Chapter 131: Challenge

Upon hearing Rex's challenge, everyone was surprised. They hadn't expected Rex to request a battle after witnessing the formidable strength of Elite Four member Drake.

"Young man, your name is Rex, right? You do know that Salamence is one of my main Pokémon. Are you still up for the challenge?" Drake asked sternly.

He didn't have a strong impression of Rex because during their time together, Rex had always been silent. However, seeing this somewhat reserved youth confidently request a battle after witnessing Ash's Pokémon's defeat piqued his interest.

"Rex, what should we do? He seems a bit angry. You should apologize quickly!" May, feeling intimidated by Drake's aura, thought Rex's challenge had angered him, so she quickly tugged at Rex's clothes and whispered softly.

"Mr. Drake, I want to see where my limits lie, so please give me this opportunity," Rex replied affirmatively to Drake after giving May a reassuring glance, not being overwhelmed by his intimidating presence.

Rex wanted to challenge Drake to understand the gap in strength between his own powerful Swellow and the Pokémon of a top-tier trainer.

"Then let's do it. I hope you don't disappoint me, young man," Drake said, his expression lifting after sensing Rex's fighting spirit.

Subsequently, the formidable Salamence, which had just been released, emanated a terrifying aura. This aura could make Pokémon with weak wills lose their desire to battle, or even flee back into their Poké Balls, let alone fight.

Rex released his Swellow. Swellow was initially suppressed by Salamence's Intimidate ability, but it quickly broke free.

Swellow had no fear in its heart, only a burning fighting spirit. Facing such a powerful Pokémon fueled its battle fervor. Even if the opponent's strength surpassed its own, it wouldn't submit.

"Although it's not the first time I've seen it, I have to say, Rex, your Swellow is really huge," Max admired Swellow's enormous size, noting the stark difference in size between it and Ash's Swellow, akin to an adult and a child.

"Indeed, Rex, you've raised this Swellow very well, and it can ignore my Salamence's Intimidate ability. No wonder you have the confidence to challenge me," Drake praised as he looked at Swellow, which now had a size similar to his Salamence.

For a Pokémon to surpass its species' average size indicated that it had begun to develop towards higher levels of strength. A larger size within the same species symbolized a comprehensive improvement in strength, physique, speed, and more. This enhancement represented an increase in the Pokémon's raw power.

Although some trainers could achieve victory against stronger opponents through tactical maneuvers, this couldn't erase the gap in quality between the two Pokémon. When faced with equal damage, the advantage of a larger Pokémon's durability became apparent.

Facing Drake, Rex didn't dare to be careless. He commanded Swellow to use Agility to increase its flying speed, intending to win with the advantage of speed.

"Salamence, use Scary Face," Drake, seeing Rex's intention, ordered Salamence to use a move that could reduce the opponent's speed.

Affected by Scary Face, Swellow's speed suddenly dropped. Although it was still slightly faster than Salamence, it couldn't maintain a complete speed advantage.

"Swellow, use Air Cutter," Rex, realizing that speed wouldn't guarantee victory, had no choice but to rely on strength.

"Salamence, use Flamethrower to intercept," Drake responded.

The following was an intense battle in the air. Swellow flapped its wings to generate numerous Air Cutters toward Salamence, while Salamence spewed a powerful flamethrower from above, colliding with the Air Cutters. Explosions of energy echoed in the sky.

However, Swellow's Air Cutters couldn't break through Salamence's flamethrower defense to inflict damage.

"Salamence, charge and use Dragon Claw," Drake, no longer willing to entangle in a battle of attrition, ordered his Salamence to attack.

"Swellow, use Wing Attack," Rex chose to confront Salamence's assault head-on.

Upon receiving the command, Swellow folded its wings and covered its body with flying-type energy. Then, it quickly dove toward Salamence.

Salamence used its right claw to block Swellow's Wing Attack and its left claw to conjure Dragon Claw, striking Swellow's back heavily. Swellow screamed in pain and swiftly descended towards the deck.

"Salamence, use Dragon Breath," Drake pursued.

This was Drake's fighting style: to seize any weaknesses during battle and exploit them to leave the opponent with no chance of a comeback. This was how Ash's Pokémon had been overwhelmed before, without the ability to fight back.

"Swellow, dodge quickly," Rex shouted anxiously.

Hearing the trainer's reminder, Swellow struggled to stabilize its body. With a flap of its right wing, it flew diagonally, narrowly avoiding Dragon Breath.

"Phew, Swellow was in danger just now," May sighed in relief as she saw Swellow evade Dragon Breath's attack.

"Rex's Swellow is able to break free from such a situation. It's really impressive," Max remarked, amazed by Swellow's performance.

"Swellow, use Hyper Beam," Rex, aware that Swellow had just suffered serious injuries and realizing the gap in strength between the two sides, didn't intend to continue the direct confrontation.

Ever since Swellow learned Hyper Beam, Rex had been releasing it daily, allowing it to practice the move independently. For Swellow, the vast and boundless sky was the best training ground, allowing it to train anytime, anywhere.

Now, Swellow could barely achieve consecutive shots of Hyper Beam, with only a 10-second resting time in between. Although it couldn't match the few-second intervals of Winona's Swellow, this level of proficiency was sufficient for practical use in battle.

"Salamence, counter with Dragon Breath," Drake, now taking the situation more seriously, was quite satisfied with Rex's performance so far.

Boom!

Hyper Beam and Dragon Breath collided, creating a massive explosion. Suddenly, a Hyper Beam broke through the smoke, directly hitting Salamence, which was trying to attack during the time when Swellow couldn't.

"This scene seems familiar. That's right, Miss Winona's Swellow could use Hyper Beam consecutively like this!" Ash, seeing Swellow consecutively launching Hyper Beams in a short period, felt a sense of familiarity, suddenly remembering Miss Winona's Swellow. His Swellow had suffered quite a bit before finally managing to defeat it.

Although Salamence was hit by the Hyper Beam, Salamence only retreated a distance and stabilized its body. It didn't seem to be a big deal.

At this moment, the Swallow's Hyper Beam attacked it again. Salamence was a little annoyed by the previous attack, and it also condensed a Hyper Beam from its mouth and sprayed it out.

  (End of this chapter)