The translucent shield shattered under Dragonite's glowing fist, shockwaves rippling across the arena. Su Feng's eyes narrowed - even with Protect mitigating the Extreme Speed, the impact left Flame Chicken skidding backward, claws carving trenches in the stone floor.
"Blazii...!" The fire-type's muscles trembled, heat waves distorting the air around its ankles.
"Flame Burst on the ground! Create smoke!" Su Feng's command cut through the dust.
Flame Chicken slammed its talons, erupting a ring of fire that swallowed the battlefield in crimson haze. Dragonite's wings stirred instinctively, but Su Feng was already shouting: "Feather Dance disruption, now!"
A storm of glowing embers swirled upward, tangling in Dragonite's wing membranes. The momentary distraction allowed Flame Chicken to leap skyward, talons blazing with wicked purple energy - Thunder Punch charged through Blaze-boosted legs.
"DRAH!" Dragonite roared as the super-effective hit connected, electricity crawling across its scales. But before Flame Chicken could retreat, orange claws snapped shut around its ankle.
Multi-Scale shimmered faintly - the dragon had already used Roost mid-grapple, healing chip damage from the initial exchange.
"Close Combat! Aim for the armpit scales!" Su Feng's voice turned razor-sharp.
Flame Chicken twisted violently, free leg piston-kicking the softer hide beneath Dragonite's arm. The dragon's grip loosened just enough - "Switch to Hi Jump Kick! Disengage!"
The fire-type's other foot glowed white, propelling it upward like a missile. Dragonite's retaliatory Hurricane tore through the space it occupied moments ago.
[Holy shit! Chicken acrobatics!]
[Did you see how it used Thunder Punch's recoil to dodge?]
[That armpit targetting... Wind Bro's studied dragon physiology!]
From the shadows, Gengar's grin widened. Its turn was coming.
"Will-O-Wisp! Full spread!" Su Feng's gamble came as Flame Chicken reached the smoke cloud's peak.
Purple flames rained down, not aimed at Dragonite but igniting the entire arena's oxygen. The Flame Burst residue detonated in a chain reaction, forcing the dragon to shield its eyes - and in that millisecond, a single ghostly ember kissed its left wingtip.
Burn status crawled up Dragonite's arm, attack stat halved.
The elder dragons stirred. One Three-headed Hydreigon snorted smoke, clearly impressed despite itself.
"Now! U-turn retreat!"
Flame Chicken became a crimson comet, spiraling back to Su Feng's side as a dark blur took its place - Greninja materialized mid-air, Ice Beam already spiraling between its palms.
But Dragonite's eyes glinted. With burned wing dragging, it performed the unthinkable - a Rain Dance summoned through sheer willpower, storm clouds quenching the flames... and empowering its Thunder attack.
The arena became a lightning-charged deathtrap.
Su Feng grinned ferally. "Right where I want you."
Greninja's Mat Block unfurled, absorbing the thunderstrike... while beneath the arena, Gengar's shadow extended like oil, seeping into Dragonite's silhouette.
The real battle had just begun.