Caleb vaguely remembered that Tropius was supposed to be Grass/Flying-type, and its Egg Group was part Monster and part Plant—basically had nothing to do with Dragons.
But if the Dragon Clan said it was a dragon, well... he wasn't about to argue.
Just then, Kael shouted loudly, "Tropius, use Dragon Dance!"
Dragon Dance—an iconic move for both Dragon-type and even some non-Dragon Pokémon.
It boosts Speed and Attack, making it a game-changer in comeback scenarios.
For Dragon trainers, the go-to move was always stacking Dragon Dance first—it was basic strategy by now.
Almost simultaneously, Caleb issued his own command:
"Stealth Rock!"
As Tropius began its heated dance, countless faint, jagged stones floated into position around the battlefield.
Any switch-in on Kael's side would now take one-eighth HP in entry damage.
"Heh, Stealth Rock? Please. As long as I don't switch, you can't do jack to me!
My Tropius alone is enough to wipe you out!
Tropius, Outrage!"
Outrage—a powerful Dragon-type move that unleashes a barrage of wild attacks over 2–3 turns, followed by confusion.
Though it's etched in the genes of many dragons, only a few can actually learn it.
So for a non-Dragon like Tropius to pull it off? That alone proved its insane talent and potential.
No wonder Kael was so confident—he probably just steamrolled past challengers with Outrage every time.
But not this time.
"Skarmory, Roost!"
Tropius, pumped up from Dragon Dance, went into a frenzy. Dragon energy exploded from within like a beast unleashed, and it charged at Skarmory with full force.
BOOM!
Skarmory screeched in pain as the Outrage hit head-on, sending it plummeting toward the ground like a meteor.
The attack was terrifyingly strong—nearly drained Skarmory's entire health bar. Any other Pokémon might've been knocked out instantly.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The feral, rampaging Tropius suddenly turned into a flash of red light—recalled back into its Pokéball.
"NANI?!"
Kael was stunned. The livestream viewers were stunned. Even Green, used to Caleb's shenanigans, was stunned.
What kind of absurd play was that?
A tattered red card dropped from Skarmory's body.
Red Card—an item that forces the attacker to switch out when they land a move.
A perfect counter to setup teams.
"That's cracked. Skarmory's got Red Card? I thought for sure it'd have Rocky Helmet."
"You're built different."
"Helmet? Nah, too nasty. Should've gone with Leftovers!"
Tropius was forcibly recalled. In its place came a Gyarados—Water and Flying-type!
The moment it landed, an imposing aura radiated from it.
"ROAR—"
Wait, why am I here?
Then... the lurking Stealth Rock made its move... and slammed into Gyarados.
At the same time, Skarmory—who had just crashed—took flight again. Its wings spread wide as feathers imbued with Flying-type energy wrapped around its body.
Its HP shot back up to full.
All of this happened in an instant. Kael hadn't even processed what was going on before his powered-up Tropius was swapped out, and the half-dead Skarmory was suddenly back to peak condition.
"Phew—it's fine. Red Card only works once. My dragon's not done yet."
Kael exhaled hard, trying to steady his rising panic.
He pumped himself back up and shouted at the now-fielded Gyarados:
"Don't get cocky! Even without Tropius, I can still wipe you out!
Gyarados, Ice Fang!"
With the command given, the still-dusty Gyarados let out a thunderous roar.
You think I'm still a Magikarp?!
Cold air gathered at its jaws, forming sharp icy fangs, and it lunged straight for Skarmory.
Facing the incoming threat, Caleb just smirked slightly and said calmly:
"Whirlwind."
Whirlwind—a Normal-type move that forcibly switches the opposing Pokémon.
Ice Fang slammed into Skarmory's wings, leaving a thin coat of frost over the steel feathers.
But right after, a strange gust of wind erupted from around Skarmory—not strong enough to hurt, but powerful enough to blow away even the hulking Gyarados.
Still latched onto Skarmory's wing, Gyarados was caught in the draft, turned into red light, and was sent back into its Pokéball.
"ROAR—ROAR—!"
Gyarados's cries echoed—unwilling, desperate.
Let me back in! I'm not done yet!
But no matter how hard it screamed, the outcome couldn't be changed.
Next up was a majestic Charizard.
As soon as it opened its eyes—it saw the floating stones in the air.
Stealth Rock: Hello (polite).
Charizard: ?
"ROAAAAR!"
With a heart-wrenching shriek, Charizard plummeted straight to the ground like it had taken a direct hit.
Fire/Flying—4x weakness to Rock.
It was basically already knocked out upon entry.
Kael said nothing. He just clenched his fists and bit his lip, his face turning red with frustration.
Because of the persona he built for himself, he couldn't blow up on stream.
"Stealth Rock + Whirlwind... whoever came up with that combo is a freakin' genius."
"Yo, that's a strat—I'm writing this down."
"Wait, are you trying to not be human anymore?"
"Seriously, we should be protesting this playstyle and restore dignity to competitive battling."
"Yeah! Let's shout our slogan together!"
"Purge the heretic!"
"Purge the heretic!"
"Purge the heretic!"
"..."
Tropius—Grass/Flying.
Gyarados—Water/Flying.
Charizard—Fire/Flying...
Every single one of them was part Flying-type!
"Dude, your idol is Lance, isn't he?"
Caleb yelled. These days, if a Pokémon has 'Dragon' in its name, it's probably Flying-type instead!
"Of course! Mr. Lance is the idol of every young member of the Blackthorn Clan! My goal is to surpass him and become the ultimate Dragon Master!"
Kael looked fired up again, shouting, "That's right! I will surpass Mr. Lance! I can't fall here! I won't fall!"
"Uh-oh, he's powering up—Skarmory, Roost again!"
Caleb was suddenly on alert.
Sure enough, fired up by Kael's passion, Charizard pulled itself up from the pile of rocks—its aura flaring wildly.
Blaze Mode: Activated!
Another one manually triggering Blaze Mode—this guy's totally cheating!
Caleb really wanted to hit the report button.
"Go, Charizard! Let him witness the bond between us! Flare Blitz!!"
"ROAR!"
"Let's go, Charizard!!"
"Take down this toxic gym!!"
"CHARGE! CHARGE!"
The stream chat exploded with hype. Carrying the hopes of thousands, Charizard flapped its wings and ignited with blazing flames, glowing like the sun in the sky.
At the heart of the giant fireball, a deep purple glint appeared—
Life Orb. It was holding a Life Orb!
The boost from Life Orb pushed Flare Blitz's power to the max!
BOOM!!!
The sheer force of the blast cracked the battlefield.
Through the towering flames, a blurry silhouette of Charizard collapsing could be seen.
"Heh... so it ended in mutual destruction, huh?"
Kael wasn't surprised. Charizard had been low on HP. Between Flare Blitz recoil and Life Orb damage, this was the best-case scenario.
But—
As the smoke cleared, Kael's face turned from confident to pale, then to utterly twisted.
Skarmory stood tall atop the wreckage, letting out a triumphant cry.
I'm still alive—
Sturdy. When at full HP, it always survives a hit with 1 HP.
"Dammit," Kael growled, fists clenched. "How is Sturdy such a disgusting ability?!"
If this weren't a livestream, given the Blackthorn Clan's infamous tempers, Kael probably would've decked Caleb by now.
He scowled as he recalled his fainted Charizard.
Then sent Tropius back out.
And the moment Tropius hit the field...
Stealth Rock was waiting.
Stealth Rock: Hello again (smile).
Tropius: ?
What the heck—those weren't there before!
Tropius crashed to the ground.
Kael's face darkened even more.
Luckily, Tropius was high level. Aside from the wilted leaves on its back, it managed to get back up quickly.
Suddenly, Kael's eyes lit up. He shouted, "Tropius, use Whirlwind!"
He grinned, twisted and evil.
"Let you taste your own medicine! Hahaha!"
"Yesss, that's it—let him be beaten by his own dirty trick!"
"Fight dirt with dirt—this is how we win. I'm learning so much."
"Kael, stop laughing like that—Mom says it's creepy."
The strange gust of wind blew again, and this time Skarmory was sent back to Caleb's Pokéball.
"Alright—let's see who's next!"
Flash of white.
A massive steel-plated bird landed on the field, body clad in gleaming silver armor.
It was... Skarmory!
Caleb's second Pokémon... was Skarmory again!
Tropius: "..."
Stream chat: "..."
Green: "..."
Kael: "..."
Wait—BRO, SERIOUSLY?!