Chapter 639: Doesn

At Yuan Zhi’s side, two mighty dragons with powerful auras raised their heads and roared.

Their blood-red wings and battle axes, illuminated by spotlights, shook the spectators’ souls.

Soaring through the sky, the Dragon Sovereign and the Warborn Dragon—Dragonite and Double-Edge Dragon—are synonymous with power among Dragon-type Pokémon.

“Ooooooh—!”

In the instant these two Dragon-type Pokémon appeared, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the stands.

Even with faces flushed red, countless spectators stretched their necks, screaming wildly.

Clearly, the strength of Yuan Zhi’s two top fighters had deeply impressed everyone.

But this frenzy instantly fell silent after Luo Mu sent out his Pokémon.

With wings blazing bright orange-gold flames, it flapped them, sparks glittering like a fire god towering above all.

Its sacred posture was unmistakably that of the legendary bird Pokémon said to have flown from the southern lands alongside Spring.

—Legendary Pokémon, Flareon!

Though originating from Kanto and Johto, the legend of Flareon had some global recognition.

Not to mention last year’s incident near Asia Island in the Orange Islands, when the world’s climate suddenly shifted violently, bringing Flareon and the other two Legendary Birds into the eyes of people from other regions.

After a brief silence, Flareon’s appearance instantly ignited the crowd.

The excitement sparked by Yuan Zhi’s Pokémon now reached its peak.

A thunderous wave of cheers followed.

The only one with a less-than-pleasant mood was probably Victini.

Its legend was too scarce; everyone simply saw it as a rare, cute Pokémon.

—Those cheering for it, Pokémon or human, were exceedingly few.

This left Victini, who had expected to be the center of attention upon arrival, stunned.

“Biiimii!” (This isn’t what I expected!)

Victini’s fighting spirit visibly sank.

But Luo Mu’s next words reignited it.

“Win this battle, and you’ll be the Pokémon everyone watches.”

Instantly, Victini’s fighting spirit blazed up.

That’s right! I’m the Star of Victory—winning is my destiny!

“To win this battle, let’s see if my old comrades agree!”

Yuan Zhi’s weathered yet resolute voice rang out.

Honestly, he didn’t dislike such a sharp young man; the opponent’s edge was like ocean waves, refining him into something stronger!

Yet the only thing he regretted was that Luo Mu hadn’t sent out his Dragonite.

Due to events from his youth, Yuan Zhi held an unusual attachment to Dragonite and longed to see, from the perspective of a Dragon-type expert, how Luo Mu had trained it.

What a pity.

“Battle—”

“Begin!”

Above, the commentator’s voice rang out; Yuan Zhi instantly reacted, sweeping his hand to strike first.

“Both of you, Dragon Pulse—aim all of it at the smaller Pokémon!”

Unlike Flareon, whom he knew somewhat, Yuan Zhi chose to test Victini’s strength first.

“No signs of Intimidate—perhaps it’s Overconfident?”

After making his judgment, Luo Mu calmly issued his order: “Sunny Day, Psychic.”

Dragonite and Double-Edge Dragon raised their fearsome dragon heads; twin torrents of terrifying multicolored flames surged forth, as if erasing everything.

In power, accuracy, and speed, they were unquestionably Elite Four level—perhaps even stronger.

Yuan Zhi had never doubted his Pokémon could hit the smaller Victini.

Facing the rushing Dragon Pulses, Flareon didn’t prepare to counter; it calmly flapped its wings, energy gathering before its open beak into a blazing fireball that shot straight upward!

Brilliant light rained down!

“Luo Mu’s contestant has activated Sunny Day—the weather most favorable for Fire-type Pokémon!”

“—But how will Victini, alone against the furious Dragon Pulses, respond!?”

The commentator, barely dodging the fireball, continued his passionate commentary.

All eyes turned to Victini, about to meet the twin Dragon Pulses.

Victini’s eyes glowed with a bright blue light; invisible energy rippled outward, psychic tendrils meeting the Dragon Pulses head-on.

Before the roaring, multicolored energy shaped like dragons, an invisible wall halted their advance.

—Their power wasn’t enough to shatter it outright, but the psychic force sustaining the wall was relentless, endlessly replenished.

After a brief stalemate, the Dragon Pulses, spent, let out a frustrated roar and vanished into the air.

Even Yuan Zhi hadn’t expected Victini to counter Dragon Pulse by simply outlasting it.

With that level of psychic power, it was clearly a Psychic-type Pokémon—there were far better ways to evade.

Wasting psychic energy like this was hardly wise.

Though slightly disappointed, Yuan Zhi’s commands didn’t slacken.

Under secret signals only he and his Pokémon understood, Dragonite and Double-Edge Dragon didn’t stand idle—they lunged at their opponents.

Dragonite flapped its blood-red wings, surging air currents carrying it straight toward Flareon.

Double-Edge Dragon charged like a runaway war chariot; each step shook the entire platform.

Its axes, gleaming sharper under the intense light, slashed toward Victini, who had just finished Psychic—no mercy shown.

“Dragon Claw, Night Slash!”

Yuan Zhi’s voice echoed behind them; both Dragon-types unleashed their moves without hesitation.

The hard-hitting “Dragon Claw” to drag Flareon into aerial combat, and “Night Slash”—which Yuan Zhi judged would be devastating against Victini.

The opponent’s experience was remarkably seasoned.

Luo Mu sighed inwardly, but his verbal command shot out instantly.

“Flareon, Heat Wave! Victini, Flame Burst!”

Dragonite’s emerald energy claw tore through the air, aiming for Flareon’s vital spot; Flareon, undaunted, summoned scorching winds thick with embers from behind it, amplified by Sunny Day.

Even Dragonite couldn’t close in on Flareon in this state.

—It truly felt the Fire-type moves, usually ineffective, now searing its dragon scales.

Just as Dragonite tore a gap through the heat wave, preparing to retreat, a sudden change erupted below.

Crimson energy wrapped Double-Edge Dragon’s axes as it swung horizontally toward Victini.

Startled, Victini, upon receiving Luo Mu’s order, erupted in blinding firelight—its entire body engulfed in a spherical flame.

Double-Edge Dragon’s strike hit the suddenly expanded fireball—but instead of dissipating, it detonated like a hyper-sensitive explosive, shattering into fist-sized fireballs that blasted outward.

Double-Edge Dragon fared fine; its thick scales and quick reflexes let it sweep its tail, flinging Victini away while blocking several fireballs.

—But Dragonite wasn’t so lucky. Weakened in flight by the heat wave, it was caught in Flame Burst’s radius; as it tore free from the wind, several fireballs struck its old abdominal shell—the very armor it once had as a Charmander.

Though the shell was extremely durable, the searing heat made Dragonite grimace in pain.

“Lucky shot? Did he deliberately target that spot? He clearly trusts his Pokémon’s power.”

Yuan Zhi narrowed his eyes, his own fighting spirit burning hotter.

“Unexpected Flame Burst! In the first exchange, it seems Luo Mu’s contestant holds the advantage!”

The commentator’s voice rang out as expected; many in the stands sat up straight.

King Yuan Zhi took damage!?

Though they knew it meant nothing, some spectators’ hearts tightened.

“Fire Blast, Psychic.”

This time, Luo Mu took the initiative.

“Kiiii!” Flareon descended beside Victini, tilted its head, and let out a piercing cry; crimson light blazed from its burning wings, flames gathering into a massive fireball that erupted outward!

Boom!

The air trembled slightly.

The fireball exploded mid-flight, swelling like a gale into a colossal “Big” character of flame, engulfing both Dragonite and Double-Edge Dragon.

In power, presence, and scale, it perfectly matched Flareon’s stature.

Yuan Zhi had just ordered Dragonite to rise and evade, while Double-Edge Dragon exploited Fire Blast’s fixed trajectory to dodge sideways.

But the moment Victini’s eyes glowed blue again, he abandoned his plan.

No—this is a combo move!

“Dragonite, return! Wide Guard! Double-Edge Dragon, Earthquake—build a defense!”

At the last second, Yuan Zhi abandoned evasion and ordered both Pokémon to jointly withstand this unusually powerful Fire Blast.

His choice proved correct.

The Fire Blast, enveloped by Victini’s Psychic, lost its heaviness and gained extreme agility.

Seeing Dragonite no longer climbing, it instantly stopped turning and shot straight toward Dragonite and Double-Edge Dragon.

To forcibly control Flareon’s Fire Blast with psychic energy—how much psychic power does he have?

Yuan Zhi couldn’t fathom Luo Mu’s extravagant battle style.

Doesn’t he fear that Victini’s psychic energy will drain completely, leaving it unable to battle!?

Even specialists in Psychic-type Pokémon wouldn’t issue such reckless commands—they’d choose smarter methods to control the opponent’s Pokémon.

Even though Firebird’s Flamethrower was immensely powerful, and controlled by Victini’s Psychic, not a single spark escaped to weaken its force.

But Firebird’s strength was ultimately on par with theirs; without a decisive power gap, breaking through the full defense of two Pokémon was pure fantasy.

Double-Edge Dragon stomped the ground, its powerful shockwave cracking the platform—built to withstand most Pokémon battles—and heaving up massive stone blocks to block its path.

Meanwhile, Dragonite’s tail, gathering Dragon-type energy, transformed into a scaled, emerald-green whip that swept away the Flamethrower not blocked by the stones!

“It’s our turn to strike back—Double-Edge Dragon, Scale Shot! Dragonite, Dragon Dive!”

The instant Flamethrower dissipated, Genji issued another command.

Dragonite roared in response, its head glowing brilliantly as a torrent of Dragon-type energy surged and engulfed its entire body.

Wrapping itself in terrifying aura, Dragonite charged at Firebird once more!

Below, Double-Edge Dragon stepped forward, firing a hail of energy scales like arrows toward Victini, denying it any chance to aid Firebird.

Luo Mu didn’t blink, “Victini, protect yourself. Firebird, Sacred Bird Strike.”

In physical clashes, Firebird had never flinched.

Remember, it once withstood Dragonite’s furious assaults for a long time before finally losing its fighting ability.

In endurance, toughness, and physical strength, this Firebird was only stronger than before.

With ample stamina as backing, choosing to brawl head-on would only cost Genji and Dragonite dearly.

Azure currents surged along Firebird’s body, forming a wild, radiant divine bird of flame.

Firebird folded its wings and began gathering power midair, violent energy currents churning within the surrounding air.

At that moment, Dragonite dove down like a meteor from the heavens, slamming straight into Firebird!

A violent shockwave erupted with blinding light; many spectators who hadn’t closed their eyes cried out in shock.

But when the light faded, a ludicrous scene made them stare wide-eyed.

Though slightly off-center, Firebird had indeed withstood Dragonite’s full-force Dive, completing its Sacred Bird Strike charge!

A terrifying wave of energy spilled from Firebird—Dragonite instantly felt the force pressing against it skyrocketing!

A fierce, unyielding glint flashed in Dragonite’s eyes; it roared and clashed violently with Firebird in midair.

Below, Victini blazed with endless flames, like a miniature sun, incinerating every scale fired by Double-Edge Dragon.

That tail strike had hurt Victini—used to luxury—and now it glared at Double-Edge Dragon with anger, shooting toward it like a fire meteor!

“Perfect! Double-Edge Dragon, Dragon Claw!”

Double-Edge Dragon raised its dragon head, its claws and axe-blades wrapped in emerald light, charging straight at Victini.

But at that moment, Luo Mu gave a move name they’d never heard before.

“Victini, V-Flame!”

(End of Chapter)