Dragon Pulse finished charging the moment Dragonite shifted its flight posture.
"Roar!"
With its chin tucked close to its chest, Dragonite unleashed a vivid purple shockwave from its mouth. The energy beam skimmed past its creamy white belly, heading straight for Tyranitar below.
Tyranitar, still stunned by Dragonite's ability to reverse its direction at such close range, barely had time to react before the Dragon Pulse closed in.
Without thinking, it clenched its fist tightly and threw a punch directly at the incoming attack.
Boom!
Dragon Pulse vs. Ice Punch.
Tyranitar's Ice Punch held firm like a boulder in a raging river, momentarily halting the force of the Dragon Pulse.
During the clash, Dragonite's energy-based attack had the advantage, as it didn't need to withstand any physical force.
Tyranitar, however, was pushed backward by the sheer power of the Dragon Pulse, its feet dragging long grooves into the ground.
But Dragonite's superior level and power eventually tipped the scales.
With a sudden burst of energy, the Dragon Pulse's beam grew thicker, and Tyranitar, who had been holding on with all its strength, was quickly overwhelmed.
"Tyranitar's Ice Punch wasn't enough to stop Dragonite's Dragon Pulse! Tyranitar has been hit!" Kyosuke announced energetically.
The Dragon Pulse struck Tyranitar squarely, triggering an explosion.
The resulting shockwave sent Tyranitar hurtling backward.
However, the sandstorm granted Tyranitar a significant advantage—its Rock typing gave it a 1.5x boost to Special Defense in such weather conditions.
Coupled with the partial deflection from Ice Punch, the damage it sustained wasn't as severe as it could have been.
Gritting its teeth, Tyranitar managed to remain standing, refusing to collapse.
"Well done, Tyranitar! Now, use Stone Edge!" Eito called out excitedly, hoping to seize the moment to turn the tide.
But Tyranitar ignored him completely.
Instead, it opened its mouth and let out a piercing screech, a sound so grating it was like fingernails dragging across a chalkboard.
Luo Yuan winced at the sound, his skin crawling. Quickly, he used his psychic abilities to block the noise, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Screech," he muttered, naming the move.
The attack emitted a sharp, ear-piercing sound that drastically lowered the opponent's Defense.
If Luo Yuan were to rank the Pokémon moves he despised the most, Screech and similar sound-based moves like Metal Sound would undoubtedly be at the top.
These moves, which affected both trainers and Pokémon, felt like psychological warfare—downright anti-human.
Looking at Dragonite, who was covering its ears with visible discomfort, Luo Yuan frowned at Tyranitar with a hint of irritation.
Tyranitar, however, seemed perfectly content with its choice. Its goal of lowering Dragonite's defenses had been achieved.
"Tyraaaaan!"
With a mighty roar, Tyranitar swung its arms, hurling nearby rocks toward Dragonite.
"Tyranitar has used Rock Slide! This move packs a punch and has a decent chance of causing the opponent to flinch. Combined with the earlier Screech, Tyranitar's strategy is looking solid!" Malva explained from the commentary booth.
Behind Tyranitar, Eito sighed in relief at the sight of the combo.
Perhaps—just maybe—this was a better strategy than his initial idea of using Stone Edge.
Luo Yuan seemed to agree with Malva.
The combination was decent and demonstrated a higher level of battle instinct. It wasn't hard to see why Tyranitar often disregarded Eito's commands. In fact, its natural battle sense was leagues ahead of its trainer.
That said, Luo Yuan's evaluation of Tyranitar's overall combat skills wasn't particularly high.
Its moves were solid for an untrained Pokémon, but it still lacked the refinement of a well-coached battler.
The only reason Luo Yuan was impressed was that Tyranitar had achieved this level of skill on its own, without any guidance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rocks hurtled through the air toward Dragonite.
Luo Yuan raised his hand. "Dragonite, Reflect!"
Swish!
A transparent wall materialized in front of Dragonite, shimmering faintly.
The incoming rocks collided with the barrier, creating ripples across its surface. A few cracks appeared but didn't compromise the shield.
"Blocked! Luo Yuan's Dragonite unexpectedly used Reflect to counter Tyranitar's Rock Slide!" Kyosuke announced with enthusiasm.
Luo Yuan smiled faintly, watching Tyranitar and Eito's stunned reactions.
This was precisely why he insisted all his Pokémon learn Reflect and Light Screen.
Unlike the simple damage-reducing mechanics seen in games, in real-life battles, these moves functioned as near-impenetrable barriers.
With Luo Yuan's affinity for Psychic-types enhancing their effects, Reflect and Light Screen became even more formidable.
Tyranitar froze briefly upon seeing its attack blocked. But it quickly adjusted, raising its arms and summoning a barrage of boulders.
"Rock Throw!"
Massive stones were launched into the sky, raining down toward Dragonite from above.
Tyranitar's reasoning was simple: if a frontal assault was ineffective, an aerial attack would surely work.
However, Tyranitar had overlooked one crucial detail.
"My Dragonite isn't a stationary target."
"Dragonite, Agility!" Luo Yuan commanded.
Blue energy glowed in Dragonite's eyes before enveloping its entire body.
Whoosh!
Already fast, Dragonite's speed increased exponentially. Its figure blurred, leaving only afterimages behind as it moved.
Eito clenched his fists, thinking it was finally time to showcase his tactical brilliance.
"Tyranitar, don't panic! Focus on Dragonite's movements and track its trajectory!"
Tyranitar rolled its eyes, its expression almost human-like in its disdain.
Then, completely ignoring its trainer's command, it used Protect instead.
"Tyranitar has chosen to use Protect against Dragonite's Agility?" Kyosuke remarked, confused by the move.
Beside him, Malva's eyes gleamed with approval as she watched Tyranitar's actions.
Before she could elaborate, a shadow flickered.
Dragonite abruptly appeared in front of Tyranitar, its rounded arm raised high before slamming down.
"Brick Break!"
Bam!
The shimmering blue shield from Protect formed just in time, blocking Dragonite's attack.
Crack!
The force of Brick Break caused a web of fractures to spread across the shield.
Even the audience could tell that Tyranitar's timely use of Protect had prevented a devastating blow.
"Tyranitar's Protect was absolutely critical! If that Brick Break had landed, it might have been an instant knockout!" Kyosuke exclaimed.
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T/N: LMAOOO BRO IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS