"It completely collapsed all at once. How do you even fight that?"
Nemona clicked her tongue in amazement. The situation had seemed fine just moments ago, and then—everything flipped in an instant.
They'd thought Roaring Moon had successfully bitten onto Drapion, only to realize it was Drapion that had actually trapped Roaring Moon.
"It's way too hard," Blue said softly. "Roaring Moon is restrained and badly poisoned. There's basically no solution."
Unless Roaring Moon could be recalled.
But it couldn't.
Because earlier, Roaring Moon had used Crunch on Drapion.
Dark-type Crunch—an attack only a small number of Pokémon can learn.
And Crunch's effect was simple:
Neither side could switch out until one of them fainted. Only when one Pokémon was knocked out would the effect end.
Which meant—
Drapion and Roaring Moon were both locked on the field.
Unless one of them lost the ability to battle.
"If it could break free from the tail, there might still be a chance," Geeta nodded.
On the field
"Pin Missile!"
Dylan pressed the attack without hesitation.
Strike while your opponent is down—there was no need for mercy.
Drapion's tail tightly constricted Roaring Moon's neck, pinning it to the ground.
Roaring Moon struggled and roared in fury, but it was pointless.
With its neck locked, movement was nearly impossible.
Drapion swung its claws, unleashing a torrent of white needle-like beams.
"Roaring Moon! Scale Shot!"
Red's eyes sharpened.
Roaring Moon halted its struggling and beat its wings hard, teal phosphorescent scales blasting forward to meet the Pin Missiles.
Boom boom boom boom!
The deafening explosions echoed nonstop as Pin Missile and Scale Shot collided violently, shockwaves and fierce winds surging outward.
Even with its throat restrained, Roaring Moon could still attack.
At least that was some good news.
Red quickly weighed his options—he couldn't stay suppressed like this, or Roaring Moon would be completely passive.
"Earthquake!"
Red gave the order without hesitation.
Roaring Moon was lying on its back—stomping the ground was impossible.
But it still had its tail.
Roaring Moon lifted its tail, preparing to strike the ground—
"Too naive, Red," Dylan chuckled.
"Drapion."
Drapion growled and suddenly exerted force with its tail, lifting Roaring Moon straight up.
The sudden loss of gravity stunned Roaring Moon for a moment.
Its tail lashed downward—
But it couldn't reach the ground.
Earthquake failed.
"Pin Missile!"
Drapion didn't pause for even a second.
Boom boom boom!
This time, Roaring Moon didn't have time to block with Scale Shot.
Pin Missiles slammed relentlessly into its body.
The explosions thundered as Roaring Moon cried out in pain—Bug-type Pin Missile dealt massive damage to it.
Individually, Pin Missile wasn't that powerful.
But it was a multi-hit move.
If all hits landed, the damage skyrocketed.
In game terms, each hit was about 25 power, and Pin Missile could strike up to five times—
a total of 125 power.
Earthquake only had 100.
Back in Sinnoh, Paul's Drapion had once shredded Torterra with Pin Missile even after it healed with Synthesis.
That alone spoke volumes.
In real battles, continuous attacks like Pin Missile or Scale Shot could be terrifying—
because unlike the games' randomness, a Pokémon that wanted to could land every single hit.
All five hits slammed into Roaring Moon—super effective.
Its condition plummeted instantly.
And then—
The second tick of bad poison triggered.
A brutal double blow.
When the smoke finally cleared, Roaring Moon was on its last legs.
"Drapion."
Drapion swung its tail and smashed Roaring Moon down onto the battlefield.
Boom!
Roaring Moon cried out again. The instant it touched the ground, the Toxic Spikes activated.
Dark-purple poison light surged across its body.
When the eerie glow faded—
Roaring Moon's eyes turned into spirals.
"Roaring Moon has lost the ability to battle. Drapion wins!"
Leaf announced the result.
"As expected… that Drapion is seriously dangerous," Blue muttered.
"Yeah. In hindsight, engaging it in close combat was a bad idea," Giovanni nodded.
"Between the poisonous spray, powerful claws, and that flexible tail, it's built for this."
"And above all—Toxic," Giovanni added calmly.
"That was the real turning point."
Roaring Moon's collapse started the moment it was badly poisoned.
Red's strategy hadn't been wrong—Drapion's dominance did revolve around its tail.
It was simply a case of focusing on one threat and overlooking another.
On the field
Red quietly recalled Roaring Moon.
He knew this loss wasn't Roaring Moon's fault—it was his own command decision.
So then—
How should he deal with this Drapion?
Red stared at the ferocious Pokémon across from him.
There was only one option.
He had to defeat it head-on.
"In that case…"
"Tornadus!"
Red threw his fourth Poké Ball.
The legendary Tornadus appeared, arms crossed, floating before Red as it looked down on Drapion.
"Tornadus—planning to use aerial dominance?" Dylan immediately understood.
It wasn't a bad idea.
Tornadus had powerful special attacks and great speed.
But that wasn't all.
Red raised his Poké Ball and recalled Tornadus once more.
Crimson energy surged from his Dynamax Band, flowing into the ball.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
The Poké Ball rapidly expanded, growing enormous.
"Go!"
Red hurled the Dynamax Ball.
Tornadus reappeared—and its body rapidly expanded.
Dynamax Tornadus took form.
Black vortex clouds churned in the sky, faint red light flowing across Tornadus's massive body, three red storm clouds floating above it.
"He's planning to finish Drapion in one Dynamax exchange," Leon and the others immediately realized.
"In that case—Drapion."
Dylan smiled as he recalled Drapion, his own Dynamax Band glowing red.
Though Drapion wasn't at full condition—it had taken an Earthquake earlier—Dylan didn't mind.
To him, this was the perfect chance to clash with Tornadus.
Drapion was sent out again, its body rapidly enlarging.
Dynamax Drapion roared toward the sky.
Under the swirling black vortex, the two giant Pokémon faced each other.
"Max Airstream!" Red ordered decisively.
Dynamax Tornadus rumbled as white airflow condensed before it.
Max Airstream, transformed from Leaf Storm.
Tornadus didn't know Ground-type moves, and although it had Psychic attacks, Drapion was immune to Psychic.
So Red chose the STAB option.
"Max Lightning!" Dylan countered instantly.
Thunderclouds crackled above Tornadus—
A massive bolt of lightning crashed down.
Boom!
Max Lightning struck Tornadus as Max Airstream blasted straight into Drapion.
A violent shockwave rippled outward.
Both Pokémon cried out in pain.
Max Lightning was super effective, and Tornadus's defenses weren't exceptional—
the damage was severe.
Meanwhile, Drapion's special defense wasn't great either, and Tornadus's STAB Max Airstream hit hard.
Electric arcs spread across the battlefield—
Electric Terrain was set.
On Electric Terrain, grounded Pokémon couldn't fall asleep, and Electric-type moves were boosted.
At the same time, white light enveloped Tornadus—
Max Airstream raised its Speed.
But Red frowned.
"This is bad. If this turns into a slugfest, Tornadus loses."
Steven shook his head.
"Tornadus is weak to Electric, and Drapion's attacks—boosted earlier—aren't weak at all."
"Even if Drapion goes down, it'll be a narrow victory," May agreed.
But there was no turning back now.
The Dynamax had already begun.
"Max Lightning!"
"Max Airstream!"
The attacks clashed again.
This time, Dynamax Drapion's condition visibly worsened—
But Tornadus was also breathing heavily.
Electric Terrain further boosted Max Lightning's power.
One final exchange followed.
Max Lightning.
Max Airstream.
Boom—!
With a thunderous explosion, Dynamax Drapion's massive body collapsed.
When the smoke cleared, Drapion—back to normal size—lay unconscious on the ground.
"Drapion has lost the ability to battle. Tornadus wins."
Leaf announced the result.
She glanced at Tornadus as well—now returned to normal size, panting heavily.
Tank three Max Lightnings in a row had taken a huge toll.
If this were a game, Tornadus would've fainted alongside Drapion.
Only its legendary constitution had kept it standing.
"Well done, Red," Dylan said sincerely.
"You even took down Drapion."
Red adjusted his cap.
He felt both relieved and uneasy.
Tornadus's condition was far from ideal—he could only hope it would still be able to contribute later.
Otherwise, things were going to get worse.
"Alright," Dylan said with a calm smile.
"Next up—my fourth Pokémon."
Red's eyes sharpened.
What's coming next?