Luo Yuan had once owned an Aerodactyl too.

So he was well-acquainted with its strengths and limitations.

Though its movement seemed erratic to the naked eye, in truth, it followed a discernible pattern. Unlike Psychic-types that moved with teleport-like unpredictability, Aerodactyl manipulated airflow by vibrating its wings, altering its direction through air currents. Luo Yuan could easily read those shifts and predict its flight path.

A flash of blue light flickered through his eyes—psychic power engaged. Invisible mental energy instantly spread across the field.

In Luo Yuan's mind, Aerodactyl's entire movement pattern lit up crystal-clear—not just its current position, but the subtle deviations caused by every twitch of its wings.

He shared that mental projection with his Dragonite.

Without Luo Yuan needing to say a word, the massive Dragonite understood everything. It hovered silently in midair, head slightly tilted as it tracked the Aerodactyl darting through its airspace.

Then, the corners of Dragonite's mouth lifted into a radiant grin.

It raised its round claw, curled it into a fist—and, at the precise moment it had been waiting for—lunged forward and punched with explosive force.

Boom!

The blow landed square on Aerodactyl's head.

Caught mid-flight, Aerodactyl's body instantly lost balance, spiraling out of control through the air before crashing hard into the ground.

THUD!

A crater formed where it landed.

Dragonite flapped its wings, dispersing the cloud of dust stirred by the impact. In the center of the pit, Aerodactyl was struggling to stand, teetering like a drunk.

Clearly, even with its [Rock Head] ability, it had been shaken senseless by that strike.

Before it could recover, Dragonite opened its mouth and let out a blast of [Dragon Breath].

A torrent of purple energy surged forward, slamming into Aerodactyl before it could react.

The paralyzing energy coursed through its body, locking its muscles mid-struggle. Aerodactyl was frozen in place, unable to move, forced to watch helplessly as Dragonite beat its wings and dove.

CRASH!

The massive Dragonite descended like a meteor, its full weight slamming down on Aerodactyl's body.

A mountain crashing from the sky.

With Dragonite's sheer size, there was no need to elaborate. Aerodactyl, pinned beneath its bulk, felt every bone in its body scream in protest.

"Aerodactyl!" Lance called out urgently.

But beneath the crushing weight of Dragonite, Aerodactyl no longer had the strength to answer.

"Dragonite, finish it!"

Not giving Lance a chance to react, Luo Yuan gave his final command.

Dragonite raised its thick arm high. Ice crystals began to form, and a freezing aura emanated from its fist as it brought down an [Ice Punch]—full force—onto Aerodactyl's chest.

Crack—!

The point of impact instantly froze over.

Aerodactyl's struggling form went still, its body locking up completely.

With its job done, Dragonite gave a flap of its wings and returned to the air.

The referee glanced at Dragonite, now hovering calmly with its arms crossed, then looked back at the unmoving Aerodactyl. Finally, he raised his flag.

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle. Dragonite wins!"

Luo Yuan had claimed two straight victories.

Even though most of the audience had watched Luo Yuan's earlier match against Leon, they hadn't expected their own Champion to be defeated in the same overwhelming fashion.

And now... they were beginning to wonder—

Was there really that much difference between Lance and Leon after all?

"Return, Aerodactyl."

Lance recalled Aerodactyl with a beam of red light, his breath slow and deep. The pressure he felt was like nothing he'd experienced before.

Luo Yuan's offensive was simply too fierce—he'd flipped the match on its head in an instant. Lance hadn't even had time to use the [Mega Evolution] he'd planned to lead with.

Still, as the Champion of Johto, Lance didn't bother making excuses for his loss. He didn't say a word.

Without hesitation, he tossed out his third Poké Ball.

ROAR!

Charizard lifted its head, belching out a column of scorching flame, its eyes burning with battle lust as it locked eyes with the massive Dragonite.

Truthfully, among Lance's entire team, his Charizard was only middle-tier in terms of raw strength.

"Charizard, huh?"

Luo Yuan glanced at the opponent, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a beat, he raised a Poké Ball.

"Return, Dragonite."

In a beam of red light, Dragonite vanished back into its ball.

Facing Lance and his Charizard, Luo Yuan smiled faintly as he tossed out a new Poké Ball.

"If it's Charizard you're sending out, then this one's yours to face."

ROARRR!

With a cry full of fighting spirit, Luo Yuan's own Charizard took the stage—his "starter" in name, if not in timeline.

Same orange skin. Same blazing tail.

Two Charizard now stood face-to-face on the battlefield, just as the two Dragonite had moments before.

But this time, the balance of momentum had shifted.

Earlier, Luo Yuan's massive Dragonite had clearly overpowered Lance's.

Now, however, it was Lance's Charizard that carried the stronger presence—its aura visibly pressing forward, its spirit burning brighter than Luo Yuan's.

---

T/N: Luo Yuan had once owned an Aerodactyl too?????? HE STILL OWNS ONE ITS JUST THAT HE KEEPS USING THIS FUCK ASS DRAGONITE BECAUSE HES A BUM

i forgive him though since he sent out charizard finally CHARIZARDDDD

That's the end of the chapters. Translator worked hard on this one… and also asked me to deliver a little message on her behalf. She said it herself: she's shameless enough to ask.

So—if you'd like to support her, you can do so at patreon.com/wisetl. It's completely optional, meant only for support, though it comes with the bonus of reading a little ahead.

And then there's the Powerstone system: every 100 Stones = 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1, 200ps = 2, 300ps = 3… you get the picture.

She's the shameless one for asking, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. After all… if no one speaks up, no one gets heard. Find the newest release on novel fire.net

—Hanekawa Tsubasa