Matori never expected Luo Yan would actually succeed.
After all, Giovanni's original orders were merely to investigate, not capture.
There had been enough evidence to suggest that this was a Legendary Pokémon.
Now that Luo Yan had managed to capture this Pokémon known as Deoxys…did that mean he was outpacing Giovanni in his quest for Legendary Pokémon?
The thought echoed in Matori's mind.
---
The power Deoxys displayed had the League Trainers on high alert, especially Lance.
The sheer speed Deoxys had shown was unlike anything he'd ever encountered.
Combined with its unique appearance and overwhelming presence, Lance suspected it might be a Legendary Pokémon.
Yet, he didn't feel fear.
To reach the rank of Elite Four, a trainer's resolve had to be rock-solid.
And Lance, one of the strongest of them, embodied that determination fully.
He fixed his gaze on Deoxys, carefully analyzing what he knew so far.
"Based on its previous transformations, it's clear this Pokémon has the ability to switch forms. So far, it's shown a Defense Form that withstood Dragonite's Ice Punch and a Speed Form that moves with unprecedented swiftness."
"If it has to change forms, that means it can't access abilities from multiple forms at once. The Defense Form sacrifices speed, while the Speed Form lacks defense!"
"To win, I'll need to target its speed!"
With his strategy locked in, Lance decisively ordered, "Dragonite, Agility, and follow up with Thunder Punch!"
"Rooaaar!"
Dragonite's fist crackled with electricity as it charged towards Deoxys, wings propelling it forward.
"Deoxys, evade!" Luo Yan's expression remained calm.
Although Lance's Dragonite was almost twice as fast as an average Dragonite, it was still no match for Deoxys.
With a mere flicker of movement, Deoxys had left Dragonite trailing far behind.
Its streamlined body traced an arc in mid-air, effortlessly slipping behind Dragonite to repeat its earlier tactic.
"Shadow Ball!"
This time, Deoxys aimed directly at Dragonite's wings.
For a heavy Pokémon like Dragonite, its wings were essential for propulsion.
Once those were injured, keeping up with Deoxys would be nearly impossible; it would be left at Deoxys's mercy.
But Dragonite was Lance's ace for a reason.
Its battle instinct was razor-sharp.
Having been ambushed by Deoxys once before, it had kept a sliver of its focus on its blind spot.
The instant the Shadow Ball was released, Dragonite sensed the danger.
The Shadow Ball sped toward it.
With an impressive display of agility, Dragonite spun its rotund body in a full 360-degree barrel roll, narrowly dodging the attack.
"Well done, Dragonite! Use Thunder Wave!"
Taking advantage of the close range, Lance ordered Dragonite to release an electric pulse.
Meanwhile, Dragonair and Charizard closed in, limiting Deoxys's escape routes.
Paralysis could be lethal for a Pokémon that relied on speed.
Dragonite understood Lance's intent, its twin antennae sparking as golden arcs of electricity surged toward Deoxys.
Seeing the Thunder Wave aimed at Deoxys, Luo Yan raised an eyebrow.
As expected, Lance was an experienced strategist.
Just like Gengar's Shadow Tag, Lance's use of Thunder Wave was a clever way to limit Deoxys's speed.
But…having captured Deoxys using a similar tactic, how could Luo Yan not be prepared for it?
With a thought, he conveyed his command to Deoxys via telepathy:
"Deoxys, dodge and use Extreme Speed!"
Defying the laws of physics, Deoxys executed an abrupt halt, then glided gracefully between Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse, pulling back to evade the Thunder Wave entirely.
After gaining distance, it activated Extreme Speed, accelerating in a sharp, z-shaped maneuver before ramming into Dragonite's side.
The high-speed impact sent Dragonite tumbling backward, crashing into Aerodactyl, which had been struggling against Dragapult nearby.
"..."
The Three Beasts observed this turn of events with a mix of awe and frustration.
Was this really the same Lance who had them gasping for air earlier?
Under Luo Yan's relentless assault, he didn't seem nearly as invincible.
Seeing Lance falter, Lorelei couldn't afford to wait any longer. She quickly joined the battle.
"Slowking, Psychic!"
The ruby on Slowking's head glowed, releasing a powerful psychic force toward Deoxys.
"You want to match psychic strength with Deoxys? How bold…"
Luo Yan smirked, snapping his fingers.
"Deoxys, Psycho Cut!"
A psychic blade formed, sharp and tangible.
Swish!
The others only saw a flash of white light and felt a razor-sharp aura sweep past them.
In the next instant, Slowking's Psychic attack was sliced in two.
The blade continued on, clipping one of the spiked shells atop Slowking's head, grazing Lorelei and slicing a nearby tree cleanly in half.
Psycho Cut Warning!
A clear message to Lorelei: stay out of others' battles.
Lorelei's face paled as she stared at the polished stump of the severed tree, realizing how close she'd come to death.
Slowking nervously touched the broken spike on its shell, beads of cold sweat forming as it dared not even glance at Deoxys.
At this point, the League Trainers could no longer hide their shock.
"That…that was terrifying!"
"How did Drake from the Hoenn Elite Four survive for an hour against this?"
After the incident on the St. Anne, they'd heard rumors that Drake had been defeated by the Tech Hunter. Many had quietly mocked Drake, believing he'd tarnished the reputation of Elite Trainers.
But now, seeing the Tech Hunter's strength firsthand…
They realized just how wrong they had been.
For Drake to last an hour against the Tech Hunter, not only was he not weak, but he was exceptionally strong!
Could he possibly be Champion-level, just overshadowed by Hoenn's current Champion, Steven?
Luo Yan, however, paid no attention to the ordinary trainers' speculations.
His gaze shifted toward where Dragapult was locked in battle.
He couldn't help but admire Lance's battlefield intuition—it was incredibly sharp.
While Deoxys dealt with Lorelei, Lance had seized the opportunity to launch a double offensive with Dragonite and Aerodactyl against Dragapult.
Dragapult, pinned down, had just taken a hard Thunder Punch from Dragonite and was looking worse for wear.
Was Luo Yan panicking, though?
Hardly.
Seeing Dragapult in danger, he raised his hand and called out:
"Gengar, go assist!"
"And Deoxys, take care of Dragonair and Charizard!"
If necessary, they'd just trade targets.
Lance could see whether his Dragonite and Aerodactyl would eliminate Dragapult and Gengar first, or whether Deoxys would eliminate Dragonair and Charizard first.
---
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