"Hakamo-o!"
Rylan shouted, hoping to snap his Pokémon out of its daze and get it back on its feet.
But after being taunted and then beaten up, Hakamo-o's mind had gone blank. It couldn't even remember where it was, and the pain pulsing through its body kept breaking its focus again and again.
"Haunn~"
Up in the air, Haunter let out a mischievous chuckle. It quickly drifted over Hakamo-o's head and raised its claws, gathering a twisted, dark shadow overhead.
Night Shade!
It didn't hold back in the slightest. Out in the wild, it had learned the basic rule of survival: strike hard and finish fast.
And now was the perfect time to beat down a fallen enemy.
"Hauun-teer!"
The Night Shade crashed down with a thud, and all the surrounding trainers held their breath as it struck the battlefield, leaving a deep black scorch mark on the blue-tinted special flooring.
A beam of red light swept across the field and recalled Hakamo-o just in time.
Reaching up, Rylan scratched at his short hair with a sigh.
The Dragon-type hadn't completely lost the ability to fight, but it was close. Whether it would recover and grow stronger from this defeat, or lose its spirit entirely would shape its future.
Some Pokémon, even with vast potential and room to grow, never reach their final evolution. Psychological blocks, fear, and trauma sometimes become shackles that halt their progress for life.
Rylan could only hope that Hakamo-o would be able to overcome the shadow left by Haunter.
Outside the battle arena, a few jeers started breaking out.
"That's it? How'd he even dare challenge someone like Shiro?"
"Maybe he's some spoiled dude trying to get attention."
"Don't forget, this is the Hammerlocke Stadium."
"Honestly, that Hakamo-o was already pretty strong. It's just that Haunter was even more ridiculous."
"Let's just watch. No need to keep yapping."
Most of the experienced trainers remained quiet. The ones mocking Rylan were the ones with less skill, unable to understand what had really happened. They only looked at names and the final result, ignoring everything else.
But when Raihan glanced back after hearing some of the chatter, the noisy spectators instantly fell silent again, returning to the respectful hush from earlier.
If there hadn't been so many people packed around, Raihan would've already had staff drag out a few of the loudmouths who liked barking from the safety of the crowd.
At one corner of the arena, the old and skinny Bryan was staring at Rylan with a serious expression. Some of the others nearby still hadn't figured out what was going on, and leaned in to ask quietly.
"Old man, was there something special about that last match?"
Bryan shook his head slightly. "Not really. The gap between the two trainers and their Pokémon was just too big. That's why it looked like a total stomp. But what matters is the next battle. You all remember the Pokémon Raihan handed to Rylan before the match, right? A member of the Dragon Tamer family, and you think he wouldn't have at least one Gym-level dragon?"
"Gym-level... dragon?"
While the trainers were still trying to wrap their heads around that, Rylan had drawn his second Poké Ball and tossed it toward the field.
As the ball slowly arced into the air, Shiro couldn't help feeling a little nervous. He didn't know whether this was the Pokémon Raihan had lent out, but even if it wasn't, it would likely be at least Gym-level. Otherwise, the match might as well be over already.
So long as it wasn't some Elite-level ancient dragon, he was still confident in winning.
After all, the Dragon Tamer family probably didn't know he had a powerful Drakloak in reserve. The company should've made sure that detail stayed buried.
With his mind racing, Shiro watched as the opponent's Poké Ball cracked open. A massive, ferocious figure crashed down onto the battlefield with a thunderous impact.
Its entire body was covered in armor-like, scale-patterned plating of gold and gray. Sharp, jagged spikes jutted from both sides of its upper and lower jaws. It walked upright, its body lined with dense rows of scales from tail to crest.
"Kommo-o," Shiro muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as he sensed the creature's strength.
[Name: Kommo-o
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Level: 47 (Gym)
Ability: Overcoat
Held Item: None
Moves: Clanging Scales, Tackle, Leer, Protect, Dragon Tail, Scary Face, Headbutt, Work Up, Screech, Iron Defense, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance…]
A Gym-level Kommo-o.
For a Hakamo-o to evolve into Kommo-o, it wasn't just about reaching the right level. It required far more training and intense battle experience than most Pokémon. Only through constant hardship could it achieve overwhelming strength and bring out the full potential of its fighting-dragon lineage.
And from the battle scars along its armored scales were clear proof—this Kommo-o was leagues ahead of the previous Hakamo-o in both strength and experience.
Rylan's gaze sharpened as he looked straight at Shiro. This was the very first dragon Pokémon he had ever trained, and his strongest. He was finally getting serious.
Raihan also gave a subtle nod of approval. And around the arena, the crowd of trainers erupted in excitement.
"Kommo-o! That's Kommo-o! I've only ever seen it in pictures. I didn't expect to see one in person today!"
"A Gym-level battle! Damn, this is gonna be good!"
"He really is one of the Dragon Tamer family's key members. Let's see how that Shiro handles this."
"You think his Corviknight can take it on?"
"Not sure. But that Haunter has to be switched out. Otherwise, it probably won't even scratch that Kommo-o's armor..."
Amid the rising chatter, Shiro didn't react.
"Haun~"
Haunter continued floating high above the battlefield, locked in a standoff with the towering Kommo-o radiating raw pressure.
Maybe other Pokémon or trainers would be intimidated by this dragon, but not Haunter. It bobbed lazily in the air, eyes gleaming with casual disdain.
Once again, it shared a bed with an Elite-level Drakloak every night. Just a Gym-level dragon that couldn't even fly? What's there to be scared of? Worst case... if it lost, one of the big guys would come take revenge.
Meanwhile, Rylan noticed that Shiro wasn't making any move to swap his Pokémon and understood what that meant.
'Trying to drain Kommo-o's stamina with Haunter first?'
"Heh..." he chuckled lightly.
Both trainers and their Pokémon were now ready. In a flash, they shouted at the same time:
"Kommo-o, Clanging Scales!"
"Haunter, Protect!"
The next moment, Kommo-o's armor-like scales all began to vibrate and grind against each other, producing a loud, metallic hum. That sound merged with the dragon energy surging from deep within its body, creating blue shockwaves that roared toward Haunter.
This was Clanging Scales, a powerful Dragon-type move exclusive to Kommo-o. Though it came with the drawback of lowering its own defense, its raw destructive force was enough to one-shot most fragile opponents.
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