"Rooaaar—!!"
Dragonair lifted the front half of its body from the ground.
On its soft belly was a clearly visible red mark.
That was the wound left by Raticate's Take Down just now.
"Dragonair! Twister!"
Joji gave the order in a deep voice.
Dragonair's long upper body twisted, forming a distorted vortex in front of it.
The vortex kept expanding—
spreading into a tornado more than three meters tall.
The astonishing pulling force was so strong that even the examinees watching below could feel it.
Whoosh!!
The tornado howled as it surged out.
Violent wind pressure overflowed across the entire battle arena.
This tornado did not hit the Raticate hidden within the curtain of watery mist.
However—
that had never been Joji's real purpose.
Twister was meant to sweep away the thick moisture still hanging over the arena,
so Raticate couldn't pull the same trick again.
Sure enough,
once the tornado swept through,
the entire battle arena became clean and clear again.
Raticate's figure appeared in the distance.
Its eyes carried wariness and caution, keenly sensing the danger.
"Thunder Wave!"
The moment Joji's words fell—
a yellow flash of electricity appeared abruptly in midair and dropped down.
It was unbelievably fast.
Raticate, still not fully recovered from Take Down's recoil, had no chance to dodge!
Perfect!
A trace of delight flowed through Joji's eyes.
As long as he could paralyze this Raticate,
victory would be within reach!
"Chii-yaa!!"
The yellow electric light came down.
Raticate knew it couldn't avoid it—
and in that split-second,
it made a decision that left everyone staring in shock!
It stood upright
and began leaping into an ancient, mysterious war-dance!
Red energy swirled around its body!
Its aura surged sharply in an instant!
Swords Dance!
In this situation, Raticate actually chose to strengthen itself first!
The spectators were stunned.
No one expected Raticate to make a call like that.
Was this really the battle IQ of a Pokémon with no Trainer giving commands?
Its experience and judgment were far too outstanding!
It was better than what many Trainers could do!
Crackle!!
The yellow electric light struck down.
Raticate's body stiffened violently for a moment.
Tiny arcs of electricity flickered over its dancing frame.
Raticate forcibly endured the paralysis coursing through it
and completed the final steps of Swords Dance.
"Chii-yaa!!"
Raticate's momentum soared.
Its eyes glittered with madness.
Its fighting spirit blazed high
as it charged straight at Dragonair.
Crackle!!
Electric arcs suddenly flashed across Raticate's sprinting body.
It had to brake hard, forcing itself to pause and ease the numbness inside.
"Dragon Breath!!"
Joji would never miss this opening!
Scorching draconic breath swept in like a wave of flame!
In an instant, it swallowed Raticate's silhouette.
Perfect!
Joy burst across Joji's face.
The frustration he'd been holding back finally eased by a large margin.
After taking that hit,
Raticate's stamina had to be cut down a lot.
"Dragonair! Fire Spin! Don't give it any chance!"
"Rooowuu!!"
Dragonair spat out a huge, burning, rotating fireball.
It slammed into the surging Dragon Breath flame-wave.
Blue-black Dragon Breath mixed with orange-red high-temperature fire,
making the blaze even more violent.
This should do it, right?
Joji thought to himself.
With this kind of saturation barrage—
and with a twelve-level gap on top of it—
Raticate should be finished no matter what!
It wasn't just him.
The spectators below thought the same.
Of course—
Himeko was the exception.
With her sharp eyes, she had already seen through it: Dragonair's moves looked flashy,
but their actual power was lacking.
This was the result of insufficient move proficiency—energy leaking and failing to condense—
as well as Dragonair's own cultivation being far from adequate.
Trying to win against this Raticate with half-baked moves like these—
Joji was being far too naive!
And sure enough,
the very next second—
a figure wreathed in flames
burst out from the raging fire-wave.
Raticate's eyes held madness and resolve.
Its two huge, razor-sharp incisors glittered with a metallic sheen!
Hyper Fang!!
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]