"Lance, what do you think of Dynamax?"
Dylan smiled as he addressed Lance, clearly enjoying the weight on his expression.
"Pretty good."
Lance replied coolly. He genuinely thought it was powerful. After all, while Dynamax made Pokémon easier to hit due to their enlarged size, the exponentially boosted stamina meant they wouldn't go down easily.
And the range of Max Moves was massive—under normal circumstances, avoiding them was nearly impossible. On top of that, they could partially bypass Protect.
More importantly, Max Moves each had their own special effects.
Take Max Hailstorm, used just now by Alolan Ninetales.
Lance glanced up at the still-swirling snowstorm overhead. Max Hailstorm had set the battlefield to hail.
Still, Dynamax had its drawbacks. It wasn't as practical or flexible as Mega Evolution.
"In the Cup Tournament, Dynamax will be tournament legal. I really recommend you learn how to use it," Dylan said with a warm smile.
"Honestly, I think Terastallization from Paldea would suit you even better, Lance. You love Dragonite—changing its type with Terastallization could work wonders."
Dylan added casually.
"…"
Lance furrowed his brows. He'd heard that Terastallization could change a Pokémon's typing.
But the necessary item—the Tera Orb—would lose its stored energy after one use outside Paldea. To recharge it, you had to return to Paldea. While it wasn't as restricted as Dynamax, it still wasn't practical for trainers from other regions.
That said… Lance was tempted. Terastallization really did seem perfect for Dragonite.
Even if he liked to talk big about how his dragons feared neither Ice nor Fairy-types, Dragonite's biggest flaw was still its 4x Ice weakness.
Why did Dragonite II and Giant Dragonite go down so fast? Because of that weakness—Alolan Ninetales' Ice moves hit like a truck.
If he could change Dragonite's typing with Terastallization and eliminate that 4x Ice vulnerability, it would unlock its full power.
"I'll look into it," Lance said calmly.
"But right now, Dylan, I haven't lost yet!"
His tone sharpened, arrogance and fire flaring in his eyes as he glared across the battlefield.
So what if he'd already lost two of his heavy hitters?
Lance believed he still had a chance!
"Oh? You haven't given up yet, Lance? But none of your Dragonite could handle my Ninetales."
"Hmph! You think that's all my Dragonite can do?!"
Lance scoffed coldly, eyes narrowing at the slightly plump Alolan Ninetales across the field.
No matter what, he had to take at least one of them down!
"Dragonite!!"
Lance hurled his fifth Poké Ball. A flash of white light—another Dragonite took to the sky and landed before him, flapping its wings.
Dylan raised an eyebrow at this Dragonite, whose presence was distinctly grim and suffocating.
No doubt about it—this was Lance's ace. Stronger than the second Dragonite from earlier.
"Now the real battle begins!" Lance said in a low voice.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Dylan smiled, gesturing for him to go first.
"Dragonite! Extreme Speed!"
Lance didn't hold back. His command came instantly.
Dragonite was already fast—but with Extreme Speed? It moved like lightning.
This grim-faced Dragonite lifted slightly, then shot forward as a white blur toward Alolan Ninetales.
"Ice Beam!"
Ninetales sprang back, mouth glowing as it unleashed a curling Ice Beam—but Dragonite was already there.
With a sharp pivot, it dodged the beam and slammed directly into Ninetales.
BAM!
Ninetales cried out in pain. Even with the defense boost from hail, that Extreme Speed hit hard.
Lance's ace Dragonite was seriously powerful.
"Stone Edge!"
"Ice Beam!"
Dragonite growled low, swinging both claws—jagged rocks formed and launched at Ninetales.
Stone Edge—Rock-type and super effective!
Ninetales, not yet steady, fired another Ice Beam—but the two moves passed midair.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The stones exploded against Ninetales, making her cry out repeatedly.
At the same time, the Ice Beam struck Dragonite's raised left arm.
Frost quickly crawled over it. On Dragonite's face, a grimace of pain. The crackling sound of ice forming was constant until its arm was encased in thick ice.
But in the next instant, Dragonite smashed the ice with a swing of its right claw.
"Rock Slide!"
With a low roar, Dragonite summoned boulders that appeared above Ninetales.
"Baton Pass!" Dylan called decisively.
Ninetales, panting, glowed white and vanished into her Poké Ball.
"Ran away fast," Lance said flatly. That Rock Slide would've connected.
Given the damage Ninetales had already taken from Giant Dragonite, that might have been enough to take her down.
Even if she'd been Dynamaxed at the time, damage had still been done.
"No surprise from your ace—impressive," Dylan said lightly as he holstered Ninetales No.3 and took out another Poké Ball.
Lance snorted, folding his arms.
"Then Lance, how will you deal with this one?"
Dylan threw his fourth Ultra Ball.
"Ruuuu~"
Another beautiful Alolan Ninetales appeared, walking gracefully through the snow with feline elegance, lifting her head in poise.
The crowd fell silent.
"…"
Even someone like Lance was briefly stunned.
Another Alolan Ninetales???
And this one was clearly different from the first three.
Dylan—you absolute madman—had brought four different Alolan Ninetales?!
Was this guy even human?!
Lance stared blankly at the poised Ninetales, whose every movement radiated elegance.
Each one of these foxes had a different build, a different style. This was insane!
His expression began to twitch. Sure, he'd known Dylan had built a team specifically to counter him.
But he hadn't expected this level of obsession. Four Ice Ninetales! That was beyond over the top!
Even he only ever ran three Dragonite per team, tops!
"Surprised? I put this full-course meal together just for you, Lance."
Dylan grinned playfully at Lance's blank face.
"…"
Lance's chest rose and fell. He exhaled slowly, silently swallowing the stream of curses in his mind.
Just foxes. Mere foxes.
How could they ever compare to dragons?
That's right—Dragonite is unmatched!!
"Extreme Speed!"
Lance wasn't in the mood for talking anymore.
His grim Dragonite turned into a white streak and shot toward the fourth Ninetales.
"Again with that move, huh?" Dylan chuckled.
"Dig."
The graceful Ninetales ducked her head and began to burrow rapidly.
She just barely slipped underground before Dragonite could strike.
"Earthquake!" Lance snapped.
Dig? That's just asking for it!
Dragonite landed hard, charging up Earthquake. Ninetales wasn't weak to Ground, but Earthquake did bonus damage to underground targets—making it super effective in this case.
"Weather Ball."
But Dig was just a distraction.
The ground behind Dragonite erupted—Ninetales emerged with a howl and dropped a glowing Ice-type Weather Ball straight down on him.
"Saw that coming. Fire Punch," Lance replied coldly.
Dragonite pivoted, dodged the Weather Ball, and lunged at Ninetales with a flaming punch.
But in the falling snow, Ninetales shimmered—her silhouette flickering like an illusion. A simple sidestep, and she dodged it.
Then—an Ice Beam blasted Dragonite straight in the chest.
He roared in agony. A direct hit—and super effective!
But this Dragonite was nothing if not resilient. Despite the pain, it roared back, spewing a stream of flames.
Still, in the snowy haze, Ninetales seemed half-transparent—another elegant step, and she dodged even that.
"Snow Cloak…"
Lance's face hardened. He ground the words out slowly.
No doubt about it—this was a Snow Cloak Alolan Ninetales.
In hail, Snow Cloak boosted evasion. That's why Dragonite had missed both attacks.
"Blizzard," Dylan called out, still smiling.
Ninetales opened her mouth wide—an icy whirlwind roared out and swallowed Dragonite whole.
The blizzard slammed into his entire body. His low, anguished roar made Lance freeze.
When the storm finally died down—
Dragonite lay on the ground, covered in frost.
Two Ice Beams and a Blizzard.
Even Lance's ace couldn't hold on.
This was 4× effectiveness—no joke.
"Dragonite is unable to battle. Alolan Ninetales wins."
Leaf huddled, her voice slightly shaking from the cold. With the snow and Ice moves flying nonstop, the temperature inside the gym had dropped sharply.
Even she had goosebumps.
Still, no matter how cold it was here—
Dylan was certain Lance's heart felt colder.
"Lance, are you okay?"
He asked with faux concern.
After all, with this blatant counter-pick team, Lance's face had gotten really dark.
Lance pressed his lips into a line, glancing at his Dragonite's Poké Ball, then toward the snowy battlefield where Ninetales still stood—half-hidden, regal.
Honestly… he didn't feel like playing anymore.
Three Dragonite.
All taken out by four foxes.
There wasn't a shred of warmth left in this world.
"Dylan… is this how you treat all your challengers?"
Lance hesitated, then let out a deep sigh.
Maybe… he shouldn't have come here as a challenger.
No. Who was he kidding? Even if it were a friendly match, Dylan probably still would've brought this same team.
(End of Chapter)