Chapter 306: 306. Dark Dragonite

Words : 1211 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

---- Flames blazed. The ground quaked. Fire-types danced, Water-types roared. The battlefield was complete chaos but after enduring so many battles, Kai had grown significantly. He'd learned how to stay composed even amid this chaos, calmly finding openings to issue precise commands to his Pokémon. "Gyarados, bite that Golbat's wing! Don't let it escape!" "Nice work, Jolteon! Keep using Discharge turn them all to ash!" "Crystal Steelix, yeah, just charge right through! Flatten those Weezing!" Under Kai's command, his team worked in perfect sync, steadily clearing out the Team Rocket Grunts' Pokémon. Meanwhile, on the other front, Lance was successfully keeping the Iron-Masked Marauder at bay, drawing him away from the main battle, farther and farther from the Grunts. The battlefield had effectively been split into two. And though it was clear this was the enemy's tactic, the Iron-Masked Marauder didn't seem to care in the slightest. Or rather, it was simply his nature self-centred and cold-blooded. To him, the Grunts were nothing more than expendable pawns, meant to be sacrificed to buy time. Back at the front, the battle continued fiercely. Dozens of Rocket Pokémon fell from the sky one after another, defeated and unconscious. In terms of power, the Grunts were no match. In just a few minutes, their Pokémon were wiped out. Seeing that the tide had turned, Clair finally exhaled in relief, now able to spare some attention to look at Kai's Pokémon more closely. To be honest, before meeting Kai, she had never seen any of his battles. All she knew was that he was the latest Indigo League Champion nothing more. She had no real gauge of his strength. But now, after seeing it firsthand, it was clear: Kai's Pokémon were incredibly strong. Even compared to her own, their battle performance was sharper and more commanding. No wonder Lance held him in such high regard. Her gaze lingered on Crystal Steelix for a few seconds, admiring its majestic, gleaming body. But just then, she caught sight of a slender, serpentine figure slithering along the edge of the field. "Huh? You have a Dratini too?" As everyone knew, Dratini, the pre-evolution of Dragonite, was even rarer than Dragonite itself usually only found in Dragonite habitats. "Yeah," Kai nodded, "I caught it on Dragonite Island." "Dragonite Island, huh..." Clair thought for a moment. Of course, she'd heard of the place. Unfortunately, she'd never had the chance to visit. But Kai had actually been there? She studied him more carefully now, a bit awestruck. "If you were able to find Dragonite Island... then the Elder was right. You really are fated to walk the Dragon's path." Kai just smiled quietly, saying nothing. By now, the Team Rocket Grunts had lost all of their Pokémon. They were like lambs waiting for slaughter. A few still tried to resist with capture nets, but against Pokémon, human tools were pitifully ineffective. It didn't take long before they were all subdued. With all the threats neutralized, Kai finally allowed himself to relax. Truthfully, during the battle, he'd been worried the Grunts might also be carrying Dark Balls capable of stealing his Pokémon. But now it was clear he'd overthought it. After all, the Dark Ball didn't just capture it could steal other Trainers' Pokémon. In that way, it even surpassed a Master Ball. Such a powerful item would surely be limited in number, and there was no way the Iron-Masked Marauder would hand them out to underlings. Picking up the fallen capture nets, Kai and Clair worked together to tie up the Grunts and return their Pokémon to their Poké Balls. Meanwhile, on the far end of the battlefield, the Iron-Masked Marauder stood atop his mechanical spider, sneering at Lance. "All of this is meaningless. Don't think that defeating a few small fries means you've won. Hmph. Before my Dark Ball, all Pokémon will obey. Your efforts are futile!" As he spoke, the spider's massive claw slammed down, forcing Dragonite to retreat. Then, the Iron-Masked Marauder pulled a black Poké Ball from his coat and aimed it directly at Lance's Dragonite. Lance's eyes widened. "Dragonite, get out of there now!!" A beam of black light burst from the Dark Ball. Even though Dragonite was at a distance and tried to dodge, it still couldn't escape the ominous energy. "Dragonite!!!" Lance frantically grabbed Dragonite's Poké Ball, trying to recall it but the red recall beam was neutralized the moment it touched the black light. It had no effect. Dragonite struggled with all its might, but in the next few seconds, under Lance's anguished gaze, it was sucked into the Dark Ball. The Iron-Masked Marauder laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! If you knew I was coming, then surely you know who I am. You've heard of the Dark Ball, haven't you? The Poké Ball that corrupts its captives and pushes their power beyond its limits. Once caught, no Pokémon can resist it. Now... obey me Dark Dragonite!" As the black light surged again, Dragonite reemerged but its eyes glowed with a sinister red hue. And the moment it appeared, it opened its mouth and fired a Hyper Beam straight at Lance! The attack was sudden and unannounced. Even Lance had no time to react. The beam shot toward him at incredible speed. He could feel the searing heat from the blast rushing over him. But just as it was about to strike the Hyper Beam halted in midair as if it had slammed into an invisible wall. BOOM! The energy exploded outward. Smoke billowed, flames spread but Lance remained unharmed. Lowering the arm he had raised to shield himself, Lance turned and saw— Sabrina, having just arrived. She hovered to the ground beside him, not even sparing him a glance. Her flowing hair danced in the energy's wake, her eyes locked coldly onto the Iron-Masked Marauder. She hadn't been fast enough to reach him earlier, but perhaps that delay was fate because now, at the critical moment, she'd arrived to save Lance's life. "...Thank you." Lance's voice was quiet as he turned his attention back to Dragonite. In just seconds, it felt like his partner had become a stranger. The once-familiar warmth was gone, replaced by a cold, malicious aura. "Dragonite! Snap out of it!" His voice echoed through the battlefield. Dragonite's body trembled slightly, and for a brief moment, a flicker of clarity flashed in its eyes. But the darkness quickly swallowed it again. "Oh?" Even that faint resistance hadn't escaped the Iron-Masked Marauder's notice. He grinned viciously. "It seems your bond runs deep... But now, it listens only to me!" Lance wouldn't give up. "Don't let the darkness take you, Dragonite! You have to wake up!" "Hmph. Still, resisting? How many times do I have to say it before you get it!?" Irritated, the Iron-Masked Marauder waved his hand. "Dragonite what are you waiting for? Destroy them!!" ---- Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!???????????? For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon. P@treon/iamxeno Thank you so much for your support and for reading!

Chapter 306: 306. Dark Dragonite

Comments (0)