"As far as I know, Yukie's true trump card is her Glalie. Since it hasn't appeared yet, that means she still has plenty of strength in reserve…"
"And as for Charizard, that should be Yozora's strongest Pokémon. If Charizard collapses from exhaustion, Yozora's situation will instantly turn unfavorable!" Ryūnan explained one point after another.
Every Pokémon has different talents, aptitude, potential, and personality.
Naturally, their growth rates vary.
Which means, for every Trainer, their team of Pokémon rarely grow evenly—some will be higher level, some lower.
And in most cases, among all of a Trainer's Pokémon, there will be one that stands out far above the rest—this is known as their ace.
Because of how strong an ace can be, sweeping two or three opponents in a row is nothing unusual.
But right now…
Charizard had swept four in a row and still showed no signs of stopping. To Ryūnan, this level of strength was already beyond the norm. But it also perfectly illustrated just how overwhelming Yozora's ace Charizard really was.
If… Yozora were to lose this ace, then his fighting power would inevitably drop by a great margin!
The audience all nodded repeatedly at Ryūnan's sharp, professional analysis.
Only Professor Oak and Red exchanged knowing smiles.
From their perspective, Ryūnan wasn't wrong—but he didn't know the truth: Charizard wasn't actually Yozora's strongest trump card.
"This boy Yozora… his growth rate is astonishing. Up till now, he still hasn't even brought out his Beedrill, and yet he's already reached this height…" Professor Oak marveled inwardly, gratified beyond words.
Red felt the same.
Never before had Oak imagined that little Pallet Town would give rise to two prodigies at once—two dragons hidden in the grass, waiting for their time to soar.
Back on the battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chunks of hail, each the size of a bean, pelted down once again.
They struck both Charizard and Lapras.
Lapras endured without a flinch. Charizard, however, frowned, the red scar on its head deepening further.
"End this quickly, Charizard—Flamethrower!" Yozora commanded.
"Lapras, Hydro Pump!" Yukie countered.
Boom!
Both Pokémon unleashed their signature attacks, colliding head-on.
But with Blaze active, Charizard's flames surged with power. Its Flamethrower quickly overwhelmed Hydro Pump, crashing through the torrent and slamming straight into Lapras.
Unfortunately, the result was underwhelming.
Though Flamethrower crushed Hydro Pump, it consumed a great deal of Charizard's stamina.
And Lapras, with its natural bulk and resistance to fire, hardly seemed affected.
"Lapras, use Life Dew next!"
As Yukie spoke, Lapras raised its head, exhaling a glowing droplet of blue water.
The droplet fell, rippling into green waves across the battlefield.
Healing energy spread outward, restoring Lapras completely. The minor burns from earlier vanished without a trace.
"Laaaap~!"
Refreshed, Lapras let out a cheerful cry, its eyes burning with resolve as it stared down Charizard, utterly fearless.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The hail came crashing down again, pelting Charizard relentlessly.
"Roooar!"
Even with its usually calm temperament, Charizard could no longer hold back its frustration. Its roar shook the field.
"So, you're going for a stalling tactic?" Yozora's eyes narrowed, instantly seeing through Yukie's plan.
She was relying on Lapras's endurance and Life Dew recovery to wall Charizard's attacks.
Meanwhile, the hail would continuously chip away, slowly wearing Charizard down until it collapsed.
"Too bad—I won't give you that chance. Return, Charizard!"
Yozora smirked, recalling Charizard, and tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Go, Golduck!"
The moment Golduck appeared, its Ability—Drizzle—took effect.
The hail and snow instantly vanished, replaced by heavy rain.
For Lapras, a Water/Ice type, the rain provided a small boost without drawbacks.
But for Golduck, the boost was massive.
First and foremost—its speed.
With Swift Swim, Golduck's speed doubled in the rain!
"Whoa! The battlefield's weather changed in an instant! First Yukie's Ninetales, now Yozora's Golduck—both Trainers have Pokémon with these mysterious weather-changing abilities!" the announcer exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.
The crowd erupted into cheers, marveling at the spectacle.
At this stage of history, Abilities weren't yet widely researched or understood.
The concept of "innate talents" was only known at the world-class level of competition. For ordinary audiences, witnessing weather manipulation firsthand was nothing short of astonishing.
"Lapras, use Snow Warning!" Yukie ordered.
"Golduck, Hydro Pump!" Yozora countered immediately.
Yukie was determined to restore the hailstorm—her entire strategy depended on it, especially for setting up her trump card.
But since Lapras didn't have Snow Warning as a natural Ability, it had to summon cold manually by firing repeated Ice Beams skyward, slowly condensing the temperature to change the weather.
By calculation, it would take at least half a minute before the snowstorm returned.
Boom!
But during Lapras's preparations, Golduck's Hydro Pump blasted forth.
The force sent Lapras skidding backward across the arena floor.
"Now—Psychic!" Yozora commanded.
Golduck's eyes glowed as invisible power seized Lapras, yanking it upward like invisible ropes binding its body.
"Don't give in, Lapras!" Yukie shouted.
With a guttural cry, Lapras resisted with sheer force, shattering Golduck's telekinetic grip.
Perhaps Yukie's encouragement gave a small push—but ninety-nine percent of it was simply Lapras's overwhelming level advantage.
Gym-level mid-tier strength.
As expected of a genius Trainer, Yukie's main force stood far above the average. Lapras's level was simply out of Golduck's reach.
"Golduck's Psychic failed! Lapras is counterattacking—can Golduck withstand it?" the announcer cried.
Breaking free, Lapras retaliated with a barrage of Hydro Pumps, blasting wildly from multiple angles like a machine gun.
But in the pouring rain, Golduck's Swift Swim kicked in—it darted effortlessly between every beam, dodging them all with dazzling agility.
"Woooahhh!"
The audience roared in excitement, captivated by the spectacular display.
Golduck's dance continued for half a minute, weaving between water blasts. But finally, the rain subsided… and the snowstorm took its place.
"Golduck…"
Without the rain, Swift Swim no longer activated. Its speed dropped instantly—
—and a Hydro Pump slammed into it head-on.
Boom!
Golduck crashed into the ground, eyes spiraling. It was knocked out cold, unable to battle.
(End of Chapter)