With the physical attack boosted by one Dragon Dance and the previous stacking of Moxie, plus this fatal type advantage, as long as it Bites down, this match will end instantly!
Everyone held their breath, watching that black dragon head rapidly enlarging.
Lance's expression remained calm, though his eyes became sharp.
Just at the moment before Ice Fang was about to touch Dragonite's body, he spoke slowly.
"Protect."
A bright green hexagonal energy shield appeared out of thin air, precisely blocking in front of Dragonite.
"Bang!"
The fangs coated with extreme cold slammed into the energy shield, emitting a dull thud. The cold air overflowed, but could not penetrate that thin layer of shield in the slightest.
This is the opening!
"Thunder Punch!"
Dragonite's arm had long been glowing with golden electric light, and taking advantage of the moment when Mega Gyarados's attack was blocked and its figure stalled, it landed a solid punch on its face!
"Zzzzt!"
Electric currents crackled, and Mega Gyarados let out a painful cry, its massive head knocked to one side.
"Damn it!" Ariel cursed under his breath.
"Once more! Ice Fang!" He didn't believe the opponent could keep using Protect.
Mega Gyarados shook its numb head, anger completely igniting its eyes, and it recklessly lunged forward again, the cold air in its mouth even denser than before.
"Protect."
Lance's voice was not loud, but it was like an impassable chasm.
The bright green energy shield appeared again.
Another futile attempt.
Another precise Thunder Punch.
"Bang!"
In the same position, at the same angle, Mega Gyarados's face took another powerful punch.
Ariel's brows furrowed tightly.
Once is prediction, twice... can this still be called luck?
This guy Lance acts as if he installed surveillance in my brain; every step is calculated to death by him.
The success rate of using Protect consecutively drops significantly; is this guy's luck really that good?
Just then, Lance's voice drifted over.
"It seems that even luck is on my side."
"Ariel, how are you going to win against me?"
Looking at Lance's half-smiling face, Ariel suddenly understood.
This isn't luck; this is a calculated scheme.
Lance is gambling—gambling that his mentality will become unbalanced due to consecutive failures, and gambling that he won't recklessly use the same move repeatedly.
"Roar!!!"
Mega Gyarados was already completely berserk; it had never suffered such humiliation. Before the Trainer's command was even issued, it relied on instinct and charged forward for the third time!
Still Ice Fang!
"Ariel!"
For the first time, Lance's voice carried a hint of gravity.
Ariel's heart also leaped into his throat.
This time, Lance didn't dare to gamble on that slim success rate.
Using Protect twice in a row was already the limit; the third time would almost certainly fail.
"Dodge!"
At the last moment, Dragonite's figure shifted laterally to the limit, narrowly dodging those fatal fangs.
But it was precisely this dodge that caused a flaw in its originally perfect attack rhythm!
A chance!
Ariel's eyes lit up suddenly.
"Bite it!"
Mega Gyarados's attack missed, but the momentum from its massive body allowed it to swing its head, and that maw filled with fangs precisely turned toward the arm exposed after Dragonite's dodge!
"Snap!"
A bone-chilling crunch.
Mega Gyarados's fangs were firmly embedded into Dragonite's right arm!
Success!
Lance's face instantly darkened. This was the first time his Dragonite had suffered substantial heavy damage since the start of the tournament.
Ariel, on the contrary, smiled, the knot in his heart swept away. He lifted his chin and looked at Lance on the opposite side.
"Isn't luck on your side? Why don't you dare to gamble anymore?"
This taunt made Lance's expression even uglier.
But he didn't waste words; instead, he immediately made the most correct judgment.
"Roost."
Enduring the severe pain, Dragonite glowed with a soft green light, and the deep, bone-visible wound on its bitten arm began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The flowing blood stopped instantly, and the gruesome wound recovered by more than half.
Ariel's eyelids twitched as he watched.
This guy's move pool is too cheap!
Multiscale for damage reduction, Dragon Dance for boosting, Protect for defense, Thunder Punch for type advantage, and now Roost for healing.
This is simply a hexagonal warrior with no weaknesses!
What to do?
Ariel's brain was racing.
Should he have Mega Gyarados use Rain Dance?
In rainy weather, Water-type move power increases, which can boost Mega Gyarados's output.
This thought appeared for only a second before he immediately negated it.
No!
Water-type moves are not very effective against Dragonite, so the boost would be limited.
More fatally, once the weather turns to rain, if the opponent uses the high-power Thunder move, the accuracy will change from 70% to 100%!
If hit by a guaranteed-hit Thunder, Mega Gyarados definitely won't be able to hold on.
This is helping the enemy; it absolutely cannot be done.
Just at the moment Ariel was weighing the pros and cons and thinking about the next tactic.
Opposite, the previously silent Lance suddenly spoke.
His voice was very calm, but it made Ariel's heart sink suddenly, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.
"Dragonite, use Rain Dance!"
Dragonite understood, emitting a high-pitched dragon cry toward the lead-gray sky; the sound waves vibrated, and the clouds became thicker and denser at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Bean-sized raindrops fell, instantly forming a curtain of rain that shrouded the entire battle arena.
Puddles quickly gathered on the field, reflecting the pale lights of the stadium ceiling, and the whole world became damp, cold, and oppressive.
Lance glanced at the watch on his wrist; the silver hand had already passed the fifteen-minute mark.
He sneered inwardly; Ariel's Mega Evolution limit is twenty minutes, which he observed while watching Ariel's match against Steven.
No matter how deep the Bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon is, the limit is right there.
In other words, with Dragonite having set up the rain, there is no need to make Dragonite risk getting close, after all, one hit of Ice Fang from the opponent would definitely make his Dragonite fall.
Furthermore, in rain, Thunder is guaranteed to hit!
A war of attrition, stalling for time, is the optimal solution.
Once Mega Gyarados's form is dispelled, the scales of victory will instantly tilt toward him.
He could even already foresee Ariel falling in pain due to energy exhaustion.
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