"Go, Golurk!"
A silver-white glow enveloped Golurk as the power of Heavy Slam surged toward Dragonite.
Dragonite used Hurricane. The wind slashed across Golurk's body like countless blades, rapidly wearing away the Steel-type energy.
Even after the Steel-type energy had been completely eroded by Hurricane, Golurk endured the damage and continued charging toward Dragonite.
"Ice Punch!"
The instant Golurk closed in on Dragonite, Tetsuya gave the command. Dragonite sidestepped Golurk's charge, but the follow-up Ice Punch struck Dragonite squarely in the back, smashing it down to the ground.
This time, it was Dragonite that crashed onto the ground. It looked thoroughly disheveled, and a thin layer of ice still clung to its back before finally falling away as Dragonite shook itself vigorously.
"Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"
Lance did not believe he had fallen behind.
However, Tetsuya was quite surprised. Dragonite was a Pokémon that excelled at physical Attacks, so why had Lance taught it this Special Attack move? Moreover, a move like this was generally only devastating the first time it was used, since afterward it greatly reduced the user's Special Attack.
There was no time to think. Dragonite had already launched a massive fireball into the sky. It exploded overhead like a dazzling firework show, and countless blazing meteors rained down!
Golurk's massive body made it impossible to dodge. It could only swing its fists to fend off the falling meteors.
"Nooow, Dragon Dance!" Lance shouted.
Tetsuya cursed inwardly, alarmed. Lance's reason for using Draco Meteor had been to create an opportunity for Dragonite to use Dragon Dance.
Dragon Dance increased both Speed and Attack, making it an excellent boosting move. However, such moves were usually interrupted by the opponent before they could be completed, making them difficult to use successfully. Tetsuya had not expected Lance to have devised such a tactic.
Tetsuya's mind raced. If Dragonite successfully completed a Dragon Dance, then he would almost certainly lose this battle. It was already too late to use any move to stop it. Charging in by force would require Golurk to suffer the full damage from Draco Meteor.
However, Tetsuya noticed that while Dragonite was using Dragon Dance, it was continuously moving up, down, left, and right. Clearly, this was to avoid attacks while setting up. Lance's Dragonite had trained this move to the point of perfection. Although Phantom Force guaranteed a hit, entering another dimension still required time, and there simply was not enough time.
Dragonite's "double layer" of protection made the success of Dragon Dance even more certain!
"Tetsuya, that Dragonite dancing while flying in the sky looks so funny~!" Ash remarked absentmindedly.
'Flying in the sky!'
A flash of inspiration struck Tetsuya. Thanks to Ash's casual remark, he realized that as long as Dragonite could no longer fly, everything would change.
"Golurk, use Gravity!"
Gravity was a move mostly used for training his Pokémon and was rarely seen in battle. If not for Ash's offhand remark, Tetsuya would never have thought of it.
Facing the relentless damage from Draco Meteor, Golurk used Gravity.
Golurk manipulated the surrounding force field. Dragonite suddenly felt an overwhelming force pressing down on its body. With a loud "Boom!", Dragonite's bulky body crashed to the ground once again.
In the end, it failed to complete Dragon Dance!
At this point, neither Dragonite nor Golurk could continue flying. Standing on the ground, they looked at one another, acknowledging each other's strength.
"Again, your name is Tetsuya, right?" Lance asked after hearing Ash call out his name.
"That's right."
"Both Pokémon have already acknowledged each other's strength. How about we end it here today? We'll have 'another' exhilarating battle when we get the chance in the future." As he spoke, Lance gave Tetsuya a meaningful look.
Tetsuya naturally understood what he meant. Given the current situation, this was indeed the best place to end the battle, mainly to prevent the conflict between Ash and Gary from escalating any further.
The two recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls. Lance took the initiative to shake Tetsuya's hand and said, "You're very strong. Did you also participate in this year's Indigo League?"
"No." Tetsuya shook his head.
"That's a shame. With your level, hitting the top four would definitely not be a problem," Lance said.
"Lance… I'm sure we'll have more opportunities to battle each other in the future," Tetsuya replied. It was the only answer he could give.
---◓---
"Ahhh, a draw!? Lance, even your Dragonite has an equal?" Gary still looked somewhat unwilling to accept it.
"There's always someone stronger. No one is invincible, Gary." Lance said as he patted Gary on the head.
"Hahaha! Gary, you didn't beat me this time, did you?" Ash was beaming with pride. After all, he had never beaten Gary before, and to Gary, drawing with Ash was practically the same as losing. At this age, Gary was still far too proud…
Tetsuya recalled Golurk and returned with Ash, while Lance and Gary headed back to Oak Research Lab.
Tetsuya now had a general understanding of Lance's strength. Dragonite was undoubtedly his strongest Pokémon, and it was evenly matched with Golurk.
In truth, if the battle had continued until both Pokémon were completely exhausted, Golurk would ultimately have won. After all, Golurk was not a "organic" Pokémon, so it consumed far less stamina from physical exertion.
As long as his own level continued to improve steadily, he would accomplish the goal from his previous life within fifteen years. Although it would be later than Lance, that was only because he lacked the same resources and background. He still needed to use a Gym Leader position as a ladder.
'Although, if Mamoswine had been here…'
---◓---
The next day was Professor Oak's special lecture. More than a hundred Pokémon Trainers gathered in the plaza of Oak Research Lab.
Professor Oak lectured for two hours, and afterward spent the remaining time answering Trainers' questions and explaining professional Pokémon knowledge. Tetsuya truly admired the old Professor's dedication.
Tetsuya did not stay there the entire time and left fairly early. His objective had already been accomplished, so there was no need to remain in Pallet Town any longer. He had also obtained the contact info of both Professor Oak and Delia.
In reality, having the support of either one would probably be enough. Building a closer relationship with Professor Oak would certainly be of great benefit in advancing his academic credentials, and it would also become a powerful weapon in his revenge against Rowan.
There was still no news from Jessie. It seemed Giovanni had not yet returned to Viridian Gym, so Tetsuya would have to find another way.
That night, deep in the forest, he contacted Pryce and Matsuba. They were closely monitoring the movements of the Shadow Team.
Many of the Shadow Team's smaller branches had already been exposed, but the time to eliminate them had not yet arrived.
First, they had not yet determined the true scale of the Shadow Team's Headquarters. Second, they still did not know how many League managers were involved with the Shadow Team.
Since the trafficking of children had stopped, they also needed to investigate where its source of income now came from. All of that meant Tetsuya still had some time before he would need to seek Giovanni's assistance.