Luo Yuan and Gary threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
Two flashes of white light burst onto the battlefield.
Gary sent out his Arcanine.
After all the training in Johto, his partner looked more imposing than ever.
As for Luo Yuan—well, he granted Gary's wish and didn't use Tyranitar.
A bright light flashed in front of him.
"Raaahhh…"
A massive Dragonite appeared on the battlefield, yawning lazily and stretching.
Gary: "......"
He stiffened as the Dragonite curiously gazed down at him.
His scalp tingled.
Luo Yuan sent out Dragonite right from the start?!
Gary knew this Dragonite well—it was Luo Yuan's ace!
The performance this Pokémon had displayed during the Indigo League Conference was still fresh in Gary's memory.
Starting with his strongest Pokémon? That's overkill!
Gary shot a look at Luo Yuan, who simply shrugged.
"You asked me not to use Tyranitar, and I didn't."
"..."
That was true.
But wasn't this thing even stronger than Tyranitar?!
Still, since he was the one who initiated the challenge, he had no right to complain.
Gary was tempted to back out, but he had to save face.
He clenched his jaw, ready to tough it out.
But then—
"If you really don't want to fight Dragonite, I can switch to another Pokémon," Luo Yuan offered casually.
Gary thought he was hearing things.
Since when was Luo Yuan this considerate?
Why would he voluntarily switch Pokémon?
Suspicious, Gary studied Luo Yuan's expression, but he couldn't find any hints of deception.
Dragonite is already his strongest Pokémon… right?
With that thought in mind, he decided to accept the offer.
Then—
Boom!
Luo Yuan casually pulled out another Poké Ball and pressed the button.
A flash of red and blue light burst forth—
Deoxys.
Gary froze.
The words he was about to say died in his throat.
"…Actually, Dragonite is fine."
Deoxys?!
Luo Yuan had a Deoxys?!
Unlike Ash, who wasn't always up to date, Gary followed the news regularly.
There was no way he wouldn't recognize this legendary Pokémon, which had played a pivotal role during the Hoenn Incident.
This wasn't just a powerful Pokémon—it was a Legendary.
Even if Dragonite and Tyranitar teamed up, they probably wouldn't stand a chance.
I knew it! There was a trap waiting for me!
Gary inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing he caught on quickly. Otherwise, he'd be in big trouble.
Luo Yuan, on the other hand, looked slightly disappointed—he had been hoping to utterly crush Gary with Deoxys.
Still, Gary had improved. A while ago, he wouldn't have thought twice before agreeing.
At the referee's signal, the match resumed.
This time, Gary had no complaints about Dragonite anymore.
"Arcanine, let's show Luo Yuan how much we've improved!" he commanded.
It's just Dragonite!
Gary hadn't been slacking off.
His goal for the Silver Conference was to win the championship, just like Luo Yuan had in the past, and then challenge for a spot as a Johto Elite Four member!
With that ambition fueling him, Gary reignited his fighting spirit.
At his command, Arcanine howled and launched forward with Flare Blitz, flames surging around its body as it charged at Dragonite.
Facing the incoming fireball, Dragonite…
Scratched its belly.
Then, with an absentminded swipe of its paw—
BAM!
Arcanine took a full-power slap to the face.
The sheer force sent Arcanine sprawling.
Its legs buckled, and the once-speeding beast crashed into the ground, half-buried in the dirt.
"Arca… niiiine…!"
Arcanine struggled to get up, refusing to surrender.
But Dragonite's round, chubby paw pressed down on its back.
Arcanine thrashed and snarled, but no matter how much it struggled—
It couldn't budge an inch.
It was completely pinned down.
Gary: "..."
His fighting spirit, which had just surged, plummeted.
This Dragonite is ridiculous!
Even compared to the battle footage of Champion Luo Yuan, this Dragonite seemed even more absurdly powerful!
Still, Arcanine wasn't knocked out yet, and Gary wasn't about to give up.
"Arcanine, use [Overheat]!"
If it couldn't overpower Dragonite physically, then it would attack with pure firepower!
As a trusted partner, Arcanine adjusted its approach the moment it heard Gary's command.
It opened its jaws, flames rapidly gathering in its mouth—
Luo Yuan smirked.
"You're using [Overheat] on my Dragonite?"
Before he could even give a command, Dragonite acted on its own.
Just as the fire attack was about to launch, Dragonite lifted the paw pinning Arcanine down.
Then—
It reached out with its other paw.
Gary and Arcanine were both caught off guard.
Dragonite's chubby yet terrifyingly strong arms slid under Arcanine's armpits—
And then—
It lifted Arcanine into the air.
JUMPY JUMPY!
Dragonite hoisted Arcanine up high, tilting it toward the sky.
At that exact moment—
BOOM!
The fully charged [Overheat] launched—
Straight into the air.
The flames exploded, forming a giant fiery symbol in the sky before scattering into countless embers.
Luo Yuan clapped.
"Thank you, Gary, for the fireworks!"
Gary covered his face in frustration.
This wasn't a battle—his Arcanine was being toyed with!
Arcanine kicked and flailed, but Dragonite effortlessly held it in the air, like a child swinging a plush toy.
"…Return, Arcanine!"
Gary sighed, recalling his Pokémon.
There was no way Arcanine could turn this around.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for his next Poké Ball.
"Alright, you're up next—Scizor!"
A bright red figure emerged onto the battlefield—
It was the Scizor Gary had been showing off earlier in town.
As his ace, he had originally planned to save it for later.
But against this Dragonite, he needed to bring out his strongest Pokémon now.
---
T/N: JUMPY JUMPY?
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