"Light Screen!" Dahlia called sharply.
"Toge—kiss!"
Togekiss reacted without hesitation. Its wings flared outward, and a translucent barrier of refracted Fairy energy unfolded in front of it. The shimmering wall bent the falling rain into wavering lines as droplets slid across the invisible surface.
The battlefield was layered in opposing forces.
Rain poured from the sky.
Residual sand dissolved into muddy streaks.
Electric arcs crawled across the soaked ground.
Electivire stood at the center of it all—charged to its limit.
But something unusual was happening.
The electricity it had just released into the air did not dissipate.
It gathered.
Golden arcs surged upward, drawn into the dense storm clouds overhead. The clouds, already heavy from Rain Dance, began to churn violently. Their undersides glowed faintly as static energy accumulated within.
Low thunder rolled across the stadium.
The sky darkened further.
Even the audience grew quiet.
The atmosphere shifted.
The air felt thick—heavy with pressure—each breath tinged with ozone.
Gary's voice cut cleanly through the storm.
"End this. Thunder Beast."
"VIRE!"
Electivire thrust its right arm high into the sky. Golden lightning coiled around its forearm like living serpents. The crackling intensified, arcs snapping and fusing together in violent bursts.
Dahlia frowned.
"Thunder Beast? What kind of move is that?"
There was no official Electric-type technique by that name. No documented TM. No League-recognized classification.
But what unfolded next erased any doubt that this was something beyond standard execution.
BOOM!
A violent detonation split the clouds above.
The storm parted.
And from the swirling darkness—
A colossal shape descended.
It was made entirely of lightning.
A massive lion forged from golden thunder pushed its head through the clouds. Its mane flowed outward in jagged strands of living electricity. Its body flickered between solid form and pure plasma, as though reality itself struggled to contain it.
Its eyes burned white-hot.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"What… is that?!"
"That's not Thunder!"
"Is that even legal?!"
Dahlia's pupils contracted.
For the first time in the match, genuine unease flickered across her expression.
The Thunder Beast hovered high above the arena, its luminous body illuminating the entire battlefield. It looked down upon the trainers below like a deity born of storm and voltage.
Electivire's raised arm trembled faintly.
This technique demanded immense stored power.
It wasn't a simple summoning.
It was controlled accumulation—environmental manipulation combined with internal reserves.
"VIRE!"
Electivire swung its arm downward.
The Thunder Beast roared silently—its form collapsing inward, compressing into a single blinding spear of lightning.
The stadium turned white.
For a heartbeat, there was no sound.
Then—
CRACK—BOOOOM!!!
The bolt fell.
There was no visible travel arc.
No time to react.
It simply struck.
The Light Screen shattered instantly, splintering like glass under a hammer. Shards of refracted Fairy energy scattered and dissolved into rain.
"Toge—KIIISS!"
Togekiss's cry was swallowed by the impact.
Lightning engulfed it completely. Rain amplified the conductivity, channeling electricity across its wings and into the saturated ground beneath.
The arena trembled.
When the blinding light finally faded, Togekiss lay motionless in a shallow crater, faint smoke rising from its feathers.
Rain continued to fall gently.
Trick Room shimmered once—then dissolved.
Silence settled over the hall.
Dahlia stood frozen.
Even she—confident, vibrant, fearless—could not hide her shock.
Electivire had ended the second round decisively.
Despite type neutrality.
Despite Light Screen.
Despite her careful weather control.
The referee recovered first.
"Togekiss is unable to battle! Electivire wins!"
"Challenger Gary wins the second round!"
"Gary wins the Frontier Battle!"
The arena erupted.
Some spectators leapt to their feet.
Others shouted in disbelief.
A few screamed in euphoric celebration over successful wagers.
"I'm rich!"
"I should've bet everything!"
"That Thunder Beast move was insane!"
Dahlia slowly exhaled.
She recalled Togekiss gently, her expression no longer playful—but thoughtful.
"You did great," she murmured softly.
Then she looked across the soaked battlefield at Gary.
The Thunder Beast was not an official move.
It was an enhanced Thunder—but executed with advanced environmental control.
Electivire had discharged electricity deliberately into the cumulonimbus clouds earlier.
Rain Dance had created the perfect conductive medium.
The storm clouds accumulated charge naturally under Electivire's manipulation.
And then—
Electivire called it down.
A guaranteed strike.
No evasion window.
The descent speed rivaled natural lightning itself.
Only a Pokémon capable of surpassing lightning's reaction time could hope to avoid it.
But that power came at a cost.
Electivire's chest rose heavily.
Its breathing was labored.
Its internal electric reserves were nearly depleted.
This technique consumed far more energy than standard Thunder.
Few Electric-type Pokémon possessed the capacity to accumulate, compress, and redirect that magnitude of power.
Electivire was uniquely suited for it.
Had it been Pikachu—
It would have been completely drained.
Electivire, however, still retained enough strength to continue if necessary.
Dahlia stepped forward slowly, heels clicking softly against the rain-washed arena floor.
She extended her hand.
"Well," she said with a genuine smile, "that was overwhelming."
Her tone held no bitterness.
"You defeated me cleanly."
Gary accepted her handshake calmly.
"Thank you for the match."
The referee stepped between them and raised Gary's arm high.
"Gary is the winner of this Frontier Battle!"
The gambling crowd roared again.
"I told you! He's undefeated!"
"The Lily of the Valley Conference is going to explode this year!"
"His odds will tank after this!"
Gary heard the speculation—but remained indifferent.
He understood something the gamblers did not.
The Sinnoh League's betting committees were not naïve.
His win-loss odds in the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference would not be generous.
In fact, there would likely be restrictions placed on betting directly on his overall victory.
Instead, wagers would shift toward variables:
How many Pokémon he would use per match.
Whether he would secure clean sweeps.
Special performance metrics.
The League protected its financial margins carefully.
Still—
Gary allowed himself a faint inward smile.
If someone truly wished to gamble profitably—
Darkrai.
Sinnoh had no real understanding of Darkrai's full capabilities.
Information asymmetry created opportunity.
Dahlia retrieved a polished emblem from a velvet-lined case.
"This is the Roulette Print."
She handed it to him.
It was circular, crafted from refined alloy, engraved with an elegant "L" at its center. Its surface gleamed under the arena lights.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Gary accepted it.
A quiet notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Mission completed. Rewards distributed to space backpack.]
The Battle Hall challenge was complete.
Gary exited the arena and headed directly toward the Pokémon Center.
Nurse Joy greeted him promptly and took Electivire and Togetic for treatment. Healing machines hummed softly as restorative light enveloped them.
While waiting, Gary stood by a large window overlooking Veilstone City.
The city pulsed with life.
Neon signs flickered.
Traffic moved in steady streams.
Merchants advertised loudly.
It was commercial. Energetic. Restless.
But his thoughts were already elsewhere.
Next stop—
Battle Castle.
Its Frontier Brain was Darach.
More importantly, Darach also served as the personal butler to Caitlin's family.
The Sinnoh Battle Castle operated under the financial backing of Caitlin's wealthy lineage.
Gary found the arrangement intriguing.
An Elite-level Trainer serving as a butler.
Yet perhaps it wasn't unusual.
High-ranking League officials often endured relentless pressure—scrutinized from above, criticized from below.
In contrast, serving a powerful noble household might offer greater autonomy—and stability.
When Nurse Joy returned his Pokémon, Gary thanked her and returned to his room.
He released Darkrai.
"Dak?"
Darkrai floated quietly, its single crimson eye observing him with reserved curiosity.
"It's nothing," Gary said calmly. "I'm going to strengthen your Ability."
Darkrai tilted its head slightly.
Its Ability—Nightmare—caused sleeping opponents to lose stamina continuously.
In practical battle conditions, Nightmare did more than chip away at health.
It drained vitality directly.
Percentage-based deterioration.
Sustained and unavoidable.
If enhanced—
The effect could become devastating.
Gary placed his hand gently against Darkrai's shadowed form.
From his system storage, he activated the Ability-enhancing fossil.
A faint surge of ancient energy pulsed outward.
Darkrai's shadow rippled violently for a moment before stabilizing. A darker aura flickered around it briefly, then settled into something deeper—denser.
[Ding! Enhancement successful.]