The moment they saw Duraludon, the trainers present were all clearly a bit surprised.
Even Sasha, the Gym Leader, had a hint of astonishment in her beautiful eyes.
It was simply because the Pokémon Axel brought out was too outrageous.
When most beginner trainers were still using Budew, Rattata, or Pidgey as their Pokémon, even bringing out a starter or an Eevee would already be considered a standout among the crowd.
But this boy in front of them just casually pulled out a dragon.
And it wasn't some disgrace to dragon types like Turtonator, but a Duraludon with base stats already higher than starters and capable of Gigantamaxing.
"Little brother, looks like I can't take it lightly."
A hint of seriousness flashed in Sasha's gaze.
"Litten, use Fire Fang for a strong attack!"
"Duraludon, use Dragon Claw."
Axel didn't back down either, choosing to have Duraludon go in with a hard strike.
Although Duraludon's level was slightly lower than Litten's, its base stats gave it a huge advantage.
Plus, Dragon-type energy restrains Fire-type energy.
'The advantage is mine.'
Litten let out a low "meow" sound, its footsteps light as it stepped on the ground. Four fiery red fangs appeared in front of it, and it used the momentum from its leap to bite at Duraludon.
Duraludon's body looked bulky, but its actual movement speed wasn't much slower than Litten's.
It also ran toward the center of the arena, swinging its arms that looked like cannon barrels and gathering a giant purple Dragon Claw in front.
Fire Fang and Dragon Claw collided, sparking a burst of metallic clash in midair.
Seeing this evenly matched collision, the spectators outside the field immediately broke into an uproar.
"This Duraludon is raised too well."
"No way, we all got our Pokémon after the college entrance exam, but my Bulbasaur is only level 7, and this guy's dragon can already clash head-on with an 18-level starter?"
"Is it possible this guy got first place in the whole city and was the first in Emberpine City to receive a Pokémon?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"How can you be so sure?"
The Bulbasaur trainer spoke faintly, "Because I'm that weakling who got first place."
"Bro, so your aptitude test is already done? Did you get into Capital City or Magic City?"
The trainer helplessly looked at the Bulbasaur drinking milk, then looked at the Duraludon dominating the field.
"I roast sweet potatoes..."
Sasha the Gym Leader also looked at Axel in surprise, her beautiful eyes flickering.
As a Gym Leader, she had seen many genius trainers, like that youngster Gary just now.
Not even level ten, yet already met the evolution condition to evolve Eevee into Umbreon, a one-in-a-million prodigy.
But this little guy named Axel in front of her seemed even stronger than Gary.
"In that case, I'll get serious, little brother!"
"Litten, use Flamethrower!"
Litten let out a low "meow" roar, quickly ran a few steps back to get out of Duraludon's melee range.
Its body crouched low, gathering intense Fire-type energy in its mouth, and a pillar of flame appeared out of thin air.
The temperature of the entire arena quickly rose under Litten's influence, even the nearby air was distorted from the heat.
Flamethrower, one of the signature moves of Fire-type Pokémon.
Although its attack power wasn't top-tier among powerful Fire moves, it was relatively easy to learn and had excellent coverage.
Most trainers with Fire-types liked to have their Pokémon learn this move.
The moment they saw this skill, many couldn't help but worry for Axel.
Even though Dragon-types made Duraludon not weak to Fire, that Flamethrower still wasn't something it could just take lightly.
If not handled well, this move could put Duraludon at a disadvantage.
At that moment, Axel suddenly smiled.
If Litten had gone for a point-blank flame attack, he might've really fallen into a disadvantage. But to avoid Duraludon's Dragon Claw, Litten deliberately pulled away.
'Then don't blame me.'
"Duraludon, Mirror Coat!"
Duraludon immediately nodded. A thin red glow appeared in front of it, which quickly dissipated and formed a thin mirror.
This was a special Psychic-type move that reflects special damage taken back at double strength.
With Litten's small frame, this one hit was more than enough to take it down.
The moment she saw Duraludon's move, Sasha secretly cursed.
"Litten, aim your Flamethrower away from Duraludon!"
"Duraludon, jump up and take the Flamethrower head-on!"
The two shouted completely opposite commands.
Litten immediately lifted its head, trying to aim the Flamethrower at the ceiling.
But Duraludon, as a future Dragon-type general, would not let such a good opportunity go.
With a big leap into the air, it precisely caught the 45-degree upward Flamethrower blast, converting the gushing flame into Psychic-type energy and knocking out Litten in one go.
"First round, Axel's Duraludon wins!"
Sasha quickly adjusted her mindset, soon calming down the nearly fainted Litten and sent out her second Pokémon—Flareon.
'So what if it's Mirror Coat?'
'I out-level you by over ten levels, and I'll only use physical moves. Let's see how you win this time!'
"Axel, little brother, be careful. This Flareon's level is quite high. If you don't have a countermeasure, you can choose to release your next Pokémon."
Axel shook his head, choosing not to switch.
Duraludon still had about half its health left, fully capable of continuing the battle.
Given the opponent had Litten, one of their main Pokémon might be Incineroar.
If that's true, then letting the first two Pokémon go all out might allow Gardevoir to avoid the Fire-types' resistance and pull off a surprise win.
"Duraludon, use Dragon Pulse!"
Facing the powerful Flareon, Duraludon only had one chance to attack.
Axel didn't hesitate, having Duraludon use its most powerful move so far.
"Flareon, use Quick Attack! Don't give him any chance!"
Flareon's body was covered in a brilliant glow, the whole body shot forward like an arrow, sticking close to the ground as it charged Duraludon.
Under the effect of Quick Attack, Flareon's speed reached the extreme.
Its fluffy fur all streamed backward, seemingly unable to keep up with its speed.
Duraludon's little eyes looked a bit panicked, but it still faithfully carried out Axel's order.
It crouched down, the metal cannons on its back extended forward.
A purple beam of light instantly appeared, aiming at the wildly charging Flareon.
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