Drapion

Still sizing us up...

Dian exhaled slowly. An unfamiliar feeling stirred in his chest, and he believed Beedrill felt it too.

A cold wind rose around them, lifting grains of sand beneath the lonely stars.

Yet Dian and Beedrill only felt their blood grow hotter. Almost at the same moment, they closed their eyes.

Just then, Dark-type energy took physical form!

"Roar!"

A vicious roar rang out. Black ripples swept up the surrounding sand and surged forward. It was Drapion's Dark-type move, Snarl!

A red gleam flashed through Beedrill's eyes. It fired Pin Missile into the black sound wave. Nine streaks of white light pierced the curtain of sand and shot toward the huge purple figure hidden behind it.

Suddenly, a dark shadow burst through the opening in the sand and lunged down from above. Drapion struck with Night Slash, using its purple, venomous tail!

"Dian!"

Yue Jifei cried out and reached forward, but after a moment's hesitation, she slowly lowered her hand.

She pressed her lips shut as well. Only her green eyes, no longer calm, betrayed her feelings.

"Meow."

Espurr rubbed against the worried Yue Jifei.

Dian watched the battle closely, a smile touching his lips. As expected, Snarl had only been a smokescreen. The Night Slash that followed was the real killing blow.

Drapion was dangerous not only because of its venom and powerful body, but also because of a deceptive quality hidden within that body.

Most Pokémon of its size were slow. But that was merely a rule of thumb, and it did not apply to Drapion. Quite the opposite: Drapion was extremely fast—not at moving, but at unleashing its moves and attacks.

All three of its venomous pincers could extend with surprising reach and strike at remarkable speed. The tail behind it was the fastest