Facing the wary gaze of Lance's Dragonite, Luo Yuan's Giant Dragonite remained utterly composed.
Having exchanged blows with the likes of Legendary Pokemon and weathered countless major battles, this Dragonite had seen far worse.
The opponent before it, though strong, didn't even rank in the top ten of the adversaries it had faced.
To it, this wasn't a fight worth getting nervous about.
"Wooo—!"
Shaking its head and giving its round belly a lazy wag, the Giant Dragonite flapped its wings, whipping up a fierce gust across the field.
Feeling the oppressive force head-on, Lance's Dragonite stood firm.
Having grown up alongside Lance, it lacked neither courage nor the will to face powerful enemies.
"Wooo—!"
Letting out a roar just as loud and fierce, Lance's Dragonite refused to back down.
The invisible auras of the two Dragonite collided, pressing against one another, causing waves of pressure to sweep across the stadium.
Spectators near the field felt their hair stand on end from the sheer force of it.
Before they could even react, the two Dragonite vanished from sight!
"So fast!"
Their speed exceeded what most of the audience could even perceive.
One moment they were standing at the edges of the field — the next, they clashed at the center in a blur.
With a thunderous crash, the two Dragonite rammed into each other, locking heads and forearms together, their wings furiously flapping as they wrestled for dominance mid-field.
"Both Dragonite have chosen to engage physically, colliding head-on!"
The announcer scrambled to keep up, but recovered quickly, providing commentary even though he'd initially lost track of their movements.
However, even in this first probing clash, Lance's Dragonite was clearly at a disadvantage.
Although Lance's Dragonite was much larger than an ordinary Dragonite — visually, it didn't seem to be at a big disadvantage against Luo Yuan's Giant Dragonite.
But the reality became painfully clear when they collided.
One was naturally massive by birth.
The other, though large, had been strengthened — and still fell short.
In short, the two were not on the same level of raw power.
Within just a few seconds — after the momentum from their initial charge had been neutralized — Lance's Dragonite started to falter.
A faint smirk curled at the edge of the Giant Dragonite's mouth.
Its wings suddenly beat down hard, unleashing a tremendous force.
Lance's Dragonite stumbled backward under the blast of pressure.
Having fought alongside Luo Yuan through countless battles, the Giant Dragonite was nothing if not experienced.
It immediately seized the opening.
Its locked arms didn't release — instead, they pulled upward with brutal strength.
With a mighty heave, it yanked the off-balance Dragonite straight into the air.
"This Dragonite's strength is unbelievable! It's actually lifting Lance's Dragonite into the sky!"
The announcer's voice cracked with astonishment.
The crowd erupted into gasps and cries of disbelief.
But the fight didn't pause for their reactions.
Midair, the Giant Dragonite released its grip, sprang upward with a powerful kick of its legs to match height, then wrapped its thick arms tightly around Lance's Dragonite.
With a sudden twist, it accelerated downward, wings driving them toward the ground.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the arena.
Chunks of stone and dust exploded outward as Lance's Dragonite was brutally slammed into the battlefield by a devastating suplex.
The stadium fell utterly silent.
The match had barely lasted a minute, but the impact it left was overwhelming.
Are we watching a Champion battle... or a Pokémon wrestling match?
That was the thought running through countless spectators' minds.
The announcer, too, was briefly stunned speechless — unsure how to even describe what had just happened.
Fortunately, at this moment, no one was paying attention to commentary anyway.
On the field, Lance's Dragonite, despite being slammed viciously into the ground, struggled back to its feet.
Shaking its head — still a little dazed — it glared warily at the Giant Dragonite.
One slip-up just now, and it had nearly been knocked out cold.
Thankfully, it was tough and resilient by nature.
A single slam, no matter how heavy, wasn't enough to take it out of the fight.
Behind it, Lance also grew far more cautious.
He had already estimated Luo Yuan's strength as generously as he could — yet even so, he hadn't expected this.
The battle had only just begun, and he was already falling behind, even in the opening exchange.
I can't keep brawling with Luo Yuan's Dragonite.
His mind raced, quickly devising a new strategy.
"Dragonite!" Lance called out sharply. "Use [Dragon Pulse]!"
Hearing the command, Lance's Dragonite hesitated for a brief moment.
It wanted to tell Lance — the opponent's internal dragon energy is terrifying.
But it also understood:
Close combat wasn't an option anymore.
If it wanted any chance of victory, it had to rely on ranged attacks.
Clenching its teeth, Lance's Dragonite narrowed its eyes, sharpening its focus.
"Wooo—!"
Letting out a long, piercing roar, it gathered a swirling mass of violent dragon energy into its maw.
After a brief but intense charge-up —
BOOM!
A pillar of purple energy erupted from its mouth, a [Dragon Pulse] tearing through the air like a blade, aiming straight for Luo Yuan's Giant Dragonite!
---
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