The half-hour passed quickly, but the area where Salamence had been residing was now in ruins, with broken roots and scattered rubble everywhere.


    "Watch out for its ?Double-Edge!" Su Chuan, sharp-eyed, caught Salamence’s charging stance and shouted a warning.


    Already, three Gym-level Pokémon had fallen to Salamence’s ?Double-Edge, its ultimate move. The attack was devastating, and while it caused recoil damage to Salamence, the impact on Gym-level Pokémon was far more severe.


    The fact that Salamence could use ?Double-Edge was proof that its strength was nearing the mid-stage of Heavenly King level.


    "Has Heavenly King Long Xu arrived yet?" a trainer asked into his earpiece.


    They had expended significant effort to keep Salamence confined to this area. If not for their coordinated teamwork and the fact that Salamence lacked a trainer’s guidance, they would have been overwhelmed long ago.


    "He’s here."


    The response didn’t come through the earpiece but from behind them.


    Su Chuan and the others turned in surprise to see Long Xu nodding slightly. He then smiled at Su Chuan and said, "Senior Su Chuan, it’s been a while."


    The trainers around them were stunned. Su Chuan was actually Long Xu’s senior? Who knew they had such a connection?


    Su Chuan waved it off. "We’ll catch up later. Now that you’re here, it’s your show. We’ll back you up."


    Long Xu took a Poké Ball from his belt and shook his head. "No need, Senior. Just have everyone pull back." His tone was brimming with confidence. He then lightly tossed the ball and said, "Go, Dragonite."


    Unlike the usual cream-colored Dragonite, Long Xu’s was a shiny variant, its body a soft green. The two long antennae on its head floated in the air, swaying up and down as Dragonite’s wings flapped, making it look almost whimsical.


    Compared to the menacing Salamence, Dragonite seemed downright adorable, appearing harmless at first glance. But those who had seen Long Xu’s battles knew just how terrifying this Dragonite could be.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Use ?Extreme Speed!" Long Xu pointed at Salamence, aiming to end the fight in one move.


    Dragonite’s speed wasn’t particularly outstanding among pseudo-legendaries, let alone all Pokémon. But a Dragonite that had mastered ?Extreme Speed was a completely different beast.


    The trainers could barely see a faint glow surrounding Dragonite before a streak of green light shot through the air, leaving a trailing emerald tail behind.


    The sharp sound of breaking air reached Su Chuan’s ears just as Dragonite closed in on Salamence. Salamence’s triangular eyes widened in shock, but instinct kicked in, and it twisted its body slightly, causing the attack to miss its vitals and only graze its left forelimb.


    Salamence reacted quickly, its mouth already glowing with the energy of ?Hyper Beam. But Dragonite was faster. Using the momentum of its charge, Dragonite swung its tail, striking Salamence’s jaw.


    "Ugh!" Salamence’s mouth erupted with thick smoke as the ?Hyper Beam exploded inside, forcing it to stagger back in pain. Fear flickered in its eyes, but its killer instinct only grew stronger.


    As its eyes turned crimson, Salamence’s aura surged like a rising tower, pressing down on the trainers, some of whom struggled to withstand the pressure.


    "It’s ?Outrage," Su Chuan said, recognizing the move from the Charizard leader’s recent use of it.


    However, Salamence’s mastery of ?Outrage was clearly not as refined as the Charizard leader’s. Salamence’s rationality had crumbled, and it flapped its wings, pinning Dragonite against a cliff as rocks scattered everywhere.


    "Use ?Protect."


    The trainers quickly had their Pokémon use ?Protect to shield themselves, while Long Xu summoned an Altaria to guard himself and Long Ming, eliminating Su Chuan’s need to protect him.


    Salamence, of course, paid no attention to these "spectators." Its fangs crackled with electricity, and it clamped down on Dragonite’s left shoulder, the lightning masking its injuries.


    "Use ?Hyper Beam."


    While ?Thunder Fang was super effective against Dragonite due to its Flying typing, Long Xu’s Dragonite had the ability ?Multiscale.


    Multiscale acted like heavy armor, significantly reducing damage when Dragonite was at full health.


    So Long Xu’s plan was to strike first.


    But this time, Long Xu miscalculated. When Salamence’s ?Thunder Fang bit into Dragonite’s left shoulder, electricity surged through Dragonite’s body, causing paralysis. The ?Hyper Beam Dragonite had been charging dissipated silently.


    "This luck..." Su Chuan’s lips twitched.


    Thunder Fang had a small chance to inflict paralysis, which would drastically reduce a Pokémon’s speed and occasionally render it unable to move due to internal electrical surges.


    Instinctively, Su Chuan glanced at Long Xu, who remained calm.


    In Long Xu’s battles, unexpected turns were common. For him, Salamence’s actions only delayed its inevitable defeat.


    "Use ?Thunder Punch," Long Xu commanded. His first priority was to separate Dragonite from Salamence, as Salamence was still clamping down on Dragonite’s left shoulder.


    Dragonite endured the pain and raised its right claw, electricity crackling as it struck Salamence’s left cheek.


    If Salamence had a trainer, they would have had it continue using ?Thunder Fang, as Dragonite had the upper hand in this exchange.


    But for Salamence, which shared the Dragon and Flying typing, ?Thunder Punch was equally devastating. And it didn’t have ?Multiscale for protection.


    So even in its ?Outrage state, Salamence instinctively released its grip and was kicked away by Dragonite.


    "Use ?Extreme Speed to create distance, then ?Rest."


    Paralysis had severely hindered Dragonite’s speed, which was now visibly slower even in ?Extreme Speed mode.


    In this state, using ?Rest to recover health and remove the paralysis was the best option.


    But Salamence wouldn’t give Dragonite a chance to breathe. Though still disoriented from ?Outrage, Salamence immediately flapped its wings and charged at Dragonite.


    With its eyes closed and hovering in place, Dragonite seemed vulnerable as it drifted into sleep. But Su Chuan and the others weren’t worried.


    Because Long Xu’s Dragonite had another trait: its mastery of the move ?Sleep Talk.


    Sleep Talk allowed a sleeping Pokémon to use random moves.


    However, this Dragonite reportedly had a history of sleepwalking, giving it an innate talent for ?Sleep Talk. Thus, being asleep didn’t hinder its combat effectiveness.


    "Dodge left, then use ?Dragon Dance!"