"Salamence, pull yourself together!" Liu Qing frowned slightly. This Dragonite had clearly received exceptional training in aerial maneuvering, too, or it could never have anticipated Salamence's position so precisely. That made it difficult for him to capitalize on his advantage as a member of the Flying-type Namikaze Family. Meanwhile, Lance belonged to the Dragon-type Dragon Clan, and most Dragon-type Pokémon could fly. Though his clan certainly had not studied Flying-types as thoroughly as the Namikaze Family, its expertise in flight still surpassed that of families specializing in other types. In short, Liu Qing held no advantage whatsoever in aerial combat.
Powerful as Hyper Beam was, Salamence's abdomen happened to be covered by the thick shell it had possessed as a Shelgon, giving it formidable defensive strength. The moment it heard Liu Qing's voice, its eyes regained their focus. It beat its wings to steady itself, then rapidly closed in on Dragonite, which was immobilized by the move's recoil. Its right claw shone white as it slammed into Dragonite's neck, sending Dragonite flying with a forceful blow.
"Salamence, Draco Meteor!" With that strike landing, Liu Qing immediately pressed his advantage. Salamence gathered its power again, orange-yellow light pooling in its abdomen.
"Dragonite, stop it! Use Dragon Rush!" Liu Qing's plan to unleash successive attacks while Dragonite was immobilized had clearly fallen through. Dragonite had already recovered its mobility, and Lance immediately issued his command when he noticed.
At the command, Dragonite gave a light beat of its wings and stopped its backward flight. Deep blue light spread rapidly from its head across its entire body, spiraling as it hurtled toward Salamence. Just as the light of Draco Meteor gathered at Salamence's mouth, ready to fire, Dragonite's attack arrived. It crashed straight into Salamence's chest and sent it flying.
Unlike Dragonite earlier,