The straightforward Samenever expected that the Dragonite, which had been g moves with it the eime, would suddenly resort to underhaactics.

  Thunder Wave itself didn't deal much damage, but its paralyzing effect was the real game-ger.

  Once paralyzed, there was always a ce of a move failing to execute.

  Samence: "You're despicable."

  Dragonite: "You're just too dumb."

  Dragonite didn't see itself as despicable at all—it was clearly Samence's fault for being shtforward. In a battle, how could you fight without any tricks? Adaptability was key.

  Samence: "I'll destroy you!"

  Seeing that Drago only refused to admit fault but also insulted it, Samence was so furious that it nearly burst a vein. Its roar was apanied by a powerful shockwave, and its aura surged dramatically.

  It was using Focus Energy.

  With a beat of its wings, several Air Sshes formed, slig through the air in sharp arcs.

  Dragonite looked over at Julian with a face that said, 'As expected'

  Julian's expression stiffened as he muttered, "It's obviously your bad luck"

  Damn it—Samence aralyzed, yet it mao successfully unleash two moves in a row! Was its luck off the charts or what?

  "Protect!"

  The green shield of Protebsp;blocked several Air Sshes, but the final one shattered the shield. Following that, Samenched a Hydro Pump.

  "Dragon Rush!"

  Despite being paralyzed, Samence seemed pletely ued. Its paralysis appeared purely decorative, with zero actual impact.

  Julian silently repeated to himself: 'I'm not cursed. I'm not cursed'

  'Wait a sed, don't I still have a Basic Luck Card?'

  As he , Dragonite's Dragon Rush collided fiercely with Samence's Hydro Pump. The intense impaitially stalled Dragonite's charge.

  But in the sed, Dragonite broke through the Hydro Pump, surging forward with overwhelming power like a fallieor. It smashed into Sameh incredible force.

  Samence's massive body was smmed into the ground, creating a deep crater upon impact. The shockwave caused the surrounding ground to crack like a spiderweb, with tless small rocks shooting out from the fissures.

  As the energy surrounding Dragonite dissipated after Dragon Rush, Samence, enduring excruciating pain, tried to ter with a Fmethrower.

  However, the electric current c through its body caused the move to fail.

  Julian: 'Go ahead—let's see you resist the paralysis effect forever!'

  Samence's expression shifted instantly. A move failing at this critical mome it had missed its best ce to terattack.

  Sure enough, in the sed, Samence saw Dragonite's fist, crag with electricity, rapidly enrging in its vision.

  With a resounding BAM, Dragohunder Punbsp;nded squarely on Samence's head.

  It wasn't clear if the paralysis effect was at work, but Samence felt that this Thunder Punbsp;was much strohan the previous ones.

  The electrical currents coursed through Samence's entire body, and the sheer force of Thunder Punbsp;felt no less powerful than a Mega Punch.

  Samence: 'e, activate!'

  A violent surge of energy erupted within Samence, spreading through its entire body. A massive wave on-type energy shot skyward, and the lingeriricity on its body was pletely dispersed.

  The paralysis was gone.

  "We'll use e too!"

  'Oh, you think only you open the floodgates? Watch this'

  At this point, the Peak Elite Experience Card had three minutes left before expiring.

  Now both Dragonite and Samence had entered e.

  Rampant Dragon energy coursed through their bodies, repg rational thought with raw power. However, there was still a sliver of crity in their minds.

  e was a double-edged sword. Used correctly, it could turide of battle. But if used for too long, a Pokémon could lose its sense of reason and attadiscriminately.

  Some unforturainers had even been killed by their own Pokémon after prolonged use of e.

  With its paralysis gone, Samence's advaurned, while Dragonite's edge disappeared.

  Julian had hoped to win using underhaactics, but that pn was clearly out the window.

  In its e state, Samence's crimson wings glowed even brighter, as if they could drip blood. The eerie brilliance was both mesmerizing and chilling.

  Steel Wing sliced at Dragonite's stomach like a sharp bde, leaving a deep gash on its rounded belly.

  Yet Dragonite seemed unfazed by the pain. As Samence's Steel Wing struck again, Dragonite raised its arms to block. Though its palms were sliced open and blood streamed down, it refused to let go.

  Samence smmed Dragoo the mountainside on Mountain. The impact created a crater dozens of meters deep.

  At the moment of collision, Dragonite's visio bck, and its grip loosened.

  Just as Samence prepared to finish the battle with a Dragon Pulse, Dragonite's figure suddenly began to fade and then disappeared entirely.

  Substitute

  The real Dragonite had appeared behind Samence, unleashing a Ice Beam it had been charging for a while. The freezing cold, almost capable of freezing time itself, enveloped Samence before it could turn around.

  The beam struck, eng Samen a block of ice. Everything around it—mountain walls, rocks, and trees—froze as well.

  The once-vibrant battlefield became a frozen ndscape.

  "Huff... huff..."

  Dragonite nded heavily, panting hard.

  Using Substitute had ed half its stamina, leaving it severely drained.

  But the move had created the perfect opportunity, deceiving Samend allowing Dragoo deliver the decisive blow.

  Samence had a 4x weako Ice, and this Ice Beam had been fully charged before firing, making it even more powerful.

  "Crack... crack..."

  Just as Julian thought Samence was finished, cracks suddenly began to form on the icy sculpture. The sound of shattering ice grew louder and more frequent.

  The relief on Julian's face vanished, repced by arm. He shouted, "Dragonite, keep using Ice Beam!"

  He didn't eveo say it—Dragonite had already begun firing another Ice Beam the moment the cracks appeared.

  Dragonite's energy reserves were nearly depleted, and it could feel that the fn power within it was fading fast.

  If Samence wasn't taken out now, Dragonite k would be the oo fall.

  Putting all its remaining strength and willpower into the Ice Beam, Dragonite aimed directly at the crag ice sculpture.

  "BANG!"

  The sculpture shattered pletely.

  "ROAR!"

  Julian closed his eyes briefly: 'It's over'

  The Elite Experience Card's time had run out.

  'Is it still possible to surrender now?'

  But to his surprise, the freed Samence didn't terattack or dodge. Instead, it took the full brunt of the Ice Beam head-on and froze again, being an ice sculpture once more.

  Samence: 'Damn it... I'm out of energy'

  Breaking free from the first ice prison had draihe very st remnants of Samence's strength. The 4x damage from Ice Beam was no joke, and its escape had been fueled solely by the final surge of e's power.

  Noower was gone, Samence could only be frozen agaiirely spent.

  And so—

  "We won"

  Julian exhaled the words softly.

  Dragonite colpsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. At this point, it didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.