Lance flung out his Poké Ball in a "flamboyant" pose. With a flash of red light, the chubby and adorable pseudo-legendary Dragonite appeared on the battlefield.
Its pointy horns, tiny wings, and large, innocent blue eyes, paired with its deceptively silly beer belly, made it hard to believe that this lovable Pokémon was the only pseudo-legendary species in the Kanto Region.
As the most outstanding member of the younger generation of the Dragon Clan, Lance had already successfully evolved his Starter Pokémon, Dratini, into its final form. And the moment it did, it had achieved Mid Pseudo-Elite Four.
"Sato, go ahead and use Mega Evolution. Your current Houndoom isn't a match for my Dragonite," Lance said confidently, arms crossed.
"As you wish. Houndoom… MEGA EVOLVE!"
Sato grabbed the Key Stone necklace hanging from his neck. Dazzling multicolored light burst forth, enveloping both him and Houndoom.
When the light faded, the dashing Mega Houndoom stood before the crowd. Its strength now reaching Mid Pseudo-Elite Four level.
"Battle start!" Announced the host, Sia, who had recently obtained her referee license.
"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"
"Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
The blue-violet Dragon Pulse and the purple-black Dark Pulse collided midair, unleashing a terrifying explosion.
The probing attacks from both sides ended instantly. Others might not have noticed, but many experts were present. They all saw the tiny detail; that Dark Pulse suppressed Dragon Pulse by 0.2 seconds before triggering the explosion.
In terms of Special Attack, Dragonite was no match for Houndoom.
"Dragonite, Aqua Tail!"
"Houndoom, Feint Attack."
"Thunder Punch!"
The two clashed in rapid succession. Aqua Tail swept across, but Houndoom had already surged forward with boosted speed. One leap, and it dodged cleanly, using its burst strength to close in on Dragonite.
Feint Attack landed!
"Rooaaar~"
Dragonite cried out in pain, but its movements didn't falter at all, Thunder Punch slammed straight into Houndoom's face!
"Houndoom, Inferno!"
"Awoooo!"
Dragonite's physical attack was far stronger than Houndoom's. That Thunder Punch snapped Houndoom's head to the side.
Then Sato's command came. Houndoom's howl was half in pain, half in rage.
The next moment, red flames ignited all over Houndoom's body. It truly looked like a hellhound emerging from the underworld.
Feeling the sudden spike in temperature, Dragonite flapped its tiny wings in panic, trying to escape.
But Houndoom had already anticipated this. Its black tail coiled around Dragonite's thigh, and the sharp, forked tip wedged into the joint. When Dragonite moved, it only stabbed itself deeper.
Painful!
…Then, Inferno detonated.
Dragonite and Houndoom were both engulfed by a massive red fireball.
"DRAGONITE, BREAK THROUGH WITH DRAGON RUSH!" Lance shouted. A furious roar was his only reply.
The fireball swelled, then exploded violently. A blue-violet dragon-shaped figure shot out from within and hovered midair.
As the flames slowly faded, the scorched Houndoom landed back on the ground, glaring defiantly at the airborne Dragonite.
"Draaaaaa…"
Suddenly, Dragonite let out a low growl, and its body flared with a burst of fire: it had been burned.
Inferno, once it hits, guarantees a Burn, cutting the opponent's physical attack in half.
"A wild strategy, I'll give you that. But how long do you think Houndoom can hold out like this?" Lance didn't seem bothered by Dragonite being burned, and continued chatting casually with Sato.
"Not for much longer," Sato replied with a smile, then added, "But long enough to bring Dragonite down. Houndoom, Taunt!"
"…Awooo …Wooo~" Houndoom suddenly let out two low growls at Dragonite, as if provoked by something.
Dragonite's big round eyes instantly sharpened into angry slits… it was clearly mad now.
"Dragonite, Hurricane!"
"Houndoom, Sucker Punch."
Sucker Punch struck first. With terrifying explosive force, Mega Houndoom leapt forward and rammed its bone-white horn straight at Dragonite.
"Follow up, Hurricane!"
"Draaaa!"
Dragonite grabbed Houndoom's horn with both hands, but still couldn't stop itself from being pushed back.
However, they were in the air and Dragonite had wings. Houndoom didn't!
The moment the "momentum" stalled, Dragonite's wings flapped hard, generating a fierce Hurricane right in front of it, with Houndoom taking the full brunt.
"Houndoom, Heat Wave!"
The violent Hurricane tore at Houndoom's body. Seeing no way to dodge, Houndoom abandoned defense, opened its mouth, and fired a Heat Wave directly into the storm.
Then, the two moves fused. The clashing energies instantly exceeded Dragonite's ability to control them.
At the same time, Burn activated. Dragonite's body burst into flames again. The fire sapped its strength, and Hurricane lost all control.
BOOM
Hurricane + Heat Wave: fire fed by wind engulfed the entire battlefield.
Both Houndoom and Dragonite took massive damage.
Sato and Lance fell silent. At this point, the arena was filled with flames, and the Pokémon's conditions couldn't be clearly seen. So they both chose to wait.
Over five seconds later, the fire finally began to fade. Dragonite was no longer in the air, now standing on the ground facing Houndoom, both panting heavily.
Sato quickly noticed that Dragonite's left wing was badly scorched. Clearly, the last attack had landed a direct hit there.
Houndoom, on the other hand, was in slightly better shape. Its natural resistance to fire and lack of status conditions made the difference.
If this were an honor battle or a real life-or-death fight, Sato might have ordered Houndoom to attack the now-crippled Dragonite immediately.
But this was just an exhibition match… and honestly, the more spectacular and flashy it looked, the better the effect.
Sato and Lance exchanged a look. They already understood each other.
"Let's settle this. Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"
"Gladly. Houndoom, Fire Blast!"
Dragonite and Houndoom both unleashed their "strongest" -flashy- moves. Draco Meteor's theoretical power was slightly higher than Fire Blast, but Houndoom's Special Attack was superior.
Fire Blast shot in a straight line and slammed into Dragonite with horizontal force, while Draco Meteor rained down from above, delivering greater shock and speed, making it harder to dodge.
Both Pokémon were already worn down, which meant both attacks landed.
When the smoke and debris cleared, Dragonite and Houndoom were both lying on the ground, eyes spiraled!
"Both Houndoom and Dragonite are unable to battle. The result of this match… IS A DRAW!"
Boom!
Thunderous cheers erupted, shaking the roof. The new Gym Leader of Shadownight Gym had actually fought Lance, the famed Dragon Master… to a draw!