The moment his voice fell, he tossed the last Poké Ball.
Red light flashed, and a unique Dragonite appeared above the arena.
Its build was somewhat sturdier than an ordinary Dragonite, and its orange skin shimmered with a faint halo under the lights. Its eyes completely lacked the dazed cuteness of a normal Dragonite; instead, they were as calm as an abyss, yet exuded a majesty that looked down upon the world.
Just by standing there, it formed an invisible aura that made it hard for people to breathe.
Ariel recalled Malamar and tossed another Poké Ball with a backhand motion.
"Roar!"
An equally massive blue figure appeared; it was one of his trump cards, Gyarados!
"Is that so?"
Ariel raised his eyes, looking calmly at Lance,
"I hope your Dragonite can be as tough as your words."
This calm but highly provocative remark made Lance turn serious.
He had been an League Investigator for many years, and never before had any young Trainer dared to be so presumptuous in front of him.
"You are the first, Ariel."
Without any superfluous nonsense, the battle command was blurted out.
"Dragonite! Dragon Rush!"
"Gyarados! Mega Evolution!"
The key stone in Ariel's hand shone brilliantly, resonating with Gyarados's Mega Stone.
The seven-colored light of evolution shot into the sky, enveloping the entire arena.
Amidst the light, Gyarados's body changed drastically; its size expanded once more, its dorsal fins spread out, and its aura shifted from fierce to tyrannical.
Mega Gyarados!
"Waterfall!"
The moment the evolution was complete, Mega Gyarados roared and charged out, stirring up towering waves around its body, transforming into a pillar of water that shot into the sky to meet the golden meteor diving down!
Boom—!!!
It was not a loud explosion, but a sound of energy colliding that was sharp to the extreme, as if it would tear one's eardrums.
At the intersection of the Dragon-type energy and the high-pressure water pillar, the air distorted violently, and a visible white shockwave suddenly expanded, blowing so hard that people couldn't open their eyes.
The two powerful Pokémon were deadlocked in mid-air.
Relying on its massive size and strength, Mega Gyarados actually only had a slight upper hand, pushing Dragonite back a few meters.
It was just these few meters, yet they stirred up a massive storm in Ariel's heart.
His pupils contracted for a moment.
How is that possible?
His own Mega Gyarados had a base Attack stat as high as 155! Its length of over ten meters was close to the limit for a Pokémon like Gyarados, and its physical strength was terrifying!
Usually, let alone a Pseudo-Legendary, even Cynthia's Garchomp, without Mega Evolution, would definitely be sent flying directly by his Mega Gyarados in a pure clash of strength!
But now, facing a Dragonite that also hadn't Mega Evolved, it only had a slight advantage?
You have to know, Mega Gyarados had already been strengthened by Moxie earlier!
What kind of monster level is this Dragonite's attack power!
As if sensing the shock and dissatisfaction in its Trainer's heart, Mega Gyarados let out a heaven-shaking roar.
It twisted its body violently, and its tail, thick as a steel pillar, carried immense force as it slammed into the Dragonite that was struggling against it!
Bang!
A dull, loud sound.
Dragonite's sturdy body was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the arena wall in the distance, and the sturdy wall was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
However, when it slid down from the wall and steadied itself, there were almost no visible scars on its body.
Ariel's eyes narrowed.
This scene, this ability...
Multiscale!
In full health condition, damage received is halved.
In other words, that Waterfall from Mega Gyarados just now, which was enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, its power... was actually blocked just like that?
This guy is really more troublesome than imagined.
The air in the venue seemed to be stirred by the aura of the two behemoths, becoming viscous and heavy.
Dragonite's subsequent offensive was as swift as lightning.
The orange figure left afterimages in the air, giving Mega Gyarados no chance to catch its breath at all.
Dragon Claw tore through the air, heading straight for its face with a sharp whistling sound!
Thunder Punch, wrapped in blinding electric light, slammed into Mega Gyarados's abdomen from another tricky angle!
This was by no means a simple chain attack, but a combination technique that had been tempered through thousands of trials, perfectly fusing speed, power, and skill!
Mega Gyarados roared repeatedly, its massive body twisting violently in mid-air. Its strength, which it prided itself on, seemed somewhat clumsy in the face of the opponent's nimble offensive.
The airflow stirred up by the storm was torn apart by Dragonite's claw just as it took shape.
The huge waves stirred up by Aqua Tail were also avoided by Dragonite with faster speed in advance, and it backhanded a Thunder Punch onto its back, sparking a blinding flash of electric sparks and a painful roar.
Disadvantage.
An obvious disadvantage.
Ariel's pupils contracted slightly, staring intently at the orange lightning in the arena.
He knew that Mega Gyarados's strength was definitely not inferior, perhaps even stronger, but fighting was not arm wrestling; the gap in skill and experience was infinitely magnified at this moment.
Lance's Dragonite was like a battle-hardened martial arts master; every move and every stance had no superfluous actions, aiming straight for the vitals.
While his Mega Gyarados was more like a strong man with innate divine power, possessing brute force but being constrained everywhere.
"Roar!"
Mega Gyarados was hit by another Thunder Punch and its figure stalled; it felt the anxiety and dissatisfaction from its Trainer, and its ferocity was completely ignited.
It couldn't keep taking hits passively like this!
Ariel's eyes turned cold; there was only one chance.
"Right now! Dragon Dance!"
The moment Dragonite swung its claw, with its old force just spent and new force not yet generated, Ariel's command was blurted out.
Mega Gyarados endured the stinging pain of the electric current on its body, its massive body spinning suddenly, and a dark red dragon-shaped energy swirled around it, its aura climbing step by step!
There was not the slightest surprise on Lance's face, as if he had long expected Ariel to do this.
He did not order a stop.
Instead, he also performed a boost!
Both sides boosted together; he did not fear the threat!
This was the confidence of being a genius of the Dragon Tamer family.
"Dragonite, you too, Dragon Dance!"
The orange figure paused in mid-air, likewise wrapped in a more solid, more brilliant dragon-shaped energy.
Two powerful auras collided in the center of the arena, and the resulting shockwave even made the front-row audience feel a sense of suffocation.
Boost complete!
The energy fluctuations in the air reached their peak.
Initiative! Must seize the initiative!
Ariel's thinking was fast to the extreme, and countless skill combinations flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Charge! Ice Fang!"
The order was given without the slightest hesitation.
Mega Gyarados was like a blue arrow released from the string, its massive body erupting with astonishing speed that didn't match its size; in its wide-open blood-red maw, biting cold air condensed on its bone-white fangs.
Dragon and Flying, Ice-type four times super effective!
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