"Seadra, use Surf!"
The moment the battle began—
Clair immediately launched an aggressive attack.
This was her usual fighting style.
Seadra gathered power—
A massive wave surged forward, crashing toward Kingdra!
Facing the incoming tide—
Red remained completely calm.
He didn't even consider dodging.
With full information advantage—
This battle, in his eyes, was already over.
He gave his command unhurriedly:
"Focus Energy."
[Focus Energy: Raises concentration, increasing critical-hit ratio by +1 stage]
The moment Red gave the order—
Clair instantly understood his strategy.
Looking closely—
She spotted a thin lens near Kingdra's eye.
Scope Lens.
[Scope Lens (Blue): Enhances observation, increases critical-hit ratio by +1 stage]
Everything revolved around Kingdra's ability:
Sniper.
With Focus Energy + Scope Lens—
Kingdra's critical-hit level increased by two stages.
That meant—
The crit rate jumped from 1/24 → 1/2.
And combined with Sniper's boosted critical damage—
It could even one-shot an opponent.
This was the classic—
Focus Energy crit build.
Clair's own Kingdra didn't have Sniper—
So while she understood the basics—
She had never studied it deeply.
But she knew one thing—
She had to be extremely careful.
On the Battlefield
Because Kingdra hadn't undergone specialized training—
Its Focus Energy took longer to set up.
By the time it finished—
Seadra's Surf was already upon it.
The massive wave left no room to dodge—
And slammed directly into Kingdra.
Boom!
Kingdra was knocked back—
But then—
It simply shook its body—
And hopped back into position as if nothing had happened.
The crowd was stunned.
"What just happened?!"
"Why does it look like Kingdra took no damage?"
"Is this the strength of a Gym Leader?!"
Someone nearby couldn't take it anymore and snapped:
"Are you stupid?"
"Kingdra is Water + Dragon—"
"It quadruple resists Water-type moves!"
"It would be weird if it took real damage!"
"Oh… right…"
But another question arose:
"Then why did Clair still use Surf?"
A more experienced viewer explained:
"You must be new."
"She's not using Surf for damage—"
"She's changing the field."
"Changing the field?"
Looking at the water spreading across the ground—
Clair's eyes lit up.
"Now's the time!"
"Seadra—use Dragon Dance!"
Seadra began a mysterious dance.
Because the battlefield was now covered in water—
Its movement speed surged dramatically.
It darted between puddles at high speed.
Thanks to its fin-like structures—
Seadra could move efficiently even on land.
After evolving into Kingdra—
That structure was optimized—
Which ironically made Kingdra slower on land compared to Seadra.
"Evolution isn't always an advantage!"
"As long as I stack Dragon Dance—"
"I can defeat you in one strike!"
Watching Clair's fighting spirit—
And her attempt at an underdog reversal—
Red couldn't help but think of Ash.
In almost every generation—
Ash and Pikachu would get beaten by Raichu—
Then struggle between evolving or not—
Yet in the end—
Pikachu would always defeat Raichu without evolving.
Clearly—
Clair was trying to replicate that very scenario.
"Trying to win as the unevolved form…"
"It's a good idea."
"But reality is cruel."
"Not everyone is Ash."
Red gave his command without hesitation:
"Draco Meteor."
[Draco Meteor: Power 140 — the strongest Dragon-type move!
Summons devastating meteors to annihilate the enemy.
After use: Special Attack -2]
"Opening with a nuke?!"
"If it misses—his Special Attack gets cut in half!"
"Wouldn't that cripple Kingdra?!"
The crowd was shocked.
Even the referee in yellow immediately backed away.
Draco Meteor was a massive AoE move—
He was here to work, not risk his life.
Kingdra raised its head.
A golden sphere formed within its body—
Blazing with intense light—
Almost bursting out.
Then—
It shot into the sky—
And exploded.
BOOM!
From above—
Countless meteor fragments rained down—
Like a dragon's wrath—
Bombarding everything indiscriminately!
The range was so large—
Even nearby battlefields were affected.
"Hey! Can you train your Draco Meteor first before battling?!"
"It's hitting our arena too!"
Red scratched his head awkwardly.
After all—
Kingdra had only learned Draco Meteor last night.
There hadn't been time to practice.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dragon meteors slammed into the ground one after another.
But—
At that very moment—
Clair remained calm.
A green barrier appeared.
Protect.
No matter how violently the meteors rained down—
The barrier stood firm.
Seeing Draco Meteor completely blocked—
Clair's fans erupted.
"YES! She's won!"
"It's over!"
Their excitement was understandable.
After all—
Draco Meteor reduced Special Attack by two stages.
That meant Kingdra's damage was effectively halved.
And now—
The move had been completely nullified.
To them—
Victory was already decided.
Even Clair herself—
Could almost see the win within reach.
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