"Dragonite, come back and rest!" Lance gazed gently at the Poké Ball he had recalled Dragonite into, as though praising Dragonite's performance. Then he looked up at Liu Qing, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit, and tossed his fourth Poké Ball high into the air. "Go, Kingdra!"
As the Poké Ball opened, a Kingdra nearly two meters tall appeared in midair. White light immediately shone from the battlefield, forming more than a dozen rocks that converged on Kingdra with an explosive boom. Stone dust burst outward, only to be blown away an instant later, revealing Kingdra within, the fins on either side of its jaw gently fluttering. It stared coldly at Salamence as it slowly descended, landing lightly and steadily on its curled tail.
Not as strong as that Dragonite! Although Kingdra seemed to have taken no damage at all from Stealth Rock, Liu Qing had judged its strength at first glance. That did not make him lower his guard, however. A Pokémon like Kingdra was already at a disadvantage on a battlefield without water, let alone against a flying Salamence. The fact that Lance had chosen it anyway was reason enough to take it seriously. Liu Qing therefore issued a probing command first. "Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"
At the command, Salamence immediately gathered power in its mouth, forming a blue-green ball of light. As its jaws closed, it fired the ball at Kingdra like a cannon shell.
"Kingdra, use Agility!" Lance commanded as Dragon Pulse rapidly closed in.
Kingdra's figure flickered at once. Dragon Pulse passed through nothing but an afterimage and slammed into the battlefield with a boom, erupting in a violent explosion.
"Kingdra, now! Use Waterfall!" Lance's next command came at that very moment.
Just as Lance finished speaking, Kingdra came to a stop from its high-speed movement