Ryūnan's Dragonair was towering in stature. Even though its serpentine body coiled across the battlefield floor, its upper half still reared high into the air.
Its body stretched well over five meters long.
Compared to the Dragonair dwelling in the Dragon's Valley of the "Safari Zone"—the very mother of Yozora's Dratini—Ryūnan's Dragonair was even more massive.
Dratini's mother was at least thirty-five years old.
But Ryūnan's Dragonair wasn't even half that age, and already it surpassed her in size. That alone spoke volumes of its extraordinary talent.
And Ryūnan's training? Impeccable.
With Dragonair's entrance, Gengar clearly felt the pressure. It cackled darkly—"Jie-jie-jie"—then chose to avoid the clash head-on, fading into invisibility once more.
It was worth noting:
When Gengar cloaked itself with the Battle Soul Cloak, the cloak vanished with it.
"Dragonair, Rain Dance!" Ryūnan suddenly called out, an idea striking him.
Dragonair let out a resonant cry, and above the battlefield, dark clouds began to swirl and gather.
For Dragonair, summoning rain was no great challenge.
But Rain Dance required a little time before the downpour would fall.
That was different from the Drizzle Ability, which summoned rain instantly with just a thought.
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!" Yozora gave his command.
In the blink of an eye, Gengar appeared five meters behind Dragonair. Its stubby arms swung in unison, hurling two Shadow Balls straight at Dragonair's exposed back.
Dragonair sensed the danger.
But the moment it turned, the twin Shadow Balls crashed into it—
Boom! Boom!
Two violent detonations ripped across the field. The Shadow Balls burst against Dragonair's scales with crushing force, knocking it violently back through the air.
Dragonair barely managed to right itself, glaring furiously into the misty rain—yet Gengar was already gone again.
"Stay calm, Dragonair!" Ryūnan urged, steadying it while waiting for the rain to descend.
"Use Lick!" Yozora commanded again.
Lick didn't guarantee paralysis, but it carried a chance.
Generally speaking, the higher the attacker's level compared to the opponent, the greater the chance of inflicting paralysis. The lower, the less.
Gengar's first Lick had failed to paralyze Dragonair.
But Gengar did not relent.
It kept vanishing, reappearing at random angles, darting in for another grotesque lick before disappearing once more.
Dragonair roared in outrage, but there was nothing it could do…
Finally, after the fourth assault, Dragonair stiffened.
Arcs of white static danced across its serpentine form. Its body seized up—paralyzed. From this point on, every move would be a struggle.
"Hypnosis!"
Gengar's eyes glowed with eerie light. Purple psychic waves rippled outward, enveloping Dragonair in a haze of drowsiness.
Dragonair's level was high, its mental strength and willpower formidable—far surpassing even the Flygon from earlier.
Gengar poured on the pressure, sweat beading on its forehead as it fought to drag Dragonair into slumber.
But—
"Dragonair, wake up!" Ryūnan barked sharply.
At the sound of his voice, the Dragonair that had been on the verge of collapse suddenly jolted awake.
A bond of minds!
Yozora's eyes narrowed. Gengar hissed in frustration.
Ryūnan chuckled. "Give it up. My Dragonair isn't something you can hypnotize so easily."
The words had barely left his mouth when—crack! A bolt of lightning split the clouds above. At last, sheets of rain poured down from the heavens.
Gengar had already gone invisible. But its invisibility only hid it from sight—it was not true disappearance.
And when raindrops cascaded across the battlefield, they struck its unseen body.
It was as if Gengar now wore a translucent raincoat.
Its pudgy frame was revealed for all to see.
"So that's your plan." Yozora's eyes gleamed with understanding at last. Ryūnan had used Rain Dance to expose Gengar.
And then—
Rrrrip…
The skin on Dragonair's head suddenly cracked apart, splitting down the middle.
Yet the sight was not grotesque, but breathtaking.
From beneath the old scales emerged a pristine new head, followed by a gleaming neck, a freshened body, and finally, the long tail.
Shedding skin!
Dragonair had shed in battle, leaving behind faded husks of lifeless scales.
This wasn't ordinary molting. It was Dragonair's hidden Ability—Shed Skin.
Through it, there was a high chance of curing status ailments—burns, paralysis, poison, even freezing!
And sure enough…
With this molt, Dragonair shook free of paralysis completely.
"Go, Dragonair! Dragon Pulse!" Ryūnan roared.
Freed, Dragonair's movements regained their grace. It opened its mouth and loosed a surging wave of violet energy, blasting Gengar across the field.
The frail Ghost-type hit the ground hard.
It seemed finished.
But moments later, it staggered upright again.
The Battle Soul Cloak!
Gasps rippled through the audience.
"Incredible! Ryūnan used Rain Dance to break Gengar's invisibility—brilliant!"
"Still, that Gengar's hanging tough! Everyone knows how fragile they are—taking a Dragon Pulse head-on and still standing?"
"Idiot! That's the Battle Soul Cloak! Without it, Gengar would've fainted instantly!"
The rain continued to hammer down.
Gengar's grin twisted with malice, its body battered and bruised. Yet in this downpour, its invisibility was useless.
From here on, it would be a head-on fight.
And though the cloak had spared it once, Gengar's strength was nearly gone. It was running on fumes.
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!" Yozora ordered.
"Dragonair, block it with Dragon Tail!" Ryūnan countered.
Even stripped of invisibility, Gengar's speed was blinding. It darted around the battlefield, launching Shadow Balls from every direction.
Dragonair's focus sharpened to a razor's edge. It channeled energy into its tail, which glowed a vivid green.
Whip-crack!Whip-crack!
Dragonair lashed its glowing tail, shattering each Shadow Ball in midair.
But the effort taxed it severely. Its stamina dwindled, breath growing ragged. Soon it, too, was nearly spent.
On the other side, Gengar looked worse. Black circles ringed its eyes, its form sagging, barely able to stay upright.
Then—
Shoop… Another Shadow Ball left Gengar's hands.
But this one was pitiful. Tiny, sluggish. It drifted through the rain, shrinking, fading away before it reached Dragonair.
Gengar had exhausted itself. Even Shadow Ball could no longer manifest.
"Finish it! Water Pulse!" Ryūnan seized the moment.
Dragonair gathered the falling rain into a sphere of shimmering blue energy, then unleashed it.
The Water Pulse exploded against Gengar, blasting it off its feet.
This time, it did not rise again. Its eyes swirled in spirals as it collapsed into unconscious slumber.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Dragonair wins!" the referee declared firmly.
The crowd erupted.
Though Gengar had fallen, Dragonair's strength was also almost gone.
A Dragon-type it may be, one that resonated with water, but it was not a true Water-type.
In the rain, its Water-type moves gained power—but its body did not recover. Its stamina was still depleted.
…
…
(End of Chapter)