On the main stage of the Magic City Newcomer Tournament, tens of thousands of high-powered spotlights turned the entire battle platform as bright as day.
The boiling roar of the crowd merged into a tangible wave of sound, crashing again and again beneath the sealed dome. Every corner was filled with feverish chatter and anticipation.
On the giant holographic screen, two young, determined faces were magnified to the extreme. Their gazes pierced the tens of thousands of spectators and locked precisely onto each other.
Shiba and Roka.
Two youths who both represented the highest Dragon-taming lineage in the Xia Nation.
"It's finally starting! Shiba versus Roka—this is basically a finals matchup happening in round one!"
"Last time at the Battle Tower, Shiba beat him using that Gible that hadn't even evolved yet. I really want to know what trump card Roka's brought this time!"
"It's definitely going to be a Dragon-type mirror match! For sure Dragonair versus Bagon!"
Amid the mountain-shaking discussions, the referee in a crisp, formal uniform walked to the center of the field and raised his signal flag high.
The electronic synthetic announcement echoed through the stadium.
"The rules for this battle are two-on-two!"
"Now, will both contestants send out your first Pokémon!"
Flames of revenge were burning in Roka's eyes.
His fingers tightened around a Poké Ball at his waist. A whole vacation of harsh training, the resources poured in by his family, the endless day-and-night sparring—everything was going to be proven here and now.
"It's decided—it'll be you, Bagon!"
He hurled the Poké Ball with all his strength, his motion filled with a resolve that left no way out.
Red light burst forth. A roar brimming with battle lust shook the sky as his strongest ace, Bagon, slammed heavily onto the field.
After a whole vacation of tempering, its body was more solid than before, its muscles clearly defined. Waves of Dragon-type energy pulsed around it, almost forming a visible aura to the naked eye.
This presence was not just one level stronger than before—it was on a completely different tier.
Confidence surfaced on Roka's face.
This was his trump card. This was the capital that would let him take his revenge.
However, faced with Roka's all-in choice, Shiba's face didn't ripple in the slightest.
He didn't even look at the Poké Balls at his waist that contained Dragonair and Gabite.
His fingers slid calmly past them and stopped on a completely different Poké Ball.
A light press.
"Come out, Metang."
No passionate shout, only a line so calm it was almost cold.
A blinding silver light flashed.
A huge construct, its entire body gleaming with a frigid metallic sheen, slowly floated into the air.
It didn't have a traditional creature's form. Its massive crossed arms and solid trunk were fused into one, exuding the hard, brutal aesthetics of future tech. Two scarlet single eyes swept over the stadium without a shred of emotion.
A Shiny Metang.
The noise of tens of thousands of people in the stands paused in a strange instant.
"What?!"
"You've got to be kidding! Shiba actually didn't send out a Dragon-type?"
"He's using a Steel/Psychic-type Metang against a Dragon-type Bagon? Is he crazy? Sure, Steel resists Dragon, but Psychic is countered by Dragon-type moves!"
"Is this… a tactical blunder? Or is he just looking down on Roka?"
After that brief silence, an even fiercer wave of confusion and commotion swept through the audience.
Even Roka himself was caught off guard for a moment by Shiba's choice, which completely ignored every "normal" expectation.
He had imagined countless possibilities before this—Dragonair, Gabite, or even some other hidden Dragon-type that Shiba had been keeping under wraps.
But the only thing he had never imagined was that Shiba would send out a Metang with a glaring apparent weakness in its typing.
After that short daze, a cold smile tinged with anger crept onto Roka's face.
This was arrogance.
This was outright contempt for the blood and sweat that he and Bagon had poured into their training over the entire vacation.
"Battle start!"
The referee's flag swung down hard!
"Bagon, show them the majesty of the Dragon race!"
Roka was practically roaring as he gave the command. He wanted to use the purest Dragon-type energy to smash through that fragile Psychic typing and grind Shiba's arrogance into dust!
"Dragon Rage!"
Bagon opened its jaws wide. The power it had been storing up erupted in an instant, compressing into a deep-purple shockwave that could be seen with the naked eye. Wrapped in a destructive aura, it tore through the air and blasted straight toward Metang!
Even the air itself shrieked sharply under the impact of that power!
Faced with this strike that could vaporize an ordinary Pokémon in an instant, Shiba's command was so simple it was almost absurd, as if he were stating a foregone conclusion.
"Take it."
The cold red eyes on Metang's face flashed.
It didn't dodge, didn't evade—just floated there in midair, using its body made of some unknown super-alloy to meet that raging Dragon Rage head-on!
"Boom—!"
The energy detonated against Metang's body. Blinding violet light swallowed everything, and the violent shockwave rolled outward, slamming into the battlefield's energy barrier and stirring up ring after ring of intense ripples.
Dust and smoke billowed up, blotting out everyone's view.
But when the smoke slowly dissipated and Metang's figure reappeared before their eyes, the entire stadium sucked in a breath of cold air.
It was still floating where it had been.
Completely unscathed.
There wasn't even the slightest scorch mark on that silver metallic shell.
Steel versus Dragon-type moves—a quadruple resistance!
Bagon's all-out strike, thrown with everything it had, wasn't even enough to scratch the absolute wall of typing on the other side. It didn't even count as making it itch!
"How is that possible?!"
The confidence on Roka's face shattered in an instant. His pupils shrank sharply as he stared at the scene in front of him in disbelief.
While he was still stunned, Shiba's icy voice rang out clearly across the field, like a final verdict.
"It's over."
"Meteor Mash."
Before the words had even landed—
The air itself was torn apart.
Metang's massive body vanished from where it floated, turning into a silver trail of death. With a speed that outright defied physics, it crossed the entire arena in an instant!
It appeared right in front of Bagon!
That huge iron fist, shining with dazzling starlight, expanded without limit in Bagon's eyes, which were filled with terror and despair!
"Bang—!"
A heavy impact so intense it made people's teeth ache echoed out.
Bagon was like a tiny body smashed head-on by a maglev train at full speed. Its small body warped in an instant and was sent flying, turning into a streak that slammed violently into the energy barrier behind it!
The barrier flashed wildly, letting out a strained, pained hum as if it might fail at any second.
Bagon slid down the barrier and crumpled to the ground, its eyes rolled back. It lost its fighting ability on the spot.
One-shot!
Another one-shot!
The entire stadium sank into dead silence.
The breathing of tens of thousands of people seemed to be caught by an invisible hand at that moment.
Roka's face went ashen, his body trembling uncontrollably.
With great effort, he lifted his hand and sent out his second Pokémon—an equally rare Deino, a dual Dragon/Dark-type.
This was his last hope.
But the outcome didn't change in the slightest.
Up against that terrifying monster that had already firmly stepped over the threshold of Gym-level strength—and on top of that, possessed a shiny-grade talent—this low-level Deino couldn't even put together a single effective attack.
The moment it appeared, Metang's cold red eyes locked onto it.
That was an absolute suppression coming from a higher rung on the ladder of life.
Shiba didn't even bother giving another order.
Metang had already grasped his will and turned into a silver flash again.
Another unstoppable Meteor Mash.
Clean. Ruthless.
The battle was over.
A one-against-two sweep.
Shiba's Shiny Metang advanced in overwhelming fashion, in a style that was nothing short of invincible.
With this battle, his unshakable, dominant status in this tournament was completely cemented.
(End of Chapter)
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