Callix and the rest of the council were surprised by the sudden and swift action of Nanuq and his Gyarados. Using Ice Fang in this way was devastating to Druddigon, who was known to become extremely weak when they came into contact with the cold.
"Druddigon, escape from there using Outrage!"
Druddigon quickly responded to its trainers' request. Its eyes blazed red again as it twisted its body in the air, slapping Gyarados' face away with its wings before landing with a powerful right hook. Gyarados screamed from the pain coursing through it.
Druddigon, feeling the adrenaline from Outrage, resumed its assault, jumping high into the air to land a flurry of reckless strikes on Gyarados' face. Just as the war appeared to move in Nanuq's favor, it was instantly reversed by a simple command!
Nanuq's expression was unreadable as he raised a finger to his chin. Outrage was one of the strongest Dragon-Type attacks; its destructive might was the peak of a dragon's strength, and many of them were unable to learn it in their lifetime!
Some may argue that Outrage could be acquired with the help of a Technical Machine or teacher, but it was not to be taken lightly. If this move is employed by an inexperienced dragon type, the results are severe. However, Nanuq was aware of the huge disadvantage of this maneuver!
"Gyarados, use Iron Head to parry the next attack!"
Callix clicked his teeth again, finding Nanuq's strategy predictable. Iron Head was a powerful move, but Outrage was on a different level, reflecting the pinnacle of a dragon's might!
"This is getting boring!" Callix yelled out as his former excitement faded. This was supposed to act as a lesson to others that challenging him was a mistake, but it felt more like bullying!
Callix shook his head; there was no point in beating a dead horse. Nanuq's strategy was ineffective in the face of Callix's strength, and while this could deter any other challenges to his position, Callix hoped Nanuq was going all out, only to destroy his confidence.
Gyarados' head was once again covered in a metallic sheen when Druddigon's claws landed. Druddigon's strike did hit its target, but Gyarados' shiny head led them to deviate off course, causing the Cave Pokemon to lose its equilibrium in midair!
"What!"
Nanuq's thin lips curved into a wide grin. "Now use Ice Fang in the same way you did before!"
Gyarados' lips became veiled in a freezing mist, and its fangs were covered in pale blue icicles as it began to swirl around Druddigon again, its blue fangs cutting across Druddigon's jagged body like a hurricane.
"Now use Roar to slam Druddigon onto the ground!"
Gyarados flew into the air before aiming downwards as it used the otherwise uncommon move on Druddigon, its ferocious bellow appeared to come out like a sound wave, slamming into Druddigon with the force of a small meteorite. The Cave Pokemon was sent barreling into the grassy plains, the impact causing a relatively small crater to form in its wake.
Lama, seeing the use of such a move, couldn't help but rethink his prior statements! Roar was not an attack move; it was mostly used to switch out an opponent's Pokemon in order to learn more about their team, although this was a novel manner of using the move.
Gyarados flew back to Nanuq's side of the field, its narrowed, crimson eyes gazing at the dust cloud, only to be met with an amber hue. Druddigon appeared from the dust with bruises riddled over its body, the attacks from Ice Fang playing a crucial role in slowing down Druddigon due to its weak constitution to the cold and its weakness to Ice-Type attacks.
Callix took a deep breath, relieved that his Druddigon was still alive. His worry soared quickly as he saw Druddigon struck by Gyarados' roar. To be honest, Callix was not expecting Nanuq's sudden tactic; it was unpredictable, and Callix would be wary of it in the future.
Given that both warriors were still getting ready to fight, Lama decided to move to the center of the battlefield, which caused Nanuq and Callix to raise an eyebrow at the elderly man's behavior. "I've seen enough from this battle."
Callix wore a sour grimace, which vanished a second later. "Huh? Master Lama, what are you doing? We are still in the midst of battle!"
"No offense, Elder Lama, but we can still keep going."
Lama stroked his chin while looking back and forth at Nanuq, Gyarados, Druddigon, and Callix. He could see the embers behind their eyes rage into a blazing tempest, so powerful that the flames of a Charizard would pale in comparison.
"That is true. I can tell that this battle could go on for a long time, but a warrior shouldn't just be strong but wise. Take a look at your Gyarados."
Nanuq, perplexed by Lama's words, looked up at his Gyarados. He didn't notice anything at first, assuming the old guy was playing a cryptic game, but he was surprised to see serious bruises on its face and underbelly. Nanuq stared for a few more seconds before shifting his focus to Lama.
"Now, do you see why? If you continued, you would lose. Your Gyarados is freshly evolved, after all, so it doesn't know much about its own body. The only reason it performed so well is because it was going off instinct."
Nanuq paused in response to Lama's statement, unable to find a way to reject the village elder's accusation. Gyarados was still learning its newly developed powers, which made it more difficult to perform successfully than other Gyarados with more experience.
"I understand, Elder Lama; I will concede this match to Callix and continue my exile," Nanuq said without further dispute.
Callix remained mute during the experience, his only action being to return his Druddigon to its Pokeball. Although this wasn't a total triumph, Callix believed that Nanuq's concession was sufficient, but the tone in which Nanuq delivered it bothered him.
Lama looked at Callix's back as he walked away into the village along with the villagers, sighing internally at the ambitious guy before returning to Nanuq. "Okay, then I won't go into detail. However, if you want to get stronger, join the Pokemon League."
Lama proceeded. "Your Gyarados is unique, as none in recorded history have such a brilliant white hue as this one. She will require a strong trainer to keep up with her. After all, Pokemon are known to abandon their trainers, with some even selecting their trainers rather than the other way around."
Nanuq absorbed Lama's remarks like a sponge, nodding to indicate that he comprehended them. "I will not bring shame to our clan."
Lama grinned, sensing Nanuq's resolve radiate. It appears that this hamlet has produced yet another prodigy, just like the two past council members. "Before you leave, take these poke balls. Your first step is to go to Nuvema Town, where you can receive a PokeDex and record information about the great majority of Pokemon."
Without protest, Nanuq accepted the six red and white Poke balls and nodded. Given that the village was close to Opelucid City, it would take a few hours to reach the city. With his next objective in mind, Nanuq would demonstrate his strength to everyone and alter the village's system and structure upon his return!
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AN: I hope y'all enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know your thoughts!
The next 10 chapters are over at Patreon.Com/Saurianmp4 and Ko-fi.com/saurianmp4 (you can donate one time for this month to catch up for 2 dollars if you wish.)