Chapter 40: Metronome Attack!
Rain drenched the battlefield, enveloping not only Dragonair's training area but also nearby arenas.
One adjacent field hosted a heated battle between a Charmeleon and a Magmar.
Just as their fiery attacks clashed, the sudden downpour extinguished their flames, forcing an abrupt end to their match.
While a few trainers sought shelter, most were drawn to the spectacle of Dragonair's power, increasing the crowd around Asahi and Green's match.
"Dragonair is amazing!"
"The legends about it controlling the weather are true!"
Despite the rain soaking them, the onlookers became even more enthusiastic.
Some even pulled out notebooks, shielding them with their bodies to jot down observations.
But while the crowd marveled, Green and Asahi stayed focused on the match.
Drenched and shivering, Clefable's determined expression remained unshaken.
Green knew now that Dragonair was far stronger than she'd anticipated. Relying solely on type advantage wouldn't work.
If brute force wouldn't do, she'd have to try something unconventional.
"Clefable, use Minimize!" Green commanded, holding an umbrella formed by a transformed Ditto.
Clefable's eyes sparkled as its body shrank, halving in size. Then it used Minimize again, shrinking further until it was a mere speck compared to its original form.
Now, hidden amidst the rain, Clefable became incredibly hard to target.
"Minimize, huh? A clever move, but it won't be enough to stop my Dragonair."
Under the psychic shield created by Gardevoir to keep dry, Asahi waved his hand.
"Dragon Tail!"
The students watching from the sidelines were baffled by Asahi's command.
"Dragon Tornado?"
"Dragon-type moves don't work on Fairy-types like Clefable, right?"
"Did he make a mistake?"
The spectators buzzed with confusion, and even Green was puzzled. But unlike the students, she didn't think Asahi would make such an obvious error. She believed he must have a deeper strategy, though she couldn't figure out what it was.
Meanwhile, Dragonair, fully trusting Asahi, responded immediately to the command.
With a serpentine twist of its body, Dragonair manipulated the air currents, summoning several twisters across the battlefield.
As the tornadoes formed, they tore through the rain, drawing in streams of water and transforming into massive water tornadoes.
Under Dragonair's precise control, the swirling torrents surged toward Clefable, who was attempting to hide within the rain.
At this moment, Asahi spoke up:
"Minimizing was a smart move, but against my water tornadoes, how can a shrunken Clefable possibly maintain its stability?"
If Clefable had been at its regular size, Asahi's Dragonair might not have been able to sweep it up in the tornadoes. But its reduced size had turned into a disadvantage, playing right into Asahi's hands.
Green was stunned. She hadn't expected her clever tactic to backfire, but now it was too late.
Clefable, now shrunken and running on its little legs, tried to escape. Yet after only a few steps, a water tornado caught up, its powerful suction pulling Clefable off the ground.
"Cleee—blurgh blurgh blurgh!"
Clefable spun helplessly inside the tornado, as though trapped in a washing machine, unable to even cry for help.
Dragon Tornado might not deal direct damage to Fairy-types, but the sheer amount of water in the tornado was enough to leave Clefable gasping and overwhelmed.
Green grew anxious, wracking her brain for a way to break free from the situation.
If she were using her Wartortle, it could withdraw into its shell or counter with a Water-type move. But Clefable…
After a frantic moment of thought, Green came up with one last, desperate option.
"Clefable, use Metronome!"
Metronome—the infamous gamble of a move.
It was entirely luck-based, capable of calling forth any random move from the vast pool of Pokémon attacks. Some trainers swore by its potential for incredible plays, while others cursed it as a cruel joke.
Having no better options, Green pinned her hopes on this roll of the dice.
Inside the water tornado, Clefable barely heard Green's command through the chaos. Summoning its remaining strength, it raised one tiny arm and wiggled its finger.
A mysterious light glowed at the tip of Clefable's finger as a surge of unknown energy gathered around it.
The next moment, Clefable was enveloped in a radiant green aura that lifted it into the air.
Asahi's eyes widened in surprise, a bad feeling creeping over him.
Sure enough, the green energy surrounding Clefable began to morph and take on a distinct shape.
"What is… this…?"
Realizing what was happening, Asahi didn't hesitate.
"Dragonair, use Protect! Quickly, Protect!"
Though confused by the urgency, Dragonair obeyed without question. Curling its body, it summoned a shimmering blue shield that encased it completely.
Just as the protective barrier formed, the green aura around Clefable solidified into the shape of a massive dragon.
"That's… Dragon Rush!"
The students on the sidelines were astounded.
"Did Metronome seriously pull off Dragon Rush? That's insane luck!"
Before they could process what had just happened, Clefable, now wrapped in dragon-shaped energy, launched itself downward in a blindingly fast dive.
The sound of the air being ripped apart echoed across the battlefield as Clefable, still looking comically determined, crashed into Dragonair's Protect barrier.
Boom!
The tremendous impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, momentarily silencing the crowd with its sheer intensity.
Crack…
A faint cracking sound broke the stillness.
The spectators' eyes widened as they noticed the Protect barrier beginning to fracture.
One crack became two, then three, and within moments, the entire barrier was covered in a web of fractures.
Finally, it reached its breaking point.
Shatter!
The Protect barrier exploded into fragments, which quickly dissipated into the air.
With its defenses breached, Dragonair had no way to avoid Clefable's Dragon Rush.
Crash!
The collision unleashed another explosion of force, engulfing the battlefield in a thick cloud of dust and smoke.
The students watching couldn't help but hold their breath, their hearts racing from the dramatic turn of events.
Green, too, was filled with suspense. Her emotions had swung from despair to hope in an instant.
She had been ready to accept defeat, but Clefable's miraculous Dragon Rush had turned the tables.
"Maybe… just maybe it worked!" Green whispered, her eyes fixed on the battlefield.
The seconds felt like hours as the dust began to settle.
One second… ten seconds… twenty seconds…
Finally, after thirty seconds, a dull thud echoed through the smoke.
A pink figure emerged, sent flying out of the haze.
"Clefable…? So Dragonair lost?" one student murmured, sounding disappointed.
The thought of Dragonair losing purely due to bad luck left a bitter taste in their mouths.
But then another student pointed excitedly.
"Wait, look closer!"
Following the student's outstretched finger, they realized that Clefable wasn't standing tall—it was lying unconscious on the ground.
A breeze swept through, clearing the remaining dust to reveal Dragonair still standing.
Its sleek body bore scratches and bruises, and its movements were sluggish from exhaustion, but it stood victorious, head held high.