Though Luo Yan had proposed a "trade-off," he didn't actually believe Lance's Dragonite and Aerodactyl could defeat his Gengar and Dragapult first.
After all, while Lance's Dragonite was powerful, Luo Yan's Dragapult and Gengar were no pushovers.
"Gengar, Mega Evolve!"
The Key Stone on Luo Yan's wrist resonated with Gengar's Mega Stone, and in the blink of an eye, Gengar transformed into its pure-white Mega form.
"…."
Watching Mega Gengar, Lance's expression hardened. He knew this was the Mega Stone the Tech Hunter had seized from Sidney.
He quickly searched his memory for details on Mega Gengar.
If he remembered correctly, Mega Gengar's ability was…
"Shadow Tag!"
Lance looked up, but it was already too late. Before he could react, Gengar had vanished and reappeared, linking its shadow with Aerodactyl's.
In an instant, Aerodactyl, who had been climbing higher in the sky, felt as if it were chained down, frozen in place.
"Rooaar!"
Aerodactyl barely had time to understand what was happening before Dragapult's tail came swinging in, growing larger in its field of vision until—
Wham!
A devastating Dragon Tail strike landed on Aerodactyl's face, visibly deforming it as several teeth flew out, sending it crashing to the ground.
Boom!
Seeing its ally ambushed, Dragonite lunged at Dragapult.
But Dragapult didn't give chase, instead turning and retreating.
Below, Gengar took over, letting out an eerie laugh as its eyes flashed with dark energy. It first placed a Curse on the stunned Aerodactyl.
When Aerodactyl finally struggled to its feet, ready to retaliate, Gengar struck again with a Shadow Claw, shattering its Stone Edge attack and following up with another blow.
Enraged, Aerodactyl abandoned Dragapult, focusing its wrath on Gengar.
Gengar kept Aerodactyl's attention firmly on itself.
In the sky above—
Without Aerodactyl's support, Dragapult fully exploited its speed advantage, mastering Luo Yan's hit-and-run tactics.
Maintaining a precise distance just out of Dragonite's reach, Dragapult dangled a frustrating lure.
The distance was so perfectly calculated that Dragonite felt it could almost close the gap with a bit more effort—but each time it tried, Dragapult would match its speed, keeping the same safe distance.
In the sky, it looked as though Dragapult was leisurely leading Dragonite on a chase.
Of course, Dragonite quickly realized this ploy after a few rounds.
The reason Dragapult's strategy matched Luo Yan's so well was clear:
Each time Dragonite attempted to abandon the chase and go after Gengar, Dragapult would promptly fire off a pair of Dragon Darts, forcing Dragonite to keep up the pursuit.
Even though Dragonite usually blocked the attacks, the threat was enough to keep it occupied. Ignoring the Dragon Darts could prove deadly if they hit their mark!
The battlefield was split.
Dragonite was unable to aid Aerodactyl below.
A partnership that should have been unbeatable—Dragonite and Aerodactyl—was now being tied down by the duo of Gengar and Dragapult, who were technically at a disadvantage.
But Lance had no other option; he had to trust that Dragonite and Aerodactyl could handle it on their own.
Because the battle between Dragonair, Charizard, and Deoxys was even more dire!
"Psychic!"
A blast of invisible psychic energy was hurled toward Dragonair.
"Dragonair, Protect! Charizard, Fire Blast!"
A blue shield materialized in front of Dragonair.
But within seconds, the barrier was riddled with cracks and shattered.
"Roooaaar!"
Dragonair cried out, wracked with pain as the Psychic attack overwhelmed it.
But it wasn't over…
Deoxys's eyes glowed blue, using its telekinesis to hurl Dragonair directly into Charizard's Fire Blast!
Seeing this, Charizard quickly shifted its aim to avoid harming its teammate, though it ended up getting entangled as Dragonair slammed into it.
Neither Deoxys nor Luo Yan were inclined to grant their foes a moment's respite.
Deoxys's body twisted, shifting into Attack Forme, with its four sharp appendages converging into a single point on its chest.
A powerful beam of star-shaped energy shot toward Dragonair and Charizard.
"Swift!"
The starlit beam surged forward, detonating upon impact.
Amid the flurry of explosions, the already injured Dragonair and Charizard collapsed, entirely spent.
"Lord Lance!"
The League Trainers gasped at the sight, panic stirring among them.
Rocket grunts, who had been watching the League members closely, seized the opportunity to strike.
The League forces began to fall back under pressure.
The battlefield shifted again.
The scales tipped fully in Team Rocket's favor.
Seeing his fellow League Trainers falter, Lorelei tangled up with the Three Beasts, and Aerodactyl struggling against Gengar's curses and relentless Shadow Balls, Lance felt a surge of tension.
He shot one last glance at Deoxys, hovering ominously in the sky, looking back toward Dragonite.
Lance gritted his teeth.
Though he hated to admit it, he knew staying any longer would only increase the obstacles in his path to becoming Champion.
But they truly couldn't keep fighting.
The Tech Hunter's Legendary Pokémon was too powerful!
If they continued, they faced total annihilation, and Lance couldn't bear the thought of becoming the first Elite Four member in Kanto to be captured by Team Rocket.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!" Lance's command echoed across the battlefield.
"Lord Lance?"
Many of the League Trainers couldn't believe the order to retreat had come from Lance.
However, those who grasped the situation breathed a sigh of relief.
Lorelei, too, relaxed at hearing Lance's command.
In truth, she had been considering the same. Deoxys's Psycho Cut had left her with a lasting impression of fear.
Even now, recalling the Psychic Blade grazing her face, her legs felt weak, and her mind clouded.
With Lance giving the retreat order, she certainly had no objections.
"Everyone, retreat!"
Directing her Jynx and Lapras to fend off the Three Beasts' Pokémon, Lorelei organized cover for the League Trainers as they withdrew.
Lance recalled his heavily wounded Dragonair and Charizard, calling back Dragonite, his eyes remaining watchful of the Tech Hunter.
He was relieved to see that the Tech Hunter showed no intention of pursuing them.
Deoxys floated back to Luo Yan's side as Luo Yan merely observed Lance with a calm gaze.
Lance took one last wary glance at Luo Yan, swallowing any last-minute bravado.
Even a final threat didn't make it past his lips as he followed Lorelei, making a hasty retreat.
Watching the League trainers swiftly retreat, Carr grew agitated and barked at Luo Yan, "Why aren't we chasing them!?"
The moment those words left his mouth, both Luo Yan and Deoxys turned icy stares on him.
Luo Yan tilted his head, studying Carr.
"Carr, are you teaching me how to do my job?"
---
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