Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Chapter 469 469: 469. Cracking the Dimensional Attack

The momentum had shifted far too quickly.

One moment, Houndstone had forced Dragapult behind a Protect barrier — a small but meaningful advantage. The next, Dragapult had come crashing out of nowhere with a full-powered Phantom Force, and Houndstone was the one reeling.

As a Ghost-type, Houndstone was doubly weak to Ghost-type moves. Even accounting for the gap in raw power between the two Pokémon, that Phantom Force had left a mark.

Dawson's expression darkened. His breathing grew heavier. A bead of cold sweat ran down his temple as he stared across the field at Jacob — and at the Shiny Dragapult hovering at his side. For the first time in a long while, Dawson felt genuinely troubled by a Pokémon that hadn't even reached king-level strength.

One wrong move, and this could be over.

He couldn't afford to lose. He wouldn't let himself think about what came after that — a veteran trainer of his standing, beaten by a kid who barely looked old enough to have his Trainer's license. The thought was unbearable.

Dawson drew a slow breath, steadying himself. The pressure bearing down on him was heavier than anything he'd felt during the king-level ranking matches.

"Houndstone... use... Play Rough."

Even as he said it, the hesitation in his own voice caught him off guard.

He ran through the options in his head. Dragapult's weaknesses: doubly weak to Ghost-type, and also weak to Ice, Dragon, Dark, and Fairy. On paper, Houndstone had answers — but barely.

For Ghost-type coverage, Houndstone could use Phantom Force. Powerful, but it required a charge, and committing to that first would hand the initiative straight back to Jacob. Grudge had no real impact in a one-on-one fight. For Ice, there was Ice Fang — decent, but not enough. Houndstone couldn't learn a single Dragon-type move. For Dark, there was Crunch.

When he laid it all out, the honest answer was that Play Rough was the best card Houndstone had. A Fairy-type move hitting a Dragon-type. That was it.

Jacob caught the uncertainty in Dawson's tone. It was subtle — just a slight drag at the end of the command, a pause that shouldn't have been there. But it told him everything. The older trainer's composure was cracking. The willingness to go all-in, to commit fully and accept the consequences, had already begun to slip away.

Jacob allowed himself a quiet smile.

People talked about youth as though it were a disadvantage — inexperience, recklessness, naivety. But right now, it felt like the opposite. Dawson had spent years building a reputation, earning his standing. He had too much to lose. That weight made him hesitate, and hesitation, in a battle like this, was the same as falling behind.

"Dragapult, gain some distance — Shadow Ball!"

Jacob's voice rang out with easy confidence. Since Phantom Force needed a recovery window before it could be used again, he shifted tactics. Let Dragapult work from range.

Dragapult flicked its tail and rose into the air, using its flight to put space between itself and Houndstone. It circled above the sandstorm, eyes locked on the churning sand below.

Ghost-type energy began flowing toward Dragapult from all sides, pulled in like a tide. Within moments, several large Shadow Balls had formed in front of it — dense, dark spheres radiating the cold stillness that Ghost-type energy carried.

"Roarrr!"

Dragapult loosed them all at once. The Shadow Balls rained down from above, spreading across the entire field. With Houndstone concealed somewhere in the sandstorm, there was no point in aiming for a single spot — better to blanket the whole arena and deny any escape.

The explosions hit in quick succession. Sand and smoke churned together, swallowing the field in a wall of debris that blocked everyone's view.

When it cleared, Houndstone was still standing. It had managed to raise a light shield at the last moment, deflecting the worst of the barrage.

Dawson stared at his Pokémon, then back at Dragapult. The ground between them was scorched and cratered.

The situation was getting away from him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, an old memory surfaced — the king-level ranking matches, years ago. Standing across from an Heavenly King and feeling that specific, hollow helplessness. His Pokémon giving everything, and it still not being enough.

No. I can't let this drag on. Dragapult will be able to use Phantom Force again soon. If I keep stalling, I've already lost.

The thought cut through him cleanly.

How could I lose? I've spent decades reaching this level. How could I lose to someone not even twenty years old?

Sitting still was no longer an option.

Something shifted in Dawson's expression. The grim uncertainty faded, replaced by a stillness that was different — quieter, and more deliberate. From somewhere deep in his memory, his mentor's voice came back to him: "The secret to not losing is to always win. There will be wins and losses — that's unavoidable. But the only thing you need to keep in mind is to always be the one standing higher."

Dawson exhaled.

"Houndstone — Night Shade!"

Ghost-type energy surged up from Houndstone's body in a violent wave, rising into the air and taking shape — a towering phantom, dark and massive, hurtling upward toward Dragapult.

Jacob heard the change in Dawson's voice immediately. The hesitation was gone. Whatever had been holding the man back, he'd finally let it go.

"Dragapult, Phantom Force!"

Jacob gave the order with equal sharpness. He was curious — genuinely curious — how Dawson would answer it this time. A Phantom Force with no charge, that bypassed Protect and struck from anywhere. What was the counter?

Dark purple Ghost-type energy wrapped around Dragapult as it tore open a rift in space and slipped into the extradimensional gap, vanishing cleanly before Night Shade could connect.

The crowd stirred.

"Here we go — how does Dawson answer Phantom Force this time?"

"I can't see a way. No charge, ignores Protect, attacks from the alternate dimension — there's no obvious counter to that."

"Could Jacob actually win this?"

Dawson had been watching. The moment the rift opened, he acted.

"Houndstone — Dig!"

Ground-type energy surged as Houndstone drove downward, claws tearing through the arena floor. In an instant, it was gone — buried beneath the surface.

The crowd took a second to catch up. Then the realization rippled through.

"Dig — of course!"

"If Dragapult hides in the extradimensional space, Houndstone hides underground. Dragapult can open rifts in the air, but not below the surface."

"And Houndstone can come back up whenever it wants. It's not lost — it's just waiting."

Jacob watched, and gave a small nod of genuine acknowledgment. King-level trainers earned that title for a reason. The counter had come fast.

He adjusted immediately. "Dragapult, come back out — Dragon Dance!"

Dragapult emerged from the rift and began the sweeping, rhythmic movements of Dragon Dance, building speed and attack power.

"Houndstone — now! Don't let it set up!"

Dawson's command overlapped with Jacob's. Houndstone burst back up through the ground, lunging straight at Dragapult.

"Dragapult — Shadow Ball!"

Jacob shifted again without missing a beat. Ghost-type energy surged and compressed into a Shadow Ball between one breath and the next — and at the same moment, Houndstone came rocketing up from underground, slamming hard into Dragapult.