"Paralysis!! Oh my god!!"
"I'm dying—one second he's confidently declaring victory, the next he's pulling out a question mark."
"Pikachu is still carrying the fight! I'm gonna cry!"
"That paralysis was way too clutch. If Toxapex had really managed to Recover,
this would've turned into another brutal grind."
"Status conditions are seriously everything."
The entire arena was in an uproar.
"This is really—!"
Dylan froze for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
He genuinely hadn't expected paralysis to show up right then, just as Recover was about to go off.
Earlier in the match, paralysis had triggered twice, but neither time was decisive—after all, Toxapex was basically taking hits anyway.
But this time, it was absolutely fatal.
Still, it wasn't a big deal. Luck was luck.
Toxapex had already performed exceptionally well.
"Well done. You beat my Toxapex."
Dylan recalled his fainted Toxapex and took out another Poké Ball.
"..."
Red remained silent.
"Next up, then—this one," Dylan said as he tossed the ball.
"Your old rival, Red."
"Drapion! Prepare for battle!"
"Draaa—!"
The ferocious Drapion slammed down in front of Dylan, baring its fangs as it looked up at Roaring Moon in the sky.
"Whoa—! It's that Drapion again!"
The moment Drapion appeared, many spectators' eyes lit up.
Its previous performances had been far too impressive. Brutal, powerful Pokémon like this were irresistibly captivating.
Even though Drapion's appearance was… unconventional, after that earlier battle, quite a few people had gone out and caught Skorupi or Drapion themselves.
"Drapion…"
Red's eyes flickered as he stared at the all-too-familiar Pokémon.
"You remember it, don't you?" Dylan smiled.
"Then let me see how you plan to defeat it this time."
"Drapion! Pin Missile!"
Drapion let out a low roar. White light flared on its claws as countless needle-like projectiles shot toward Roaring Moon.
Bug-type Pin Missile—and Roaring Moon was weak to Bug!
"Scale Shot!" Red said calmly.
Roaring Moon beat its magnificent wings, firing a barrage of teal, phosphorescent scales downward.
Boom boom boom!
Pin Missile and Scale Shot collided violently in midair.
But it was obvious—Scale Shot was gradually overpowering Pin Missile.
Roaring Moon's offense was simply too strong. Drapion couldn't match it head-on.
"Drapion!"
With a roar, Drapion intensified its attack.
Boom!
The two forces exploded apart, shockwaves ripping outward as thick dust filled the air.
The wind was so fierce that both Roaring Moon and Drapion felt its impact.
"Acupressure!"
Dylan seized the moment and gave the order.
Drapion steadied itself. Its tail glowed white as it stabbed into its own back.
Acupressure—stimulating its body to sharply raise one stat.
And Dylan's Drapion had mastered it to the point where it could choose which stat to boost.
This time—
Physical Attack.
Roaring Moon's offense was terrifying, and Drapion needed raw power to fight back.
"Earthquake!"
Red, of course, wasn't going to let Drapion power up freely.
Roaring Moon stabilized itself midair, then dove straight down and slammed into the ground.
Ground-type Earthquake!
Rumble—!!
The shockwave rippled forward, violently shaking Drapion's body.
Drapion snarled in pain—Roaring Moon's Earthquake hit hard.
"Pin Missile!"
Dylan immediately ordered a counterattack.
Acupressure complete, Drapion raised its claws and unleashed another dense barrage of needle-like shots.
"Dodge!" Red shouted.
Roaring Moon took off, narrowly evading the first wave, then skillfully slipped past the second barrage as well.
At the same time, it continued closing the distance.
"Dragon Rush!"
Red swung his arm decisively.
Roaring Moon roared as dark, draconic energy gathered around its body, forming the image of a savage dragon diving from the sky.
Dragon-type Dragon Rush!
"Going in close?" someone exclaimed.
"Isn't that dangerous against Drapion?"
Drapion's close-combat ability was infamous—especially that terrifying tail.
"Roaring Moon is a pure physical brute," Leon said, shaking his head.
"It needs close combat to fully unleash its strength."
"In Pokémon battles, if you want to win, you have to attack—and attacking always means risk."
"Red understands that perfectly. He trusts Roaring Moon, because it is a close-range powerhouse."
Leon continued,
"To defeat Drapion, risk is unavoidable. And Red chose to believe in his Pokémon."
"If you're afraid to go in close, then why use Roaring Moon at all?"
Hop listened thoughtfully.
"Keep firing—Pin Missile!" Dylan smiled faintly.
Drapion unleashed relentless waves of Pin Missile, bombarding Dragon Rush again and again.
Boom boom boom!
Explosions tore through the draconic charge, but Dragon Rush forced its way through and slammed straight into Drapion.
Drapion grunted. The move was powerful, but it had been partially worn down—and it wasn't super effective.
Drapion could take it.
"Dragon Claw!"
"Cross Poison!"
Both trainers shouted at the same time.
Roaring Moon swung its claw downward, while Drapion crossed its claws and slashed back.
Bang!
Dragon Claw and Cross Poison collided head-on.
They were evenly matched—if anything, Drapion was starting to push Roaring Moon back.
But Roaring Moon had two claws.
"Dragon Claw!"
Its left claw tore toward Drapion's head.
"Grab it!"
In that instant, Drapion's tail shot forward like lightning, aiming straight for Roaring Moon's neck.
"There it is!" Red's eyes sharpened.
He'd been waiting for this.
That tail was the reason Drapion had dominated earlier battles.
"Crunch!"
At the moment the tail struck, Roaring Moon shifted slightly to the side.
The tail narrowly missed.
Everyone gasped.
But Roaring Moon wasn't done.
It snapped its jaws shut, dark energy swirling as it bit down hard on Drapion's tail.
Dark-type Crunch!
"Draaa!!"
Drapion roared in pain, trying to pull its tail back—but Roaring Moon's strength was overwhelming.
It refused to let go.
"Wait—Drapion's tail got bitten?!"
The announcer shouted in shock.
Dylan raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Interesting. Looks like you really did prepare for this, Red."
Red didn't deny it.
He had thought long and hard about how to deal with Drapion.
Against Drapion, the tail had to be neutralized.
Too flexible, too controlling—far too dangerous otherwise.
"But you still overlooked something," Dylan said, shaking his head.
"Drapion! Cross Poison!"
With the tail entangled, both Pokémon had stopped grappling directly.
Drapion raised its claws again and slashed downward.
Roaring Moon countered with Dragon Claw, refusing to back off.
The two attacks clashed once more—still evenly matched.
Both Pokémon glared at each other, vicious and unyielding.
Dark-types—neither willing to submit.
"Now! Toxic!"
Dylan suddenly gave the command.
Red's pupils contracted.
Drapion opened its mouth wide, spraying deep-purple poison straight at Roaring Moon's face.
Roaring Moon tried to pull back—
But Drapion's claws clamped onto its arm, holding it in place.
The toxic sludge splashed across half of Roaring Moon's face.
A moment later, it seeped into its body.
…Bad.
Red's heart sank.
"You grabbed Drapion," Dylan said with a deeper smile,
"but doesn't that mean Drapion grabbed you too?"
Purple toxic light flared across Roaring Moon's body, spreading into distinct poison marks.
Roaring Moon growled in pain.
The first tick of badly poisoned damage wasn't severe—but that was only the beginning.
"Cross Poison!"
Drapion released Roaring Moon and struck again, its claws crossing viciously over Roaring Moon's head.
Bug-type Cross Poison—super effective!
Bang!
Roaring Moon cried out as it was knocked backward, finally releasing Drapion's tail.
It managed to stay upright—but only barely.
Then—
A sharp whoosh cut through the air.
Drapion's tail shot forward again, wrapping tightly around Roaring Moon's neck and slamming it into the ground.
Dark-purple poison surged up from the battlefield.
Toxic Spikes—triggered!
Poison light engulfed Roaring Moon's entire body.
Bad poison.
Cross Poison.
Tail chokehold.
Toxic Spikes.
All within mere seconds.
Roaring Moon's situation had completely collapsed.
"Hiss—!"
The audience collectively sucked in a breath of cold air.
"I'm running a Poison-type team, Red," Dylan said calmly.
"It seems you still don't fully grasp what that really means."