Rylan knew that the best choice now was to let Kommo-o wake up from being hit and hope it could deal enough damage before going down.
He had strong faith in the Pokémon Raihan had provided him.
Besides, there was a high chance that Corviknight was Shiro's only Gym-level Pokémon. Rylan didn't believe the man was such a prodigy that he could train two or more Pokémon of that strength on his own in such a short time.
Across the field, Shiro saw that Corviknight was ready and decided not to let it keep boosting its stats, just in case Rylan got desperate and switched Pokémon.
He shouted, "Corviknight, use Quick Attack and Drill Peck!"
"Cooorv!"
The steel bird let out a long cry as it turned into a flash of gray-white light, streaking across the sky with lightning speed. The sound of its voice was stretched by how fast it moved. Its body was almost invisible, leaving only a black blur behind.
It spun through the air and dove from above Kommo-o, its body twisting like a high-speed drill, aiming straight for the Dragon-type.
Bzzzzzz!
The air shrieked with a sharp buzz from the friction as Rylan stared hard at the two Pokémon on the battlefield and roared at the top of his lungs.
"Dragon Claw! Kommo-o, use Dragon Claw!"
He was counting on Kommo-o to wake up and react the moment it felt the impact.
Bang!
A loud sound rang out when steel beak met armored dragon scales. The point of impact dented immediately, then cracked and broke open as Corviknight's beak drove into Kommo-o's flesh beneath the shattered scales.
Pain, so intense it felt like a drill boring into its bones, shot through the Dragon-type's sleeping body. It could clearly feel something had pierced deep into its side.
At the same time, Rylan's voice suddenly rang loud and clear in Kommo-o's head. Almost on reflex, even without opening its eyes, it swung its heavy, spiked tail wildly behind it.
"Corviknight, Aerial Ace!"
The moment Shiro spoke, Corviknight flapped hard and launched itself upward. With a twist of its wings, it swallowed the chunk of flesh it had pecked out, then soared backward in a graceful arc through the sky.
Meanwhile, Kommo-o's flailing tail hit nothing but air as Rylan shouted again in frustration.
"Open your eyes! Use Dragon Claw! Dragon Claw!"
Kommo-o's eyes snapped open. Its large claws—broader than its own head—rose up, and from their tips, three sharp, green dragon claws extended.
"Kooommooo!"
With a roar, it turned around and slashed fiercely upward, aiming high. But to its surprise, Corviknight was no longer in the air where it should've been.
"Behind you!" Rylan yelled. "It used Aerial Ace! It's behind you!"
But it was already too late.
Corviknight had reached Kommo-o's back in an instant. The steel plates on its chest glowed with Flying-type energy as it crashed into the dragon's spine.
Feeling the impact, Kommo-o's eyes widened for a split second before they shut tight once more. Its huge body staggered, then collapsed to the ground, losing the ability to battle.
"...Sigh."
Groans and sighs echoed from the edge of the field. Several staff members in white uniforms had just squeezed in from outside, finally making their way through the spectators.
From what they overheard, this was already Rylan's second Pokémon. Now he was down to his last one... there was no way he could win a two-on-one.
With the brief pause as the trainers prepared to switch Pokémon, quiet murmurs rippled through the crowd again.
"Is Rylan going to lose?"
"Rylan? You mean that big guy... yeah, looks like it."
"Don't get discouraged yet. There's still one more left... Let me tell you a secret: his last Pokémon was given to him by Raihan. It's really powerful..."
"Really?"
"You're not messing with me, are you? Can it really pull off a one-versus-two?"
Amid the noisy chatter, Bryan and the other seasoned trainers stayed silent. When it came to battles like this, especially rotation matches with multiple Pokémon, no one could say for sure who would win or lose until the very end.
Even if Shiro's chances looked better now, everything still depended on what Rylan's third Pokémon would be.
Back in the arena, Rylan remained calm as he recalled the defeated Kommo-o. Then, he pulled out his final Poké Ball—the one Raihan had entrusted to him.
Opposite him, Shiro didn't waste a second either. Trying to make full use of the gap, he ordered fast.
"Corviknight, Iron Defense!"
The steel bird spread its wings wide and pale gray energy swirled around its body, reinforcing its defense.
Noticing Corviknight begin powering up, Rylan threw his Poké Ball in a swift motion.
The red-and-white classic ball flew through the air, and all the trainers watching, including Shiro, locked their eyes on it, waiting in complete silence.
The massive battlefield and the sea of spectators suddenly fell silent.
Along with a burst of red light, a towering silver-white figure appeared on the field.
"Dur... Duraludon... That's Raihan's Duraludon!" a stadium staff member blurted out, only to be quickly hushed by a colleague. But the name had already broken the quiet, triggering a stir among the crowd.
"Is that the unbeatable Duraludon?"
"I heard it's nearly Elite-level already..."
"Hoo... This could get interesting. Maybe it really can win against two."
"That's one of Raihan's main Pokémon!"
Despite the rising wave of shock and murmurs around him, Shiro didn't look surprised. He hadn't had a proper chance to observe Duraludon earlier outside, but now he turned his full attention to it, analyzing its strength.
[Name: Duraludon
Type: Steel/Dragon
Level: 49 (Gym)
Ability: Light Metal
Held Item: None
Moves: Leer, Metal Claw, Rock Smash, Hone Claws, Metal Sound, Breaking Swipe, Dragon Tail, Iron Defense, Focus Energy, Dragon Claw, Take Down, Protect…]
Seeing this, the knot in Shiro's chest slowly began to loosen. Duraludon was strong, no doubt, but it still didn't compare to Drakloak. There was no way he would lose.
Steel, Dragon, and Flying-type attacks were all halved when used against Steel-types, and there were no type advantages between Dragon and Flying. In other words, most of Duraludon and Corviknight's attacks would only do normal or reduced damage to each other.
This would likely turn into a drawn-out match.
The steel dragon's level was higher and its base stats stronger than Corviknight's. But the bird had already used Hone Claws and Iron Defense to raise its attack and defense. Plus, it had the advantage of flight.
The outcome was still uncertain.
Faced with such a powerful opponent, Corviknight's fighting spirit ignited. Its sharp eyes locked onto Duraludon ahead.
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