Chapter Thirty-Three: The Electric Dragon

Zhao Fang watched Tiexuan warily. He knew this upcoming battle wouldn’t be like the previous ones—those had felt more like playful sparring or coaching rather than true combat. He was also very curious about what kind of Pokémon Tiexuan would send out. Zhao Fang considered that the most likely candidates were either Magneton or its evolved form, Magnezone.

But then, the Pokémon standing in the snowstorm opposite the Ice Snow Dragon made Zhao Fang’s eyes widen in surprise—because facing the Ice Snow Dragon was, unexpectedly, an Electivire!

Its yellow body, white belly, small ball-like tail, and proud expression made Zhao Fang recognize the Pokémon at a glance: Electivire.

A powerful Electric-type Pokémon. Zhao Fang’s mood darkened considerably. Electivire was no easy opponent, especially since it belonged to Tiexuan. Zhao Fang suspected that Tiexuan had sent out her main powerhouse. If he were truly up against the gym leader’s ace, he wasn’t sure if he could win.

“Ice Snow Dragon! Use Blizzard! Attack your enemy with all your might!” Zhao Fang didn’t hesitate. He wanted to strike the Ice Snow Dragon quickly. With the weather and terrain on his side, even if this was the gym leader’s ace, Zhao Fang was determined to give it a try.

Without waiting for Tiexuan’s command, Electivire slid to the side, avoiding the Ice Snow Dragon’s attack. Its body trembled slightly, and Zhao Fang immediately noticed a glow rising from Electivire, signaling an increase in defense and special defense.

“Magnet Rise?” Zhao Fang was momentarily stunned. Among Electric-type moves that could boost defense and special defense, Magnet Rise was the only one. This meant Electivire likely had the Plus ability.

“Good observation, but your insight still falls short,” Tiexuan said with a bright laugh. At the same time, Zhao Fang realized the Ice Snow Dragon’s body was now covered by fluffy spores, which were slowing it down.

“Cotton Spore? When did it use that?” Zhao Fang was even more astonished. When exactly had Electivire used Cotton Spore? Then he recalled Electivire’s slight shake earlier—probably the moment it deployed the spores. Under the cover of the blizzard, the spores had become difficult to detect.

“So your Pokémon is Ice-type, huh? Then you’re in trouble. Electivire! Use Thunder Wave! Then follow up with a fiery blow!” Tiexuan gave her instructions cheerfully. A faint current flashed, and despite the Ice Snow Dragon’s attempts to dodge, it was hit by Thunder Wave due to its slowed speed.

What worried Zhao Fang most was the Ice Snow Dragon’s posture—it clearly looked like it was preparing to use a Fighting-type move. Zhao Fang felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped Tiexuan didn’t realize the Ice Snow Dragon was Ice and Rock-type. If it had used something like a Fire Punch, Zhao Fang wouldn’t be too concerned.

But Fighting-type moves were truly problematic.

“Ice Snow Dragon! If you can’t dodge, then fight with everything you’ve got! Teach it a painful lesson!” Zhao Fang gritted his teeth and shouted. The Cotton Spore on Ice Snow Dragon hadn’t yet taken effect fully, and it was paralyzed. Dodging Electivire’s Fighting moves now was nearly impossible.

Since dodging was out of the question, he had no choice but to go all out and give Electivire a lesson.

“Distinguishing between real and fake is crucial!” Tiexuan’s voice rang out. Zhao Fang’s heart tightened. Could it be that this Electivire was a fake?

He recalled the earlier battle where a sneaky Pikachu had used Rain Dance, and this remark made the Ice Snow Dragon hesitate. It remembered the cunning of Pikachu during their fight.

But with no other options and unable to detect Electivire’s true form, Zhao Fang reluctantly accepted that this Electivire was real. The blizzard swirled fiercely, obscuring Electivire’s figure, and Zhao Fang’s heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, another Electivire charged from behind the Ice Snow Dragon, striking it with an Iron Tail.

The Ice Snow Dragon let out a painful cry, thrown far by the powerful blow, and collapsed, unable to continue fighting.

“Ice Snow Dragon!” Zhao Fang hurriedly recalled it, anxiously applying medicine to its wounds. After confirming it was alright, he returned it to its Poké Ball.

As the Ice Snow Dragon left the field, the blizzard ceased. The ice on the ground didn’t melt, instead shimmering brilliantly under the lights. Electivire calmly watched Zhao Fang, who in turn spotted Tiexuan’s figure.

“Send out your next Pokémon, kid,” Tiexuan said cheerfully, arms crossed.

Zhao Fang bit his lip. Electivire was too strong, and its Electric-type moves were terrifying. Facing such a formidable opponent, he couldn’t send out Charmander; it would be hopeless against Electivire’s attacks. So he reluctantly released Gyarados from its Poké Ball.

“Roar!” Gyarados let out an angry roar, but its fierce aura had no effect on Electivire, which even glanced back at its trainer leisurely.

“Electivire, use Rain Dance,” Tiexuan said calmly. Zhao Fang twitched at the corner of his mouth. Even though Gyarados was four times weak to Electric attacks, she still wanted to increase Thunder’s accuracy with Rain Dance?

“Gyarados, use Iron Head!” Zhao Fang had no better plan. Doing nothing meant certain death; trying to stop Electivire’s moves invited other attacks. He was in a difficult spot.

“Thunder Shock!” As Gyarados charged forward, Electivire immediately switched moves. Though it couldn’t unleash a stronger skill quickly, Thunder Shock was enough.

Gyarados trembled as the electric current coursed through its body, the damage severe. Yet, despite this, it slammed Iron Head into Electivire’s head. The sheer force made Electivire’s head shake.

“Such a strong Gyarados, but the electric shock must be tough, huh? Electivire, show it the power of electricity!” Tiexuan smiled lightly. Electivire opened its mouth, and dense electricity gathered inside, then it unleashed a powerful electric beam.

Fortunately, Gyarados had been using Waterfall, narrowly dodging Electivire’s Thunderbolt. If it had taken the full force, Zhao Fang would already be considering how to concede gracefully.

Zhao Fang gritted his teeth. Electivire’s strength was overwhelming. He couldn’t quickly think of a better strategy, and Electivire’s natural advantage over Gyarados made him hesitant.

“Wait a moment. If that’s the case, maybe there’s a chance to win,” Zhao Fang suddenly thought. Whether it could be executed successfully was another matter, as was how much extra damage gravity acceleration could add.

Anyway, Electivire couldn’t fly. Zhao Fang decided it was worth a try.