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"Wait!"
Just as Chris and Marvin were about to begin their battle, the referee suddenly interrupted the duel between them.
Chris and Marvin immediately turned their attention to him. Interrupting a match when the fighting spirit had reached its peak was extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved.
The referee knew this all too well. Feeling the piercing gazes of both the Champion and the soon-to-be Champion, he felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his shoulders. The pressure was immense, and he quickly explained himself.
"My apologies to both of you. After discussion with the organizing committee, we've determined that you two need to relocate to the Pacific Ocean for the final decisive battle. After all, given the combat power of Raikou and Lugia, the protective barrier of the National Stadium simply cannot withstand their clash."
Chris and Marvin finally understood the situation.
Of course.
The protective shield of the National Stadium was designed to withstand Champion-level combat power. Once Raikou and Lugia began fighting in earnest, the battle would far exceed mere Champion-level intensity.
If the National Stadium's protective barrier couldn't hold, not only would the audience suffer casualties, but possibly the entire League capital—even the surrounding Johto Region—could be reduced to ruins.
"Then let's move to the Pacific Ocean," Marvin agreed without hesitation.
"Sure, that works. Besides, Lugia can't really cut loose in here anyway," Chris naturally had no objections either.
With that settled, Marvin leaped onto Raikou's back, and the Legendary Beast took flight, heading eastward.
Chris stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers. Gardevoir immediately teleported onto Lugia's back, and the massive bird Pokémon took off, chasing after Raikou in the direction it had disappeared.
This left the stunned audience behind.
Now that you're both gone, what are we supposed to do?
However, since the organizing committee had made this decision, they already had a backup plan in place.
"Dear spectators," an announcement echoed through the stadium, "we will immediately dispatch personnel to follow the duel between Elite Chris and Champion Marvin. The final match will be broadcast in the form of a live stream."
"You may continue watching here on the stadium screens, or you can view the live broadcast on the official Trainer Association website after leaving in an orderly fashion."
Following this announcement, a team of Flying-type Pokémon took off, pursuing the direction where Chris and Marvin had disappeared.
Among them were Roy, Victor, and Tate leading the group, along with the referee and broadcast crew responsible for covering the decisive battle.
The audience at the National Stadium accepted the referee's explanation readily enough.
After all, judging by Zeraora's devastating attack earlier, the energy shield had nearly collapsed. They were more than happy to have the battle take place elsewhere. Though, of course, they'd have to wait for the results to come through the broadcast now.
The Pacific Ocean.
Chris and Marvin arrived at their destination very quickly.
They found a suitable battleground on the vast ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from China's coastline. There were no islands or places to land anywhere nearby.
But it didn't matter. Whether it was Lugia or Raikou, both could fly. The lack of solid ground had no effect whatsoever on their combat effectiveness.
They waited another ten minutes.
The official team led by Roy finally arrived on the scene.
They didn't dare get too close, instead watching the battle from several thousand meters away, relying on cameras to capture the action.
Because the match had been suspended midway through, the referee needed to formally announce the start of the battle again.
After confirming that both sides were in position, the referee sent out an Exploud and made the announcement using its Hyper Voice move.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Raikou, Electric Terrain!"
Marvin commanded loudly. He was now standing atop a Metagross, and his every gesture radiated authority and power.
After all, he was commanding a Legendary Pokémon.
"ROAR!" Raikou threw its head back and released a powerful cry.
In an instant, overwhelming divine power descended upon the battlefield.
With Raikou at the center, surging electricity spread outward in all directions—brilliant and dazzling. The sea and sky seemed to transform into the dwelling place of the Thunder God itself.
The electrical field spread for dozens of kilometers. Within the affected area, traces of golden current could be seen flowing through the air like floating willow catkins.
The scene was grand and magnificent!
If Zeraora's thunder represented unstoppable sharpness, leaving everyone's first impression as one of overwhelming offense, then Raikou's Imperial Thunder gave the impression of a king's majestic arrival—shocking and awe-inspiring.
The two types of thunder each had their own specialties. As for which was stronger, no one could say for certain since the two had never fought each other directly.
The Pacific Ocean had originally been sunny and clear, but now the blue sky turned cloudy and overcast. Heavy rain poured down, thunder surged and flickered across the heavens, and fierce winds howled across the waves.
However, this dramatic weather change came to an abrupt halt almost immediately.
What were they thinking? What kind of opponent did they believe they were facing?
Trying to manipulate the weather in front of Lugia—the guardian deity of ocean currents and storms?
Did Raikou think it was Rayquaza or something?
The pitch-black Lugia flew through the sky without making any visible effort. The wind stopped. The heavy rain ceased.
The sun broke through the clouds once more, bathing the ocean in its gentle warmth.
The audience back at the National Stadium, watching through the broadcast, had the surreal feeling of seeing sunlight again after a storm. After all, although the two Legendary Pokémon had left the capital, the sky above the city was still covered with dark clouds and rain.
"Have you ever seen a palm strike descending from the heavens?" Chris suddenly remembered a technique he'd seen in martial arts dramas from his previous life. He raised his hand and pressed it downward toward Raikou. "Gust!"
His movements made it look as though he himself were commanding the attack—as if he were personally swatting Raikou out of the sky.
Lugia, hovering in mid-air, fixed its scarlet eyes on Raikou below. It raised one massive wing and brought it sweeping downward.
"WHOOSH!"
A hurricane condensed and took form!
A gigantic palm made entirely of violent winds descended from the sky, aiming to slap Raikou into submission!
If that attack connected, it was entirely possible that Raikou would be knocked out on the spot and lose its ability to battle.
This was because, after being with Chris for so long, Lugia had learned both Force Palm and learned to enhance its physical attacks with concentrated power.
This particular Gust attack was blessed with amplified striking force.
Otherwise, if Chris had Lugia simply release a standard Gust—whose base power was only 40 in terms of raw energy—that would have been far too obvious a case of holding back!
"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" Marvin shouted urgently.
Raikou's speed was impressive, but against Lugia, raw speed alone wasn't enough. It needed to enhance its movement with techniques!
Raikou's expression grew serious. Its limbs shifted slightly, and suddenly sparks flickered across the sky above the ocean surface. In the blink of an eye, Raikou had vanished from its original position.
"BOOM!"
The massive wind palm struck the ocean surface directly. The sea immediately became turbulent and violent, churning like water in a glass being constantly shaken.
For those watching from a distance, the sensation was like sitting on a trampoline when someone lands heavily nearby—the resulting force bouncing you upward.
When Raikou reappeared, it was already hundreds of meters higher in the sky. Its Quick Attack speed was comparable to teleportation. Even with Chris's enhanced perception through his "Power of Viridian," he could barely track the trail of electricity Raikou left behind.
But that didn't prevent Chris from following up with his next move.
"Gust!"
At some point, Lugia had repositioned itself directly above Raikou's head. The massive wing-palm magnified rapidly in Raikou's vision.
It blotted out the sun itself!