"Dusclops, unable to battle!"
The referee's voice echoed continuously in his ears, causing Costa's eyes to narrow.
"Interesting..."
He tried to calm himself down as much as possible.
A Dragonite that masters Extreme Speed?
If so, his other two main forces would also find it very difficult to be a match for this Dragonite.
That Fang Yuan still had such an ace card up his sleeve... It was both within and beyond Costa's expectations.
Rumors were indeed false.
As Dragonite landed beside Fang Yuan, the pair exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
However, this was not enough to make Costa lose his will to fight; rather, it solidified his belief in victory.
Costa glanced at the big screen where two of his Poké Balls under his avatar had dimmed, only one more than Fang Yuan's. This was far from a disadvantage.
"If that's the case, I'll leave it to you now." Costa calmly took out the next Poké Ball and pressed it slowly.
The next moment, a Ghost-type Pokemon appeared on the field, mostly black in color, with red pupils and a tail-like wraith without feet, bringing a strong oppressive presence.
Instantly, a terrifying spiritual pressure pervaded the entire area.
"Boow!" The Dragonite, which had been proud after defeating an opponent, suddenly tensed up, instinctively on full alert.
It turned its head quickly.
Because the opposition... might be a top-tier Ghost Overlord.
Different from facing Dusclops just now, the moment Dragonite saw Night Spirit, it became extremely serious.
Even Fang Yuan gave the Night Spirit a more serious look.
Had the opponent finally resorted to playing their ace?
Dispatching a top-level combatant as the third Pokemon, it seemed Dragonite had truly pressured them.
"It's Night Spirit!" On the Portuguese team's side, seeing that Costa had decisively sent out his ace, they felt it was a bit early, but agreed that Dragonite needed to be taken down quickly.
......
On the field.
Fang Yuan was composed and glad that his opponent had sent out their top-level combatant.
Night Spirit, a Ghost-type Pokemon with the Intimidation Characteristic. It had the general abilities associated with Ghost-type Pokemon, as well as strength powerful enough to utilize punching moves, and also the special ability to receive signals from the Spirit Realm's Radio Waves. Indeed, it was a dominant Pokemon among Ghost Types.
As a top overlord, Night Spirit had developed its Intimidation Characteristic to the top level. Where Dusclops and its Combination Skill failed to affect Dragonite, just standing there, Night Spirit already made Dragonite feel a significant impact on its reaction nerves.
"Boow..." A red glint crossed Dragonite's eyes as it tried to overcome the effect by invoking anger with the Outrage move.
Subsequently, it moved naturally, gearing up and looking towards Night Spirit, all the while bursting with a strong current of air from its body, confronting the oppressive presence.
Boom!!
The mere clash of momentum made the air in the arena tremble.
"Ice Punch!" As the battle began, Costa waved his hand decisively, issuing his command in a strong tone.
What Dusclops could not do, Night Spirit would handle it.
"Woo-booh!" Upon hearing the command, Night Spirit looked at its opponent, its huge right palm clenching as a bright white-blue glow gathered, forming a massive Ice Energy into an Ice Punch. Then, leaning forward, Night Spirit flew straight toward Dragonite.
"Extreme Speed." Seeing this, Fang Yuan prepared to have Dragonite increase the distance to dodge, as Night Spirit was a rare Ghost-type Pokémon which excelled in close combat. Although Dragonite was not weak in melee combat, the opponent was evidently stronger, so it was better to fight from a distance. Nonetheless, Dragonite excelled in both melee and ranged combat.
Dragonite's speed, which Costa acknowledged and the audience and contestants had just experienced, was swift, and even a top-level combatant like Night Spirit might not be able to catch up. But the moment Dragonite moved, a terrifying gravity centered on it descended from the sky toward the ground.
In an instant, the space blurred, covered by a Gravity Technique, as if the heavens had collapsed, and Dragonite's movements stiffened immediately. Even with its Extreme Speed and Tailwind, faced with the sudden gravity, it needed time to adapt.
Fortunately, Dragonite was no stranger to gravity training and adapted much faster than Costa had anticipated. Facing the incoming Deadly Frozen Fist, Dragonite narrowly dodged, relying on its quick reflexes and sensing the change in the cold air. It then attempted to use Wing Attack to blow Night Spirit away.
However, Night Spirit's awareness surpassed Dragonite's. Its eyes flashed red, and using its Superpower for prediction skills, it anticipated Dragonite's moves, reconsolidating the Frost Power in its left fist and landing a heavy blow on Dragonite's belly before the Wing Attack could connect.
A tremendous force sent Dragonite flying, and with a "crack," its creamy underbelly quickly froze under the blue Frost Power, suffering severe frostbite.
"Bwoo—" The immense pain made Dragonite terribly uncomfortable. Despite its Multiple Scales and tough hide, its biggest weakness was Ice-based Spells. If Night Spirit's mastery of Ice Energy was as advanced as its spiritual power or Ghost attributes, that hit might have knocked Dragonite out of the fight.
"Can you still battle?" Seeing Dragonite forcibly stop and press its paw, condensing Fire onto its belly to melt the ice, Costa smiled.
What does it matter if you have a powerful technique like Extreme Speed when facing top-level combat power, you're still helpless.
"Not bad," Fang Yuan said at this moment as he also looked at Night Spirit, realizing that it wasn't a weaker top-level combatant...
Its Gravity Techniques, Future Sight, and Ghost-type traits made it clear that Night Spirit was a particularly tough opponent.
"Bwoo..." On the battlefield, Dragonite touched its belly in frustration. The gravity restricted its speed, and the airflow perception was overwhelmed by the prediction skills, making it a difficult enemy to fight.
"That Dragonite is definitely crippled."
"Taking an Ice Punch with its Dragon Fly Attribute and not losing its ability to battle is already impressive."
"Costa's Night Spirit is so strong."
The battle between Fang Yuan and Costa continued with reversal after reversal, with Dragonite first crushing Dusclops, only for Night Spirit to crush Dragonite. Each Trainer's Pokémon were stronger than the last, thrilling the audience.
"I wonder if, after Dragonite is down, Fang Yuan will be able to send out a Pokémon even stronger than Dragonite."
"It's doubtful; Dragonite is already one of the most powerful species in the Asia region..."
On the Portuguese team's side, there was complete confidence in Costa, which was good. With a continued push, they could show the China Team a thing or two.
On the China Team's side, everyone watched the field with great interest.
The opponent had sent out a top-level combatant so early; would Fang Yuan send out that Eevee next? With Eevee on the field, the Night Spirit could be easily handled.
But what followed Fang Yuan's command surprised everyone.
"You have only one moment."
Fang Yuan smiled slightly. This was Dragonite's first battle, and before deciding to send it out, Fang Yuan had told Dragonite it could enter Nightmare Mode, but he wouldn't assist with the Power of the Heart.
There was no need for Fang Yuan to deplete the Power of the Heart excessively against an opponent of a regional competition level. Dragonite readily agreed, for it had never used Nightmare Mode in an official match. After training with Darkrai for so long, even without the Power of the Heart's aid, it could control it for a while.
In Nightmare Mode, Dragonite could temporarily suppress a Top Overlord, which meant Fang Yuan never considered Dragonite would lose to Night Spirit. So what if it faced top-level combat power, so what if an Ice Punch had nearly crippled it?
Dragonite could still battle!
"Dragonite, Awakened power!" Fang Yuan's command quickly issued.