"Drapion, prepare for battle!"
"Draa~!"
With a growling cry full of bloodlust, the huge form of Drapion entered the battlefield for the first time!
As soon as it landed, Drapion's savage and eager gaze locked onto Latios, eyes glinting with cruel anticipation.
This was the same Drapion that had trained under the command of Reggie's Drapion—refining its skills to perfection and even overpowering its mentor in a decisive spar.
Now, with just a glance, it instantly saw through Latios's vital points and weaknesses.
Paul didn't need to say a word—Drapion's tail began to release a faint white glow as it activated Acupressure, while its twin claws scraped menacingly against each other, preparing Hone Claws.
Acupressure and Hone Claws—a deadly combination.
Its offensive power surged exponentially!
Only after Drapion's power surged did Latios finally adjust to the intense gravity on the battlefield—barely regaining enough composure to fight at full strength.
"Toxic Spikes!"
But instead of attacking directly, Drapion raised both pincers and launched twin bursts of venom skyward. The toxins exploded at their peak and scattered like a poisonous rain, embedding themselves into the battlefield.
Double Toxic Spikes!
A technique inspired by Barry's Roserade—specialized in laying dual layers of Toxic Spikes!
"Giga Impact!"
Latios wasn't about to just stand there watching. The moment Drapion launched its entry hazard, Latios dove in with a ferocious Giga Impact, a massive vortex of energy building around its sleek frame as it rocketed down toward Drapion.
Speed-wise, Drapion was no match for Latios—and having just used a move, it had no chance of dodging the incoming blow.
But neither Drapion nor Paul showed any intention of evading.
"Ice Fang—grab it!"
Paul gave the cold command.
"Draa~!"
All three of Drapion's claws—its twin pincers and scorpion-like tail—lifted simultaneously, each glowing with icy blue light. As Latios descended, Drapion reached out to snare it head-on.
Ice Fang!
BOOM!
The Giga Impact landed clean. The devastating force blasted Drapion backward more than ten meters, leaving visible damage across its body.
But as Latios' momentum eased and its energy dissipated, Drapion's claws pierced through the dissipating vortex—gripping Latios' wings with its front pincers while its tail clamp descended and locked tightly around the dragon's slender neck.
Another burst of Ice Fang surged—this time from all three points of contact.
A triple hit of bone-chilling cold assaulted Latios in an instant, dealing massive damage.
It's super effective!
"Dragon Claw!"
"Laaa~!"
Latios cried out in agony, now hanging by a thread. Its claws began to glow green as it desperately tried to retaliate—aiming straight for Drapion.
Dragon Claw!
But every twitch, every movement Latios made, was already within Drapion's calculated reach.
Without hesitation, Drapion acted.
"Cross Poison!"
In the blink of an eye, Drapion's claws burst into a radiant purple cross-shaped glow. With practiced precision, it twisted its massive upper body and slashed across Latios' descending claws.
CLANG!
The two attacks collided in midair. Although Dragon Claw had the type advantage, Latios was already severely injured. Drapion's ruthlessly timed Cross Poison not only parried the attack but also tore a deep gash across Latios' arm.
Then came the second claw.
A clean hit—straight across the chest!
"Laaa——!"
Latios cried out in agony as the toxic energy burst into his body, oozing rapidly through the wounds.
And that wasn't all.
"Poison Jab!"
BOOM!
The sharp, scorpion-like stinger at Drapion's tail surged with venomous energy once more and struck directly at Latios' abdomen. A pulse of purple light erupted, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
A muffled thud echoed across the battlefield as Latios was slammed into the ground, crushed beneath Drapion's full weight.
The force of the impact cracked the terrain beneath them.
"Laa...aaa....."
Latios' voice faltered. His energy was drained, his wings twitching weak beneath Drapion's iron grip. The majestic Eon Pokémon, once a blur of speed and psychic power, now lay pinned and gasping for breath—utterly defeated.
Smoke and dust billowed into the air.
Silence fell.
And then came the referee's decision.
"Latios is unable to battle! Drapion wins!"
The crowd roared with disbelief. Even commentators from multiple regions watching the broadcast were stunned.
A Latios—one of the mighty Eon duo—taken down this fast?
And not just taken down—demolished.
The announcer's voice trembled slightly as he echoed the results.
"Incredible! Paul's Drapion, in its debut, crushes a Legendary Pokémon in less than a minute! That's a devastating counteroffensive—sharp, calculated, and brutal!"
In the stands, several seasoned trainers exchanged glances. They knew: Paul wasn't just riding luck.
This was mastery.
After recalling Latios, the calm expression on Tobias' face had completely vanished, replaced by a look of deep concern.
He could tell—there was no way Drapion's base power could compare to that of Latios. Yet it had taken Latios' full-force attack head-on. How was that even possible?
Swords Dance to boost its strength? That wouldn't be enough.
Could it have been Acupressure?
But… Acupressure boosts stats at random. Was Drapion just that lucky, and it happened to raise its Attack?
Impossible. With what he knew of Paul, there's no way he'd gamble on something so uncertain—not in a match like this.
Which could only mean…
"…Your Drapion can control which stat Acupressure boosts?!"
Tobias' pupils contracted as he turned his eyes sharply toward Paul.
But Paul offered no reply. He simply stood there in the distance, calm and unmoving. That silence somehow felt even heavier—an invisible pressure that tightened around Tobias' chest.
"…Very well. You're up—Darkrai!"
If Drapion could manipulate its Acupressure stat boosts, then Darkrai's Haze was absolutely crucial here.
"Haze!"
As soon as it appeared, Darkrai was slammed down by the lingering Gravity, crashing hard onto the poisoned ground. Still, it gritted its teeth through the pain and released a dense, dark mist that surged toward Drapion.
"Pin Missile!"
Even while Drapion's tail pincers continued triggering Acupressure, it raised its dual claws skyward and let loose a wild barrage of erratically arcing Pin Missiles.
Each missile was shrouded in intense wind force, tearing through the advancing haze and scattering it like smoke in a storm.
"Dark Void!"
But in that moment, a Dark Void shot out from within the mist—hurtling straight toward Drapion.
It tried to intercept with Pin Missiles, only to find the dark sphere slipping right through the gaps, controlled and still hurtling in.
Just then, Acupressure activated—this time sharply boosting Drapion's Speed.
In a sudden burst, Drapion leapt backward with lightning agility, narrowly evading the Dark Void.
"Taunt!"
A strange, maddening glow erupted from Darkrai's body, landing squarely on Drapion and locking it in a Taunt. Acupressure was now sealed—it could no longer be used.
"Pin Missile!"
Even without the buffs, Drapion's Attack and Speed were still nothing to scoff at. Without hesitation, it unleashed another burst of Pin Missiles.
"Double Team. Then Disable!"
Just as the Gravity field finally dissipated, Darkrai split into dozens of shadowy clones, swirling through the air with ghostly grace. The real one's eyes flared with a violet gleam, locking onto Drapion and sealing its Pin Missile.
"Hyper Voice!"
Facing down a sky full of Darkrai illusions, Drapion reared back and let out a mighty roar. A wave of dark-hued sound energy rippled in every direction, scattering the shadows with sheer force…
At the very moment Hyper Voice's sonic shockwave tore through all of Darkrai's shadow clones, Paul had already seized the opening with perfect timing and issued his next command:
"Bug Buzz!"
Drapion twisted midair in a rolling descent, its twin pincers vibrating at once, unleashing a high-frequency insectile hum that distorted Darkrai's hearing.
"Dark Void!" Tobias called out at the same time!
As the summoned vortex of darkness and Drapion's strike converged in midair, Paul swiftly gave a follow-up command—
"Poison Fang!"
Drapion's massive claws gleamed with venom as they sank into Darkrai's right arm, directly disrupting the formation of the Dark Void and causing it to detonate midair!
A thick cloud of black-purple smoke engulfed both Pokémon.
Darkrai skidded back several meters before coming to a stop, its right arm trembling slightly.
Meanwhile, Drapion came tumbling out of the smoke and landed hard, digging its claws into the ground to brace itself—it had clearly taken quite a bit of backlash damage in the exchange.
Paul recalled Drapion, switching in his next Pokemon.
Tobias also quietly recalled Darkrai.
Judging from the outbreak of the poison, if the battle continues, Darkrai will definitely not be able to hold on for two minutes, so he can only take it back first and let him concentrate on suppressing the poison.
"Both trainers have recalled their Pokémon—now let's see who they'll send out next!"
At the referee's announcement, Tobias and Paul locked eyes. Without a word, they each drew a Poké Ball and hurled it onto the field at the same time.
Current Battle Status—
Paul:
– Torterra: Critically low HP
– Ninetales: Critically low HP
– Drapion: Still in fair condition
Tobias:
– Darkrai: Severely weakened
– Heatran: Knocked out
– Latios: Knocked out
(To be continued...)
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