Venusaur and Cacturne, one a tank, the other a main attacker—from this perspective, the two Pokémon are indeed well-suited for a double battle.
As for double battles, Julian had only participated in one during his freshman year at the Intercollegiate Exchange Tournament, and even then, it was more of a cooperative effort with a partner.
Of course, that couldn’t really be considered a proper double battle, as there was no coordination whatsoever—they simply bulldozed through with brute strength.
So, in terms of real double battle experience, Julian had none.
But did that matter? Not at all.
While thinking, he detached two Poké Balls from his belt.
Pokémon: Dragonite (Dragon/Flying)
Moves: Hurricane, Wing Attack, Roost, Wrap, Leer, Dragon Tail, Twister, Thunder Wave, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Safeguard, Slam, Rain Dance, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Agility
TMs: Protect, Thunderbolt, Hyper Beam, Icy Wind, Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Substitute, Iron Tail, Breaking Swipe, Ice Punch, Wide Guard, Dragon Claw, Ice Beam, Draco Meteor, Mega Punch, Dragon Pulse, Earthquake, Superpower, Giga Impact, Outrage, Heat Wave, Focus Punch, Fire Blast
Egg Moves: Extreme Speed, Dragon Breath, Dragon Dance, Outrage
Note: Soaked in Dragon Pool—Dragon-type moves deal 25% more damage.
Pokémon: Kartana (Grass/Steel)
Moves: Fury Cutter, Vacuum Wave, Razor Leaf, False Swipe, Cut, Air Cutter, Aerial Ace, Detect, Night Slash, Synthesis, Laser Focus, Swords Dance, Defog, Leaf Blade, Sacred Sword, Guillotine
TMs: Giga Impact, Protect, Solar Blade, Brick Break, Psycho Cut, Smart Strike, Air Slash, Iron Defense, X-Scissor, Calm Mind, Sleep Talk, Steel Beam
Julian sent out Dragonite and Kartana. Truthfully, this wasn’t the best combination. If he wanted to win quickly, pairing Moltres with Metagross would have been ideal—or replacing Metagross with Arcanine.
But Julian didn’t send out any Fire-type Pokémon.
Dragonite hovered mid-air with its wings spread, its dopey gaze fixed on the two Pokémon below.
Kartana raised its right arm: "Today, I’ll take on both. Any more would be overkill."
Clearly, it had no intention of sharing its opponents with Dragonite. Fighting two at once was the only way to showcase its strength.
"Truly exceptional Pokémon."
Elliot remarked, his aged eyes filled with admiration as he observed Dragonite and Kartana.
He had seen countless Pokémon in his life, but very few had earned his recognition as truly outstanding. Even among his own Pokémon, not all could be considered exceptional.
"Venusaur, set up Grassy Terrain!"
As Venusaur's body glowed with a faint green light, the entire battlefield was instantly covered in grass over half a meter tall.
The battlefield, originally a standard arena, had now transformed into a Grassy Terrain.
Under the effect of Grassy Terrain, Grass-type moves would receive a power boost, and Pokémon on the field could gradually recover HP.
The duration of the effect depended on the amount of energy used to activate Grassy Terrain.
Given Venusaur's Pseudo-Champion strength, if it went all out, it could envelop an entire city in Grassy Terrain.
Kartana, however, was unimpressed by the overgrown grass. Despite being a Grass-type itself, it received no benefit from the terrain—after all, it wasn’t the one who had set it up.
With a swift motion of its right arm, Kartana unleashed an Air Slash, its razor-sharp energy slicing through the grass as it surged toward Venusaur.
Given Venusaur’s massive size, speed was never its strong suit.
Cacturne raised its arm and struck the incoming Air Slash with a powerful Brick Break. With a boom, the attack shattered, though the impact still forced Cacturne back a few steps.
Once the dust settled, Cacturne turned its gaze to Kartana—then suddenly, the spikes on its body erupted in a barrage of glowing projectiles.
Nearly a hundred needle-like projectiles shot out, the majority aimed at Kartana, while a few strays targeted Dragonite in the air.
Kartana: 'Petty tricks.'
Just as Kartana prepared to Fury Cutter its way through the incoming Pin Missile, two thick, vine-like tendrils—each as thick as an arm—suddenly shot out from the grass.
The vines instantly wrapped around Kartana’s arms, binding them tightly.
These thick vines were tougher than steel bars and extremely strong. With both arms stretched and restrained, Kartana was momentarily immobilized. And it wasn’t exactly a strength-focused Pokémon in the first place—had it been Aggron, Lucario, or Metagross, they would have ripped those vines apart easily.
Venusaur and Cacturne worked in perfect sync.
Cacturne hadn’t aimed all of its Pin Missile at Kartana—some were directed at Dragonite to prevent it from interfering. Meanwhile, Venusaur’s Vine Whip had stealthily crept through the grass, catching Kartana off guard.
Julian had actually noticed the vines hidden in the grass but chose not to warn Kartana. He wanted the prideful swordsman to learn a lesson—to temper its arrogance.
But Venusaur and Cacturne weren’t done yet.
Ten more vines shot out from Venusaur’s body, whistling through the air like rockets as they lashed toward Kartana.
The number of vines a Venusaur could produce typically ranged from twenty to sixty. The world record? A Venusaur with three hundred vines.
Kartana had originally planned to tank the Pin Missiles and then settle the score with the two Grass-types—but when it saw Venusaur’s vines surging toward it, its expression stiffened slightly.
Venusaur was a Pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon, its strength undeniable. If those vines landed, even if Kartana didn’t go down immediately, the damage would severely hinder its performance.
A flicker of regret passed through Kartana’s mind—'I underestimated them.'
Yet even now, it still didn’t think to ask Dragonite for help. In fact, it had completely forgotten about its so-called "partner."
But Dragonite hadn’t.
With a powerful dive, Dragonite positioned itself in front of Kartana, shielding it from the attacks. As for the stray Pin Missiles Cacturne had fired to block its path? Dragonite treated them as nothing but flies.
Standing protectively before Kartana, Dragonite clenched its right fist as the storm of Pin Missiles and Vine Whips descended upon it.
The sheer force behind the punch obliterated everything in its path.
Pin Missiles? Shattered.
Vine Whips? Pulverized into splinters.
Even the surrounding grass was blasted away like a green explosion.
As one of Julian’s earliest partners, Dragonite’s foundation was far deeper than Kartana’s—and as a Pseudo-Legendary, its raw power was in another league.
With a single, effortless punch, Dragonite had effortlessly resolved Kartana’s crisis. It then turned its dopey gaze toward the swordsman, as if asking, 'You good?'
Kartana: "...I could’ve handled it myself."
Yep—same as always. Stubborn to the end.
Dragonite: "I’ll go get revenge for you."
Kartana: "I can avenge myself, you know—"
But before it could finish, Dragonite was already charging toward Venusaur, its body morphing mid-sprint into a ferocious, draconic specter.
Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-