Lance's Dragonite dove down like a bolt of yellow lightning, charging toward Suicune.
"Sandstorm."
Ariel's voice was very soft.
Krookodile opened its massive maw and let out a roar, as the sand and soil on the ground were swirled up by an invisible force.
But this was no ordinary Sandstorm weather; the yellow sand was compressed to its limit in the air, spinning at high speeds until it condensed into fine wind blades visible to the naked eye, emitting a "buzzing" cutting sound.
These wind blades swept toward Dragonite, completely disrupting the airflow, and the speed advantage Dragonite took pride in was forcibly neutralized at this moment.
Dragonite let out an impatient dragon cry in the sky; it clearly didn't like the feeling of even its breath carrying grit.
"Hyper Beam."
Lance's voice came from high above, cold and decisive.
A scorching golden beam of light, like the Spear of Divine Punishment, instantly tore through the dim curtain of sand and shot straight toward the Suicune in the center of the lake!
"Light Screen." Ariel's command followed immediately.
Malamar floated up, and a translucent Light Screen unfolded in front of it.
The Hyper Beam slammed into the Light Screen, causing it to vibrate violently and emit a tooth-aching cracking sound; spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered it before it exploded into a sky full of light specks with a "bang."
The speed at which the Light Screen shattered was far faster than Ariel had anticipated!
The energy density of this Dragonite's Hyper Beam had already exceeded conventional limits.
Fortunately, the Light Screen still managed to block half of the Hyper Beam's power!
"Froslass, Gengar, Protect!"
Dar shouted from behind, his voice carrying a hint of a tremor.
The residual Hyper Beam still rushed forward like an out-of-control heavy truck.
Two pale green energy barriers were raised just in time, finally completely annihilating the attack.
However, both Froslass and Gengar swayed, clearly having endured immense pressure.
Now is the time!
The recharge period after Hyper Beam!
Ariel's pupils constricted sharply; he had waited a long time for this fleeting opportunity.
"Weavile!"
No extra commands were needed.
Weavile, which had been lurking on the edge of the Sandstorm, had already condensed a grim chill on its claws.
The effects of Agility and Hone Claws had pushed its physical state to the peak.
Its figure turned into an almost uncatchable black line amidst the swirling yellow sand; it wasn't running, but sliding along the ground, using the Sandstorm as cover to perfectly hide its presence.
Dragonite's massive body faltered slightly in mid-air, as the energy backlash caused its movements to freeze for a fraction of a second.
This small amount of time was enough for Weavile.
Rip!
A cold fist, carrying a chill capable of freezing the soul, slammed heavily into Dragonite's flank!
Four times super effective!
The chill from the Ice Punch erupted instantly, and a thin layer of ice spread rapidly from the fist; Dragonite's tough scales were actually torn open by this force.
A hideous line of blood appeared, and the droplets of blood around the wound froze into ice crystals the moment they fell.
Roar!
Intense pain and humiliation caused Dragonite to let out a world-shaking roar.
It had never been injured by a Pokémon whose level was so much lower than its own!
But having succeeded in its strike, Weavile didn't overextend; it pushed off with its feet, its body turning into an afterimage as it instantly pulled back dozens of meters, disappearing back into the wind and sand. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, without a hint of hesitation.
Ariel's expression didn't change.
It worked.
He looked at the not-so-deep wound on Dragonite's abdomen, but his mind was rapidly calculating.
Even after two buffs, a full-power, four-times-effective Ice Punch from Weavile only caused such a superficial injury.
If this had been a Dragon-type pokémon of the same level as Weavile, it would have likely been killed instantly by this blow.
The gap in levels was indeed a difficult chasm to cross.
However, the purpose of this punch was never to cause heavy damage.
It was to... provoke.
And to test.
To test the limits of this Dragonite's reactions, and also to test Lance's reaction.
Recovering from the stiffness, Dragonite turned around in a rage, its dragon eyes locking onto every corner of the Sandstorm, trying to find the little bug that dared to offend it.
Lance's brow finally furrowed.
He looked down at the young man shrouded in the Sandstorm and the three Dark-type Pokémon around him that coordinated with perfect chemistry.
Defense, counterattack, retreat—all in one smooth motion.
This level of command ability and tactical execution was incredibly seasoned, not at all like a young person.
Interesting.
But that was all.
"Come back, Dragonite."
Lance had Dragonite return to his side and threw out another Poké Ball instead.
Since the opponent had not only released so many Pokémon but also blocked his Dragonite's assault, it seemed he needed to get a bit more serious.
When facing Team Rockets, Lance would never be careless, even when he had a level advantage.
Roar—!
An even more violent and scorching dragon roar echoed through the skies.
A Charizard, far more robust than a typical one and wearing a strange Dragon Fang around its neck, appeared in the air.
The orange-red flames on its tail were incredibly hot.
Just by flapping its wings and flying in the air, the heatwaves around it caused the surrounding air to twist and distort.
Quasi-Elite Four Level!
Another Elite Four Candidate!
Ariel's pupils constricted imperceptibly as his brain instantly began to analyze.
Lance's aces were Dragonite and Gyarados, there was no doubt about that.
But this Charizard was definitely one of the core combatants of his team; its presence was even more powerful than that Dragonite's!
A slight difference, yet worlds apart.
Just as Ariel was rapidly calculating how to use Krookodile's Sandstorm for secondary containment, Corona moved.
"Ruth, don't think you're the only one who can show off."
Corona's voice was somewhat raspy, carrying an almost pathological excitement.
He stepped past Ariel and stood at the very front.
Dar frowned and scolded in a low voice:
"Come back, you're no match for it."
Viper also gave a cold laugh, his eyes full of disdain.
In everyone's eyes, Corona's current action was no different from suicide.
The chasm between the Superior level and the Quasi-Elite Four Level could not be filled by numbers alone.
Corona ignored his colleagues' mockery.
He took out a silver metal box from his coat; after opening it, two capsules lay quietly inside.
A strange shimmer flowed over the surface of the potions, as if some living thing were squirming.
"That is..."
Ariel's gaze focused.
The Berserk Potion recently developed by Team Rockets.