"You did very well. Now leave the rest to your partner!"
Ethan smiled slightly, then threw his Pokéball, sending out his trump card: Sandslash.
"Sandslash, use Sand Spin Whirl!"
The moment Sandslash entered the field, it immediately began generating a sandstorm.
"A weather move?"
"Dragonite, stop it!"
Seeing that Dragonite was still standing, Lucien Foster let out a sigh of relief. But when he noticed Sandslash about to summon the sandstorm, he reacted at once to stop it.
However, even after hearing the order, Dragonite didn't move. It remained frozen in place until the swirling sand completely enveloped it.
"What's going on?"
"Why isn't Dragonite obeying Lucien's commands?"
Everyone was astonished as the storm completely covered Dragonite, while it stood motionless.
"Why didn't it move?"
"It seems that even though Meltan was knocked out, that final full-power Thunderbolt left Dragonite paralyzed."
Some spectators instantly understood the reason. There was no way Dragonite could have endured such an enormous discharge without consequences.
"That Ethan is one cunning strategist."
"Meltan's defeat was clearly part of his plan. Everything was to allow Sandslash to set up the sandstorm."
"And now Dragonite is both poisoned and paralyzed. With the extra damage from the sandstorm..."
Outside the field, Brandon Hayes—who had personally suffered from Ethan's tactics before—felt a chill down his spine. He could tell with certainty: Ethan had calculated everything!
BOOM!
At that moment, an orange body was flung out from within the sandstorm, crashing violently against the containment wall.
"Dragonite!"
Everyone gasped in shock upon recognizing it.
"Come on, Dragonite, get up!"
For the first time, Lucien lost his composure. His tone was no longer calm or confident.
"DRAAGGGG!"
Dragonite, worthy of the title "pseudo-legendary," displayed astounding endurance. Even while poisoned and paralyzed, it still struggled to stand.
However, just as it managed to lift itself, a jolt of electricity ran through its body. Then a faint purple glow covered it — the poison had taken effect. Dragonite's body trembled, and after a futile effort, it collapsed to the ground once more.
"Damage from poison and paralysis combined?"
Lucien's face tensed. He knew he needed to recall Dragonite immediately.
But as he raised his Pokéball to withdraw it, a spiral column of sand rose from the ground, blocking the recall beam.
"What?"
Lucien froze in disbelief.
In the next instant, Dragonite's body was dragged upward by the sand vortex, spinning into the air.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the swirling tornado slammed down like a whip of sand, smashing Dragonite into the ground with brutal force. The impact made the entire arena tremble, cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the sand.
"Dragonite... Dragonite is unable to battle! Sandslash wins the match!"
Even the referee took a few seconds to react, stunned by the sheer intensity of the attack before finally announcing the result.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Dragonite... lost?
That Dragonite, Lucien's ultimate ace, had been defeated so easily?!
No one could believe it. The shock was so great that the crowd was struck dumb.
"I knew it... this was all strategy."
"Even though Meltan went down in one hit, it managed to inflict both poison and paralysis."
"Tactically speaking, it was a one-for-one trade between Meltan and Dragonite. No—actually, it was a profitable trade! Ethan even bought time for Sandslash to set up the sandstorm. Total gain!"
Brandon jumped out of his seat, exclaiming with a mix of laughter and disbelief. Everything had gone exactly as he'd predicted: Ethan was a sly old fox!
Hearing him, the others exchanged glances. One of his teammates patted him on the shoulder, resigned. "Brandon... you lost with dignity."
"My Dragonite... lost?"
Lucien looked dazed, still processing what had happened.
Dragonite was his absolute ace, undefeated in countless battles. And now it had fallen without even being able to fight back.
"You... did well."
After a long silence, Lucien finally spoke in a low, serious voice.
Then he took out another Pokéball and enlarged it in his hand.
GROAAAR!
With a flash of light, a massive dragon with crimson wings appeared.
"Salamence!"
"Another pseudo-legendary!"
Seeing Salamence appear, Ethan could only smile bitterly.
This Lucien truly lived up to being someone from Dragon Valley, that mega Secret Kingdom. Not only did he have a Dragonite, but he also had another pseudo-legendary in his team!
Having two of those Pokémon was an unimaginable luxury!
"Ohhhh, it's Salamence!"
"That's the captain Lucien we know! Every one of his Pokémon is unbeatable!"
The stadium erupted once again in cheers; the crowd roared with excitement at the appearance of the second dragon.
"Return, Sandslash. You did excellent work."
"Now it's your turn... Cacturne!"
Ethan recalled Sandslash with a smile and sent Cacturne into the field.
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh.
The air roared beneath the sandstorm, stirring dense clouds of dust that battered both Pokémon.
Salamence, with its tough, scaly hide, didn't even flinch against the flying sand. It locked its fierce gaze on Cacturne with sharp focus.
But suddenly—Cacturne vanished before its eyes!
"Hidden in the sand?"
"So this is the Sand Veil ability!"
Lucien, as a top student from the Imperial Pokémon University of Daleron, had read every new study as soon as it was published. That's why he immediately recognized the effect of Cacturne's ability.
(End of Chapter)