Boom…
The massive doors slowly creaked open. A solemn, majestic aura surged forth, instantly dispersing the ghostly mist that lingered around Red and Roronoa Zoro.
Sacred, radiant light illuminated the scene before them.
A grand and dignified battlefield. Heavy, steady stone flooring.And standing at the very center—
A red-haired young man, accompanied by his Pokémon, Dragonite.
"So you've finally arrived!"
As if he had long expected Red's appearance, Lance slowly raised his head. A handsome yet commanding smile appeared on his face, perfectly befitting the air of a mysterious top-tier powerhouse.
Beside him, Dragonite looked nothing like the chubby mascot seen in anime or games. Its gaze was sharp and resolute as it let out a low, forceful roar, its presence overwhelming.
"Starting off with this much pressure… no wonder he's the strongest of the Elite Four," Red remarked calmly.
Red and Zoro continued forward, carefully surveying their surroundings.
As the final challenger of the Elite Four Challenge, Lance's battle chamber wasn't overly extravagant, yet it radiated an aura of supreme authority—perfectly matching his identity as a Dragon Tamer.
Even though, strictly speaking, the only Dragon-type Pokémon he had on display seemed to be Dragonite…
But veterans of countless battles like Red and Zoro were not about to be intimidated by mere atmosphere.
Without hesitation, they stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Lance—triggering the true start of the battle.
With a flourish of his cape, Lance raised the corner of his mouth and spoke calmly, confidently:
"I am the strongest among the Elite Four—and their commander!"
"The Pokémon I wield come from the strongest creatures of legend—dragons!"
"In this world, no one can defeat the unrivaled dragon race!"
"So prepare yourself for defeat, challenger!!!"
Whoosh—
The moment his words fell, a mysterious battle field expanded outward from beneath his feet, instantly enveloping the entire room.
The battle officially began.
Across from him, Red merely smiled.
Though he knew Lance was nothing more than an NPC granted temporary sentience by the system, Red still replied aloud:
"The strongest creatures, huh?"
"What a coincidence."
"Because the one I'm sending out—is a supreme dragon even beyond the strongest!"
"Go, Zoro! Activate Dragon Form!"
"Show him your true power!!!"
Red swept his arm forward as Conqueror's Haki and Aura erupted simultaneously, crashing down toward Lance like a tidal wave.
As a Dragon Tamer, Lance naturally refused to be outdone. A mysterious energy surged from his body as he released his first Pokémon.
"Go! I choose you!"
A red beam of light flashed, rapidly forming into a blue Pokémon with a tubular snout and sharp horn-like spikes—
A Level 64 Pokémon whose name alone bore the word "dragon":
Seadra!
"Classic. Absolutely classic!"
Despite knowing this outcome beforehand, seeing a self-proclaimed Dragon specialist throw out a Water-type Pokémon still nearly made Red applaud.
Still, Seadra's strength was undeniable.
The moment it appeared, a moist aura burst forth from its body, spreading across the battlefield.
Clearly, this Seadra—trained by Lance himself—possessed the hidden Ability Damp, suppressing all explosive moves.
Fortunately, that meant nothing to Zoro.
Having learned that Sanji had also mastered Pokémon-ization—and had done so even more perfectly—Zoro's pride burned fiercely.
He had fought tooth and nail to reclaim the title of second strongest.There was no way he'd give it up so easily.
"GRAAAH—!!!"
Zoro's expression twisted as a beast-like roar tore from his throat.
In the next instant, holy white light erupted from his body, engulfing him as his form began to change.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the sealed battle space, like rolling thunder shaking the heavens.
Black lightning crackled around Zoro, tearing through the air like rifts in space, wrapping his body and amplifying his already terrifying presence.
"What—!?"
Lance's eyes widened in shock as he saw Zoro enter an evolution-like state.
Not because of the evolution itself—Mega Evolution was something he had long heard of.
But—
He glanced at his Water-type Seadra and couldn't stop himself from roaring internally:
"Why is his Pokémon radiating such dense Dragon-type energy?!"
"Who's the Dragon Tamer here!?"
The thought barely formed before—
The evolution completed.
The radiant light shattered like stardust, fading into the air.
Before Lance now stood a humanoid half-dragon, massive wings unfurled and a thick tail swaying behind him.
Three Sword Style · Zoro — Dragon Form, reporting!
"Though it still lags behind Sanji's dual-attribute evolution," Red murmured, his eyes glowing blue with Aura perception,"the sheer power of the Dragon type might actually give Zoro an even greater boost."
From the moment Zoro entered the field, Red had been carefully observing every change in his body.
And just as he suspected, this evolution—like Sanji's—was a miraculous process that transformed a human into a Pokémon.
"Absolutely insane…" Red muttered.
On the battlefield, sensing the overwhelming Dragon-type energy radiating from Zoro, Lance finally realized—
This was no ordinary challenger.
"Looks like I'll have to get serious."
He smirked.
In the next moment, Dragon-type energy surged from his body and flowed directly into Seadra.
This was the unique ability of a Dragon Tamer—
Strengthening a Pokémon's Dragon-type energy during battle, amplifying the power of Dragon-type moves.
"Seadra! Use Dragon Pulse!"
Lance wasted no time.
Empowered by the external energy, Seadra condensed a terrifying orb of draconic energy and fired it instantly.
BOOM!!!
The Dragon Pulse tore across the battlefield like a raging storm, charging straight toward Zoro.
And yet—
"Is that all?"
Zoro flicked his dragon tail, displeasure clear on his face.
In response, an identical wave of Dragon-type energy surged from his body.
In an instant, an even larger energy sphere formed before him—yet he didn't release it immediately.
Instead, Zoro bent his body, one hand resting on Narukami, his eyes flashing cold.
"One Sword Style Secret Art—Flying Dragon · Thunder Slash!!!"
SHING—!
A cyan blade of light tore through the air.
The slash cleaved Zoro's Dragon Pulse clean in two—
But instead of dissipating, the shattered energy flowed like liquid, coating the slash itself as it streaked toward Seadra.
BANG!
The two attacks collided, unleashing a massive shockwave that tore outward in all directions.
Thanks to Damp, there was no explosion—
But Zoro's slash acted like a grinding wheel, eroding Seadra's Dragon Pulse completely before continuing forward.
"What!?"
Lance's expression changed instantly.
Seadra might be the weakest member of his team, but it was far from fragile.
Yet Zoro's power shook him deeply.
"Seadra, dodge—!!!"
Too late.
Zoro's slash struck Seadra head-on, sending it flying backward.
CRASH!
Seadra slammed into the wall, pain etched across its face.
Lance felt a flicker of relief—thankfully, Seadra wasn't truly Dragon-type.
Otherwise, under Dragon-type effectiveness, that single strike might have ended the fight outright.
But before he could recover—
The Dragon Pulse coating the slash shattered.
Lightning erupted.
Brilliant arcs of electricity engulfed Seadra's body.
"Kyah—!!"
"Thunderbolt!?"
"When did he—!?"
Lance shouted in disbelief.
But the lightning showed no mercy.
Already weakened, Seadra finally collapsed, eyes rolling back as it lost consciousness.
"Seadra…"
Lance stared, stunned.
Even if Seadra wasn't a powerhouse, it was still a Pokémon he personally trained.
It shouldn't have fallen so easily.
"Who… are you people?"
He recalled Seadra, looking grimly at Red and Zoro.
Unbeknownst to him—
Even Red was momentarily stunned.
He stared at Zoro's half-dragon form, eyes narrowing.
"Using Narukami's affinity for Electric-type energy to hide a move within a slash… then concealing it further with Dragon Pulse…"
"Sanji just mastered Pokémon-ization, and you're already pulling off dual-move deployment…"
Red sighed.
Their growth was incredible—almost frightening.
"If not for Aura," he murmured,"I wouldn't have even noticed how he did it."
"…Do you all really have to be this competitive?"
On the battlefield, Zoro pointed his blade at Lance, dragon eyes blazing.
"Show me your real strength."
"If this is all you've got, I'll be disappointed."
"…"
Lance smirked and waved his hand sharply.
His black cloak billowed.
"Don't underestimate me!"
"I am the strongest of the Elite Four!"
"Save the chatter for after the battle!"
"Go—Aerodactyl!!!"
Red light flashed overhead.
A fierce Pokémon with gray-purple wings descended from the air.
"ROAR—!!!"
Seeing Seadra's miserable defeat, Aerodactyl roared at Zoro with savage fury.
Though both were Level 64, its presence far surpassed Seadra's.
"Oh? Now this is interesting."
Zoro grinned.
He wasn't here on vacation.
Without powerful opponents, how could he ever surpass that absurdly overpowered curly-browed cook?
BOOM!!!
An even more violent aura exploded from Zoro, dark clouds seemingly forming overhead despite the indoor battlefield.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Zoro launched forward, blades drawn.
The true battle had begun.
"Aerodactyl! Use Scary Face!"
Rather than attack immediately, Lance chose debilitation.
After witnessing Seadra's defeat, he knew brute force wouldn't suffice.
Aerodactyl's eyes widened, baring terrifying fangs.
A horrifying visage filled Zoro's vision.
"…!"
Zoro's movements faltered—
Then he sneered.
"Cheap tricks!"
Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tsunami, crashing toward Aerodactyl—and Lance himself.
Lance: ???
Since when could challengers attack the Trainer!?
Dizzy and reeling, Lance barely registered what happened next—
Zoro was already before Aerodactyl.
"Three Sword Style Secret Art—Dragon Descends—!!!"
"SLASH!!!!!!!"