Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Dragon 3
Lillie gazed at the Dragonair with a puzzled expression. Many dragon-types only reach their full potential after evolving into their final forms.
Naturally, Dragonite was far stronger than Dragonair, especially since Dragonite is known as a late bloomer among Pokémon.
"Dragonair is different from Dragonite, Lillie," President Goodshow said with a gentle smile.
"Dragonair has a unique ability that Dragonite loses upon evolving. Dragonair is born with the ability to control weather—a power that it sacrifices when it evolves into Dragonite."
Lorelei nodded, her voice calm. "Weather control plays a significant role in Pokémon battles, especially for trainers who specialize in certain types."
"That does sound familiar," Lillie said, pressing her finger to her chin as she tried to recall. "I think I've heard that before."
"Additionally, these two Dragonair share a bond that ordinary Pokémon cannot compare to," Lorelei continued. "After being carefully trained by Lance, their power isn't any weaker than that of a normal Dragonite."
"When they combine their weather-manipulating abilities in battle, their strength is nothing short of extraordinary."
Lorelei's gaze lingered on the elegant and dazzling Dragonair on the field.
In official battles, these Dragonair might not seem particularly special—aside from being far stronger than regular Dragonair. But in the wild…
The combined strength of Lance's two Dragonair could rival even his ace Dragonite's attacks!
This was one of the reasons why Lance chose not to evolve them. Moreover, the Dragonair themselves willingly decided against evolution, a testament to the bond they shared with their trainer.
Lance deeply cherishes his Pokémon and would never force them to act against their will.
"The strength of a Pokémon can't be measured solely by its species or base stats. Pokémon are extraordinary creatures. Factors like determination, willpower, training, and bonds can all contribute to making them stronger," Lorelei said, her tone still even.
"My brother often says that too," Lillie murmured thoughtfully. "He told me that even a Swinub, with enough dedication and training, could defeat Ho-Oh and Lugia."
Lorelei's eyebrows twitched slightly at that. "Your brother isn't entirely wrong. That's why Lance's Dragonair can hold its own even against championship-level Dragonite."
She nodded but then adjusted her glasses, her expression becoming slightly peculiar.
"However, the idea of a Swinub defeating Ho-Oh and Lugia… that's a bit too far-fetched."
Lorelei couldn't help but chuckle. She understood that Lillie's brother was trying to teach her the importance of nurturing even the weakest Pokémon, but the example was overly exaggerated.
"Honestly, he could've said Swinub defeating Dragonite instead… But using Ho-Oh and Lugia as examples? That's just ridiculous. How is a Swinub supposed to counter legendary Pokémon like that?"
"Emmm…" Lillie blinked. She also found it a bit unbelievable, but since it was her brother who said it, she believed there must be some logic behind it.
On the battlefield:
"Come on, Dylan! My Dragonair has always been my trusted partner. Let's see if your Dragonite can defeat it!"
Lance's crimson hair fluttered as he spoke with wild excitement. Despite having already lost two of his key Pokémon, his spirits remained high.
It didn't matter! As long as he hadn't been defeated yet, his dragons could still turn the tide!
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!" Dylan commanded without hesitation.
A flash of white light trailed behind Dragonite as it charged at Dragonair with blinding speed.
Normal-type Extreme Speed!
"Extreme Speed? Then we'll use it too!" Lance declared, his cape billowing dramatically.
Dragonair let out a melodious cry as the same brilliant white light surrounded its form. It dashed forward to meet the oncoming Dragonite head-on.
Bang!
The two Pokémon collided forcefully in the center of the battlefield—Extreme Speed against Extreme Speed!
To Lillie's astonishment, Dragonite's Extreme Speed failed to overpower Dragonair's!
"How is that possible?" Dylan's eyes narrowed. "The disparity isn't just in levels. This Dragonair's overall strength rivals that of Dragonite."
He found it hard to believe. Could this Dragonair really be so high-leveled—like level 90? That seemed absurd.
This wasn't merely a matter of levels; it was also about the intrinsic strength of the Pokémon itself. Unlike the structured mechanics of a game, real Pokémon are living beings.
In reality, factors like a trainer's dedication and the Pokémon's unique characteristics come into play. Giovanni's Beedrill, Pryce's Delibird, and even obscure Pokémon like Swinub had proven this time and again.
Lance's Dragonair was the same. Its high level, coupled with Lance's meticulous training, allowed it to rival a typical Dragonite.
The two Pokémon, both utilizing Extreme Speed, clashed repeatedly in the air, their movements almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Only flashes of blue and orange could be seen as they crossed paths in rapid succession.
One clash, two clashes, three clashes, four clashes!
After four intense exchanges, both Pokémon finally pulled back, floating midair and staring each other down.
"Impressive as always," Lance said with a fierce grin. "But now, Dylan, let me show you Dragonair's unique ability."
"Dragonair, summon the rain!"
With a roar, Dragonair's orbs glowed mysteriously. A fierce wind began to howl, and dark clouds quickly gathered overhead.
Pitter-patter!
In the blink of an eye, torrential rain began to pour down—Dragonair's innate weather-controlling ability in action.
"Dragonair, Blizzard!" Lance commanded with a flourish.
Dragonair opened its mouth, unleashing a freezing storm of ice and snow.
An Ice-type Blizzard—quadruple effective against Dragonite!
Under the rainy conditions, the downpour instantly turned to icy pellets, which were swept up in the raging snowstorm and hurled at Dragonite.
"Blizzard?" Dylan arched an eyebrow, unfazed.
Dragonite flew back quickly, unleashing its own icy blizzard in retaliation.
The two freezing storms clashed violently before exploding in a burst of icy energy, neither managing to overpower the other.
"Thunder!" Lance barked.
Golden lightning crackled within the storm clouds, and a massive bolt of electricity struck down at Dragonite.
Electric-type Thunder!
In the rain, Thunder's speed and accuracy were significantly boosted, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
"Ice Beam!" Dylan countered.
Instead of trading blows with Thunder, Dragonite charged its own icy energy, firing a beam of freezing light at Dragonair.
Boom!
The Thunder struck Dragonite, engulfing it in crackling electricity. Gritting its teeth, Dragonite endured the pain.
Meanwhile, the Ice Beam froze the raindrops in its path, finally striking Dragonair, eliciting a pained cry as it recoiled from the super-effective attack.
Lance's sharp eyes narrowed. As expected of Dylan—he wasn't giving an inch.
"Extreme Speed, close in!" Dylan ordered decisively.
White light once again enveloped Dragonite as it darted toward Dragonair with incredible speed.
"Dragonair!" Lance's eyes gleamed, but this time he didn't command a counterattack.
Dragonair floated motionlessly, its jewel-like eyes tracking Dragonite's every move.
Dragonite didn't attack immediately but instead zipped around Dragonair at high speed, attempting to confuse it.
"Thunderbolt!" Lance called out.
Electricity crackled around Dragonair as it unleashed Thunderbolt in all directions. In the rain, the electrical discharge spread rapidly, creating a web of lightning that enveloped the area around Dragonair.
"Charge through!" Dylan shouted.
The Dragonite flew into the blind spot behind the Dragonair and suddenly charged toward it, forcing its way through a net of tens of thousands of volts. Dragonite crashed heavily into Dragonair.
"Ice Beam!"
As expected, they closed in! Lance grinned, knowing full well that even though he was aware that Dragonair could use Ice-type moves, Dylan would inevitably have Dragonite close the distance.
After all, could Dragonite beat Dragonair by just using long-range attacks? Impossible.
Even if Lance were in Dylan's position, he would also try his best to close in and fight head-on.
Dragonair was hit by Dragonite's Quick Attack. Despite the pain, it began gathering icy energy in its mouth.
"Dragon Claw!"
Dragonite's claws gleamed with green energy as it slashed toward Dragonair, moving at lightning speed.
Ripping sounds echoed as Dragonite's Dragon Claw cut across Dragonair's head, forcing it to turn aside, causing its prepared Ice Beam to miss completely.
"Dragonair!" Lance's expression immediately darkened. How could this happen?
Dragonair roared in anger and tried to turn its head, attempting to aim the Ice Beam again.
"Dragonite!"
However, Dragonite's sharp, green claws reached up from below, forcefully blocking Dragonair's mouth. Not just its mouth, but Dragonite's claw was gripping Dragonair's entire face, holding it tightly in its grasp.
Lance frowned deeply.
Crack, crack!
The sound of freezing rang out continuously, as Dragonite's left claw was frozen almost to the point of numbness.
The Ice Beam had inflicted significant damage on Dragonite.
Dragonair struggled desperately, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't pull its head out of Dragonite's frozen grip. Its long body twisted helplessly below.
"Ah..." Lillie was stunned. If she had to describe it, it was as if Dragonite had grabbed the snake by its most vulnerable spot, and Dragonair was the snake.
"Dylan had a plan, huh? Looks like he made a bold move." Charles Goodshow's eyes lit up.
By using Dragon Claw to forcibly grab Dragonair's head, though Ice Beam did hit Dragonite, it only hit Dragonite's paw.
But now, Dragonair had become unable to retaliate. As a serpent-like Pokémon, with its head immobilized, it lost its most powerful weapon.
"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"
Dragonite lifted Dragonair and unleashed Dragon Pulse, striking Dragonair's body.
A loud crash rang out, followed by a muffled, pained cry from Dragonair.
"Dragon Claw!"
"Dragonair! Wide-area destruction!"
Lance's voice rang out, signaling that it was time to counterattack. If this continued, Dragonair would be in trouble, unable to break free.
"Dragonite!" Dylan immediately called out to Dragonite.
Dragonite lowered its body and forcefully swung Dragonair, repeatedly slamming it into the ground.
Due to the sudden loss of weight, Dragonair couldn't activate its wide-area destruction.
The scene looked like a wrestling move, similar to Hulk throwing Loki.
Bang! Bang!
Dragonair's body was slammed into the ground again and again, each hit cracking deep fissures in the field, showing just how much force Dragonite was using.
After about a dozen slams, Dragonair's head became dizzy and its body grew limp.
The scene left Charles Goodshow, who was watching, wide-eyed in shock.
As he watched Dragonair, being treated like a whip, swinging in Dragonite's grasp, Lance's face twitched.
What on earth did Dylan teach this Dragonite? Why was it so skilled?
(End of chapter)