Olivia watched as a Roaring Moon and a Hydreigon struck her Alpha Garchomps in the stomach with Dragon Rush, the blows dealing significant damage. As a result, her Pokémon were sent flying away from Alex's floating fortress, Mantine. They tried to circle back to confront their attackers, but Roaring Moon was simply too fast. It chased them down, slamming into one with another Dragon Rush while a devastating Dazzling Gleam burst from its back and hit the other.
Only then did she realize that an Iron Valiant was riding atop Roaring Moon, firing Dazzling Gleams as its mount pursued the Garchomps with relentless fervor. Meanwhile, Hydreigon took the time to tear away the thorns lodged beneath Mantine using Breaking Swipe. The relief was immediate, allowing Mantine to climb higher and reducing the damage coming from the Maractus nest below.
Olivia looked at the rest of her Pokémon who had hung back to protect her, a Champion ranked Torterra, Ferrothorn, and Amoonguss, all slow and firmly grounded, leaving them helpless to offer any meaningful support. She could try to have her Maractus split their bombardment to help her Garchomps but there was a greater chance that they would miss and hit her own Pokemon. They weren't exactly the most coordinated bunch.
The dragon's battle continued as the Garchomps tried to retaliate. They launched Rock Slide, Draco Meteor, and Scale Shots, all easily evaded, while taking devastating damage from wide-ranging Dazzling Gleams that could hit even fast-moving targets. Determined to fight back, the pair of Garchomps decided to force their opponents to the ground, circling around and charging straight at them.
Grim relished the challenge and barreled in with Dragon Rush while Knight continued its bombardment up until the moment they were about to clash. Rather than defend with a shared Protect while counterattacking, the optimal move choice, Knight charged Fairy type energy in its glaive and prepared to use Spirit Break.
Just as they were about to collide, Knight leapt off, targeting the Garchomp at the higher elevation. It struck with Spirit Break, dealing devastating damage, then hooked its glaive around the Garchomp's neck and swung onto its back. From there, Knight slashed at it repeatedly, aiming for the neck as they fell through the air.
Grim slammed heavily into the other Garchomp, sinking its teeth into its neck with Jaw Lock before unleashing a savage onslaught of Dragon Claws, slashing left and right relentlessly. The Garchomp endured the hits while using Dragon Rush to dive toward the ground, finally forcing its stubborn opponent into a less advantageous position.
Knight, who had the clear advantage with its Fairy-type moves, was able to finish off its Garchomp first midair. It looked down and saw Grim locked in combat with the other and wanted to help, but the distance was too great. Then it heard a familiar roar and looked up, spotting Hydreigon diving toward them. With a leap, it reached Hydreigon and hitched a ride as the pair descended, aided by Tail Wind, using Dragon Rush.
Grim and its opponent slammed heavily into the ground, dealing massive damage to Grim. As the Garchomp prepared to dive underground to gain its greatest advantage, it was suddenly dive-bombed by Hydreigon using Dragon Rush and struck by Knight with Spirit Break, knocking it out.
With that, Olivia's pair of Alpha Garchomps were taken out, and Grim's flying team quickly assessed the situation. They were surrounded by Maractus, with three Champions staring them down. Rather than fly off and risk being turned into pincushions, they regrouped and took a defensive formation, ready to employ a rotation of Protect while waiting for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Olivia sighed heavily at the loss of her Garchomps. They were her greatest threat and the foundation of her power. Without them, all she had left was her uncoordinated Maractus nest and her slow-moving Champions to defend herself. Still, it didn't mean she was out of the fight. As long as her Maractus nest could bring down Alex's dragons and the armored Mantine, she still had a chance at victory.
From atop the Mantine, three groups of Pokémon rushed out faster than the Maractus nest could target. They slammed into the desert sand, sending up clouds of dust and debris as they rushed to Olivia.
Alex, sitting atop Arcanine in the lead, released his water team along with the Goodra and Rhyperior pair. Immediately, they began a defensive area-of-effect bombardment targeting the Maractus nest. They unleashed Surf, which pushed the nest back, but dealt minimal damage since some of the Maractus had Water Absorb and the desert sand swallowed up any excess water, preventing a flood. Still, it was enough to cut Olivia off from her Pokémon.
The three groups then split up, with Kommo-o taking on the Ferrothorn, tanking its Iron Barbs with support from Togekiss's Wish. Lucario handled Amoonguss, aided by Gallade through Misty Terrain, nullifying all status effects. Despite being just Elites, their teamwork and coordination kept Amoonguss from focusing on anything else.
Meanwhile, Raticate and Ceruledge took on the Torterra. Raticate danced circles around the slow Pokémon, striking while evading retaliation and buying time for Ceruledge to deal massive damage with Bitter Blade. Together, they distracted Olivia's main defenders, leaving her with only the Mudsdale beneath her for support and setting the stage for a one-on-one mounted showdown with Alex atop Arcanine.
Olivia looked on in shock as Alex produced even more Pokémon. By now, she understood how he had earned his reputation. His Pokémon were highly coordinated and well trained, and he had more than a few Champions to fight for him. It was clear he was both serious when it came to real battles and wealthy enough to care for his team.
"Still not convinced?" Alex asked, directly addressing Olivia, who was only a dozen meters away.
"I'm very convinced," she replied, looking up at the Mantine as it continued to rain devastation on her nest while remaining relatively unscathed. "You have the power to take down an army all by yourself. Your Pokémon are exceptionally trained for formation battles, unlike the one-on-one official battles most trainers are used to. You even have a flying fortress."
"Then—"
"But… how about one final battle between us? Let's see which of us Champions can truly fight," she said with a hungry grin, unholstering a pistol in each hand.
Alex returned a hungry grin of his own. "You're on," he said, unholstering his pistols as well.
The sounds of the nearby battles seemed distant as the pair focused on each other. Olivia narrowed her eyes, watching Alex's expression like a hawk, while Alex did the same.
A nearby explosion sent a tremor through the air, jiggling Olivia's breasts ever so slightly. She immediately knew he would be distracted, as all men would, and took advantage of the brief distraction to raise her guns and fire at Alex.
Alex, meanwhile, wasn't distracted at all. He enjoyed sex second only to high-adrenaline battles, and this one promised far more excitement than routine training. He matched her speed as he aimed, then opened fire with a salvo of Feint and Phantom Force rounds.
Mudsdale and Arcanine took that as their cue and immediately began evasive maneuvers. The bullets were only Elite rank, making them slow compared to the Pokémon's usual combat speed and allowing both mounts to take optimal paths to evade.
They shot at each other relentlessly, aiming for center mass while using their bullets to control each other's movements, trying to corner one another and make their slow shots count. Shots flew past, none finding their mark, until the faint clicks of empty magazines made themselves known. In that moment, it became clear that guns were largely useless against Champions, lacking both the speed and the threat to be truly effective.
Still, it wasn't a useless endeavor, as they were able to gauge each other. Alex was the better shot, having trained with guns even before guns became popular. Meanwhile, Olivia had a stronger bond with her Mudsdale, likely due to the time they had spent fighting together while mounted.
"Not bad," Olivia complimented, slowly reloading her pistols as she spoke. "You've trained well enough."
"I can say the same about you and your Mudsdale," Alex replied, taking his time to reload as well. "You've been riding for most of your life. Personally, I prefer hand-to-hand combat."
"I'd better make sure you don't catch me then," she said, finishing her reload.
"We'll see about that," Alex said before giving the command. "Extreme Speed."
Before Olivia could even aim, Arcanine pounced on Mudsdale, who relied on pure instinct to use Protect and defend itself. Unfortunately for it, Alex had already opened fire just before giving the command, sending Feint and Phantom Force rounds mid-leap. The bullets shattered Mudsdale's Protect shield, though it took minimal damage from the pounce. The attack did its job, however, as Alex closed the distance and reached out.
In a stunning display of dexterity, Olivia rolled back, evading Alex's grasp as she made her way to Mudsdale's rear.
Arcanine, following Alex's command as he dismounted, used Flare Blitz. He dug his heels into the dirt, lowered his body, and charged at Mudsdale's stomach while his entire body was set aflame. Mudsdale, intending to use Earthquake, was rearing its front hooves for a devastating stomp when it was suddenly launched into the air along with Arcanine, who charged forward.
Olivia, caught in an awkward position behind Mudsdale, was tossed aside as her mount flew into the distance. Quick on his feet, Alex charged at her while opening fire. He managed only a few hits to her stomach, enough to knock the wind out of her, before tossing his guns aside and seizing her arms.
"Got you," he said with a feral grin.
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