Boom!
Crash!
Roars echoed through the canyon.
The two giant dragons had slammed into the rock walls as they grappled, cracking, shattering, and even demolishing them.
Who could have imagined they had done all that with their bodies alone, without using a single move?
"Hydrei!"
"Roar!"
The dragons' furious roars shook the heavens. Invisible waves churned the smoke, making the battle even harder to follow.
Then, suddenly...
Everything below went quiet. No sound came from the dust.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Who had won?
Was it over?
"Not yet! It's not over!"
At that urgent cry, everyone spotted the two dragons separating after their rolling struggle. Their bodies flickered in and out of view through the haze.
They lowered their heads and panted, trying to shake off the exhaustion of their prolonged fight.
Though neither had used an elemental move, the battle had drained them more than usual, and their strength was slow to return.
"Hydrei..."
Hydreigon fought the urge to use Roost. Long bloody gashes covered its body, making its muscles twitch.
Haxorus's tusks were sharp and swift. Even while held in Hydreigon's jaws, they had cut through it with terrifying ease whenever Haxorus struggled.
The cartilage in two of Hydreigon's left wings had fractured, leaving them unable to move.
One and a half of the petal-like tufts around its main neck had been sliced off!
"Puh!"
Haxorus spat half a tuft to the side.
But Hydreigon was hardly the only one injured. Haxorus's worst injury was its left arm—
It was broken.
It could no longer put any force into it.
It would eventually heal on its own, but not before the competition ended.
Its tusks were chipped in several places, too. Hydreigon truly had a formidable set of teeth.
Both dragons breathed heavily.
The sight stunned everyone watching.