"But even if you can hide in the sandstorm—so what!?"
"Salamence, use Twister and force Cacturne out!"
Lucien Foster's gaze hardened. After the defeat of his Dragonite, he had stopped underestimating Ethan.
"GROAAAR!"
With a ferocious roar, Salamence flapped its wings, summoning a swirling vortex of Dragon-type energy that tore through the sandstorm with violent force.
"It's time... Magical Roots!"
Ethan's eyes gleamed as he gave the order decisively.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Three sharp cutting sounds echoed through the air—three glowing green roots shot up from the ground, lashing toward Salamence in the sky, trying to ensnare it.
"There it is! Salamence, dodge it!"
The dragon flapped its wings and swerved to the side.
But the roots seemed alive—they twisted midair, changing direction as if they had eyes of their own, chasing and wrapping tightly around Salamence's body until they bound it fast.
"It caught him anyway?"
"Then Salamence, use Flamethrower directly on Cacturne!"
"Even if Cacturne's roots are tricky, its weakness is obvious—it can't move!"
Lucien immediately spotted the flaw in the move Ingrain and, without hesitation, commanded Salamence to unleash searing flames toward its opponent.
"Cacturne, use Toxic!"
Ethan frowned. There was no way for Cacturne to dodge now. It could only endure the direct blast of fire and counterattack with poison at the same time.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, Salamence's flames engulfed Cacturne completely.
But at the same moment, Cacturne's venom flowed upward through its binding roots, penetrating the dragon's body. A sinister violet light began to glimmer over Salamence's scales.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out, and blue smoke filled the battlefield. The ground was scorched black from the force of the Flamethrower.
"Did that finish it?"
Lucien narrowed his eyes. Though his Salamence had been poisoned, he trusted in the incredible endurance of Dragon-type Pokémon. That toxin wouldn't be fatal.
If he could trade a bit of damage to eliminate an enemy, it was still a favorable exchange.
Fuu...
The sandstorm began to fade slowly. Through the lingering smoke, Cacturne's charred body came into view.
"Did it fall?"
The entire audience held its breath, staring without blinking.
"No! It's still standing!"
Suddenly someone shouted. Cacturne glowed with a green light—it was using Ingrain to restore its vitality.
"It's still hanging on, but barely. Salamence, finish it with another Flamethrower!"
Lucien's voice was calm and steady.
"You've done enough. Rest for now."
Before Salamence could attack again, Ethan raised his Pokéball and recalled Cacturne. The flames struck empty air.
"He withdrew it?"
"Well, with Cacturne in that state, it won't be able to keep fighting. All he has left is Sandslash. This is already decided!"
Lucien smiled confidently. He still had two Pokémon remaining, and though Salamence was poisoned, its power was intact. Defeating a Sandslash would be no challenge.
"Go, Sandslash! Use Dig!"
Ethan threw his Pokéball, and Sandslash emerged, immediately burrowing underground.
"Dig, huh?"
"Planning to wear me down with that?"
Lucien frowned. He had to admit, Salamence wasn't well suited to fighting an opponent hidden underground.
"Return, Salamence."
"Now it's your turn... drag it out!"
With a focused expression, Lucien recalled Salamence and threw another Pokéball.
A bipedal, shark-like creature appeared on the field. Its body was dark blue, with a red underside that stretched up to its abdomen, fading to bluish gray below. It had two head fins, four more on its body—one on each arm, one on its back, and one on its tail—white claws with a single finger, and legs tipped with three toes. White bony spikes jutted from its thighs.
"It's... a Gabite!"
Ethan's eyes widened in shock.
After Dragonite and Salamence, Lucien had sent out yet another Dragon-type pseudo-legendary!
What the hell... was Lucien the literal Son of the Dragon?
"Gabite!"
"So it's true—Lucien must be the heir of Dragon Valley."
From the stands, Lucas Silver and the others watched with serious expressions. Dragon Valley was a legendary super mega Secret Kingdom, and any faction that ruled over it had to be extraordinarily powerful.
Thankfully, this Gabite hadn't yet reached its final evolution. If Lucien had three fully evolved Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, no one could possibly stop him!
Even so, Ethan's face turned grave. Gabite, a dual Dragon and Ground type known as the "Land Dragon," was a fearsome opponent underground—his Sandslash wouldn't have an easy time.
"Go, Gabite!"
At Lucien's command, the little dragon dove swiftly into the dirt, burrowing with incredible speed.
Boom, boom, boom!
Soon, the ground began to tremble violently from the battle raging below.
Boom!
Another explosion shook the field—Sandslash burst out of the ground covered in wounds. It was clear who had lost the underground clash.
"Return, Sandslash!"
Ethan didn't hesitate for a second. The moment Sandslash surfaced, he recalled it to its Pokéball.
Immediately after, he threw another sphere—Cacturne's scorched body reappeared on the battlefield.
"Cacturne, use Ingrain!"
As soon as it emerged, Ethan gave the command.
"Cac-cac-cac!"
Understanding the urgency, Cacturne spread its roots deep into the ground, sealing off Gabite's subterranean routes while its body shone with green light, slowly recovering its depleted life force.
(End of Chapter)