Dratini vs. Haunter

"Alright, both contestants have entered the field."

"Let's see what Pokémon they've brought and what kind of thrilling battle they'll give us."

Amid the commentator's passionate voice, Su Tingxi and Youyu You released their Pokémon at the same time.

"Go, Dratini!"

"..."

Dratini floated gracefully through the air, while Haunter grinned in midair, swaying without pause.

"Kehehe."

"Dratini—Dragon Dance!"

"..."

Having heard Lu Ze's words, Su Tingxi knew that Youyu You and Yin Hanling had both achieved ten consecutive victories faster than Lu Ze. That meant their Pokémon were certainly no weaklings, so Su Tingxi did not let down his guard at all. He decided to power up first and deal with everything else afterward.

Dratini twisted through the air, performing a mysterious dance. Meanwhile, Haunter waved a finger, and a powerful wind carrying icy shards blew in the direction it pointed.

Having just finished Dragon Dance, Dratini could not dodge in time and was hit head-on, its Speed dropping by one stage.

"As we can see, both Pokémon are extremely rare. One is a powerful Dragon-type Pseudo-legendary, while the other is a rare and mysterious Ghost-type Pokémon."

"As we can see, Dratini took the lead after entering the field, using the boosting move Dragon Dance to raise its Attack stat and Speed. Unfortunately, it was hit by Icy Wind immediately after powering up, which also lowered its Speed by one stage."

The commentator said regretfully, "What a pity. This means Dratini only gained one stage in its less important Attack stat, and it also took a double-damage Icy Wind. A bad start indeed."

"Dratini—Dragon Breath!"

"..."

After a youthful dragon cry, Dratini released a blue-green glow from its mouth that surged toward Haunter.

Haunter formed a Shadow Ball in its hand and hurled it toward the Dragon Breath.

The two attacks collided, held against each other for a moment, then exploded violently. Neither Pokémon was harmed.

Unlike Haunter, which was still grinning, both Su Tingxi and Dratini looked grave. Neither of their probes had gained an advantage, but Haunter's excellence had still been revealed.

"Dratini—Encore, Ice Beam!"

"..."

Dratini attacked first again, breathing out an icy blast.

"The two sides' first probing attacks collided, and the violent explosion had no effect on either side."

"The second wave of attacks has begun! Dratini attacks first again—Ice Beam!"

The commentator said in frustration, "Ah, what a shame! Haunter dodged it, then immediately fired back with a Shadow Ball!"

The commentator's speech quickened.

"Dratini dodged the Shadow Ball as well! Neither Pokémon is willing to give in. Dratini fires another Ice Beam, and Haunter responds with another Shadow Ball. Both sides still evade their opponent's attacks!"

"The battle has now fallen into a stalemate. Both Pokémon are flying through the air and continuously firing moves, but both are fast enough to evade every attack. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the most exciting battle since the Baby Cup began!"

The two Pokémon returned to their original positions. Both Dratini and Haunter were panting. Though neither side's moves had connected, they had still consumed a great deal of energy.

The situation had temporarily reached a deadlock, and Su Tingxi was still considering how to break it.

Meanwhile, Youyu You needed to find an opportunity to use Curse. As long as Curse landed, the situation would stabilize.

However, Youyu You had seen Dratini use Substitute during Su Tingxi's previous matches. If Curse was avoided by a Substitute, Haunter itself would be in danger.

"Dratini—Dragon Pulse!"

"..."

Dratini gathered power once more and released Dragon Pulse, but it still collided with the Dark Pulse fired by Haunter. The two attacks canceled each other out, once again failing to harm either opponent.

Both trainers had headaches. Haunter's status moves could be undone by Dratini's Shed Skin Ability, while its ultimate move, Curse, had no way to break through Substitute.

Dratini, meanwhile, did not have many moves and simply could not break through Haunter's defenses. Its attacks either canceled each other out or were dodged.

As the two sides remained locked in stalemate, Haunter giggled and vanished into the air.

Su Tingxi reacted quickly and understood that Haunter was about to make the first move.

"Dratini—wide-range Twister!"

Dratini released numerous Twister attacks into the empty space ahead, completely sealing off the area and preventing the Invisible Haunter from approaching it.

The Twister continued. Apart from the whooshing of the wind, the field was utterly quiet. Though Dratini could not see its enemy, it remained vigilant in the air, watching its surroundings for Haunter's sudden appearance.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, Haunter appeared behind Dratini and slammed a Shadow Punch into it, sending Dratini crashing toward the ground.

Then, pressing its advantage, it hurled one Shadow Ball after another at Dratini.

Smoke billowed across the field. Haunter did not think that was enough, so it spat out a Dark Pulse toward Dratini's location.

At that moment, an icy blast suddenly shot out from the smoke at high speed and struck Haunter before it could dodge.

Haunter was knocked back some distance. As the smoke gradually dispersed, Dratini was seen floating nearby, panting heavily. In the deep crater lay a Dratini-shaped hide.

Cries of surprise erupted from the audience. No one knew why Haunter had suddenly appeared behind Dratini when the open area in the center of the field had clearly been sealed off by Twister.

The commentator continued his commentary at the top of his lungs.

The battle on the field continued.

Youyu You let out a breath of relief and commanded Haunter to use Curse.

Dratini had just used Substitute and had already expended a great deal of stamina. Not to mention, no one knew how many Shadow Ball attacks it had taken earlier. Once Curse landed, Dratini might not even last through another move.

Time returned to when Dratini had just released Twister.

The Invisible Haunter was shocked when it saw the overwhelming Twister attacks.

Still, it carefully tiptoed along the edge of the arena where Twister could not reach, turning sideways and pressing tightly against the wall as it slipped around the perimeter.

After finally getting through, Haunter patted its chest and revealed a smug smile.

Then it sneakily crept along the ground behind Dratini. Before throwing its Shadow Punch, it even breathed on its fist, as if that would somehow make it stronger.

Back in the present battle, Su Tingxi saw the black energy wrapped around Dratini's body and gave a bitter smile. He understood that he had lost this matchup.

On the field, Dratini let out a mournful cry and collapsed. After the referee stepped forward to inspect it, he raised the small flag in his hand.

"Dratini is unable to battle. Haunter wins!"

Su Tingxi recalled Dratini into its Poké Ball. After waiting for Youyu You, the two left the field side by side, just as they had entered.

The referee took a sip of water and sighed.

"These two contestants have truly given us an incredibly exciting match. From the looks of them, they seem to be friends as well. I hope the victor will keep up the good work and climb to greater heights while carrying their companion's hopes."

"And I hope the loser will not be discouraged. There is more than one battle in life, and an even more exciting next battle awaits us. Let us raise our hands and cheer for them!"

The audience applauded. "Clap clap clap~ Clap clap clap clap clap~ Clap clap~"