"It's decided! Dragonite!"
Lance tossed out his third Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a chubby, orange dragon landed solidly in front of him.
Its rotund body, paired with comically small wings, was unmistakable—
The Dragon-type pseudo-legendary of Kanto: Dragonite, also Lance's signature Pokémon.
"Whoa! It's Champion Lance's Dragonite!!"
"Dragonite is still so cute. I love it! I really want to raise one."
"Is Lance feeling that much pressure? He's already using Dragonite?"
"Well, Champion Dylan really is strong. That Alolan Ninetales with +4 Special Attack is no joke."
The audience was buzzing. Dragonite's appearance always stirred excitement—especially Lance's.
But…
"Dragonite is 4× weak to Ice, though… Is that really okay?"
Yellow's eyes widened. As strong as Dragonite was, bringing it out against something that quadruple-counters it? That was beyond risky.
Being 4× weak meant even the tankiest Pokémon could barely take a hit—especially from something that already had +4 Special Attack like Dylan's Ninetales.
One Ice Beam or Blizzard landing cleanly could flatten even Lance's ace.
Even if it survived, there was no surviving a second hit.
"Mr. Lance is always like that. He has complete faith in his Pokémon."
Lillie smiled softly.
Choosing a Pokémon with a glaring type disadvantage might seem idiotic.
But this was Lance—and if it was Lance, Lillie wasn't that surprised anymore.
He really trusted his dragons.
On the field—
"Lance, this isn't your ace, right?"
Dylan gave the Dragonite a once-over. It had an imposing presence, sure, but he was certain this wasn't the Dragonite.
"You brought two Ninetales, didn't you?" Lance replied coolly.
"Of course. But seriously, Lance, I don't know if I should call you cocky or just delusional. You're sending in Dragonite against my Alolan Ninetales? Bold move~"
Dylan grinned.
"I already said—my dragons don't fear Ice or Fairy!"
Lance's eyes glinted like blades.
"A mere ice fox wants to make my Dragonite retreat? Impossible!"
Right. Just because it's 4× effective doesn't mean the fight's over.
"Alright then," Dylan raised a brow, amused.
"Ninetales, treat our pudgy friend with some special hospitality."
He snapped his fingers.
"Blizzard!"
"Ruu~!"
With a melodic cry, Ninetales inhaled. A swirling vortex of snow and ice blasted toward Dragonite.
The blizzard raged furiously, its range massive and power overwhelming.
"Extreme Speed!"
Lance stayed calm.
Dragonite's tiny wings flapped furiously, and a burst of white energy trailed behind it—Extreme Speed!
In a flash, Dragonite surged skyward, avoiding the incoming blizzard.
Then, with a sharp twist, it dived straight at Ninetales.
Boom!
The Extreme Speed collided hard with Ninetales, who yelped in pain.
Even with Aurora Veil and the Hail's defense boost, her frail defenses couldn't handle Dragonite's raw physical power.
"Fire Punch!"
Lance barked again.
Sure, Steel-type moves would've been ideal—but Dragonite couldn't learn any. Fire would have to do.
Flames surged around Dragonite's right claw as it lunged again.
"Ice Beam!"
Dylan's smile widened.
Ninetales didn't dodge.
She opened her mouth, releasing a piercing stream of icy energy—angled just right to miss the oncoming Fire Punch.
They crossed paths.
You cunning bastard!!
Lance's expression hardened.
He realized Dylan was intentionally trading hits.
Fire Punch was only 2× effective on Ninetales—but Ice Beam? 4× on Dragonite.
Dylan was using type advantage ruthlessly.
"Dragonite!"
Lance gritted his teeth. No backing down now.
Dragonite roared and brought its flaming fist down hard.
BOOM!
Fire exploded as Ninetales was smashed to the ground.
But at the same moment, Ice Beam struck Dragonite squarely on the left side, ice creeping across its scales.
Both Pokémon crashed down—Ninetales moaning in pain, Dragonite trembling from the cold, half its body frozen.
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
"Damn, Champion Lance really doesn't pull punches."
Blue rubbed her arms, shivering from the sight of the snowstorm—and from the chilling blow Dragonite had taken.
But Dragonite gritted its teeth, lifted its right claw, and shattered the ice freezing its side.
"Huh. Less damage than I expected—so it is Multiscale."
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't the game—real-life mechanics applied. It wasn't shocking that Lance's main Dragonite tanked the hit.
Still, it had to be Multiscale—that ability reduced damage when at full HP.
In that case, the damage trade was less profitable than it seemed.
After all, Ninetales had taken Extreme Speed and a super-effective Fire Punch.
Her defenses and HP weren't amazing to begin with.
Lance smirked.
"Dylan, even if you're going for trades, my dragon won't lose!"
"Truly impressive, Lance~" Dylan clapped lightly.
Then he turned serious.
"Ninetales, Baton Pass."
"Huh?"
Lance frowned. Another switch?
The slimmer Ninetales glared at Dragonite before turning into a beam of white light.
Dylan pulled out another Poké Ball.
"Ninetales, prepare for battle!"
With another flash, yet another Alolan Ninetales appeared.
This one was a bit plumper and curvier, sitting elegantly while glaring disdainfully at the lingering rain overhead.
"…Another Ninetales?"
Lance wasn't surprised—until he took a closer look.
His eyes narrowed.
This one was fatter. More rounded. Definitely a third variant.
A third Alolan Ninetales.
Lance's brain short-circuited.
How many did this guy have?
Who the hell brings three Alolan Ninetales?!
Normal trainers might raise two, max. These weren't powerhouse Pokémon.
But Dylan had three. What kind of lunatic planning was this!?
Lance's jaw tightened.
He had originally thought two Ninetales was the limit. Clearly, he'd underestimated Dylan's pettiness.
From Lance's perspective, training Pokémon took time and energy—and Alolan Ninetales, while useful, wasn't a top-tier battler.
Yet Dylan went all-in.
Could it be that—
"Hehe~ Busted. Yep, this is my third Ninetales—specially trained for you, Lance."
Dylan smiled sweetly, watching Lance's increasingly sour expression.
Yep. He was definitely targeting him.
Lance heard the unspoken subtext loud and clear.
"…"
He took a deep breath, reining in his frustration. His gaze sharpened again.
Fine. A real warrior doesn't whine. So what if it's targeted? He'd fight through it.
Just three foxes, right?
Were they better than his three Dragonites?
Ridiculous.
"Ninetales."
Dylan was a little disappointed that Lance didn't retort.
Still, back to the battle.
The chubby Ninetales lifted her head and howled.
Rain ceased. Snow returned.
Hailstorm activated.
"Will he switch to Dragonair again?" Dylan mused.
Lance's face shifted slightly. He didn't want another Veil going up.
Technically, his Dragonite could use Brick Break to shatter screens.
But Dylan definitely wouldn't let that happen easily.
"Blizzard."
Surprisingly, Dylan didn't use Aurora Veil this time—just went straight on offense.
His logic was simple: if he set up Veil, Lance would definitely bring in Dragonair to cancel the snow.
Might as well make use of the Hail defense boost and skip the screen.
It'd be less likely to trigger a swap.
"Extreme Speed!"
Lance called out.
Ninetales opened her mouth and released another raging Blizzard.
Snow and wind exploded across the arena, blanketing the field in white.
Dragonite dodged up into the sky with Extreme Speed.
"Above!"
Dylan shouted.
Ninetales tilted her head back, still channeling the Blizzard.
"Keep dodging!"
Dragonite swerved, zigzagging around the storm.
Its speed was unbelievable—just a blur to the naked eye.
Eventually—
WHAM!
It found an opening and rammed into Ninetales once more with Extreme Speed.
She grunted in pain, skidding backward.
"Fire Punch!"
"Weather Ball."
Lance went for another hard read.
But Ninetales was quicker—an icy-blue Weather Ball fell from the sky, slamming into Dragonite's head.
CRACK!
Ice exploded. Dragonite groaned, locked up, and collapsed—blue-tinted frost still clinging to its scales.
The second Dragonite had fainted.
Lance's eyes narrowed as he stared at the fluffy, tail-swaying Ninetales.
This one had better bulk and reaction time than the last.
He made a mental note—the Weather Ball came out fast.
"Dragonite is unable to battle. Alolan Ninetales wins."
Blue rubbed her chilly arms and called the result.
"Dragonite fell…"
"Champion Dylan scores the first KO."
"Lance is just unlucky. He had to face an Ice-type team."
"Alolan Ninetales really hard counters Dragonite… Fairy is immune to Dragon moves, and Ice is 4× effective. Brutal."
"Come on, Champion Lance! You can still win!"
Audience chatter buzzed.
"So, how are you feeling, Lance?" Dylan grinned.
"Three Alolan Ninetales are annoying, I'll admit. But if that's all you prepared, Dylan… it's not enough."
Lance replied coolly.
"Oho~ You're confident."
Dylan raised a brow. "But both your Dragonites have already fallen."
"You think those were my ace?"
Lance's gaze turned icy as he drew another Poké Ball.
"Sure, your Ninetales have the type advantage. But just three of them? That's not enough to take down my Dragonite!"
He tossed his fourth Poké Ball high.
Three Ninetales.
One already heavily wounded.
He was confident his Dragonite would turn the tide!
With a deep roar, a gigantic Dragonite landed heavily in front of Lance.
This was Giant Dragonite!
"Dylan! Against overwhelming power—even the hardest ice will be shattered by my dragon's fury!!"
(End of Chapter)