Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

To save time, Milotic didn't even surface, but instead performed a dazzling dance next to the sleeping Gyarados.

The scene was quite eerie, with the terrified audience fearing that Milotic might be dancing when Gyarados suddenly awoke and lunged at them, biting them.

However, considering the astonishing speed of information transmission between Xia Chen and Milotic, Xia Chen would probably be able to warn Gyarados to run away the moment it opens its eyes.

The good news is that Gyarados did not wake up after the dance.

The bad news is that Gyarados woke up just as Milotic was halfway through its second Quiver Dance.

The increased resistance to status effects due to the difference in strength manifests in all aspects, including the [burn] status and the [sleep] status.

Sleep quality that lasts less than five seconds is really poor, so Gyarados is quite grumpy when it wakes up.

Even before Mikoli gave the order, he once again gathered his [Endurance] energy and angrily bit down.

Milotic showed no surprise whatsoever, nor did it attempt to dodge; it simply continued dancing. Clearly, it wasn't that it hadn't reacted, but rather that it had chosen greed.

One level of Quiver Dance isn't enough for him to contend with the powerful Gyarados, and two levels aren't quite enough either, but at least it would be much more than enough.

This is a golden opportunity. If you miss this window of opportunity, the price you'll pay next time you want to try your luck will be far more painful.

Energy swirled around Gyarados's sharp fangs, but the concentration was much lower than the previous two times.

It wasn't because it was too weak from just waking up, but because the [Sleep] state had healed the burn, and Gyarados, now free of any abnormal statuses, couldn't trigger the [Endure] double damage condition.

Even so, even if it was just a tough move used as a normal attack, Milotic still suffered extremely high damage from the attack power of the Elite Four-level Gyarados.

"Fuwu——"

The painful scream contained the power of anger, and the second butterfly dance was completed in this high-pitched voice.

At this moment, Milotic's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed ​​have all reached a level close to, or even reached, that of an Elite Four member!

This also means that from now on, if Gyarados is hit by freeze-dry, the pain and damage it suffers will be much more than just what it was before.

…………

Underwater is not very convenient for performing many moves, so Milotic was the first to emerge from the water, followed closely by Gyarados.

Immediately, two commands were relayed to the battlefield, one after the other.

"Menas, freeze-dry!"

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower to block!"

This is the first time that Miketsu has taken the initiative to counter an opponent's move since Gyarados appeared.

Neither Dronki's Thunderbolt and Phantom Assault nor Dronmesia's Dragon Claw could achieve this, which shows how wary he was of this freeze-dried food.

A chilling aura condensed into a beam of energy shrouded in icy mist and shot towards Gyarados, which quickly spat out a mouthful of blazing flame to shield itself.

Ice and fire clashed, and extreme heat and extreme cold exploded violently in the air. Crimson flames tightly enveloped the beam of light containing strange icy energy, attempting to melt it.

However, as the saying goes, "the left side always loses in a battle," Milotic's chilling icy energy proved superior. With the continued pressure of the freeze-drying beam, this song of ice and fire ultimately ended in Milotic's victory.

With its powerful attacks, Gyarados is no match for Milotic!

The freeze-drying agent hit Gyarados squarely in the face—

Both Pokémon unleashed their attacks from their mouths, so it was only natural that the losing Pokémon would get its face covered in projectiles.

Immediately, a look of pain appeared on the latter's fierce face, and a wail echoed across the water.

Even though its power has been reduced by nearly half by Flamethrower, Milotic's output after Double Dance is still not to be underestimated.

Mikkuri frowned slightly. The improvement that Quiver Dance gave Milotic was even greater than he had imagined. Passive defense was not the solution. Fortunately, Quiver Dance did not increase physical defense. Taking the initiative to attack was the way out.

"Gyarados, Iron Tail!"

Gyarados has a very strong execution ability. Even with the Pain Mask on, it turns pain into motivation, roaring as it swings its heavy tail, formed from steel-type energy, to strike.

"Dragon Tail, block!"

The "cooldown" for the shield hadn't ended yet, and Gyarados was too close to dodge, so Xia Chen had no choice but to use his tail to defend himself and try to avoid getting hurt in his torso.

boom--

Amidst the whistling sound of the whip's tail lashing out, the two tails clashed, and the deep, heavy steel energy and the domineering, intense dragon energy converged. The latter crumbled instantly, its speed of defeat even surpassing the speed at which the flames it had just emitted were extinguished.

Clearly, the difference in physical attack power between the two sides is enormous.

…………

Xia Chen was not surprised by this. He was slightly disappointed that, due to the difference in strength between the two sides, Dragon Tail could not bounce Gyarados back into the Poké Ball.

Otherwise, once he switches back in, Gyarados can use Intimidate to trigger Milotic's Competitive ability, greatly increasing its Special Attack. Milotic would then be able to go toe-to-toe with Gyarados.

Unfortunately not.

"Keep going, Iron Tail!"

Just as Xia Chen was lost in thought, Mikuri launched another attack, using Iron Tail after Iron Tail, overwhelming Milotic.

He could only desperately use his dragon tail to defend himself, or rely on the speed boost from the Butterfly Dance to dodge and minimize the damage.

Time ticked by as Gyarados continued its offensive while Milotic passively defended.

After unleashing a [Five-Strike Lightning Strike], even with the Reflector Barrier and the defense of its scales, Milotic's magnificent tail was covered in whip marks, almost a bloody mess.

However, Milotic did not come away empty-handed while he was defending desperately. Sometime later, a vibrant blue stream of water appeared around his slender body.

It was a water ring that he had created in his spare time.

As a steady stream of faint life energy flowed into its body, Milotic's tail and the wounds on its body were slowly healing at a visible rate.

Faced with Gyarados's relentless, tidal onslaught, Milotic did everything in its power to survive for the entire minute.

Even ocean waves eventually calm down, let alone Gyarados.

The continuous Iron Tail attacks caused Gyarados's energy and stamina to drop extremely quickly.

Finally, he paused, and another of his iron tails underwent a noticeable deformation. After being twisted by Milotic, it slammed hard onto the water's surface, the splashing water almost touching the large screen above the arena.

Freeze-drying!

Xia Chen, a superhuman, has an exceptional ability to seize opportunities, and he shouted loudly.

Following his heart's desire, before Xia Chen had even finished speaking, Milotic's mouth once again condensed icy blue extreme cold energy.

His continuous dodging left him with an unusually abundant amount of energy. In the next instant, a beam of light as thick as a water cannon burst through the splashing water and shot straight toward the Gyarados, which was twisting on the surface of the water in a strange posture.

The wisps of cold air that emanated from the beam caused the water waves along its path to freeze into ice, creating a beautiful cluster of ice flowers in the center of the arena.

At the end of the ice beam was a Gyarados with a strange posture and a somewhat dazed expression.

…………

"Hold on!"

At the crucial moment, Mikuri's angry roar awakened Gyarados. This sound, which Gyarados had heard countless times in training and competitions, made Gyarados react instinctively.

An energy barrier solidified, and the piercing friction sound signaled a successful defense; Gyarados narrowly escaped this calamity.

"Die Wu!"

When the attack failed, Xia Chen switched to enhancement without hesitation, as if he had rehearsed this scenario countless times in his mind.

Milotic quickly withdrew the freeze-dried energy beam, and enveloped in the water ring, he began to dance a beautiful, butterfly-like dance.

"Charge over there and stop him!"

At this moment, Mikoli was completely unaware that he had fallen into Xia Chen's battle rhythm and was moving in accordance with his commands.

Gyarados had no choice but to quickly retract its Energy Barrier and then flew over, half-flying and half-swimming.

Milotic's dance abruptly stopped the moment Gyarados stood up, and then...

Freeze-drying!

Winter has returned, and a biting chill emanates from Milotic's mouth as it spews forth ice bolts once more. This time, there are no flames, no waves, no obstacles before it; only Gyarados's astonished expression.

"look up!"

Michael reacted quickly, shouting out the only solution without hesitation.

As is well known, the faster a vehicle travels, the longer the braking distance required to brake.

The same goes for elves.

Gyarados pushed its speed to almost maximum to stop Milotic's Quiver Dance. By the time Mikkuri's voice came out, the distance between him and Ice Beam had already been reduced to less than half a meter in their two-way rush.

Even if Gyarados slams on the brakes and steers the wheel, it can't pull off the legendary "Dragon Head" maneuver.

The car accident still occurred, which was unavoidable.

The extreme chill seeped into the bones through the vulnerable face, which was unprotected by scales, and the extreme enjoyment, which was four times more restrained, caused Gyarados to let out a miserable howl.

As if they were actually there, the audience in the stands couldn't help but shiver.

It hurts, it hurts too much!

…………

This agonizing wail was only the beginning of the suffering.

In a battle, strength is the most important factor, but sometimes momentum is even more crucial than strength.

As if to vent all the anger it had felt while being chased, Milotic launched a relentless attack after the first freeze-drying.

When the ice-based energy required for freeze-drying is insufficient, it is replaced with 100,000 volts; the flow of energy within his body never stops.

Even when Gyarados retaliated in anger, he showed no sign of stopping his attack.

The battle has entered its final stage, and both sides are fighting for their last breath. If they stop now, they will lose everything!

The final battle has little to do with elegance; tactics play a negligible role in such situations.

The battle-hardened Mikuri understood this principle even better. He commanded the Gyarados, whose body was already covered with frostbite and scorch marks, to launch a final, frenzied attack.

Xia Chen quietly sensed that Milotic's energy was almost completely depleted, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Mildos, the final meteor shower!"

My physical strength and energy have reached their limit. This is Milotic, and also the last ripple of my normal game.

As if on the same wavelength, Mikuri narrowed his eyes slightly and shouted, "Gyarados, bloom gracefully one last time!"

Anger and elegance blurred at this moment, and two slender bodies became entangled in an extremely ungraceful way, relentlessly gnawing at each other's last vestiges of will.

The audience in the stands were also shocked by this most bloody and primitive scene. They held their breath and dared not blink even once.