragonair at that!"
"Enough chatter—bets are open! Pick your side!"
"Waaah, shiny Dragonair is so pretty… I want one too!"
Whispers, debates, and arguments echoed through the stands, while the forums online exploded with activity.
Yet everyone's eyes were locked firmly onto the battlefield. The anticipation for this Dragonair versus Dragonite match was no less than the previous two battles.
Inside the arena, neither trainer was affected by the outside noise.
"Dragonite, Dragon Dance!" Lance commanded.
Dragon Dance would boost both speed and attack, allowing Dragonite to exert overwhelming pressure.
Generally speaking, Dragonite's physical stats were unquestionably superior to Dragonair's—Lance was certain of that.
But a Pokémon's strength wasn't determined by species alone. Lance himself trained multiple Dragonair; he knew this better than anyone.
Moreover…
He remembered the Lake of Rage, where a Swinub and a Delibird had beaten Shadow Lugia into submission.
Some Pokémon could no longer be defined by species alone.
And Lance knew well that Lucas's Dragonair was no weaker than his own Dragonite.
"Trying to set up? I won't let you have it so easily."
Lucas fixed his gaze on Dragonite as it ascended into the air, following ancient, mysterious patterns.
"Thunder!"
Dragonair's ethereal dragon cry rang out. Lightning flashed wildly within the rain clouds, briefly illuminating the darkened sky.
A bolt of golden lightning tore through the air and struck toward Dragonite at incredible speed.
"So fast!"
That thought arose simultaneously in countless minds.
There was almost no charge-up at all. Before Dragonair's cry had even finished, Thunder had already fallen.
"Dragonite, Dragon Claw!"
Lance remained calm.
The moment Thunder appeared, Dragonite stopped its Dragon Dance and lunged toward Dragonair, narrowly evading the lightning strike.
"Blizzard!" Lucas's eyes never left Dragonite.
Dragonair retreated to maintain distance, icy breath gathering in its mouth as a terrifying snowstorm erupted, blotting out the sky.
The pouring rain froze into icy pellets midair.
"Hurricane!"
Dragonite halted, its small wings beating furiously as a ferocious gale surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield.
Hurricane and Blizzard collided violently in midair.
The two storms clashed repeatedly before exploding apart, shockwaves ripping outward.
But at that moment, within the rain clouds above Dragonite, golden lightning began to flash once more.
"Dragonite!" Lance shouted sharply, instantly noticing.
A massive lightning pillar descended from the heavens—Thunder!
Dragonite dove at extreme speed. In the dim environment, its movements were astonishingly fast, the orange blur nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
"Is Lucas's Dragonair specialized in special attacks?" Iris blinked, feeling a bit helpless as she watched Dragonite fail to close the distance, constantly being kept at bay by ranged attacks.
"It's impossible. This Dragonair should be well-rounded—Dragonair doesn't specialize purely in special or physical attacks."
"It's just that after evolving, Dragonite truly excels at brute-force combat."
Raihan shook his head immediately, eyes fixed on the elegant, dreamlike Dragonair within the rain.
As a Dragon-type Champion, even though Raihan didn't use Dragonite himself, he knew it very well.
Dragonite was a master of physical attacks—but Dragonair wasn't limited in the same way.
Compared relatively, Dragonair's physical attacks might indeed be slightly stronger than its special attacks, but only slightly.
And more importantly—
Raihan remembered Lucas's Dragonair vividly.
This was the very Dragonair that had utterly dominated his two main Pokémon in close combat. How could it possibly be a special-attacks-only Pokémon?
"I know that," Iris pouted. "It's just that this battle style isn't what I was expecting."
"The battle has only just begun," Leon said with a light smile. "But it won't take long."
And just as Leon said, this battle carried special significance.
Both Lucas and Lance were being especially cautious.
But that was only at the start.
After dodging yet another Thunder, Lance's gaze sharpened.
"Extreme Speed!"
Dragonite's wings beat rapidly as a faint white glow enveloped its body. It transformed into an orange streak, shooting straight toward Dragonair.
"Dragon Tail!" Lucas commanded calmly.
Dragonair's long tail glowed with blue light and lashed out violently.
BOOM!
Dragon Tail collided head-on with Extreme Speed.
They had closed the distance.
Up close at last!
(End of Chapter)