Lance's Dragonite carved a sharp arc through the sky, diving straight toward the massive Dragonite. The situation looked dire.

But for Luo Yuan, who had already predicted Lance's move seconds earlier, he'd mentally run through several countermeasures in the blink of an eye.

Unleashing his full psychic focus, he quickly calculated Dragonite's trajectory.

Through telepathy, Luo Yuan transmitted the command directly to his Dragonite.

While everyone else thought the massive Dragonite would stop its [Dragon Pulse] and turn to deal with Lance's sneak attack—

It didn't.

Instead, it suddenly beat its wings with immense force.

BOOM!

The air exploded from the pressure.

With a spiral movement both elegant and explosive, the massive Dragonite launched itself skyward—evading Lance's assault in one clean motion.

But that wasn't all.

As it spun, the beam of [Dragon Pulse] sweeping from its mouth spun with it—creating a full 360-degree horizontal sweep of raw energy.

Lance's Dragonite, attempting a sneak attack from behind, had no time to react.

Caught completely off guard, it was slammed head-on by the beam of energy.

An explosion burst in midair.

The shockwave flung Dragonite across the battlefield, its body slamming into the psychic wall Deoxys had constructed.

The barrier shimmered violently as Dragonite's body slid down its surface.

After sustaining blow after blow—and after sacrificing a large portion of its strength to use [Substitute]—Lance's Dragonite could take no more. It collapsed under the storm-like pressure of the massive Dragonite's relentless assault.

The [Substitute], too, dissolved into motes of light once the original had lost consciousness.

With that, the outcome was no longer in question.

"…Lance's Dragonite is unable to battle. Luo Yuan is victorious!"

The referee, having witnessed the entire battle from close range, swallowed hard before officially announcing the result.

"Return, Dragonite!"

A red beam of light engulfed Lance's Dragonite, pulling it back into the Ultra Ball in his hand.

Lance looked at Luo Yuan, his gaze more complicated than ever.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, said nothing.

On a battlefield like this, words were meaningless. Only strength mattered. Fresh chapters posted on NoveIＦire.net

Clipping Dragonite's Ultra Ball back to his belt, Lance raised his hand and sent out his second Pokémon.

"Aerodactyl—your turn!"

Screeech—!

A shrill cry echoed across the arena.

The slate-gray Aerodactyl spread its wings wide in the sky, tail lashing behind it. Its eyes gleamed sharply, bared fangs glinting as it let out a threatening roar toward the massive Dragonite.

But whether that roar was truly an act of defiance—or just Aerodactyl trying to muster its own courage after watching Dragonite's defeat from inside the Poké Ball—only it knew for sure.

Either way, the match had to go on.

As the referee signaled both sides to prepare, the match resumed.

The moment the flag dropped, Luo Yuan's massive Dragonite shot forward like a bullet.

"Luo Yuan's Dragonite… it can still move that fast!?"

The commentator's eyes widened in disbelief.

Even if this Dragonite was clearly stronger than Lance's, after such an intense battle, its stamina should've been somewhat depleted. It shouldn't still be moving at full power.

But reality, as always, had no obligation to be reasonable.

The commentator and spectators could afford the luxury of stunned reflection. But Aerodactyl—facing the massive Dragonite's thunderous onslaught directly—had no time to think.

Its instincts kicked in. With a beat of its wings, the membranes rippled, and the force of air beneath them sent its body hurtling sideways—barely dodging a punch that had decades of strength behind it.

The air pressure from the swing skimmed past Aerodactyl's flank, sharp as a blade.

"It dodged."

Behind them, Lance let out a quiet breath of relief. To be honest, even he had been startled by the massive Dragonite's speed.

He too had assumed that after the last battle, the Dragonite would be at least somewhat drained.

But Luo Yuan's sudden blitz had caught him completely off guard. Aerodactyl had nearly been knocked out in its very first exchange.

Since when did Luo Yuan fight so ruthlessly?

Muttering inwardly, Lance wasted no time.

With a sharp gesture, he commanded, "Aerodactyl, [Agility]!"

If Aerodactyl had any advantage over the massive Dragonite, it was in aerial maneuverability at high speeds.

Big Pokémon had their strengths, but smaller ones had theirs too.

While Luo Yuan's Dragonite had already demonstrated impressive speed and dexterity for its size, there were limits to what sheer mass could do. Against a Pokémon like Aerodactyl—designed for agility—it was at a slight disadvantage.

No sooner had Lance spoken than Aerodactyl, still weaving through the air to dodge, was cloaked in a bright white glow.

Its speed surged.

---

T/N: uguashf idk if this is a hot take but i hate how luo yuan had to use psychic i mean LANCE CAME UP WIOTH A BRILLIANT ASS STRATEGYYY THEN BRO ughh idk if its considered cheating but its justttt so 'IM A BITCH' energy yknow like comeeee onnnn, sighisghishgish