The match between Cinderace and Shiny Gengar played out exactly as the opening moves had suggested — a relentless back-and-forth of offense and stalling.
From the moment Perish Song went up, Cinderace attacked without pause. Gengar answered each volley with the same unhurried calm: Protect, Substitute, Pain Split — an endless rotation of defensive moves that left Cinderace with nothing to show for its efforts.
When Jacob judged that Perish Song was close to activating, he stepped in.
"Come back, both of you. This match is a draw."
He recalled Cinderace and Gengar into their Poké Balls, then released them again a moment later so they could watch the rest of the matches.
"Next — Noivern versus Charizard."
Both Pokémon took to opposite sides of the field immediately.
Of all the matches tonight, this one meant the most to Jacob.
Noivern and Charizard had history going back further than almost any other pairing on the team.
They had been rivals since they were Noibat and Charmander — always competing, always pushing each other. For a long stretch, Charizard had pulled ahead decisively, the gap between them growing wide enough that comparison seemed almost unfair.
But recently, Noivern's potential had surged. The gap was closing, steadily and quickly.
Tonight was also the first time they had faced each other since both had reached their final forms.
In terms of raw strength, Charizard still held the edge — but only slightly. Noivern had been on a sharp upward curve, and what it needed more than anything right now was time.
"Begin!"
Both Pokémon beat their wings and lifted into the air in the same motion. For Flying-types, the sky was the natural battlefield, and neither had any intention of keeping this grounded.
Noivern opened first. Its ears emitted a concentrated burst of sound waves — Supersonic, aimed squarely at Charizard.
Watching it, Jacob was reminded of the very first time these two had faced each other, over a year ago. Back then, it had been Noibat and Charmander — and Noibat had worn Charmander down with exactly that combination: Supersonic and Air Slash, patient and methodical, until the win came.
Now they were here again. Same first move. Different Pokémon entirely.
Charizard didn't flinch. Years of sparring had given it a thorough read on Noivern's patterns. Dragon-type energy surged around its body, concentrating fast — and before the Supersonic could close the distance, a Dragon Pulse launched forward to meet it.
As the team's premier special attacker, Charizard's output was in a class of its own. Even without type-match advantage, the Dragon Pulse hit with enough force to cut straight through the Normal-type energy of the Supersonic and continue toward Noivern.
"Roar!"
Noivern didn't back down. It gathered its own Dragon-type energy and fired a Dragon Pulse back.
Boom.
The two attacks collided at the centre of the arena. Energy surged outward in a wave, kicking up powerful gusts that swept across the field and filled it with smoke.
When the dust settled, Noivern had come out slightly behind in that exchange — even with Dragon-type STAB, Charizard's raw Special Attack was simply higher.
Noivern's silhouette cut through the lingering fog without hesitation. Its ears began to emit sound waves again — but these ones carried Dark-type energy, spreading outward in a pulse.
Taunt.
Noivern's greatest strengths weren't its attacking moves — they were its speed, its utility, and its ability to dictate the pace of a fight. Taunt sealed off Charizard's status moves entirely, cutting off any strategic setup before it could begin.
Noivern's Speed was worth noting here. Among all Dragon-type Pokémon, it ranked seventh overall — but that list included Legendary Pokémon and Mega Evolutions. Mega Sceptile held the top spot, Dragapult came second, Koraidon and Miraidon were tied for third, Eternatus fifth, Ultra Necrozma sixth, and Noivern seventh. Strip away the Legendaries and Mega Evolutions, and Noivern ranked second among standard Dragon-types, behind only Dragapult.
Taunt landing on Charizard didn't amount to much of a setback — Charizard's plan was always going to be pure offense. It opened its mouth, and fire surged outward in a roaring tide.
Flamethrower.
Flames wrapped around Charizard's entire body as it flew, turning it into a blazing silhouette against the dark air of the arena. Then the torrent poured forward toward Noivern — wide, overwhelming, and terrifyingly hot.
On the sidelines, Shelgon watched.
It had used Flamethrower itself that afternoon, in the battle against Julia's Magnezone. The difference in power between that and what Charizard was producing now was not subtle. If Shelgon had been able to put out anything close to this, the match wouldn't have ended the way it did.
The loss still stung. Fraxure had won its match today. Shelgon had not. That imbalance sat poorly with it, and watching Charizard's Flamethrower only sharpened the feeling. Something hardened quietly in Shelgon — a resolve it hadn't quite named yet, but that was already taking shape.
I won't stay the weakest Dragon-type on this team.
Dragon-type Pokémon, as a rule, were proud. Jacob's own team was a clear example of it.
Sceptile, Dragapult, Charizard, Noivern — all deeply attached to Jacob, and all carrying that unmistakable Dragon-type pride underneath the loyalty. The reason they were as cooperative as they were came down to one thing: Jacob had raised every one of them from the very beginning. That bond was built in early enough to shape them.
Earning their respect as outsiders was a different matter entirely. Pokémon like Cinderace, Gengar, Indeedee, and Diancie had that trust because they'd also been with Jacob from the egg. Pokémon like Iron Valiant and Darkrai had earned a different kind of respect — through sheer strength that the Dragons couldn't dismiss. Anyone who didn't fit either category, like the Aerodactyl Jacob had caught at King level some time back, found it genuinely difficult to be accepted by the core team.
That pride was also part of why adult Dragon-type Pokémon were so difficult to catch in the wild. It wasn't just strength — it was temperament.
Shelgon carried the same quality. It was a Pseudo-Legendary Dragon-type, and losing while Fraxure won was not something it was going to quietly set aside. It watched Charizard's Flamethrower blaze across the arena and made up its mind then and there.
By the end of tonight, it would beat Fraxure. And eventually, it would be the strongest Dragon-type on the team.
That was the only outcome it was willing to accept.