When Greninja's Water Shuriken finally faded, Salamence barely reacted. It gave a small shake of its massive body, sending droplets flying off its scales. Other than leaving a bit of moisture on its hide, Greninja's attack had done almost nothing at all.
Or rather, the power behind that Water Shuriken had only really served one purpose — to get Salamence wet.
The spectators around the arena exchanged confused glances, clearly puzzled by the strange opening move. But Kuuki Genichi, the trainer whose attack had seemingly failed, wore a quiet, satisfied expression — the look of someone whose real plan had just fallen into place.
"Greninja, now! Use Psybeam!"
Greninja's eyes flashed. Twin beams of icy blue light shot upward from its fingertips, cutting through the air in rapid succession. Both Psybeams were aimed with precision — one toward Salamence's enormous wings, the other at the metallic gleam of its chest plate.
It was worth noting that this was no ordinary Salamence. It had evolved after absorbing the power of the Sea God, and the differences from a typical specimen were plain to see.
The most striking change was in its wings. Salamence's Dragon Wings were significantly larger than those of any normal Salamence — far larger, in fact, than most trainers had likely ever witnessed up close. Etched faintly across the surface of those wings were golden divine runes that shimmered in the arena light, with a soft golden radiance trailing along both sides. The effect made its already enormous wings look almost like a pair of guillotine blades, vast and sweeping, designed to cleave the very air apart.
Setting everything else aside, in terms of sheer presence alone, David's Salamence was already something extraordinary.
Thanks to the earlier Water Shuriken, there was still moisture clinging to Salamence's chest and both wings. And now Kuuki Genichi's plan became obvious. He had thought it through from the very beginning — the Water Shuriken had never been meant to deal damage. It had always been the setup.
"Heh." David let out a quiet sound, watching his opponent's expression shift toward confidence. "A plan that works and a plan that matters are two completely different things."
He said it calmly, without any particular edge in his voice.
Kuuki Genichi stiffened. The premature satisfaction on his face vanished.
"You—"
"Hmph." He turned his focus back to the battlefield, pushing aside the interruption. "Let's see how you deal with this."
Kuuki Genichi had known, going in, that the Cloudspire Alliance would be difficult. He had prepared himself mentally for a tough road ahead. But being looked down on — truly dismissed, as though he barely warranted attention — that was something else entirely.
He was a genuine talent from the Sakura Alliance. Among his peers there, apart from a small number of rivals, he had rarely lost. He had his own pride, his own record. Since arriving in the Cloudspire Alliance, he had faced setback after setback, and now at last he had a chance to show what he was capable of.
The Psybeam was almost there. The corners of his mouth were already beginning to curl upward.
If a wet surface were struck by Psybeam, the damage would be severe. Salamence might not lose its ability to battle outright, but it would certainly be left in a weakened state. That much he was confident about.
Feeling that victory was already within reach, Kuuki Genichi glanced toward David with a look of quiet triumph.
But just as his eyes turned away from the field, everything changed.
Salamence looked up at the incoming Psybeam. Without any urgency whatsoever, it opened its jaws in a slow, almost lazy yawn — and then gave a single, gentle beat of its Dragon Wings.
In that instant, it was simply gone.
Salamence, which had been hovering in mid-air a moment before, reappeared at the very top of the arena, high above the reach of both beams. The two Psybeams streaked past far below, missing entirely — not even coming close.
Then Salamence beat its wings again.
Its enormous silhouette vanished from that spot as well. The very next second, it was at Greninja's side.
A body that size, moving at that speed — it was like watching something that shouldn't exist.
Greninja reacted immediately, startled by the sudden presence beside it.
Salamence didn't even look at it. It simply flicked its tail — a casual, almost offhand motion from where it stood.
But to Greninja, it was anything but casual.
What Greninja saw was a massive Dragon Tail wreathed in dark purple energy, tearing through the air with enough force to split the ground, lashing toward it with full intent.
Even so, Greninja's training showed. Without waiting for its trainer's command, it acted on instinct.
In the final fraction of a second, the battle-hardened Greninja used Cut to barely deflect Salamence's Dragon Tail. The collision sent a shockwave through its body, and Greninja skidded hard across the arena floor — nearly carried right out of bounds by that single, careless flick of Salamence's tail.
It had taken everything Greninja had just to stay standing.
And it was only now, in the aftermath of that exchange, that Kuuki Genichi fully grasped what had happened.
The situation had reversed almost completely — and it had taken only a few seconds.
"Greninja..."
He forced himself to think clearly, going through it one step at a time.
Type disadvantage — Salamence was Dragon-type, which meant it only took half damage from Greninja's Water-type moves. Stamina — Greninja's was clearly inferior. Raw power — there was no comparison. And now even speed, which had always been Greninja's greatest strength — Salamence had simply outpaced it without even seeming to try.
And on top of all of that, it could fly.
He stared at the battlefield, searching for any angle, any opening, anything at all. He couldn't find one.
"Salamence, let's wrap this up."
David spoke without looking away from the field. There was no urgency in his voice — if anything, he sounded mildly bored. His opponent had shown real skill, no question about that. But skill alone, without something more — something unexpected — wasn't enough to hold his interest for long.
"Roooaar! Roooaar! Roooaar!"
Salamence heard its trainer's words. It had had its fun, and it wasn't interested in drawing things out any further. It let out a sharp, rolling cry and surged upward — and then the dark purple Dragon-type aura it had been carrying erupted outward, surrounding its body in a dense, crackling shroud.
For a brief moment it hung in the air above the center of the arena, enormous and still. Then it dropped.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, Salamence came down with full force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impact sent a wave of smoke and dust rolling outward across the entire arena. It swallowed everything — Greninja, the far side of the field, all of it — in a thick, gray shroud.
Silence followed.
Within the cloud, not a single sound could be heard.
The spectators held their breath. Most of them had already guessed the outcome. But some still watched the smoke, waiting — hoping, perhaps, that something unexpected might emerge from within it.