"Well, no use overthinking it. Things will sort themselves out when the time comes."
Vio casually snatched the Dragon Heart Berry straight from Kommo-o's claws and tossed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.
"Mm, the flavor on this Dragon Heart Berry isn't bad at all."
Completely ignoring the aggrieved glare from Kommo-o, Vio raised his binoculars once more and refocused on the arena.
"Go, Rampardos!"
Feng Che sent out Rampardos, the most suitable combatant for the match; boasting both Rock and Dragon typings, it was ideally suited to counter Dragonite.
Dragonite was a bipedal, draconic Pokémon draped in smooth, orange hide. It possessed large, gray eyes, a rounded snout, and small nostrils. Atop its brow sat a pair of long, slender antennae alongside a small, singular horn. A striped, cream-colored underbelly stretched from its chest all the way to the tip of its elongated tail, while each of its thick limbs terminated in three sharp claws. Where its legs joined its torso, the contour was clearly defined, whereas its arms blended seamlessly into its frame. Compared to its massive bulk, its wings appeared petite, yet their taut wing membranes were more than capable of lifting it into the heavens. It was widely regarded as the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon in existence.
A surge of Dragon Force radiated from Feng Lu, pouring directly into Dragonite. A golden cocoon of light instantly enveloped the dragon. When the luminescence peeled away, a commanding Mega Dragonite emerged.
The wings upon this Mega Dragonite's back had expanded dramatically, doubling into two majestic pairs. Sharp, wicked spikes bristled along its thighs and tail. Above its eyes sat two hard dragon scales, trailing elegant, silken whiskers from their edges.
"It's my first time seeing Dragonite take on an entirely new form."
A look of solemn focus flashed in Feng Che's eyes. This Dragonite radiated sheer power at a glance—yet there was something faintly familiar about it, as though he had seen it somewhere before.
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"
The moment the battle began, Feng Lu immediately ordered an all-out offensive. Dragonite's natural speed was already pushed to the absolute extreme, outstripping even the likes of Pidgeot flying at Mach 2. With a Mega Evolution layered on top, its velocity bordered on the absurd.
This is the trump card I prepared for Feng Lu, Vio mused with satisfaction from afar. Not every Pokémon stimulated by Dragon Force can successfully undergo Dragon Evolution; it demands the right fortune and affinity. The Pokémon I selected for Feng Lu have a high probability of awakening this ancestral shift, and this Dragonite hasn't disappointed.
With a piercing sonic boom, Dragonite materialized beside Rampardos's head, throwing a Mega Punch straight at its cheek. Only then did Rampardos register the danger and scramble to adjust its stance, but it was already too late.
Dragonite's heavy fist slammed violently into Rampardos's domed skull. The concussive impact forced Rampardos several paces backward, its heavy steps thudding against the arena floor. Yet Rampardos merely shook its head, looking entirely unfazed.
Feng Che, that Dragonite hasn't fully acclimated to the sudden explosion of power in its frame, Mewtwo's voice resonated telepathically from the side, instantly catching the flaw. Otherwise, that punch would have caught Rampardos cleanly on the cheek and sent it flying.
It's a good thing the strike hit its skull dome instead. Rampardos's cranial bone is absurdly thick—it's like wearing a hundred hard hats welded together.
To Rampardos, taking that blow directly on its crown felt no heavier than a playful slap from a child. Even so, being struck at all struck a blow to its pride. Annoyed, it stomped the earth and set up Stealth Rock. Pointed crags materialized in midair before cloaking themselves from sight.
"Rampardos, Rock Blast!"
Rampardos brought its left foot down hard, ripping jagged boulders from the ground to hover in the air. The rocks shattered into countless jagged stones that sprayed in all directions like shrapnel.
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"
Under Dragonite's blinding acceleration, the hurtling stones appeared virtually frozen in time. Dragonite casually unleashed an Ice Beam, encasing the rock shards into dense blocks of ice. Before Rampardos could even track its movement, those frozen boulders were hurled back down at its head.
"Rampardos, Smart Strike into Horn Drill!"
Feng Che issued the counter-command with calm poise, maintaining his telepathic rapport with Mewtwo all the while.
From what I can see, when Dragonite taps into Extreme Speed, time practically grinds to a halt around it, Mewtwo observed. If you want to bring it down, you must do so swiftly. Dragonite is rapidly adapting to that surging energy. If you fail to fell it in one strike, it will only grow deadlier, and Rampardos will be in deep trouble.
My view is the exact opposite, Feng Che countered calmly, shaking his head as he saw through Feng Lu's position. I believe the longer Rampardos drags this out, the better. Unlike me, who possesses Dragon Force, Viridian Force, and Psychic Power—allowing me to freely convert the latter two into Dragon Force—my opponent has no such luxury. Sustaining that level of Dragon Force for an extended period will drain him dry. On top of that, he still has two more matches to fight; there's no way he can afford to exhaust his reserves here.
"Rampardos, Iron Defense!"
Because Dragonite was moving at blinding speeds with Extreme Speed, Rampardos could barely keep it in its sights, rendering offensive moves useless. Feng Che pivoted his strategy: turtle up and endure, waiting until Dragonite fell out of its Dragon Evolution state before committing to a decisive strike.
Rampardos was inherently sturdy. Calling upon dense stony armor, it reinforced itself from head to tail. While Dragonite's Extreme Speed was breathtakingly fast, its raw concussive impact wasn't enough to shatter such defenses. Reinforced by the Iron Defense buff and its thick stony shell, Rampardos absorbed the onslaught with ease, expending far less stamina than anticipated.
Damn it... more than half my Dragon Force is already spent!
Realizing the perilous drain on his reserves, Feng Lu hastily severed the flow of draconic power into Dragonite.
Dragonite felt the torrent of energy coursing through its veins suddenly dwindle. With the draconic support cut off, its velocity plummeted, allowing Rampardos to finally track its silhouette with ease.
Raising a heavy dragon claw, Rampardos swatted forward with crushing force, slamming Dragonite straight into the arena floor.
Dragonite planted headfirst into the dirt like an uprooted scallion, its legs twitching comically in the air.
"Rampardos, Power Gem!"
A radiant crystalline gem measuring nearly a meter across materialized before Rampardos's jaws. Just as the Power Gem was about to blast Dragonite into the dirt, the dragon vanished, slipping underground with Dig.
"Now's our chance! Rampardos, Earthquake!"
Rampardos slammed its heavy tail violently against the ground.
The battlefield convulsed in a violent seismic upheaval. A dark silhouette burst from beneath the fractured earth, rocketing high into the air.
Dragonite hovered shakily in the sky, battered and breathless. Ravaged by the devastating underground Earthquake, it had been forcibly knocked out of its Mega Evolution. Stripped of its ancestral form, its once-dazzling agility was utterly gone.