Chapter 5: The Reverse Scale!

“Gyarados!” Zhao Fang shouted anxiously, worried that Gyarados might overexert itself. If it sustained any irreversible injuries, that would be a serious problem. More than the outcome of the battle against Togekiss, Zhao Fang cared most about Gyarados’s safety.

“Roar!” Gyarados bellowed fiercely, its body emanating an ominous crimson glow. The red light converged into its mouth, and then a destructive, foreboding red beam shot straight toward Togekiss.

Zhao Fang’s pupils contracted sharply. What was happening to Gyarados?

“Dragon Rage! That’s incredible! Gyarados must be furious to reach such a peak in this situation. Togekiss, dodge its attack with agility!” Cynthia’s eyes lit up. As the champion of the Sinnoh region, she had naturally seen such special moves before. The wrath of a Dragon-type Pokémon was fully unleashed in Dragon Rage—this beam, saturated with Dragon energy, was immensely powerful. However, using Dragon Rage was extremely taxing on both mind and body. Pokémon who unleashed it often fell into a confused state afterward, automatically ending the Dragon Rage mode.

Togekiss flew skillfully around Gyarados. Though Dragon Rage was powerful, its accuracy left much to be desired. Moreover, Pokémon caught in Dragon Rage found it difficult to maintain clear consciousness, attacking purely on instinct.

Beams of red light shot from Gyarados’s mouth, streaking past Togekiss’s body and smashing into the walls, leaving gaping holes. Watching this, Youjia winced, taking in sharp breaths while silently comforting herself.

Gyarados unleashed six consecutive blasts before, overwhelmed by injuries, its eyes turned white and it collapsed to the ground, utterly unable to continue fighting. Youjia quickly announced Gyarados’s loss of battle capability at a rapid pace, prompting Zhao Fang to withdraw his Pokémon.

Before recalling it, Zhao Fang applied healing ointment to Gyarados’s wounds, hoping to ease its discomfort even inside the Poké Ball.

Watching Togekiss fly nimbly, Zhao Fang took a deep breath. This was his last Pokémon. Whether Togekiss could utilize all four of its moves was uncertain.

“Please, Iceberg Dragon!” Zhao Fang sent out his final hope. As Iceberg Dragon appeared, it let out an angry cry, and a blizzard swept across the battlefield, ramping up to full intensity.

“What a remarkable Pokémon, mastering such a powerful snowfall!” Cynthia clapped her hands, her face filled with admiration.

Zhao Fang watched Togekiss flying amidst the blizzard, knowing well that relying solely on the snowfall ability to defeat Togekiss was impossible. The weather atop Mt. Coronet was far harsher than the blizzard Iceberg Dragon created.

“Iceberg Dragon, strike hard! Show your dance amid the storm!” Zhao Fang immediately ordered Iceberg Dragon to unleash its greatest secret weapon.

Cynthia looked on curiously. She knew Iceberg Dragon was a Rock/Ice-type Pokémon, naturally strong against Flying-types, but she was not very familiar with its moves.

“Togekiss, use Extreme Speed!” Though curious about Zhao Fang’s tactic, Cynthia calmly issued the command. Togekiss shot swiftly toward Iceberg Dragon.

However, Togekiss’s charge was hindered. The blizzard intensified, dense hailstones pummeling Togekiss, causing it to yelp in pain.

“A blizzard?” Cynthia deduced Zhao Fang’s strategy by observing the seemingly unchanged battlefield.

By concealing the blizzard within the snowfall ability, Zhao Fang made it difficult for the opponent to detect his true move. Cynthia was impressed by Zhao Fang’s tactical versatility. Yet she was not worried about Togekiss. If she faced an Ice-type Elite Four member, she wouldn’t be so confident, but Iceberg Dragon was still far from the main force of the Ice-type Elite Four.

Togekiss swiftly flew out of the blizzard’s range, then struck Iceberg Dragon’s head with Extreme Speed. Although Extreme Speed was a Normal-type move and thus less effective against Rock-types, Iceberg Dragon still suffered heavy damage.

Seeing Iceberg Dragon bleeding, Zhao Fang gritted his teeth. The gap between him and the champion was truly disheartening.

“Iceberg Dragon! Hang in there! Use Ice Beam!” Zhao Fang commanded. Being so close, Togekiss would be hard-pressed to endure an Ice Beam attack.

“Togekiss, Acrobatics!” Cynthia’s voice came even before Zhao Fang’s. While Iceberg Dragon launched its Ice Beam, Togekiss used Acrobatics to skillfully circle behind it, landing another hit.

Zhao Fang had successfully forced Togekiss to expend all four of its moves, but he was far from pleased—he had lost. Togekiss continued to flutter lively before him. After the battle, it even flew over to nuzzle Zhao Fang’s face before returning to Cynthia.

“Don’t be upset. Your strength is more than enough to face most Gym Leaders. But she’s Cynthia! You even managed to have her Togekiss hurt by hail—that alone is a victory!” Youjia smiled warmly, comforting Zhao Fang.

Zhao Fang looked at Youjia in surprise. Seizing the moment, Youjia told him to bring Gyarados to her tomorrow; she would personally teach it the move Hurricane.

Watching Youjia bounce away, Zhao Fang glanced at the wall Gyarados had demolished and felt a thousand questions swirling in his mind.

“Isn’t it strange?” Cynthia recalled Togekiss and smiled at Zhao Fang.

Zhao Fang nodded. It was indeed strange. Hurricane was an exceptionally rare move—why would Youjia offer to teach it?

“Back at the temple, you drew that line because of her words. Youjia felt very guilty. After you were sent away, she kept apologizing. This is her way of making amends,” Cynthia said in a surprisingly approachable tone, no longer in battle mode.

“Togekiss!” an embarrassed Youjia’s voice came from ahead.

“Oops! Sorry, I accidentally let the truth slip,” Cynthia chuckled, and Zhao Fang couldn’t help but laugh.

“When Gyarados learns Hurricane, I’ll buy you a plane ticket home. Then you can fly back,” Cynthia added.

Zhao Fang’s heart lifted. He knew there were airplanes in the Pokémon world but had never flown before. He hadn’t expected that coming to Sinnoh would give him a chance to experience flying—he wondered if there would be Pokémon on the plane.