"What the heck is that?!"
"Is that… a Dragonite? It's way too big! You can actually raise something like that?"
"I heard the Galar region has something called Dynamax that makes Pokémon grow huge—is this a Dynamax Dragonite?"
"No way. That doesn't look like Dynamax at all."
"Must be some kind of mutation. I've heard some Pokémon are born mutated—it's rare, but it happens."
Clearly, everyone in the Rota Gym was stunned by the sight of the colossal Dragonite.
After all, its sheer size was unbelievable.
Normally, Dragonite stands around 2.2 meters tall. Lance's Dragonite had always been well-trained, slightly bigger than average. His ace was nearly 3 meters tall—a sign of elite training.
But this one?
It looked to be at least ten meters tall—maybe more!
This wasn't something that could be explained by mere breeding. Even Totem Pokémon, which were known to be larger than their peers, didn't come close to this size.
"That thing's not gonna be easy to deal with…"
Leaf's mind immediately flashed back to the final battle on Cinnabar Island.
This was the same colossal Dragonite. Though it lacked agility due to its size, its sheer power and resilience were terrifying.
In terms of raw destructive force, it might even surpass Lance's original ace Dragonite.
"Giant Dragonite… looks like Lance's luck isn't too bad today."
This was Dylan's first formal battle against Lance's behemoth, and he eyed it with keen interest.
This Dragonite was the same mysterious shadow that had appeared at Bill's lighthouse back in the anime's Indigo League arc.
And now, here it was—tamed by Lance in this world.
"But you know, Lance… a target that big makes for a perfect bullseye."
Dylan smirked.
"You're welcome to try," Lance replied coolly, arms crossed.
It was true that Giant Dragonite wasn't the most agile. But its massive frame gave it unmatched strength—that was where its true threat lay.
Dragonite was already known for its raw power and deep movepool. This one took all of that to the next level.
"Confident, are we? Then let me ask you something—have you ever seen Dynamax?"
Dylan asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Dynamax? You mean the thing from Galar?"
Lance furrowed his brows.
"That's right—Mega Evolution in Kalos, Z-Moves in Alola, Dynamax in Galar, and Terastallization in Paldea."
Dylan ticked off the regional mechanics on his fingers.
Lance nodded. He'd heard of all of them, though aside from Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, Dynamax and Terastallization were region-locked.
Terastallization was a bit more flexible—you could use it outside Paldea, so long as your Tera Orb had energy left. But once depleted, there was no recharging it in other regions.
Dynamax, on the other hand, only worked in Galar. It required Power Spots—unique energy zones only found there.
Even within Galar, not all towns had them. For example, Spikemuth's gym couldn't hold Dynamax battles at all.
"Well, I caught Eternatus. With its help, I've had Power Spots set up right here in Rota Gym."
Dylan casually explained.
"So how about I give you a demonstration, Lance? The World Coronation Series is coming up, after all. You should get familiar with all the mechanics—might even learn to use them yourself."
He held up a Poké Ball as his Dynamax Band glowed crimson.
He'd already had Eternatus install Power Spots in both Rota Gym and the Cerise Plateau's arena. These were the only places in Kanto where Dynamax was possible.
"Oh? Interesting."
Lance arched an eyebrow and grinned faintly.
Dynamax, huh?
"Shall we begin?"
Dylan recalled his Alolan Ninetales and rotated his wrist. A vivid red light surged from the Dynamax Band into the Poké Ball.
It pulsed.
Once.Twice.Three times.
The ball swelled to massive size. With one hand, Dylan hurled it skyward.
"Ruuuu~!"
With a melodic cry, Ninetales landed gracefully—and then began to expand, glowing red.
Three pulses later, a towering 30-meter-tall Alolan Ninetales stood in the arena.
A faint red aura radiated off its fur, and three crimson clouds swirled above its head.
Dynamax Alolan Ninetales.
It loomed over Giant Dragonite—who was suddenly wide-eyed.
Wait. That tiny fox just got bigger than me?!
"So this is Dynamax? Fitting name."
Lance studied the massive Ninetales with great interest. If that fox could grow to 30 meters, what would his Dragonite look like if it Dynamaxed?
"That's right. When Dynamaxed, a Pokémon's stamina multiplies, and all its moves become Max Moves."
Dylan explained with a smirk.
Lance had known of Dynamax, but this was his first time seeing it firsthand.
He hadn't paid it much attention before—he'd been too busy hunting down Team Rocket, and Dynamax wasn't usable outside Galar anyway.
But now that he saw its true potential…
He had to admit—it was intriguing.
He was already comfortable with Mega Evolution. He just regretted that he'd never found a Dragonite Mega Stone.
(Though in his heart, he firmly believed that one must exist—somewhere.)
"Also, Max Moves can't be fully blocked by standard Protect. Ready, Lance?"
"Standard Protect can't fully block them, huh?"
Lance's eyes narrowed.
So they could pierce through defensive tactics—just like Z-Moves. Fascinating.
But 'can't be fully blocked' wasn't the same as 'can't be blocked at all.'
"Then let's show you how it works."
Dylan snapped his fingers.
"Ninetales—Max Hailstorm!"
The massive Ninetales raised its head and let out a chilling howl.
Above it, icy clouds formed rapidly and expanded over the battlefield.
Sparkling ice crystals began to fall—beautiful but deadly.
This was the Max Move variant of Blizzard—Max Hailstorm.
"The range is that wide?!"
Lance's eyes widened as the clouds stretched across the entire arena.
There was no dodging that.
"Dragonite—Outrage!"
Lance's mind spun, processing options in an instant.
Dodging was impossible at this size. The only option was to meet it head-on.
"Huh? But Dragon-type moves don't affect Fairy-types, right?" Lillie blinked in confusion.
"It's not an attack—it's a counter," Leaf explained.
Max Hailstorm wasn't being blocked with damage. Outrage was being used defensively—to smash through the oncoming hail.
Even though it was Lance's first time seeing Dynamax in action, he knew one thing:
Dynamax didn't last long. Time was a factor.
Giant Dragonite took to the air, wings beating hard as pure Dragon energy coalesced around it—shaping into a snarling spirit dragon.
Max Hailstorm was now falling in earnest.
The smaller shards rained down like meteors.
Giant Dragonite dove straight into them.
BOOM! BOOM!
Dragonite's Outrage shredded the first wave of ice shards with ease.
But then—
A single massive chunk of ice, dozens of meters wide, came crashing down.
The dragon spirit roared and surged upward to meet it.
CRASH!
Outrage vs. Max Hailstorm.
The impact sent shockwaves blasting outward. Everyone held their breath.
But then—
Dragonite's aura began to fade. The massive ice block kept descending.
"No way…" Lance's face darkened.
That was his Dragonite's Outrage—how could it not hold?!
Dylan just chuckled.
Did Lance really think +4 Special Attack Max Hailstorm was a joke?
If anything, the fact that Dragonite held it off for a few seconds was incredible.
BOOOOM!!
The ice shattered across Dragonite's frame, exploding into shards and energy.
It cried out and crashed to the ground, shaking the entire battlefield.
Though it had blocked part of the attack with Outrage, the blow still landed hard.
After all—Dragonite was 4× weak to Ice.
"Max Hailstorm—again."
Dylan didn't hesitate.
Ninetales roared again. More icy clouds formed, and more hail began to fall.
"Protect!" Lance snapped.
Dragonite forced itself up, gritting its teeth as it threw up a green barrier.
The smaller shards bounced harmlessly off the shield.
But then—
Another massive ice block plummeted.
When it struck the Protect barrier—
CRACK!
Fractures spread. The shield gave way.
BOOM!
The impact struck Dragonite directly.
Though the shield had absorbed some of it, the damage still landed.
"Again!"
Dylan's eyes gleamed.
Lance clenched his jaw.
A third Max Hailstorm was already forming overhead.
Could he risk a second Protect?
No. Second use had only a 33% chance of success.
He made his decision.
"Extreme Speed!"
Dragonite roared, white energy trailing behind it as it charged.
WHAM!
It rammed into Dynamax Ninetales, who groaned under the impact.
"Fire Punch!"
Dylan shouted, just as the final ice chunk began its descent.
Flames engulfed Dragonite's fists as it slammed into Ninetales again.
CRACK!
She growled in pain.
But at that same moment, the final Max Hailstorm landed.
KABOOM!
Dragonite was blown backwards, landing with a heavy crash.
A chilling mist spread from its body across the entire battlefield.
It was completely covered in frost.
That final hit had landed clean.
At the same time, Ninetales' body began to shrink—its Dynamax timer had expired.
"Ninetales wins. Dragonite is unable to battle."
Leaf announced, her voice slightly trembling from the cold.
Even Giant Dragonite had fallen.
"So that's Dynamax, huh…"
Lance stared at the Poké Ball in his hand, silent.
His gaze drifted to the now-normal-sized Alolan Ninetales.
Dynamax… seemed really worth looking into.