Dylan was unaware of what Leah and the others were thinking at the moment; his focus was entirely on the battle.
"Alright, Red, let me see your final Pokémon."
Dylan extended his hand with a smile.
Red's red eyes were calm and focused. After a moment of contemplation, he threw out his starter Pokémon.
"Charizard!"
"Roar~!"
With a roar, a powerful Charizard flew above Red, its wings beating as it soared through the air without landing. (In "Pokémon Origins," Red's starter is Charmander.)
"Looks like you're still cautious of Toxic Spikes."
Dylan chuckled lightly at this and wasn't too surprised. Charizard has flying abilities, but it's rare for Charizard to make an entrance in flight.
Red was evidently still wary of the Toxic Spikes. In the games, Toxic Spikes don't affect Poison, Steel, or Flying-type Pokémon, and they only take effect when Pokémon enter the field.
But that's just in the games. The fact that Paul's Drapion caused damage even when it threw Ash's Staraptor to the ground shows that, even for Flying-type Pokémon, touching the Toxic Spikes field upon landing still results in Toxic Spikes damage.
So, Toxic Spikes are really quite useful!
Dylan had initially guessed that Red would use Charizard or Venusaur. In reality, Venusaur would be the best choice under normal circumstances.
Because Venusaur wouldn't be affected by Toxic Spikes. But Red is not one to give up easily. Even if victory seems unlikely, he'll still fight for it.
Venusaur taking on three Poison-type Pokémon would be extremely difficult.
"Charizard, go for it!"
Seeing Charizard come out, Ash was very excited. This was his brother's starter Pokémon, and it could definitely turn the tide!
"Come out, Charmander." Ash even released his own Charmander, wanting it to watch and learn from Charizard.
"Charmander, pay close attention. You'll evolve into something like this someday!"
"Charr~" Charmander nodded vigorously, its bright eyes filled with admiration as it looked at the impressive and mighty Charizard.
"This is Red's last Pokémon."
Brock wasn't as optimistic as Ash. If Charizard couldn't turn the battle around, Red would lose this Gym battle.
On the battlefield.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Red's handsome face remained calm and focused as he gave Charizard the command.
Charizard opened its mouth wide, and Red's flames gathered inside. The next moment, a blazing beam of fire shot out.
"Cross Poison!" Dylan ordered Drapion to counterattack. He wanted to gauge the intensity of Charizard's attack first.
Drapion's pincers crossed, emitting a purple energy. As the pincers swung heavily, a cross-shaped blade of light met Charizard's attack.
Boom!
The Cross Poison and Flamethrower collided heavily in midair, creating a roaring gust of wind. However, it wasn't long before the Cross Poison was overwhelmed and directly smashed through.
The fiery beam continued its descent and struck Drapion directly.
Drapion roared in pain, the burning sensation from the flames was quite uncomfortable.
"Special Attack is very high."
Dylan confirmed this. Drapion's physical attack was quite good, but the Cross Poison was actually overwhelmed by Charizard's Flamethrower.
Both in terms of strength and level, this Charizard was exceptional.
"Continue with Flamethrower!" Red ordered with a deep voice.
If Charizard could take down Drapion without getting close, that would be ideal.
Drapion's condition wasn't great after this long battle.
"Rock Slide!"
Charizard unleashed another intense flame, but Dylan wouldn't sit idly by.
Drapion roared in fury, and giant rocks formed in the air, rapidly shooting towards Charizard.
Rock-type Rock Slide!
Moreover, the rocks were clearly aimed to avoid Charizard's Flamethrower, making Red's eyes narrow.
Dylan wanted Drapion to trade blows with Charizard!
"Charizard, dodge!" Red ordered. Charizard immediately ceased its Flamethrower and flapped its wings to evade the incoming Rock Slide attack.
Flamethrower was normal damage to Drapion, but with Charizard's Fire and Flying-type combination, it was four times weak to Rock-type moves!
How could this be a trade?
Red's Charizard was strong, but a Rock-type move with four times effectiveness was no joke. Taking a Rock Slide hit would be too costly.
A normal person wouldn't accept such a trade.
"Charizard, Dragon Rush!" Red decided to take a more risky close-range approach instead of continuing long-range attacks.
"Roar!"
Charizard let out a thunderous roar as pure Dragon-type energy coalesced around it.
In the next moment, this dense, rich energy transformed into a fearsome dragon, exuding a tremendous, intimidating aura.
Dragon-type Dragon Rush! It released a terrifying aura while both intimidating and charging at the opponent!
In the games, Dragon Rush is powerful but has a low accuracy rate, making it a move that often sits on the bench.
However, in reality, Dragon Rush's usage rate isn't low. Its imposing aura can lock and intimidate opponents, making its accuracy quite decent.
"This move is really cool." Dylan admired the fearsome dragon, genuinely impressed.
No matter what, Dragon Rush's special effects are incredibly impressive. That dragon made of energy is just so cool!
And real battles aren't turn-based. The outcome of special moves doesn't just depend on accuracy and luck.
The opponent isn't a target; unless you use a move that guarantees a hit, there's no such thing as a move that will definitely hit.
Even if you use a high-speed move that is guaranteed to hit, if you can't dodge it due to speed, you can still use a special move to counterattack directly.
"Retreat, use Pin Missile!"
Dylan ordered decisively.
Charizard's Dragon Rush was coming fast and furiously.
Drapion stepped back and raised its pincers to use Pin Missile in retaliation.
Boom boom boom!
Pin Missile continuously struck the attacking fearsome dragon, but all the Pin Missiles were shattered by Dragon Rush, barely managing to delay it for a bit.
But that time was not enough. The distance between them was closing rapidly!
"Toxic!" Dylan immediately ordered.
Drapion stopped, and the massive pincers on its back glowed a deep purple. It swung heavily, sending a Toxic attack at Charizard.
Boom~!
Toxic and Dragon Rush clashed head-on. Intense shockwaves burst forth, and the ground beneath Drapion cracked with fissures.
Drapion's face was extremely ferocious as it struggled to resist the silent-roaring dragon, but Dragon Rush was just too heavy!
Boom!
Finally, the fearsome dragon broke through the obstructing Toxic attack and slammed into Drapion, delivering a massive impact. Drapion roared in pain.
With a violent explosion, Charizard soared into the air.
"Flamethrower!" Red commanded without hesitation.
Charizard gathered flames in its mouth, and a scorching pillar of fire fell down.
Another explosion erupted, and thick smoke billowed.
As Charizard flapped its wings, a strong wind blew away the smoke that obscured the view.
Drapion's massive body lay unconscious on the ground.
"Drapion is unable to battle. Charizard wins!"
Leah stepped forward to check and announced the result.
"Ah~! Finally won!"
Ash, who had been watching, finally sighed in relief. From Pikachu to now Charizard, the pressure Drapion had brought was intense, even for an observer like Ash.
And now, it was finally defeated!
"Go, Red! Charizard, keep it up!"
Ash immediately cheered loudly for his brother, encouraging him to win the remaining two battles for victory!
"Boss is entering phase three."
Misty joked, genuinely curious about what Dylan's third Pokémon would be.
Under normal circumstances, the later a Pokémon is sent out, the stronger it is, right? But that's not always the case.
"Indeed, I'm looking forward to it as well," Brock responded with a smile. He was also curious about Dylan's next Pokémon.
"Do you guys seem to be supporting Dylan more?"
Ash looked at his two close travel companions with a strange expression.
On the field.
Dylan looked at the incapacitated Drapion, chuckling lightly as he recalled it.
"Well done, Red. Now, let's see your third opponent."
Dylan took out a Pokéball and without saying much, threw it.
"Toxapex! Prepare for battle!"
As the white light flashed, a Pokémon resembling a tent-like dome appeared in front of Dylan.
Then, under Ash's astonished gaze, the front two tentacles lifted and revealed its true form—a strange little doll with a purple body and yellow eyes.
This was the evolved form of Mareanie.
"This Pokémon looks so strange." Ash bit his finger, looking puzzled at the tentacles surrounding it.
Ash tried to look up the information using his Pokédex, but as expected, it had no data.
Ash put away the Pokédex with a frown. Damn! He definitely needed Professor Oak to update it!
"This is Toxapex, evolved from Mareanie," Ilene kindly handed her own Pokédex to Ash, so they could understand Toxapex's information.
'Ding~ Toxapex, Poison/Water-type, non-Star Pokémon
Ability: Merciless
Moves: Spikes, Water Pulse, Toxic Spikes, Toxic, Recover, Light Screen, Substitute, Iron Defense, Pain Split, Bad Dreams...
Description: If poisoned by Toxapex, one would suffer from intense pain for three days and nights. Even with treatment, it will leave aftereffects.'
Silence!
Seeing Toxapex's data, Leah, Misty, and Brock all had very strange expressions. It was the kind of expression where they wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.
"Hehe… these moves are really…"
In the end, Misty couldn't hold back and spoke with a dry laugh, but she genuinely didn't know how to describe it.
Isn't this guy just a psychological case taking revenge on society? He uses such Pokémon to deal with challengers. Isn't he afraid that challengers will challenge him to a real fight after the match?
Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Toxic, Recover, Light Screen, Iron Defense, and so on—good grief, there are hardly any offensive moves. It's all like this.
Considering these moves, Misty didn't even need to think. This is definitely a tumor-type Pokémon that Misty and Dylan share!
"He's really so sunshine-y~"
Misty genuinely exclaimed.
"Isn't he? Dylan has always been such a gentle person~" Ilene squinted her eyes and smiled, pleased that her childhood friend was recognized.
Leah and Brock wanted to say something but stopped. Misty's comment didn't quite convey what they meant!
But looking at Ilene's gentle and elegant demeanor, they didn't say anything, feeling quite uncomfortable!
(End of Chapter)