Although the opponent pitted against Feng Che wore a mask, he recognized her identity at a single glance.
She was Iris, Drayden's granddaughter—and, in the original game's timeline, the future Champion of the Unova region.
"This match will be conducted under standard three-on-three rules," the referee announced, clarifying the stipulations. "The opening attacker will be decided by a coin toss."
"No need to flip for it. No matter which Pokémon you send out, I'll take you down with ease," Iris said, waving a dismissive hand. Bubbling with confidence, she claimed the offensive without hesitation. "So I'll be taking the first strike! Go, Haxorus!"
She had more than enough skill to back up her swagger. Tutored by Drayden since early childhood, she already ranked among the absolute elite of Elite Four-tier trainers.
Iris hurled her Poké Ball, unleashing Haxorus onto the sand.
Haxorus stood tall, patterned with dark accents across an armor plate that was predominantly olive green. The sharp tips of its massive tusks, along with its claws and talons, glowed a dangerous crimson, while the remaining segments were jet-black. Ring after ring of jagged, spiked scales encircled its neck, projecting an aura of pure ferocity. Its tusks were resilient enough to slice through solid steel like butter, and its entire frame was clad in an impervious natural carapace.
This particular Haxorus bore a multitude of battle-tested scars across its hide—undoubtedly a veteran Pokémon passed down to Iris directly by Drayden. Feng Che also noted that its scales were visibly larger than those of an ordinary Haxorus, chiming with sharp, metallic clicks whenever they ground against one another in motion.
Haxorus was the quintessential close-quarters brawler. Every limb and ridge of its body served as a lethal weapon, and those tusk-blades could effortlessly sunder bedrock.
"If that's your play, then step up and take the challenge. Come on out, Flygon!"
Feng Che tossed his own Poké Ball. Flygon possessed the innate gift to command shifting sands, giving it a natural tactical advantage against brute-force melee fighters like Haxorus.
The instant Flygon burst free from the sphere, a vast cloud of golden dust surged up from the arena floor. Calling upon its unique gift, Flygon began rapidly grinding the solid ground into shifting yellow sand, its mastery over the surrounding dunes growing more pronounced by the second.
"To think it's a Flygon, the Spirit of the Desert itself!" Iris's eyes lit up beneath her mask. "I'm so jealous!"
She possessed a deep, unconditional adoration for Dragon-type Pokémon, cherishing them regardless of species or origin.
"Still, my Haxorus has been by my side since I was an infant," Iris said proudly, reaching out to stroke its lethal tusk. "We've honed ourselves through years of grueling training—we aren't about to lose to anyone! Haxorus, use Noble Roar to fire yourself up!"
Haxorus unleashed a deafening draconic bellow, a fiery fighting spirit blazing within its deep-set eyes. The ground beneath its heavy tread splintered into countless fractures, rippling outward like shockwaves across the field.
Flygon continued to awaken the earth, expanding the boundaries of the quicksand farther and wider. Within moments, the entire battleground was transformed into a sea of churning dunes, some rising one to two meters high.
"This Flygon has an exceptional command over shifting sands. Truly formidable," Victor remarked, offering rare praise. "Its innate affinity for Ground-type energy is extraordinarily high."
"You seem to hold him in remarkably high regard," Drayden said, a cold gleam surfacing in his eyes. "Tell me the truth, Victor. Is he truly Feng Lu or not?"
For a contender to earn such lofty praise from Victor made him an outright threat to Iris's path toward succession as the next clan head. A subtle, calculating flicker crossed Drayden's gaze.
"No, he isn't," Victor replied, shaking his head. "Drayden, I've told you before: I only met Feng Lu a handful of times. But going purely off my instincts, I can assure you—he is not Feng Lu."
"Haxorus, use Iron Tail!" Iris commanded, cutting through the murmurs in the stands.
Haxorus wheeled on its heel, its heavy tail gleaming a hard silver-gray as it swept down toward Flygon with crushing force.
Flygon wove the sand into a protective barricade. Dense torrents of golden dust converged into a thick Sand Shield, yet Haxorus's Iron Tail cleaved clean through the defensive wall with a single devastating swing.
However, Flygon had already submerged beneath the shifting dunes, poised to launch an ambush from below.
"Flygon, Screech!"
An excruciatingly piercing shriek tore through the sands. Haxorus immediately clamped its claws over its ears, its head throbbing as though countless needles were vibrating against its skull.
"Haxorus, counter the sound waves with Snarl!" Iris reacted instantly.
Haxorus wrenched its jaws wide and let out a guttural roar, the resulting sonic blast clashing against the Screech to neutralize Flygon's sonic assault. But the moment Flygon breached the surface to unleash its attack, Haxorus pinned down its exact location.
Without missing a beat, Haxorus brought its Iron Tail crashing down a second time.
Flygon darted out of the sand, slipping away from the lethal trajectory just in time. The heavy tail slammed directly into the bedrock beneath, splitting open a deep crevice and kicking up a violent spray of broken stone. Splintered rock fragments even ricocheted toward the perimeter of the spectator area, triggering a brief ripple of panic.
"Flygon, take to the sky!" Feng Che pointed upward.
Haxorus lacked wings, which inherently constrained its offensive reach. Feng Che intended to have Flygon leverage the vertical expanse to rain down ranged assaults from above.
"Trying to keep your distance in the air and wear down my Haxorus from afar, are you?" Iris said with a proud grin. "I'm afraid you've miscalculated. My Haxorus's leaping power is incredible! Haxorus, use Bounce!"
Haxorus pushed off the ground with explosive power, hurtling straight toward Flygon like a launched missile.
Flygon immediately conjured a vortex of shifting sand. The churning torrent formed the gaping maw of a massive desert serpent, swallowing Haxorus whole mid-leap.
Dragon Pulse!
Channeling her Dragon Force, Iris relayed the mental command directly to her partner.
An immense bulge instantly swelled across the body of the sand construct. With an earth-shattering blast, a surging Dragon Pulse tore out from within the swelling mass, bursting the sand apart and hurtling Haxorus free amid a rain of falling grit.
Flygon snapped its tail, compacting the airborne sand into a dense hail of stone spikes. With a single beat of its wings, it hurled the sharp projectiles downward like a howling tempest.
"Haxorus, Brutal Swing!"
Haxorus slashed its claws in wide, furious sweeps, executing Brutal Swing with blinding speed. Every stone spike that entered its lethal radius was shattered into fine dust.
"Well done! Now lock onto Flygon's position and fire Dragon Pulse!"
Haxorus's counterattack surged with a razor-sharp edge, rocketing toward Flygon like a serpentine dragon forged of bladed steel.
She really lives up to the title of Unova's future Champion. Formidable as ever, Feng Che thought to himself.
"Flygon, Rock Blast!"
Dense clusters of sand hardened into massive boulders, detonating forcefully just before the Dragon Pulse could hit home. A catastrophic cloud of pulverized earth erupted outward, spraying in all directions like a storm of bullets.