Pokemon: Gym Leader

"My dragon is, of course, very strong, Champion Lance. If you're not careful, you might lose pretty badly today," Dylan said with a smile, looking calmly at Lance.

"Oh?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

"It seems winning a single match has given you a misconception, Dylan. Watch carefully, because next up, I'll show you what I'm really capable of."

Lance threw out his second Poké Ball. His pride would never allow him to lose to a junior at this stage!

"Charizard!"

A strong and imposing Charizard landed heavily in front of Lance, roaring. A scorching pillar of flame shot toward the sky, brimming with energy.

Lillie: （—）

*'Beep~ Charizard, Fire and Flying-type, Flame Pokémon.

Ability: Blaze.

Signature Moves: Flare Blitz, Inferno, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, Outrage (Egg Move)…

Description: When it exhales scorching flames, the tip of its tail burns brighter.'*

"An old-timer again? It seems Lance plans to use his championship team against Dylan today," Charles Goodshow remarked, slightly surprised as he observed the Charizard. It was one of Lance's core team members during his rise to the top of Kanto.

"That seems likely," Lorelei nodded. Over the years, Lance had trained several new core Pokémon, some better suited for countering an Archaludon.

But his choice of Charizard now likely meant he intended to battle with the team that crowned him champion back then.

"Charizard, huh."

Dylan scrutinized the powerful Charizard. It was widely known that Charizard, also nicknamed Flame Dragon, was a perennial favorite.

Ash's Charizard, Alain's Charizard, and after Pokémon Origins, Red's Charizard became iconic. Not to mention Leon's Charizard.

Now, it was time to see how strong Lance's Charizard really was.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Lance dramatically swung his arm, issuing the first attack command.

Being proud and aggressive by nature, Lance valued pure offense, believing the best defense was an unstoppable attack!

Charizard flapped its wings and soared, its mouth glowing with intense flames.

"Dragon Pulse!" Dylan's lips curved into a faint smile.

Archaludon lowered its arms, transforming them into a bridge-like structure once more. Concentrated dragon energy formed, colliding head-on with the incoming Flamethrower.

Boom!

Dragon Pulse and the searing flames clashed mid-air, sending shockwaves rippling out. In an instant, both attacks exploded simultaneously.

"Inferno!" Lance didn't miss a beat.

Charizard roared loudly, and crimson, spiraling flames surged downward.

The Fire-type move Inferno! Not only was its power formidable, but if it hit, the target was almost guaranteed to be burned!

"Rock Slide!" Dylan chuckled lightly.

Lance's expression shifted. The Rock-type move Rock Slide was four times effective against Charizard!

Archaludon let out a low growl, summoning massive rocks above Charizard that came crashing down.

"Charizard!" Lance barked.

Charizard immediately flapped its wings, attempting to retreat, but maintaining Inferno had delayed it slightly.

Even though it tried its best to dodge, two large rocks struck Charizard directly, causing it to roar in pain as it hastily withdrew.

Meanwhile, Inferno had hit Archaludon, and crimson flames engulfed it, inflicting significant damage.

After all, Archaludon wasn't resistant to Fire, and its Special Defense wasn't as high as its Physical Defense. Lance's Charizard, with its strong Special Attack, delivered a heavy blow.

The flames eventually subsided, but a small ember ignited on Archaludon's body before erupting into a fierce blaze.

It was burned!

"Flamethrower!" Lance's expression turned grim. The damage from Rock Slide was severe, even though Charizard had avoided the brunt of it.

Charizard unleashed another Flamethrower. Archaludon, already burned and weakened, couldn't avoid it and took a direct hit.

Boom!

The Flamethrower exploded on Archaludon. When the dust settled, Archaludon had collapsed.

"Archaludon is unable to battle. Charizard wins," Lorelei declared after carefully observing Archaludon.

"Champion Lance is amazing! He managed to defeat Dylan's Archaludon!" Lillie exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"?"

Charles Goodshow and Lorelei, who had just returned, both tilted their heads, question marks practically visible above them.

Wasn't Lance defeating Dylan's Pokémon the expected outcome? Why did Lillie's words make it sound like the reverse was true?

But…

"Well done, Champion Lance. I can't believe you managed to defeat my Archaludon," Dylan said as he recalled his Archaludon, sharing Lillie's sentiment.

Charles Goodshow and Lorelei exchanged amused glances, thinking the siblings' phrasing was remarkably similar.

"Oh? Such arrogance, Dylan. While I admire your growth, today I'll show you that I'm still your senior!"

Lance stood tall with arms crossed, exuding confidence.

"Dylan, you are the challenger!"

Lance truly marveled at Dylan's rapid improvement, but no matter what, he was the senior! Dylan was the challenger here!

"Is that so? Champion Lance, I hate to say this, but you won't defeat me today," Dylan said with a raised eyebrow, smirking as he pulled out a Poké Ball.

"Let me show you with this—your dragon!"

"Dragonite, ready for battle!"

Dylan tossed the Poké Ball. In a flash of light, a hefty, orange Dragonite landed heavily in front of him.

It was Dragonite!

"Oh~ Is that the Dragonite that evolved from the Dratini Lance gave Dylan?"

Charles Goodshow's eyes sparkled.

"Incredible," Lorelei adjusted her glasses, her eyes gleaming.

If memory served, Lance had given Dylan that Dratini just over three months ago. Yet judging by this Dragonite's presence, it was already stronger than the Archaludon! Dylan truly was a prodigy.

"So, it's that Dragon."

Lance's sharp gaze softened significantly when he saw this Dragonite. After carefully observing it, he was utterly shocked.

As he had mentioned himself, raising dragons wasn't an easy task. Turning a Dratini into a Dragonite in just over three months was already an astonishing feat.

And to top it off, it was at champion level?!! Even Lance, who prided himself on his deep understanding of the Dragonite line, admitted he couldn't achieve something like this.

"This... this doesn't seem reasonable!"

Lance fell into deep thought. Had he been training his Dragonites the wrong way all along? How was Dylan able to raise one so quickly?

"Lance, you probably haven't battled against Dragonites very often, have you?"

"Hmph! Dylan, you underestimate me too much. When it comes to understanding Dragonites, no one in this world surpasses me!"

Lance snorted coldly, speaking with pride.

Dylan found it amusing but acknowledged it as a fact. Lance's expertise on Dragonites was undoubtedly unparalleled.

"Well then, let's see how you handle my Dragonite."

"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"

Dragonite let out a low growl as its small wings flapped, propelling it into the air. A white streak of light trailed behind it as it charged fiercely toward Charizard.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Lance had no intention of switching Pokémon. This was a battle against a junior, and his pride wouldn't allow him to consider changing Pokémon.

Charizard locked its gaze on the fast-approaching orange figure, gathering a glowing draconic light in its mouth.

Now!

Predicting Dragonite's movement, Charizard unleashed a Dragon Pulse in the form of a radiant wave.

But Dragonite suddenly accelerated, breaking past the predicted trajectory of Dragon Pulse and crashing heavily into Charizard.

The Extreme Speed of a Normal-type attack!

Charizard let out a pained roar, its body pushed back by Dragonite's impact. Angrily glaring at the Dragonite that was now in close range, Charizard's tail flame surged, and a faint red glow enveloped its body.

The Blaze ability has been activated!

"Charizard, Hurricane!"

"Stone Edge!"

Charizard's wings beat rapidly, creating powerful gusts of wind. But Dragonite took a step back, summoning sharp stones that materialized in front of it.

"Charizard, Protect!" Lance's eyes narrowed.

Charizard quickly flapped its wings to retreat, activating a green protective barrier.

But it was a bit rushed—Stone Edge struck before the barrier could fully form, landing a direct hit on Charizard.

The Stone Edge of a Rock-type attack!

A series of violent explosions erupted as Charizard, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted toward the ground.

Dragonite's Stone Edge was devastating even against a fully healthy Charizard, let alone one already weakened.

Thud!

Charizard hit the ground with a heavy crash.

"Charizard is unable to battle. Dragonite wins," declared Lorelei in her usual calm tone, though her eyes betrayed a hint of peculiarity. She hadn't expected to announce another trainer's Dragonite as the winner in a battle against Lance.

Wasn't this a kind of symbolic loss?

"An excellent Dragonite."

Lance wasn't too surprised. After recalling Charizard, he praised Dylan's Dragonite.

"Well, it's all thanks to the excellent Dratini you gave me, Lance. Its innate talent is extraordinary," Dylan said modestly.

"No, it's thanks to your exceptional training," Lance shook his head. Even though Dratini had exceptional potential, Lance knew that wasn't the main reason.

"But Dylan, how do you plan to deal with this next dragon?" Lance smirked as he released his third Pokémon.

"Dragonair!"

With a melodious cry, a long and elegant serpent-like Pokémon floated in front of Lance. Its body was covered in sapphire-blue scales, its underside gleaming in white. Radiating an aura of nobility, it was none other than Dragonair, Dratini's evolved form.

Beep! Dragonair, Dragon type, Dragon Pokémon.

Ability: Shed Skin

Moves: Hyper Beam, Outrage, Dragon Dance, Safeguard, Dragon Rush, Aqua Tail, Ice Beam, Thunder, Draco Meteor...

Description: It is said to be a sacred creature cloaked in an aura, with the ability to alter weather conditions.

It was an extremely powerful Dragonair.

"This must be one of the two Dragonairs you used when you became champion, right? But why didn't you let them evolve into Dragonite?" Lillie asked curiously.

At last, Lance was using a true Dragon-type Pokémon for his third battle.

(To be continued)