Chapter 268: Kingdra

1,300 meters, 1,500 meters, 1,800 meters... Two hours later, Julian was nearing the 2,000-meter mark of Dragon Mountain.

His clothes were torn in a few places, but his stamina remained solid.

No Dragon-type Pokémon had appeared along the way—not because he hadn't entered their territory, but because he was still on the outskirts.

As he moved closer to the center of the next Pokémon's territory, the Dragon-type would inevitably appear.

Judging by the territory's sheer size, the yet-to-appear third Dragon-type Pokémon's domain was even larger than the combined territories of the two Pokémon Dragonite had already defeated.

At 2,000 meters, mountain winds began to sweep through the area. Though the wind wasn't strong, it still slowed Julian down somewhat.

As he continued forward, the path widened and became easier to traverse. Not far ahead, Julian spotted a pool of water.

Ripples spread across the pool as a head emerged from its surface.

The creature was mostly blue, with dragon-like horns on its head, resembling a seahorse in form.

It was unmistakably a Kingdra.

Upon seeing Dragonite and Julian, Kingdra didn't attack. Instead, it looked at them with a hint of indifference.

Julian: 'Looks like it's underestimating us.'

A mid-tier Elite Kingdra certainly had the right to look down on him and Dragonite.

To soak in the Dragon Pool, Julian had to defeat three Dragon-types on Dragon Mountain. As the third guardian, this Kingdra was bound to be stronger than the first two. Its mid-tier Elite rank made that abundantly clear.

Dragonite stepped forward, locking eyes with Kingdra by the water's edge.

Kingdra noticed that Dragonite wasn't even at the Elite level. A flicker of disdain crossed its eyes—not just for Dragonite but also for the two Pokémon it had defeated earlier.

However, what happened next turned Kingdra's disdain into fury.

In an instant, Dragonite vanished from sight, reappearing directly in front of Kingdra. A crackling Thunder Punch was already heading straight for its face.

From Kingdra's perspective, it was nothing less than a sneak attack.

Kingdra reacted swiftly, releasing a Hydro Pump from its mouth. Dragonite was forced to abandon its attack and dodge quickly to avoid the surging blast of water.

The next moment, Kingdra transformed into a rapid-fire turret.

One Hydro Pump after another shot toward Dragonite in the air like rounds from a Gatling gun. The frequency, speed, and power of the attacks were enough to pose a serious threat to Dragonite.

This was Hydro Pump, yet Kingdra wielded it as if it were a water cannon on overdrive.

Julian couldn't help but feel that Dylan's claim of defeating this mid-tier Elite Kingdra with his peak pseudo-Elite Salamence was too good to be true.

Julian: 'Cheating must have been involved, right?'

Dylan: 'I've got the Heart of Dragon and spent three days getting to Kingdra, unlike you, who made it here in just one day.'

Dylan's approach was entirely different. He had taken on one Dragon-type Pokémon each day, allowing his Salamence to rest before tackling the next opponent the following day.

This pacing gave challengers a fair chance of conquering Dragon Mountain. After all, if rest periods weren't allowed, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to pass.

Under the relentless barrage of Hydro Pump, Dragonite was forced to focus solely on evasion. It didn't even have the opportunity to counterattack, let alone close the distance to Kingdra.

Julian squinted, activating his 'Probing Eyes'. Kingdra's stats and abilities became clear to him in an instant.

This Kingdra had the Sniper ability. Once it landed a critical hit, its damage would skyrocket.

No wonder it opted for rapid-fire Hydro Pump attacks—more attempts meant a higher chance of landing a critical hit.

What Kingdra hadn't anticipated, though, was Dragonite's mastery of Extreme Speed.

Kingdra: 'Is dodging all you can do?'

Dragonite: 'I can eat, too.'

Frustrated by Dragonite's evasive tactics, Kingdra burst out of the water, sending a cascade of droplets into the air.

It used Agility, dashing across the airborne water droplets as if they were stepping stones, rapidly closing the distance between them.

In a blink, Kingdra was less than eight meters away.

A massive vortex of spinning water formed in its mouth. The swirling current expanded rapidly, forming a colossal Whirlpool over 300 meters wide, shaped like an inverted triangle.

The high-speed rotation of the Whirlpool generated visible air currents, creating a powerful suction force that began pulling Dragonite toward it.

Despite flapping its wings furiously, Dragonite could only slow its movement toward the Whirlpool; it couldn't stop it entirely.

As the Whirlpool drew closer, the suction became even stronger, threatening to engulf Dragonite completely.

"Giga Impact!" Julian shouted,

The Whirlpool's suction made movement difficult, and using ranged attacks would likely fail to disrupt it.

Kingdra had already forced Dragonite into a precarious position during the first exchange.

Julian: 'Dylan, you must have cheated your way past this. There's no other explanation.'

Dylan: ┗(▔,▔)┛

Dylan's Salamence: 'Am I really that weak in your eyes?'

Dragonite gathered all its strength, its body surrounded by white shockwaves of compressed air as it executed Giga Impact. The overwhelming momentum compressed the air further and further, turning Dragonite into a meteor hurtling forward.

With a deafening boom, the attack obliterated the Whirlpool.

But Kingdra was already gone.

Dragonite's momentum carried it straight into the pool with a resounding splash, sending towering waves of water into the air.

The pool briefly turned into a hollow crater, as if a bomb had detonated, with the surrounding water held back by the shockwave.

Hovering in the center of the depression, Dragonite remained alert, its sharp eyes scanning the area. It could sense Kingdra lurking somewhere beneath the surface, hidden but undoubtedly preparing for its next strike.

Suddenly, an icy blue beam shot out from a concealed spot in the water. The freezing cold radiating from it instantly turned the surrounding water into ice.

"Protect!"

An Ice-type move would deal quadruple damage to Dragonite, and with Kingdra's angle of attack being so precise, dodging or countering in time seemed almost impossible.

A translucent green barrier surrounded Dragonite, its Protect shielding it from the devastating Ice Beam. The attack dissipated harmlessly against the shield, but Dragonite wasn't done.

Using the momentary advantage, Dragonite charged forward, still protected, aiming straight for the source of the Ice Beam.

With a thunderous crash, the pool erupted once more as Dragonite collided with its target. A blue-scaled Kingdra burst out of the water, flung high into the air from the impact.

Before Kingdra could recover, a flash of golden electricity surged upward from beneath the pool—a devastating Thunderbolt struck it squarely.

Dragonite's versatile move pool was one of its greatest strengths, covering a wide range of types. Even Electric-type moves like Thunder were within its arsenal.

However, this time it had opted for Thunderbolt instead of the more powerful Thunder. The reason was simple: Thunder required time to gather energy, while Thunderbolt could be unleashed instantly.

Given Kingdra's quick reflexes, a slower attack like Thunder would have given it the chance to evade entirely. But Thunderbolt left no room for escape.