BOOM!!!
The entire battlefield was shaking violently as cracks split open across the ground.
A rain of Draco Meteors fell from the sky, slamming directly onto Mega Salamence's back.
Thunderous explosions and rolling clouds of dust spread across the arena.
"Use Dragon Tail!"
Lucas didn't even bother to react to the Draco Meteor barrage—his voice remained calm and firm as he issued another command.
From within the dense smoke, a massive silhouette stirred. A shimmering tail glowed with bright cyan energy and came crashing down with tremendous force!
The sound that followed was the pained roar of Hydreigon.
"Hydreigon! Get out of there—quick!"
Iris shouted desperately, her voice filled with urgency. If Hydreigon continued to be suppressed like this by Mega Salamence, it would be completely overpowered!
"Earthquake!"
The dust cloud was so thick that almost nothing inside could be seen clearly, only faint shadows shifting within.
Then—a massive shape suddenly rose, and another claw strike sent the struggling figure slamming back to the ground once again.
BOOM!!!
A deep, thunderous impact shook the entire field. The ground cracked open even wider, and a violent shockwave rippled outward from the center.
Then—
Whoosh!
A pair of enormous, crescent-shaped, blood-red wings burst out of the smoke, and Mega Salamence soared upward, coming to a steady hover above Lucas.
Although its body bore some minor injuries from the earlier Draco Meteor hits, none of them seemed particularly serious.
"Hydreigon!"
Seeing Mega Salamence emerge from the smoke unscathed, Iris quickly called out for her Pokémon.
But there was no response. A heavy feeling sank into her chest.
As the dust gradually cleared, everyone's eyes widened at the sight revealed in the middle of a giant crater—Hydreigon, battered and motionless, lay at the center.
"Hydreigon is unable to battle! Mega Salamence wins!"
After a brief inspection, the referee raised his flag solemnly to announce the result.
The entire stadium fell silent.
This long-anticipated clash between two pseudo-legendaries… had ended far too quickly!
"I believe I warned you, didn't I? Don't get scared, Iris," Lucas said with a faint smile, his voice calm and confident as he looked at the stunned girl before him.
His Mega Salamence—was absolute in its dominance!
….
"Holy crap! Just—holy crap! So that's the Hydreigon everyone's been hyping up?"
"Say no more. I think we all know which one's the better catch now."
"Hey, wake up bro, where do you even plan to catch a Bagon?"
"Still though, this Lucas guy is way too strong! Iris has already lost four Pokémon—don't tell me she's going to get completely swept?"
"Wouldn't be surprised, man. This cousin of Lance's doesn't even seem like he's using his full strength! What the hell—Indigo's got another monster now!"
The livestream and forum chats instantly exploded with noise.
No one had expected the match to end in such a decisive, one-sided fashion—it was almost unbelievable how fast Hydreigon fell.
…
"The gap in power is… quite large."
Steven narrowed his eyes as he stared at Hydreigon's fainted body. The strength of Mega Salamence's overwhelming offense was simply beyond what anyone had imagined.
Lucas had taken full advantage of Mega Salamence's unmatched close-quarters power, not allowing Hydreigon even a moment to fight back.
Hydreigon was known as one of the few pseudo-legendaries with exceptional special attack potential, but in this battle, it simply hadn't been able to showcase any of it.
"Iris is practically out of options now. But…"
Leon crossed his arms, studying Mega Salamence carefully. The outcome of this fight was already clear, but what intrigued him was something else.
"Lucas' main team… these don't seem to be his real primary Pokémon, right?" he asked, glancing at Steven and the others.
Although Pokémon like Guzzlord, Arbok, and now Salamence were extremely powerful, Leon was confident—his own main team wouldn't lose to them.
In fact, purely from a level standpoint, his Pokémon were probably higher-leveled.
Of course, that was only natural—after all, Lucas had only been training these Pokémon for a little over half a year. Guzzlord had been with him for just one month.
Leon's core team, on the other hand, had been with him for years. Catching up that quickly would be nearly impossible.
"Not exactly," Steven replied after a moment's thought. "Excluding his Legendaries, based on what we know, Lucas' usual roster includes Dragonair, Tyranitar, Rhyperior, and Gardevoir. He's also rumored to have caught a Galarian Moltres."
He paused, then added, "These Guzzlord and Arbok are probably his newer recruits."
Dragonair was the Pokémon Lucas used most often—Raihan knew it best. Back when Lucas first entered the League's radar earlier that year, he had told Raihan that Dragonair was his starter Pokémon.
And then… Raihan was nearly traumatized by it.
Tyranitar had appeared later during the Energy Plant incident. As for Rhyperior and Gardevoir, both had shown up aboard the S.S. Anne where Red himself was utterly crushed by Rhyperior's overwhelming might.
Steven himself had once witnessed Lucas's Gardevoir firsthand—during the Mt. Pyre incident. When Zinnia had attempted to flee, she'd been stopped cold by that Gardevoir's terrifying psychic power.
Steven's impression of that Gardevoir was one of deep awe—and a lingering sense of dread.
"I see…" Leon nodded slowly, committing every name to memory.
Lucas entering the ranking tournaments meant only one thing—he might soon challenge them. Being prepared would be wise.
…
Back on the battlefield.
Iris recalled her defeated Hydreigon, exhaling slowly before looking back at Mega Salamence with renewed caution.
The sheer offensive power of that dragon was far beyond what she'd expected, even greater than Greedent or Arbok.
"Lapras!"
Without hesitation, she threw out her fifth Poké Ball.
A graceful, blue Pokémon emerged before her—it was Lapras, the Transport Pokémon.
"Lapras, huh… so, Ice-type it is," Lucas observed with mild amusement, glancing at the opponent.
He wasn't surprised by her choice. After all, Salamence was a Dragon/Flying type—just like Dragonite and thus had a fourfold weakness to Ice.
Even after Mega Evolution, Mega Salamence's typing remained the same.
Iris's ace, Haxorus, might be a powerhouse in attack, but it couldn't fly and against Mega Salamence, it would be fighting from a disadvantage.
"Lapras, use Blizzard!"
Iris didn't waste time with chatter. She raised her hand and issued the command firmly.
Lapras let out a melodious cry—and then unleashed a devastating Blizzard.
A roaring storm of snow and biting wind swept across the battlefield, filling the air with white frost.
"Hurricane!"
Lucas's expression didn't even flicker. His calm, handsome face remained utterly composed as he countered.
Indeed, Ice-type moves were four times effective against Mega Salamence, and Iris's Lapras was no weakling—if that Blizzard landed, it would definitely be a critical hit.
But first… it actually had to hit!
This wasn't a turn-based game where attacks automatically traded off in order. Nor were accuracy rates predetermined by coded parameters.
In real battles—you could dodge. You could counter.
Even disadvantageous matchups could be overturned through timing, skill, and sheer willpower.
That was what made real battles unpredictable and alive.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
Mega Salamence's dragon cry thundered through the air. Its crescent blood-red wings beat furiously, generating a hurricane-force gale that surged forth to meet Lapras's Blizzard head-on.
Hurricane vs. Blizzard!
Two mighty storms collided in midair with explosive force, creating an ear-splitting detonation that sent violent gusts sweeping across the entire field.
"What… what a powerful Hurricane!"
Iris instinctively shielded her face from the harsh wind, feeling her cheeks sting from the pressure. Yet despite the pain, her brows furrowed deeply.
Lapras's Blizzard was an Ice-type attack, boosted further by its Ice typing—its damage should've overwhelmed a Flying-type move like Hurricane.
And yet… it hadn't!
Mega Salamence's Hurricane had completely neutralized it!
"Dragon Rush!"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lucas's lips.
Defensive play? Not his Salamence style.
His Mega Salamence didn't do defense.
Mega Salamence roared, body enveloped in surging dragon energy as it dove straight toward Lapras, a living missile of draconic fury.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
Iris's eyes widened as she reacted instantly, shouting her order.
Lapras, however, was far less agile on land—its movements were slow compared to the dragon's lightning-fast charge.
If it let Mega Salamence close the distance, the battle would be over!
It had to strike first.
A beautiful beam of icy blue energy condensed in Lapras's mouth before firing outward like a frozen spear.
But Mega Salamence twisted its massive body midair, narrowly sidestepping the attack. The Ice Beam grazed just past its scales—but didn't connect.
Its speed never faltered—it was still coming!
"Blizzard!"
Seeing that terrifying flight pattern, Iris's pupils shrank. This was bad—really bad!
Lapras instantly switched to Blizzard again, the only wide-area move that might stop the dragon's charge.
"Too late," Lucas said softly, almost amused.
The snowstorm burst forth, but Mega Salamence was already upon Lapras.
Protected by the radiant energy of Dragon Rush, it pierced straight through the blizzard's fury and slammed full-force into Lapras.
BOOM!!!
An enormous explosion echoed, dust and ice scattering in every direction.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
"Salamence, Earthquake!"
Their voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Iris had learned from her earlier mistakes—she couldn't give Lucas time to follow up!
But Lucas's command came just as quickly.
Lapras, grimacing from the pain of the collision, forced itself to charge another Ice Beam—firing it point-blank at Mega Salamence.
The beam hit squarely!
Mega Salamence roared in agony. As a Dragon/Flying type, it was quadruple weak to Ice, and even though Lapras had been weakened, the attack still struck brutally hard.
A layer of frost quickly spread across one of Mega Salamence's wings, freezing half of it solid.
"ROOOAR!!!"
But even as the cold bit into its body, Mega Salamence ignored the pain. It let out a furious roar and stomped down hard with one massive claw.
Earthquake!
(End of Chapter)