"Come back, Gliscor. You did great... Scizor, you're up!"
Lucas recalled Gliscor and sent out his next Pokémon back—Scizor.
"Flash Cannon!"
"Scizooor!"
Unlike before, this Scizor showed no intent to clash with its opponent head-on. The moment it took the field, it activated Agility, widening the gap between them as its claws gathered energy and fired a brilliant silver beam.
"Draco Meteor!"
"Gaaaa!"
Mega Garchomp swiped through the Flash Cannon with its blades and sprang into action. With a roar, it hurled an orb of draconic energy high into the air.
As the orb reached its peak, it exploded into dozens of meteors, showering down across the battlefield in a wide-area attack.
Realizing there was no way to dodge them all, Scizor stopped evading altogether. With its arms crossed, it launched itself toward an incoming meteor, X-Scissor activated mid-air—cleaving the falling star in two.
Having weathered that threat, Scizor suddenly felt an overwhelming bloodlust bearing down on it. Turning instinctively, it saw Mega Garchomp charging forward, shrouded in the spectral image of a roaring azure dragon.
"Giga Impact!"
Locked on by sheer killing intent, there was no time to dodge. But Scizor showed no fear. It met the beast head-on, channeling every ounce of strength and willpower into the collision.
BOOM!
The phantom dragon's jaws clamped down just as both Pokémon collided, triggering an enormous mid-air explosion.
As the smoke began to rise, two Pokémon figures dropped from the sky.
"Gaaa…"
Mega Garchomp twisted mid-air and landed in a kneel, its blade-like arms stabbing into the ground as it gasped for breath. A faint purple mist of poison clung to its body.
Scizor, meanwhile, dropped like dead weight, crashing into the earth and lying motionless at the bottom of a crater. Its body glowed momentarily before reverting to its normal, non-Mega form.
"Scizor is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!"
The referee raised his flag.
"Fight to the end... Prepare Outrage."
Watching his heavily wounded Garchomp push on, Paul spoke softly.
"Gaaaa…"
The Dragon and Ground-type lowered its head with a grunt, tensing every muscle in its body as it fought off the effects of Toxic, preparing for one final rampage.
"Come back, Scizor. You did well."
Lucas retrieved Scizor and tossed out a new Poké Ball.
"Infernape, it's your turn!"
"Raaah!"
Infernape burst out of its Poké Ball mid-leap—but before it could even strike a battle pose, Mega Garchomp had already lunged at it with a bloodcurdling roar and blood-red eyes, fury leaking from every pore.
In less than two seconds, it was already in Infernape's face—blades crossed and slashing down.
In that heartbeat of danger, Infernape's lips curled into a grin. With both hands raised, it conjured a Protect barrier just in time, deflecting the deadly assault entirely.
"Earthquake!"
Paul gave the next command instantly.
With Outrage interrupted, Mega Garchomp stomped the ground, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that radiated outward in all directions.
Just as Infernape's Protect faded, the quake hit it head-on, dealing significant damage. Before it could recover, Garchomp's twin blades came slashing down again.
For a moment, time itself seemed to slow.
Infernape's body swayed to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. Then, in a flurry of motion faster than sound, it launched a barrage of punches—each one hammering into Mega Garchomp's body with incredible speed and precision.
"Raaah!"
With one final blow, Infernape brought the mighty dragon crashing to the ground. A flash of white light followed as Mega Evolution dissolved, and Garchomp returned to its base form—unconscious.
"Raaah~…"
Infernape panted heavily, chest rising and falling in rapid bursts.
Even though Garchomp had only landed a single Earthquake, it had previously used Dragon Dance—boosting both its speed and power. That Infernape had survived at all was an achievement in itself.
"Infernape, focus on the strength inside you. Give it everything you've got!"
Lucas encouraged him.
Infernape closed its eyes without a word, but the blaze on its head erupted violently—an unspoken signal of its resolve.
"Garchomp is unable to battle. Infernape wins!"
Declared the referee.
"…You did well."
After returning Garchomp to its Poké Ball, Paul quietly spoke those words and slipped the ball back into his pocket.
His gaze shifted toward Lucas and Infernape, lingering for a moment longer than usual—perhaps in acknowledgment, or perhaps in recognition of what came next.
Without a word, he drew his final Poké Ball.
"Come forth, Torterra."
"RAAAA..."
A massive Torterra emerged onto the field, its shell like a forested mountain, calm and imposing. As the ground beneath it trembled slightly, the battlefield once again tilted into a new phase.
"Infernape, are you ready?" Lucas asked.
"Raaahh!"
Infernape responded with a battle cry, flames roaring from the top of its head, eyes locked onto the towering opponent across from it. Despite having just endured a brutal clash with Garchomp, it showed no signs of hesitation.
"Then let's finish this... together!"
"RAAAA!!"
"Torterra, Earth Power!"
The ground underneath Infernape suddenly erupted, heated energy shooting upward in jagged bursts.
"Infernape, use Acrobatics!"
With incredible speed and agility, Infernape leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the blast. It twisted midair, diving toward Torterra in a spiraling arc of motion.
"Stone Edge!"
Giant spikes of rock exploded upward just as Infernape approached. It was close—too close. One of the jagged stones grazed its shoulder, sending sparks flying.
But Infernape didn't stop.
"Close Combat!"
With a defiant roar, Infernape landed a flurry of precise, devastating punches and kicks. Torterra braced itself, enduring the blows, but the sheer power forced its great frame to shift, sliding back through the dirt with each impact.
"RAAA!"
"Wood Hammer!"
With a flash in its eyes, Torterra summoned a surge of vines from the ground. Dozens of thick twigs burst forth, lashing at Infernape with relentless force.
Exhausted and barely able to stand, Infernape tried to resist—first by throwing up a Protect, then by retaliating with Flamethrower.
But it was no use.
After just a few seconds, the raging vines broke through its defenses. The final strike landed squarely, and Infernape collapsed to the ground—unconscious.
"Infernape is unable to battle. Torterra wins!"
The referee's voice announced.
(To be continued...)
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