Contrary to Professor Oak's thoughts, it was Lance, the reigning Champion, who was truly feeling nervous right now.
Yet, although tense, he felt no fear.
Facing Elias across the field, Lance gradually felt his fighting spirit rise.
It had been a long time since he last felt such eager anticipation for a Pokémon battle.
"I'll be using the Pokémon beside me—Dragonite."
Taking a deep breath, Lance spoke steadily.
"Roooaarr—!"
As soon as Lance finished speaking, Dragonite gave a determined roar, gently flapping its small wings as it flew over Lance's head into position at the center of the battlefield.
From afar, its towering figure radiated an imposing presence.
Seeing Lance send out his Pokémon, Elias didn't delay either.
Taking a Pokéball from his belt, he casually tossed it forward.
With a flash of white light, Lucario appeared, standing proudly at the center of the battlefield.
Though smaller than Dragonite in stature, Lucario's aura was no less imposing.
"The Pokémon I'll use is Lucario," Elias declared calmly.
With both Pokémon now revealed, a fresh wave of excitement rippled through the audience.
Fundamentally, everyone had come to watch a thrilling Pokémon battle—and both Dragonite and Lucario were immensely popular Pokémon known for their formidable strength.
Even before the match began, it had already captured everyone's attention.
"All right! Both Lance and Elias have chosen their Pokémon!"
"The match—officially begins now!"
"Dragonite, [Extreme Speed]!"
Even before the announcer finished speaking, Lance's eyes sharpened as he swiftly issued a command.
Dragonite was exceptionally fast, having specifically trained for speed-based strategies. Combined with [Extreme Speed], Lance hoped to immediately seize the initiative.
At its trainer's command, Dragonite vanished instantly, reappearing behind Lucario in less than a second.
Its speed was so swift, most spectators couldn't follow its movements.
However—
Lance had underestimated the reaction speeds of both Lucario and Elias.
"[Ice Punch]."
Elias's calm command echoed clearly.
In the same instant Lucario received the order, its fist was already launching forward.
Before Dragonite could finish swinging its claws, it felt a powerful strike slam into its stomach, hurling its massive body backward.
Regaining balance mid-air, Dragonite grimaced at the sudden pain. Glancing downward, it found a thick layer of ice forming over its round belly.
Clearly, Lucario had delivered a devastating [Ice Punch] in that fleeting instant.
"You have [Slow Start] too?" Lucario calmly asked, finally pulling back its fist.
Dragonite: ...?
Dragonite had no idea what [Slow Start] meant, but it instinctively sensed that Lucario hadn't said anything good.
Clearly, Dragonite had lost the first exchange, and Lance's expression grew solemn.
He hadn't anticipated Lucario's speed to be so formidable—far surpassing even his carefully trained Dragonite.
His original strategy to dominate through sheer speed had already failed.
"Lucario, use [Low Sweep]," Elias calmly commanded again.
Lucario instantly launched itself forward, agilely closing the gap.
Dragonite let out another fierce roar, its plump claws engulfed in flames.
Facing a move like [Low Sweep], Dragonite felt distinctly offended.
As Lucario approached, Dragonite unleashed its flaming fist without hesitation.
Bang—! Bang—!
The fists of the two Pokémon collided repeatedly, sending loud, heavy echoes throughout the arena.
Despite its large body, Dragonite showed no signs of sluggishness, successfully countering Lucario's repeated strikes, locking them in stalemate.
Yet, as time wore on, the gap in their speed and skill slowly became evident.
Dragonite's defenses began showing cracks, nearly allowing Lucario's sweeping kicks through several times.
Seeing this, Lance realized he couldn't continue engaging Lucario at close range.
"Dragonite, use [Stomping Tantrum], then take flight!"
Hearing Lance's instruction, Dragonite's eyes sharpened in resolve.
It swung its tail to force Lucario back slightly, then stomped heavily onto the battlefield floor.
Boom—!
The battlefield cracked violently underfoot, and tremors spread outward like an earthquake.
Most Pokémon would stumble or retreat from such a fierce shockwave.
Yet Elias surprised Lance once again: Lucario, instead of backing away, rushed forward, swiftly conjuring a staff of solidified Aura.
With perfect timing, Lucario drove the staff hard into the shaking ground.
Using the momentum, Lucario soared gracefully upward, effortlessly evading Dragonite's devastating stomp.
Simultaneously, Dragonite, having just lifted off the ground, found itself directly beneath Lucario.
This is bad.
Realizing his mistake, Lance's heart sank.
Fortunately, his bond and training with Dragonite had honed its combat instincts perfectly.
Anticipating the worst, Dragonite immediately raised its head, launching a fully charged [Fire Blast] upward.
Normally, any flying Pokémon struck directly by this move would have its feathers scorched and be forced to the ground. Though Lucario wasn't a Flying-type, as a Steel-type, it still suffered double damage from fire.
At this realization, Lance regained some confidence. Elias, having pursued a reckless attack, would now pay dearly for his miscalculation.
"Lucario, use [Aura Sphere]."
Elias's command arrived at a leisurely pace, sounding almost belated.
From Lance's perspective, it seemed too late to counter.
But very quickly—
Lance realized something strange.
Elias's voice had barely faded, yet Lucario already held a massive [Aura Sphere] half its own size, fully charged.
With decisive force, Lucario slammed the oversized [Aura Sphere] downward.
BOOM!
The [Aura Sphere] collided spectacularly with Dragonite's [Fire Blast], releasing a massive explosion that sent hot gusts of air blasting outward, forcing Lance to shield his eyes.
Using the force of the blast, Lucario smoothly landed back on its feet across the battlefield.
Dragonite, however, already positioned below and burdened by its weight, was knocked harshly back onto the ground.
"Woo..." Dragonite let out a muffled groan of pain.
Only then did Lance finally realize the true nature of the problem.
Twice in a row, Lucario had executed moves immediately after Elias's commands—at speeds impossible through reaction alone.
Moreover, the last [Aura Sphere] had clearly been charging even before Elias spoke.
Given Elias's known abilities with psychic and aura powers, Lance quickly understood the truth:
The verbal commands were nothing but a deception.
Elias had likely communicated telepathically through Aura beforehand, leaving his spoken instructions merely as misdirection.
What kind of tactic is this?
Lance bitterly thought, feeling increasingly tormented. It was like facing delayed feints in an action game, leaving him utterly exhausted.
---
Regigigas: "Who's making fun of my Slow Start?"
Author: "I got thoroughly tormented by delayed attacks while playing a Souls-like game once."