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Lance's expression became incredibly grave.
He scrutinized that Krookodile, data flashing through his mind at high speed.
Moxie, the stacking of Moxie and the boost from Hone Claws—it was tricky.
What was even more troublesome was that this guy was also a natural weather setter.
He couldn't let it continue to be so arrogant.
"Return, Kingdra."
Lance recalled his Pokémon with steady movements, showing no trace of emotional fluctuation, but those who knew him well understood that Lance's heart had already ignited with a true fire.
"Go, Flygon!"
Accompanied by a clear, resonant cry, a graceful yet vigorous Pokémon appeared above the arena.
It resembled a dragonfly but carried the majesty of a dragon. Its emerald-green body reflected a wondrous luster under the lights, and its wings, thin as a cicada's, vibrated at high speed, emitting a pleasant humming sound.
Ground-type and Dragon-type, Flygon!
Ariel's pupils contracted slightly.
A tough opponent had arrived.
Thoughts raced through his mind.
Flygon's only ability is "Levitate," which meant that Krookodile's best Ground-type attacks were completely ineffective against it.
More importantly, like Krookodile, this guy was a top predator in the desert, and its adaptability to the Sandstorm weather was even superior.
Trying to wear it down with the weather?
That was pure dreaming.
And that astonishing speed...
Ariel could even see ripples in the air caused by the vibration of Flygon's wings.
"Interesting."
Lance's voice came from the opposite side, carrying a hint of imperceptible approval.
"Your Krookodile is very strong, but the battle is not over yet."
Before the words had even faded, the battle command was already issued.
"Flygon, Fire Blast!"
Lance actually didn't choose a Dragon-type move that had a type advantage, but instead directly used a major Fire-type move!
Flygon opened its mouth instantly, and a high-speed rotating fireball condensed within it. The temperature in the air rose sharply, and immediately after, a massive, " big"-shaped flame spewed out, surging toward Krookodile with the momentum to incinerate everything!
The heat wave of the flames rushed toward them, scorching the sandy ground under Krookodile's feet until it was slightly charred.
"Dark Pulse!" Ariel shouted in a low voice.
Krookodile didn't retreat in the slightest; it also opened its huge mouth, and circles of deep purple evil energy fluctuations spread out, like an invisible shield, meeting the raging flames.
Boom—!
The flames and Dark-type energy collided violently in the center of the arena, exploding into a mass of twisted light and shadow and scorching air currents.
Taking advantage of the cover from the explosion, Flygon flashed, suddenly soaring high and flying toward the sky above the venue.
"Dragon Dance!" Lance's command followed immediately.
"Not a chance!" Ariel's eyes sharpened. "Stone Edge!"
Krookodile stomped hard on the ground, and several sharp, massive rock pillars rose from the earth, shooting toward Flygon in the air like homing missiles!
However, Flygon's speed was too fast.
It traced an elegant and eerie arc in the air, its body twisting as if it had no bones, narrowly avoiding the pursuit of all the stone pillars.
While dodging, circles of red halos swirled and gathered on its body.
The boost was successful!
A gasp of surprise came from the audience.
Dragon Dance, simultaneously boosting Attack and Speed; for Flygon, which was already known for its speed, this was simply like adding wings to a tiger!
"Now! Dive, Dragon Tail!" Lance's voice rose sharply, filled with the pressure of a Champion.
Having completed the boost, Flygon didn't pause at all. It flapped its wings, emitting a sharp sound of breaking through the air, and its entire body turned into a streak of emerald-green light, diving down from the high altitude toward Krookodile!
Too fast! So fast that the naked eye could barely track its trajectory!
During the dive, a brilliant Dragon-type energy glow lit up on its long tail, as if a mountain-splitting giant axe had been tied to the tail of a meteor!
Speed, power, plus the boost from Dragon Dance; the power of this strike was enough to one-shot any fragile opponent!
Ariel's scalp tingled slightly.
Take it head-on? Absolutely not.
"Protect!"
At the critical moment, Krookodile crossed its arms in front of its chest, and an energy barrier instantly expanded!
"Clang—!"
A deafening sound of metal clashing!
Dragon Tail slammed fiercely against the barrier, the immense force causing the entire barrier to dent violently, rippling with dangerous waves.
The ground under Krookodile's feet was even cracked by this impact!
It blocked it!
The entire audience breathed a sigh of relief.
But Ariel's heart sank.
The next second, Flygon, having missed its attack, didn't linger in the fight at all. It spread its wings and soared into the sky again.
That familiar Dragon-type energy condensed on its tail once more.
Repeating the same trick!
Lance's tactical intent was exposed at this moment.
He intended to use Flygon's unparalleled speed advantage to continuously use "Dragon Tail" to wear it down.
The success rate of using the move Protect consecutively drops sharply. As long as Krookodile's Protect fails once, that will be the moment it loses!
A plot in the open! A naked, open plot!
"Contestant Lance is trying to wear out Contestant Ariel's Krookodile to death!"
The commentator's voice was full of tension.
"Although this fighting style is unscrupulous, it is incredibly effective! It just depends on how Contestant Ariel will break it!"
How to break it?
Ariel watched that streak of light diving down from the high altitude again, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
Dodge? He couldn't dodge.
Interrupt with a ranged move? The opponent's speed was too fast; he couldn't hit it at all.
Use Protect again? Next time, he might not be able to defend against it.
Since that's the case...
A trace of determination flashed in Ariel's eyes.
Then he would take a gamble!
"Krookodile, stand still and take it!"
What?!
Once this command was issued, not only Lance but even the entire audience was stunned.
Not dodge? Take it head-on? Wasn't this just asking for death?
"Roar!"
Yet, Krookodile had no doubts about Ariel's command.
It let out a roar toward the sky, its legs firmly rooted to the ground, its eyes burning with crazy fighting spirit. It actually gave up all defense, completely exposing its scarred back to the opponent!
"Seeking death!" Lance shouted sharply.
Boom!!!
The emerald-green Dragon Tail lashed solidly onto Krookodile's back!
"Crack!"
A teeth-grinding sound of bone cracking rang out. Krookodile let out a muffled groan of extreme pain, its massive body staggered forward from the immense force, its back instantly torn open, and blood splattered!
Critical damage!
However, at the very moment it was hit, Krookodile's body suddenly erupted with an incredibly blinding white light!
"Counter!" Ariel's voice exploded like a thunderclap!
An eye for an eye, blood for blood!
That white Counter-attack energy, moving at a speed faster than Dragon Tail, instantly slammed into Flygon, which hadn't had time to pull away!
"Wooo—!"
Flygon let out a mournful cry, blown away from mid-air by this sudden, immense force. It rolled on the ground in a sorry state for several times before barely stabilizing its figure, its wings trembling unsteadily.
Both sides suffered!
The venue instantly erupted!
"My god! It's Counter! Contestant Ariel actually predicted Contestant Lance's attack, using his own flesh as bait to land a desperate Counter-attack!"
"This is too crazy! This is simply dancing on the tip of a knife!"
Looking at his own Flygon, which had also suffered critical damage, a hint of surprise appeared in Lance's eyes for the first time, but he immediately regained his composure.
He waved his hand again, his command concise and cold.
"Take off!"
Enduring the excruciating pain, Flygon flapped its wings and took flight again, its movements no longer as swift as before.
The meaning was clear: Encore!
Lance still believed in his speed advantage.
Now both sides were in bad condition; Krookodile was at its limit. As long as his Flygon could be one step faster and land a hit first, the battle would be over!
By then, your Counter would be useless!