After an angry roar, Salamence's crimson wings whipped up a violent hurricane, sending Lance's cape snapping wildly in the gale.
"Dragon Dance!"
Although Lance hadn't opened the battle with his Shiny Gyarados, Salamence remained one of his deadliest sweepers. Once Dragon Dance came into play, it could quickly take control of the entire match.
Another point was that Mega Salamence was considerably stronger overall than Mega Gyarados.
For years, Mega Salamence had consistently ranked among the strongest Mega Evolutions ever discovered.
Of course, Cynthia also possessed Garchompite.
Her command rang out at the same moment.
"Air Slash!"
Cynthia's Togekiss possessed the Serene Grace Ability.
Serene Grace greatly increased the chances of additional move effects activating. Air Slash normally had a 30 percent chance to make the opponent flinch.
With Serene Grace, that chance climbed to a terrifying 60 percent.
Togekiss beat its wings and unleashed a razor-sharp Air Slash. Salamence immediately cried out in pain.
The attack had struck a critical point.
From Salamence's expression alone, the commentator could tell exactly what had happened.
"Air Slash lands a critical hit, and Salamence flinches!"
Blue: Lance is off to a bumpy start.
Ethan: A critical hit and a flinch at the same time. Serene Grace and Air Slash together is such a cheat combo.
Cynthia pressed the advantage.
"Thunder Wave!"
Still reeling from the flinch, Salamence could not react. Even if Lance wanted it to rely on instinct and evade, its body simply refused to move.
The moment Salamence became paralyzed, Lance made an immediate decision.
"Return, Salamence!"
Leaving it on the field would only allow Togekiss to slowly cut it down with Serene Grace-Air Slash.
"Go, Dragonite!"
The orange Dragonite spread its small wings and immediately launched an Ice Punch upon entering the field.
At the same time, Cynthia recalled Togekiss and sent out Glaceon.
The Ice Punch landed harmlessly.
A four times weakness to Ice had always seemed to be a badge of honor among Dragon types.
Dragonite happened to share that weakness.
"Cynthia predicted Lance's switch!"
"Ice Beam!"
"Dodge!"
Dragonite relied on its impressive speed to narrowly avoid the super-effective Ice Beam.
...
Lance preferred overwhelming opponents with Dragon Dance and relentless pressure.
Cynthia happened to excel against exactly that style. At the same time, she had prepared several backup plans.
As the battle continued, Lance successively sent out Kingdra, Haxorus, and Hydreigon.
Cynthia constantly rotated her own team to answer every threat.
Eventually, after dragging out Salamence's paralysis turn by turn, Lance finally made his move.
"Salamence, Mega Evolve!"
A tide of rainbow-colored energy erupted from Lance's Mega Bracelet, and his gaze sharpened instantly.
"Salamence has Mega Evolved!"
After Mega Evolution, Salamence's wings transformed into a crescent resembling a blood-red moon. Its forelimbs folded tightly against its body, making them appear almost nonexistent.
Its Ability also changed from Intimidate to Aerilate.
Aerilate solved Salamence's lack of powerful Flying-type attacks by turning Normal-type moves to Flying, complementing its tremendous Speed and impressive durability.
As Mega Salamence appeared, the entire stadium erupted.
The atmosphere reached another peak.
But Lance had made one mistake.
Because Cynthia's trump card today was neither Garchomp nor Lucario.
It was Glaceon.
"Then it's my turn."
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's lips as she revealed the Z-Ring on her wrist.
Set within it was an Icium Z Crystal.
An icy blue radiance surrounded Cynthia.
A freezing wind lifted the hem of her cobalt-blue coat, while her golden hair danced in the air.
Cold energy continuously flowed from both Cynthia and Glaceon.
Placing her hand upon the Icium Z Crystal, Cynthia's eyes became sharp. She crossed her arms over her chest before extending them outward.
"Countless shimmering ice crystals..."
As her movements concluded, several azure beams shot from around Cynthia toward Glaceon on the battlefield.
The symbol of the Z-Move appeared before the Ice-type Pokémon.
"Subzero Slammer!"
"It's here. Cynthia's unused Ice-type Z-Move!"
February was already cold, but the appearance of Subzero Slammer caused the temperature inside the stadium to plummet.
"GlaCEONN!"
Glaceon let out a piercing cry, becoming like the heart of an enormous ice machine.
The temperature in the arena instantly dropped to its lowest point.
Solid ice spread rapidly from Glaceon's feet, freezing the battlefield.
An enormous iceberg rose from the ground.
Countless ice crystals sparkled beneath the stadium lights, and Glaceon, standing atop the frozen peak, resembled a pure white rose blooming amid the snow.
"So cold..."
Many spectators wrapped their arms around themselves as shivers spread through the stands.
A pillar of ice, far thicker than Glaceon's own body, descended from the sky.
It crashed down upon Salamence like a frozen judgment.
The entire battlefield disappeared beneath countless jagged ice spikes. Moments later, the towering glacier shattered apart, exploding into a storm of glittering snowflakes that rained across the arena.
Lance's carefully hidden Mega Salamence had been his newest trump card.
Yet now, it had been defeated the moment it revealed itself.
"What?!"
For the first time in the battle, genuine shock appeared on Lance's face.
"Subzero Slammer lands directly!"
As the ice storm faded, the energy of Mega Evolution dispersed.
Salamence reverted to its original form before collapsing onto the frozen battlefield.
"Salamence is unable to battle!"
. .
Mizuki could not help commenting:
"The move is powerful, but that name is a little embarrassing."
Dai Yui immediately objected.
"What's embarrassing about it? It's incredibly cool!"
This time, Austin stood firmly on Dai Yui's side.
"Whether something is chuunibyou or not depends entirely on who's using it."
Amanda laughed softly beside him.
"If Cynthia uses it, then it automatically becomes stylish."
. . .
. .
.
"Milotic, Ice Beam!"
A freezing beam struck Hydreigon head-on.
Ice rapidly spread across its body until the Dragon-type was completely encased.
"Hydreigon is unable to battle!"
But Lance quickly retaliated.
His weakened Flygon seized an opening and unleashed Solar Beam.
The exhausted Milotic could no longer withstand the attack.
"Milotic is unable to battle!"
At this point, both sides had traded knockouts repeatedly.
Neither trainer had managed to gain a decisive advantage.
"Spiritomb, Trick Room!"
The distorted dimensions spread across the battlefield.
Inside the Trick Room, Haxorus suddenly felt as though its body had become much heavier.
Its normally overwhelming speed was no longer an advantage.
Inside the group chat, Red immediately understood Cynthia's intention.
"Cynthia's Trick Room is specifically meant to counter Dragon Dance teams."
Blue wrote.
"I'm starting to regret not entering the tournament. Ice Z-Moves, Mega Salamence, this entire battle is a showcase."
Unfortunately for him, registration had already closed.
The first stage schedule had long been finalized.
Even if Blue wanted to join now, he would have to wait until the next competition.
Blue wrote again.
"Fine. I'll participate next time. These tournaments are only going to get bigger."
Red replied:
"That actually makes sense."
The corners of Blue's mouth rose slightly.
At that moment, he was already considering how to convince Red to enter alongside him during the next tournament.
Back on the field, the effects of Trick Room continued.
Spiritomb and Haxorus exchanged attacks at close range.
Neither side retreated.
The collision ended with both Pokémon collapsing simultaneously.
The commentator nearly shouted himself hoarse.
"Both trainers are down to their final Pokémon!"
Lance raised his Poké Ball.
"Go, Dragonite!"
Cynthia answered immediately.
"Go, Garchomp!"
The moment the two Pokémon appeared, the atmosphere inside the stadium exploded.
One was Lance's oldest and most trusted partner.
The other was Cynthia's ace.
Dragon versus Dragon.
The battle that countless fans had waited for had finally arrived.
. . .
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