Chapter 66: The Alchemy Emperor—It Is Only Polite to Return the Favor!

A torrent of flames instantly engulfed the Grievous Claw Dragon, the surging fire sending waves of heat sweeping in all directions—so intense that even Su Yi, watching from afar, could feel its scorching force.

“Grievous Claw Dragon!” Su Yi shouted.

A crimson silhouette tore through the blaze, charging out with ferocious fury, its body marred by burnt, blackened scars. Yet the Grievous Claw Dragon did not retreat; it lashed out with a savage claw.

A harsh ripping sound followed—the beast's menacing talons once again tore into the body of Charizard, triggering the laceration effect ten times in quick succession.

Charizard roared in agony, its body slowly sinking from the sky. Even with its Flying-type resistance to Fighting-type moves (like Lacerating Claw), and the burn status halving the Grievous Claw Dragon’s physical attack, that single blow still dealt terrifying damage.

“Charizard! Steady yourself! Retaliate! Air Slash!” Champion Leon’s voice was calm and commanding.

Charizard rallied, beating its wings with effort, enduring the lacerations to stabilize itself midair, and then slashed several sharp blades at the Grievous Claw Dragon, which was unable to gain purchase in the air.

A series of slicing attacks cut into the Grievous Claw Dragon, the effective strikes causing considerable harm.

With a crash, the battered Grievous Claw Dragon hit the ground. Flames suddenly flared across its body, and it howled in pain.

“As expected, the strategy is sound, but the myriad factors in battle can alter the outcome. Though Charizard has suffered heavy wounds, Leon’s sharp counterattack has shifted the tide once more!” Sweat beaded in Su Yi’s palms, yet his spirit soared.

Now, although Charizard had suffered a severe blow from Su Yi’s combination of control and burst, it responded in time and inflicted substantial damage and a burn on the Grievous Claw Dragon, causing all its non-fixed damage physical moves to be halved.

“This must be settled swiftly! Otherwise, the side effects of berserk mode will push the situation to an irretrievable point,” Su Yi thought.

Among the side effects of berserk mode, a two-stage drop in defense can be remedied by recalling the creature to its ball for recovery, but exhaustion must be restored through real rest and feeding.

“Keep using Lacerating Claw! Tear it apart!”

Though resisted, Lacerating Claw could intensify Charizard’s laceration wounds, still dealing significant damage.

“Charizard! Hold firm!” Leon called out in a low voice.

Charizard readied itself, awaiting orders.

The Grievous Claw Dragon pounced, its claws shining with a pale, ghastly light as it slashed.

“Evade!”

Leon’s command was barely spoken before Charizard, anticipating the move, beat its wings and soared upward.

Missing its mark, the Grievous Claw Dragon did not hesitate—it touched down and immediately leapt after the airborne Charizard.

“Tit for tat! Dragon Tail!” Leon laughed.

Su Yi was startled.

Charizard swung its tail, sheathed in gleaming scales, striking the Grievous Claw Dragon’s talons and blocking the attack. At the same time, it forcibly recalled the Grievous Claw Dragon back to its ball.

With a thud, the Ferocious Dire Wolf appeared on the field, letting out a low growl as it surveyed its surroundings, wary and confused.

“Flamethrower!”

“Ferocious Dire Wolf! Watch above!” Su Yi quickly warned.

The Dire Wolf looked up, only to see an overwhelming wave of fire descending.

“Charge out, use Roar!”

Relying on its Dragon-type resistance to Fire-type moves, the Dire Wolf burst through the sea of flames, though patches of its body were scorched and blackened. Angrily, it raised its head and howled, sending a surge of dark energy at Charizard.

“Dodge! Dragon Pulse!”

Charizard deftly evaded the Roar, then unleashed the dragon energy it had been gathering.

A dazzling violet energy dragon roared toward the Dire Wolf, which failed to dodge and was struck full force by the Dragon Pulse.

The explosive energy whipped up a gale—Dire Wolf was thrown backward with a crash, panting heavily, its body covered in wounds of various sizes.

“Not good! The Dire Wolf’s anti-air abilities are lacking, and its Roar was nimbly avoided.”

Meanwhile, the abilities of the Dazzling Bird had already been exposed; the flash tactics would no longer be effective.

“Dire Wolf, return!” Su Yi had no choice but to send out the Grievous Claw Dragon again. Though its anti-air skills were also weak, at least its speed allowed it to dodge, offering a slim chance.

“Charizard, return!” Leon immediately recalled Charizard as well.

Su Yi was surprised. With all his companion creatures’ basic abilities exposed, Leon was giving up Charizard’s advantage?

“That Grievous Claw Dragon is truly remarkable—it dealt such devastating damage to Charizard in an instant, and even imposed a status where strenuous movement causes injury,” Leon said, pulling out a Poké Ball. He and Su Yi threw their balls simultaneously.

A Pokémon floated onto the field, its head shaped like a fighter jet, its tail fading into a ghostly mist.

“Dragapult? This is bad…” Su Yi muttered.

Dragapult, a Dragon/Ghost-type, could completely evade Fighting-type moves.

“Dragon Darts!”

Dragapult launched two Dreepy from its head’s launch chamber, the two initial forms shooting like small missiles.

Three against one—unfair!

Su Yi shouted, “Intercept them with Dragon Claw!”

The Grievous Claw Dragon sniffed the air, trying to track the speeding Dreepy, its claws glowing with a jade-green light, ready to strike.

“Dragon Pulse!” Leon called out instantly.

Dragapult opened its jaws, and an energy dragon roared forth once more.

Now the Grievous Claw Dragon faced three attacks at once!

“Shred them all!” Su Yi ordered.

The Grievous Claw Dragon let out a furious roar, its Dragon Claws tearing fiercely. After blocking the two Dragon Darts, it could only barely hold its claws forward to defend against the Dragon Pulse.

Boom!

The Grievous Claw Dragon was sent flying, but it immediately reacted, digging its claws into the ground and scraping long marks until it came to a halt.

“You haven’t used that move, Lacerating Claw, again. Could it be… Fighting-type?” Leon deduced some of the creature’s typing.

“And it seems your team has many Dragon-types—reminds me of a friend of mine, Raihan,” Leon laughed.

Su Yi: …

You figured it out? Should I give you a reward?

“Next—Phantom Force!”

Dragapult’s form melted into the shadows.

The Grievous Claw Dragon was startled by its opponent’s sudden disappearance.

“Stay calm! The enemy could attack from anywhere—be ready to counter at all times!” Su Yi urged.

At the same time, Su Yi swept his gaze around, alert for Dragapult’s sudden reappearance.

It emerged!

Dragapult’s figure suddenly materialized, right behind the Grievous Claw Dragon.

“Jump back and bite! Catch it!” Su Yi shouted.

The Grievous Claw Dragon’s taut body moved like a drawn bow released, twisting swiftly to bite behind itself. Its jaws glowed with dark energy—Dark-type moves are super effective against Ghost-types!

“Dragon Darts!” Leon was quick to react, giving the order instantly.

Dragapult fired two Dragon Darts almost point-blank at the Grievous Claw Dragon’s face.

“Send the Dragon Darts back!” Su Yi had a flash of inspiration.