Winning means being the successor; losing is just being a defeated dog!
Zinnia's eyes seemed to burn with flames. That's right, she would definitely win! Dylan was just a Gym Leader!
She wouldn't lose! She couldn't lose! She would win!
"Tyrantrum! Use Earthquake!"
Zinnia commanded with great momentum. She would prove that her Dragons were not some strange and meaningless little creatures that could be defeated!
Tyrantrum let out a deep, fierce roar, lifted a massive leg, and stomped down hard.
Earthquake!
Boom! Boom!
The entire battlefield shook violently, even affecting the spectators, including Lillie.
A wave of tangible Earthquake shockwaves surged forward, rapidly approaching Toxapex.
"Toxic Spikes."
Dylan glanced at Tyrantrum and gave the order.
Toxapex's two tentacles rose, and purple energy spheres began to form.
Zinnia's eyes narrowed. This Toxic Spikes again.
The Earthquake shockwave passed through Toxapex's body. The base of Toxapex's tentacles showed signs of pain; Earthquake was super effective against it. Even though Toxapex had an extremely high defense, the damage was still significant.
Tyrantrum's physical attack was also very high.
But the Toxic Spikes were not interrupted. Toxapex released the Toxic Spikes into the air.
The Toxic Spikes burst in the air like fireworks, with streams of purple liquid sinking into the ground. The ground flashed with a layer of purple eerie light before returning to normal.
"Tyrantrum!" Zinnia contemplated for a moment and signaled Tyrantrum. Toxic Spikes are intermittent triggers, and this unpredictability is too much.
It's better to have Tyrantrum trigger the Toxic Spikes now than to be suddenly eroded by them later during the attack.
Tyrantrum stepped forward, and with that step, deep purple toxic light covered its entire body. The erosion from the Toxic Spikes made Tyrantrum feel very uncomfortable.
"Recover."
Toxapex took the opportunity to recover, a white glow gathering around it. Recover is a Normal-type move that can restore a large amount of health.
After the recovery, Toxapex had almost completely healed from the damage caused by Earthquake.
Zinnia's expression was not so good. This thing could even recover? In that case, she had to attack continuously and defeat it in a short time.
But this meant she would have to fight up close. What about the Fortress?
"Tyrantrum, Dig."
Zinnia quickly thought through her options. She had to press the attack!
Tyrantrum quickly dug a hole, leaving only a hole in its place.
"Iron Defence." Dylan commanded decisively.
A metallic sheen covered Toxapex. Reflect, a Pyschic-type move, significantly boosts the user's defense.
Before Reflect was completed, the ground beneath Toxapex began to crack. Tyrantrum, surrounded by yellowish energy, crashed into Toxapex, sending it flying.
Toxapex cried out in pain. The Dig damage was also high, but Reflect had already been completed, increasing Toxapex's physical defense by two levels.
"Wild Charge!" Zinnia commanded without hesitation.
Tyrantrum roared and charged forward in a frenzied assault, using Wild Charge!
Dylan squinted slightly. Was this a genuine attack or a feint? Zinnia couldn't possibly be unaware that the previous Altaria's poisoning was due to Fortress.
Dylan hesitated. If he used Beneful Bunker now and Tyrantrum stopped attacking at the last moment, he would be deceived, and the situation could collapse.
However, seeing Tyrantrum's increasing speed, Dylan thought he might be overthinking it.
Zinnia was simply going all out.
"Benefull Bunker!"
The deep purple barrier appeared in front of Toxapex. Fortress!
Bang!
Tyrantrum's Wild Charge collided heavily with the Fortress barrier, and a violent gust of wind spread out. Purple fluid from the Fortress spread into Tyrantrum.
Zinnia, noticing this, realized it was a Toxic version of Protect! What a sneaky move!
Wild Charge ended, and the Fortress dissipated into light particles.
Tyrantrum took a step back, and toxic light shone from its body. Tyrantrum roared in pain. It was poisoned! And with the added erosion from Toxic Spikes, the dual poisoning made Tyrantrum suffer greatly.
"Ice Beam"
Toxapex wasn't idle either. Its tentacles raised and aimed at Tyrantrum, shooting a beam of icy blue energy.
Crack! Crack!
The Ice Beam hit Tyrantrum's face, the sound of frost forming incessant. Tyrantrum roared even louder.
Ice Beam is double of effectiveness against Tyrantrum, and with the Merciless ability, Toxapex's attack hits critical points.
Although Toxapex's Special Attack isn't high, Tyrantrum's Special Defense is also average, so the damage from Ice Beam was quite significant.
"Tyrantrum! Hang in there! Use Psychic Fangs!" Zinnia grit her teeth and shouted at Tyrantrum.
Everything was going as expected! With both poisoning and Toxic Spikes erosion triggered, Tyrantrum could use this time to defeat Toxapex in one go!
Tyrantrum, with its frost-covered, fierce face, roared angrily. The sonic waves from the roar made Toxapex feel like it wanted to cover its mouth and nose. This guy has such a strong stench!
The next moment, Tyrantrum lunged at Toxapex, its colorful fangs biting down hard on Toxapex's tentacles, lifting and shaking it violently.
Psychic Fangs of the Psychic-type!
Toxapex cried out in pain, its translucent barrier visible, being destroyed by the Psychic Fangs.
Psychic is effective against Poison, and with Tyrantrum's Strong Jaw ability, the power of Psychic Fangs was increased by 50%, dealing heavy damage to Toxapex!
"Just a pure brute," Dylan observed Tyrantrum's aggressive attacks with a raised eyebrow.
This guy was relying on sheer force for an all-out assault.
"Toxapex, Ice Beam!"
Toxapex, enduring the intense pain, raised its tentacles again, aiming at Tyrantrum's face, gathering icy blue energy.
"Tyrantrum! Shake it off!"
Tyrantrum threw Toxapex heavily onto the ground. The impact made Toxapex grunt, and its tentacles lost their aim due to the weight.
"Earthquake!"
Tyrantrum's roar was deafening as it lifted its strong foot and stomped down on Toxapex.
Earthquake!
Lillie nervously clasped her hands over her chest. Could Toxapex withstand this Earthquake?
"Ice Beam!"
Dylan commanded without hesitation. It was coming right up!
Toxapex struggled to raise its tentacles, gathering icy blue energy.
Just then, Tyrantrum's descending foot halted. Its face showed pain and horror as toxic light erupted.
The poison was eroding now!
Zinnia's pupils contracted. Tyrantrum was in a very bad state. If Toxapex wasn't finished now, there would be no chance left!
"Tyrantrum!!"
"Roar!!"
Hearing Zinnia's voice, Tyrantrum endured the pain from the toxins and stomped down with its powerful foot!
Crack! Crack!
Boom!!
Toxapex's Ice Beam struck Tyrantrum's face, and Tyrantrum roared in pain again. Its massive, fearsome body began to tilt and fall.
Thud~ Tyrantrum fell to the ground, unable to rise.
But the Earthquake had also been successful, even directly stomping on Toxapex.
Toxapex curled up in pain. The Earthquake shockwaves raged, shaking Toxapex violently.
"How is it?"
"Toxapex can't possibly hold on, right?"
"Tyrantrum seems to have lost its fighting ability in the end…"
"Dylan is really impressive, managing to fight so well against Zinnia."
The Draconid Tribe watching the battle murmured among themselves. Compared to the previous battles, this one was undoubtedly much more intense and thrilling.
The wild Tyrantrum's frenzied attack also provided a visual spectacle.
The Earthquake gradually subsided.
"Toxapex and Tyrantrum have both lost their fighting abilities."
Itto observed the two Pokémon and confirmed the result.
They ended up taking each other down…
Lillie and the others were somewhat surprised but also found it understandable.
"Thank you for your hard work. You'll be well rewarded after this," Dylan gently reassured Toxapex.
Perhaps Ice Beam shouldn't have been used in the end, but Recover? No, after Recover, Tyrantrum could still use Psychic Fangs.
Toxapex did well to take down Tyrantrum.
"Indeed, Zinnia, your Tyrantrum is very strong."
Dylan looked at Zinnia and smiled, praising her.
Although relying solely on brute force might seem a bit rough to Dylan, it had to be said that it was quite effective at times, just like Tyrantrum earlier.
It managed to take down Toxapex.
"This is only natural, Dylan. My power is not limited to this!"
Zinnia's face broke into a fearless, confident smile again. She knew her Dragons wouldn't let her down! The battle was exhilarating!
Even though it took 2vs1 to take down Toxapex, and Altaria hadn't contributed much damage, winning was still a proof! Toxapex was out of commission!
"Oh? Then I'll have to continue watching."
Dylan smiled and elegantly adjusted his collar.
Honestly, battling Zinnia was easier than he had imagined. He wasn't sure if it was because Zinnia's battle style was too straightforward or because his own strength was actually higher than he had expected.
Clearly, Zinnia's Pokémon strength levels were definitely not an issue.
The problem seemed to lie with Zinnia. Although her raw strength was fine, her command was slightly problematic.
Perhaps it wouldn't be noticeable against other trainers who also preferred direct confrontations, but against someone who plays tricks like Dylan, Zinnia had some trouble.
But that's understandable. Zinnia had only recently left the Meteor Village and was still growing.
"Hmph~ Then watch closely! My fourth Dragon is this one!"
Zinnia dramatically threw her fourth Poké Ball.
"Hydreigon!"
With a flash of white light, a fearsome Hydreigon appeared in front of Zinnia.
Its body was predominantly blue, covered in black fur, with three pairs of wings on its back, and the most unusual feature was its three heads!
"This is… Hydreigon!"
Lillie's eyes widened. First, Altaria, and now Hydreigon?!
'Ding~ Hydreigon, Dark/Dragon type, Brutal Pokémon
Ability: Levitate Moves: Dark Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Trick, Roar, Dragon Rush, Tri Attack, Dark Pulse...
Description: It bites anything that moves. Many legends mention Hydreigon destroying villages.'
Such a powerful Hydreigon!
"There's even a Hydreigon? That seems right."
Dylan watched the intimidating and powerful Hydreigon with a twinkle in his eye. Impressive!
Indeed, the Meteor People's heir had incredibly rich resources: Goodra, Hydreigon, and the ace Dragonite—three Dragon-type quasi-legends!
It was truly extravagant.
No matter what, after this battle, Dylan must insist that Zinnia take him to Meteor Falls. After coming this far, he must bring back a Dragon-type 'specialty'.
That's right, he meant Salamance!
Seeing Zinnia's lineup, Dylan decided that he would definitely assemble a team of six Dragon-type quasi-legends to face challengers.
Goodra, Dragonite, Salamence, Garchomp, Hydreigon, and Dragapult. Well, if he could replace Goodra with Dracovish, that would be even better.
Perfect!
No, Dylan is cheating. How could he only focus on quasi-legends? He must create the most luxurious Dragon-type lineup!
(End of Chapter)