Dragon-type Pokémon far surpassed most other Pokémon in physical prowess. Only Steel-type and Rock-type Pokémon could barely hold their own against them.
But after defeating Sylveon, Altaria had no strength left to fight. The repeated powerful Dragon-type moves, the relentless Outrage at the end, and taking Disarming Voice boosted by Round head-on had left Altaria badly injured as well.
As the second round began, Veranica did not send out another Dragon-type Pokémon. Instead, she chose Delphox, a Fire- and Psychic-type Pokémon.
This was probably her true starter Pokémon: the final evolution of Fennekin, and one of the few starter Pokémon capable of awakening Psychic-type powers.
Perhaps fox Pokémon's innate intelligence gave them the potential to wield psychic powers. Both Ninetales and Delphox could develop in that direction, with Delphox going a step further.
Not only that, a powerful Delphox possessed another special ability: Future Sight. Its aptitude in this area even surpassed Gardevoir's, making it a true sage.
At the sight of Delphox, Xiao Ran instinctively wanted to summon Gardevoir. The two Pokémon had many similarities, after all. But after a moment's consideration, he chose Primarina instead.
Both were their Trainers' first Pokémon, and both were starter Pokémon provided by the Alliance. Xiao Ran suddenly wanted to see which one was stronger.
"Go, Primarina!" The blue-and-white sea lion appeared on the field, forming a stark contrast with the fiery red Delphox opposite it.
"Primarina? That must be your first starter Pokémon, right? Perfect! Let's see which one is stronger!" Veranica paused for a moment at Primarina's appearance, then spoke excitedly.
"Exactly what I had in mind. Popplio, Rain Dance!" With that, Xiao Ran had Primarina begin.
There was no rush to set up Misty Terrain, since Sylveon had already laid it down. The coming struggle over the weather was what