Lance imagined himself in Luo Yuan's place, running through possible scenarios, and his conclusion wasn't optimistic.
Though he was confident in his superior tactical acun, there were two glaring issues.
First, his Dragonite wasn't as exceptionally gifted as Luo Yuan's and wouldn't have the sheer power to overwhelm Steven's tagross.
Second, Lance doubted his ability to ti commands with the level of precision Luo Yuan demonstrated.
Steven might not have noticed it in the heat of battle, but as an observer, Lance couldn't ignore the near-instantaneous communication between Luo Yuan and his Dragonite.
Most of the ti, Dragonite reacted before Luo Yuan even finished speaking, as though they were of one mind.
Even Lance had to admit, he couldn't compete with that level of synchronicity.
A sudden sense of urgency crept up on him...
As the Champion of Johto, if Luo Yuan surpassed him, would he have to step aside?
Steven stared silently at his fallen tagross.
If the earlier Explosion by Claydol was a hasty decision it had made on its own, this ti, he had consciously allowed tagross to engage in a one-for-one exchange with Luo Yuan's Dragonite.
Dragonite's strength exceeded his expectations. In the current situation, tagross would have been worn down entirely if the battle had dragged on.
Without tagross, his defeat was all but assured.
Sacrificing tagross to take down Dragonite seed like the best option.
But who would've thought... Dragonite would endure even that?
Steven sighed. "tagross, you did well. Return and rest."
The bad news: Luo Yuan's Dragonite was still standing, presenting a considerable threat in the battles ahead. The good news: Dragonite was heavily injured.
As Steven pondered which Pokémon to send out next, aiming to deal with Dragonite without taking significant damage, Luo Yuan recalled his Dragonite without hesitation.
Then, as if completely unconcerned about Steven's counter-pick, Luo Yuan casually sent out his next Pokémon.
Steven, still deliberating over his strategy, was montarily puzzled.
Before he could make sense of it, a flash of white light revealed Luo Yuan's choice—
A soft, squishy blue Ditto.
"Ditto..." Steven imdiately understood why Luo Yuan wasn't worried about counters.
Ditto was virtually impossible to counter.
Wiping his ntal slate clean, Steven focused on the seemingly unremarkable Ditto, its beady, dot-like eyes staring back at him.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself. He had to win this round.
Defeating Ditto would leave the battle at three versus four, keeping his slim chances of victory alive. Losing here would all but seal his fate.
Since it was Ditto, the choice of Pokémon didn't matter much.
Steven selected the one he felt most comfortable with.
"Go, Skarmory!"
Clang!
A glimring silver-armored Skarmory appeared on the battlefield, its crimson-lined wings unfurling with a tallic gleam.
As its sharp eyes locked onto Ditto, the latter's body began to ripple and shift. In monts, Ditto had transford into a Skarmory identical in shape and size.
However, unlike Skarmory's silver armor, Ditto's version sported a bronze sheen with erald-tinted wing interiors, giving it a more refined, polished appearance.
Clang!
Ditto stretched its freshly ford wings, the clash of tallic feathers producing a crisp sound.
Skarmory: "..."
It wasn't the mimicry that annoyed Skarmory the most—it was the fact that its opponent looked more stylish than it did.
Now it felt like the impostor.
Skarmory's eyes flared with hostility, a sharp cry escaping its beak.
Ditto, unfazed, continued preening its feathers nonchalantly.
Stare!
Seeing Ditto completely ignore it, Skarmory felt insulted. Just then, Steven's voice rang out.
"Skarmory, tal Sound!"
Skarmory opened its tooth-lined beak wide, emitting a shrill, piercing cry that made spectators wince and cover their ears.
Not to be outdone, Ditto unleashed its own tal Sound.
Invisible soundwaves clashed in midair, neutralizing each other.
Infuriated that Ditto had perfectly mirrored its move, Skarmory spread its wings, flapping hard to take to the skies.
Circling once, it dived sharply, whipping up fierce winds with a powerful flap.
Ditto didn't wait for Luo Yuan's command. The mont Skarmory acted, Ditto replicated the move, unleashing an identical gust.
What unfolded was an uncanny spectacle:
The two Skarmorys moved in perfect synchronization, as if one were a copy-and-paste version of the other.
If not for Ditto's unique coloration, even the onlookers would've struggled to tell them apart.
When Skarmory used Wing Attack, Ditto used Wing Attack.
When Skarmory used Air Slash, Ditto used Air Slash.
Frustrated, Skarmory smacked itself with a wing.
Ditto... paused, gave Skarmory a "What are you doing?" look, and instead scattered Spikes across Steven's half of the field.
Throughout the entire sequence, Luo Yuan hadn't uttered a single command.
Steven: "..."
To be fair, this was the first ti in his career as a trainer that he'd encountered a strategy like Luo Yuan's.
Ditto's mimicry of Skarmory's techniques left Steven at a loss.
However, he was well aware of Ditto's inherent weakness.
While Ditto could copy appearance, moves, and stats, its HP remained unchanged—a vulnerability that could be exploited.
Victory, then, ca down to one approach: a trade of blows.
With Ditto's lower HP, it would inevitably fall before Skarmory did.
Steven locked eyes with Skarmory.
Understanding the silent ssage, Skarmory's gaze turned fierce. It accelerated with Agility, closing in on Ditto with blinding speed. At the sa ti, its wings began to glow with a bright silver light.
Agility Steel Wing!
Skarmory's streamlined body cut through the air, its glowing steel wings like gleaming blades slicing toward Ditto.
Faced with the oncoming attack, Ditto tilted its head quizzically.
---
T/N: no charizard this Chapter either... I need to find a story where charizard is the ace...
...
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