"Corviknight, use Quick Attack to pull away!" Shiro ordered.
Even though the bird had already evaded the Flash Cannon, he still stayed cautious and let it gain some distance.
On the battlefield, the gray-blue beam of the Flash Cannon slowly advanced toward Corviknight, but it didn't try to counter or look for a gap to attack. Instead, following Shiro's instructions, it used Quick Attack and swiftly retreated.
Seeing this, Rylan clenched his teeth. With Corviknight's speed, dodging Flash Cannon at close range was easy. He had hoped to trade blows when the bird approached, but now that it was pulling away, he quickly shouted, "Duraludon, use Thunder Wave!"
The glow of Flash Cannon vanished from the steel dragon's claws. In its place came a surge of golden electricity that spread across its entire body and surged outward, filling the battlefield.
Thunder Wave was an Electric-type move. While it didn't deal damage, the electric currents could paralyze the target. It was a great control technique.
However, since Electric wasn't one of Duraludon's primary types, the electric energy it released was limited. Though it barely managed to spread across the field, the current near the edges was too weak to be effective.
Flying fast, Corviknight dashed to the edge of the arena with Quick Attack. It felt a slight tingling across its body, but nothing that hindered its movement.
"Use Air Cutter!" Shiro commanded.
Just as Thunder Wave ended, Corviknight flapped its wings hard, releasing numerous blades of wind. Each one stretched six meters long and was razor-sharp. The gusts they generated tore through the lingering electricity and blew it off to the sides.
At the same time, Duraludon's huge size made dodging impossible. But Rylan never intended to evade anyway.
To a steel titan like Duraludon, those blades of wind were nothing more than a strong breeze. Unless they could break through the alloy armor on its body, they wouldn't do much.
Thud. Thud. Thud...
The slicing sounds echoed as the wind blades shattered on contact. The Dragon-type crossed its arms and blocked the move head-on.
"Tch..." Rylan's expression grew serious.
He can't continue like this. If Corviknight kept chipping away at Duraludon with these attacks, the outcome would become uncertain. Not to mention, Shiro still had another Pokémon. Although its strength and type were unknown, it was likely at least peak Advanced-level.
Should Duraludon get worn out by Corviknight before that, there was no guarantee it could handle what came next.
Outside the arena, Bryan quietly said to the people around him, "Rylan needs to find an opportunity to knock Corviknight out in one strike."
"One strike?" The trainers nearby looked surprised, as if they'd misheard. The two battling Pokémon didn't have a type advantage over each other, and it was clearly a drawn-out fight. Plus, Corviknight had already boosted its stats several times. Its physical strength was almost equal to Duraludon's now.
"If this drags on, he'll definitely lose." Bryan's tone was grave. "His Duraludon's attacks have been deflected again and again. Meanwhile, Shiro has been steadily building momentum. All Rylan can do now is to take a risk... bait a mistake."
"Bait a mistake?"
Some of the less experienced trainers nodded, half-understanding, but they didn't quite get the details. So they kept watching the battle with full focus.
Back in the arena, Rylan was indeed trying to think of a way to win. If he couldn't finish Corviknight quickly, this battle would become a slow defeat.
That bird was just too agile.
Duraludon couldn't keep up no matter what. The only options were to pressure it with wide-range moves or to trick it into attacking and draw it close.
And now, Shiro had seized the moment again, having Corviknight use Hone Claws.
At this point, the bird had already boosted its attack and accuracy three times and its defense once.
He couldn't let it keep powering up!
Rylan made his decision after a brief pause and yelled, "Duraludon, use Iron Defense!"
Duraludon adjusted its stance as a faint metallic glow shimmered across its silver alloy body.
Shiro wasn't fazed. He didn't tell Corviknight to react, simply continuing, "Corviknight, you too, Iron Defense!"
Upon finishing Hone Claws, Corviknight immediately began using Iron Defense, as if it were competing with Duraludon to see who could boost faster.
Then, with a sharp cry, both Pokémon completed their stat-boosting moves simultaneously.
Wasting no time, Rylan called out, "Duraludon, use Hone Claws!"
Without a pause, Duraludon followed up, sharpening its claws once Iron Defense was done.
Shiro let out a light chuckle. "Corviknight, Quick Attack to close in, then Aerial Ace!"
The bird shot forward like a streak of gray lightning, charging straight at Duraludon, who looked completely unguarded.
A faint smirk played on Rylan's face. He'd been waiting for this. He knew Shiro wouldn't be able to resist interrupting Duraludon's boosts.
After all, the Dragon-type had a natural advantage in strength. The only reason Corviknight was managing to keep up was thanks to the stat boosts it had stacked. But if the two sides kept boosting, the effects would start to plateau, and eventually, the bird would fall behind.
So now it was time for a head-on clash.
A direct fight. Whoever was still standing at the end would be the winner.
Rylan watched as Corviknight reached Duraludon's blind spot above its head. The Dragon-type, already anticipating this, instantly canceled its Hone Claws and braced itself to strike back.
"Use Dragon Tail!" Rylan shouted.
He'd heard Shiro call for Aerial Ace, but whether it was that or something else, sweeping up with Dragon Tail from the back would be a perfect counter.
As the bird closed in, Duraludon's thick, energy-charged tail swept around with force.
But Corviknight once more pulled upward, narrowly dodging. The Dragon Tail hit the empty air.
"No way!"
Even Raihan in the stands was stunned. He couldn't understand how Shiro was issuing commands. There was no visible signal or audible cue.
If the earlier deception could've been seen as premeditated, what about this one? Either Shiro and Corviknight had an unbelievably deep bond and rehearsed strategies, or he was using some kind of hidden method to communicate with his Pokémon.
But that second possibility? How could that be? Shiro didn't seem like someone with special abilities. None of his background records said anything of the sort.
While Raihan frowned and tried to make sense of it, the crowd around him exploded with questions.
"What just happened?"
"Is the Pokémon not following commands... or were the orders not spoken out loud?"
"Maybe they had it planned in advance, like a secret signal..."
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