"This is a head-on clash between two brute-force Pokémon. It's hard to say how it'll end."
N watched as Haxorus began its charge across the battlefield. Tyranitar's destructive power needed no explanation—after all, Tyranitar had long been hailed as a 'walking natural disaster–type Pokémon'.
And although Haxorus was, in truth, far less inherently violent than Tyranitar, every single Haxorus fought in an extremely savage and straightforward manner.
"If we're judging purely by the Pokémon themselves, Tyranitar is already stronger than Haxorus, right? Not to mention this is a Mega-Evolved Tyranitar."
Blue clicked his tongue, clearly placing all his faith in Lucas's Tyranitar.
Blue himself owned a Tyranitar, so it was only natural that he leaned toward it instinctively.
Moreover, even from a rational standpoint, how could a pseudo-legendary Tyranitar possibly lose to Haxorus?
And this Tyranitar had Mega-Evolved, no less.
Tyranitar was guaranteed to win—wasn't it obvious?
Battlefield
"So, you're delivering yourself right to my doorstep? That couldn't be better."
"Tyranitar, Ice Punch!"
Lucas's lips curled slightly as he watched the rapidly approaching Haxorus.
"ROOOOOAAAR!"
After Mega Evolution, Mega Tyranitar's roar became even more hoarse and feral.
Its right claw clenched as dense frost surged outward, freezing air gathering tightly around its fist.
Mega Tyranitar swung its massive claw forward, smashing straight toward the charging Haxorus.
Haxorus showed no fear whatsoever, its Dragon Claw meeting the blow head-on!
Dragon Claw and Ice Punch collided violently. For a single heartbeat, time seemed to freeze, before a shockwave almost solid enough to touch erupted outward.
But the very next instant—
With Mega Tyranitar's furious roar, a terrifying surge of monstrous strength exploded forth, sending Haxorus flying backward!
The entire stadium erupted in shocked cries.
Haxorus desperately tried to stabilize itself, but its feet slid uncontrollably across the ground. The freshly replaced battlefield surface was instantly plowed open by deep grooves.
It was painfully obvious—when it came to raw power, Mega Tyranitar completely overwhelmed Haxorus!
"Such overwhelming strength…?"
Leon stared at Mega Tyranitar in disbelief. He had anticipated that Mega Tyranitar might suppress Haxorus—but this was far beyond his expectations.
In just a single exchange, Haxorus had been blasted back this far?
That could only mean one thing: the gap in sheer physical strength between them was already significant.
And then—
Leon's gaze fell upon Haxorus's right claw. After clashing head-on with Ice Punch, it was now coated in frost and trembling slightly.
That earlier collision had placed enormous strain on that limb.
"Stone Edge!"
Lucas paid no attention to Leon's expression and calmly issued another command.
Mega Tyranitar roared, razor-sharp stones rapidly condensing in front of it.
With a swing of its arm, Stone Edge shot forward toward Haxorus at terrifying speed.
"Dodge!" Leon shouted without hesitation.
There was no way Haxorus could take this head-on—especially not with one claw already frost-injured. With so many stone blades incoming, blocking them all was impossible.
Haxorus immediately moved laterally, trying to evade the frontal assault.
"Tyranitar, Stomping Tantrum!"
Mega Tyranitar lifted one massive foot and slammed it down violently. The entire battlefield trembled.
On Haxorus's flank, a massive boulder was jolted upward by the shock, blocking its escape route.
Leon's expression darkened. This was cutting off Haxorus's retreat entirely.
And Mega Tyranitar was already charging straight at it!
"Dragon Claw!"
Haxorus smashed its claws into the boulder, shattering it instantly. With a powerful tail sweep, the fragments were flung toward Mega Tyranitar.
But Mega Tyranitar didn't even bother to dodge. It charged forward with unstoppable momentum, like a prehistoric beast reborn.
"Haxorus, Earth—"
"Payback!"
Seeing Mega Tyranitar's overwhelming charge, Leon intended to use Earthquake to halt its advance.
But before he could finish speaking, Mega Tyranitar moved first!
Its speed suddenly surged, its massive claw glowing with sinister light as it slammed down toward Haxorus.
"Outrage!"
Leon's pupils shrank. It could still accelerate that much?!
But there was no time for surprise.
Haxorus's eyes flooded with crimson, violent aura erupting as it met Mega Tyranitar's claw head-on.
BOOM!
Dragon Claw collided with Payback, shockwaves bursting outward as the ground beneath Haxorus cracked apart inch by inch!
It blocked it—after activating Outrage, Haxorus managed to withstand that blow!
"Ice Punch!"
"ROOAAAAAAR!"
Mega Tyranitar roared ferociously. Its other massive claw flashed out like lightning, Ice Punch slamming straight into Haxorus's chest.
Haxorus let out a cry of pain as thick frost rapidly spread across the impact point.
Ice-type Ice Punch was devastatingly effective against Haxorus!
"Giga Impact!"
Lucas gave the order without hesitation, not allowing Haxorus even a moment to recover.
"Haxorus!"
Leon's pupils contracted sharply.
Mega Tyranitar shoved Haxorus back, white energy surging around its body as it let out a thunderous roar.
The next instant, it lowered its stance and charged forward violently.
Giga Impact!
Spiraling white energy engulfed Mega Tyranitar's entire body as it slammed brutally into the defenseless Haxorus.
Haxorus felt excruciating pain rip through its entire body as it was driven backward uncontrollably.
BOOM!
Mega Tyranitar continued charging, finally smashing Haxorus away and sending it crashing hard into the ground.
Haxorus struggled to rise, but collapsed once more, having completely lost its ability to battle.
The referee rushed over, examined Haxorus carefully, then straightened and raised the flag.
"Haxorus has lost its ability to battle. Mega Tyranitar wins."
The referee glanced at the ferocious Mega Tyranitar, clearly shaken—this was the first time he had ever seen Leon's Haxorus defeated so decisively.
"Five down! My god, Leon has already lost five Pokémon!"
"I never imagined the fight would turn out like this… that's Leon we're talking about!"
"One after another, it just keeps getting more ridiculous! This Lucas is absurdly strong!"
"Go Lucas Oppa! You're the best!"
"This Tyranitar is outrageously powerful, Haxorus was completely crushed!"
As Haxorus fell, both the stadium and the online forums exploded into chaos.
Because the outcome was nearly certain now—Leon only had his final ace, Charizard, remaining.
Sure, Leon's Charizard was powerful—but could it really turn the tide?
Dream on.
Up to this point, Lucas had only lost a single main Pokémon. Was Leon's Charizard supposed to sweep five by itself?
And anyone could see it—Lucas's Gardevoir and now his Mega Tyranitar were absurdly strong. Whether Leon could even force out Lucas's fourth main Pokémon was already questionable… let alone more than that.
"Leon! You've got to hang in there!"
"That's right! Leon, you're Galar's strongest man—you can't give up!"
"At least make him show his remaining Pokémon!"
Quite a few people were simply desperate to see what Lucas's remaining three main Pokémon were.
"Hah… I thought so but Lucas, you really are stronger than me."
Leon quietly recalled Haxorus, placing its Poké Ball away before turning his gaze toward Lucas.
After a moment of silence, he exhaled deeply and smiled again as he spoke.
Although the battle record looked terrible, Leon's mentality remained steady—he had already adjusted.
"Even without using legendaries, I still can't beat you."
Leon said helplessly. In truth, when Lucas challenged him, he had already suspected that his chances of victory were slim.
But in his expectations, even if he lost, it would be to Lucas's top-tier legendaries.
He never imagined that even without those rule-breaking legendaries—Lucas's regular lineup would be this overwhelmingly powerful.
"When I went to the energy plant, I didn't use any legendaries," Lucas raised an eyebrow and smiled. "…And Leon, that statement isn't very friendly toward my Galarian Moltres, you know~"
"Ah—my apologies. I probably didn't express myself clearly enough," Leon said awkwardly. Galarian Moltres was a legendary, after all.
"I'm just joking. I only captured that kid a year ago, and its training had just finished. You gave it a very valuable lesson," Lucas said with a smile.
Naturally, he wasn't about to admit that he'd sent out Galarian Moltres first simply to test Leon's limits—essentially using it as cannon fodder.
If Leon couldn't even handle that, Lucas would've followed up with Suicune instead.
"You young people truly are frightening," Leon sighed with genuine emotion.
"But the battle isn't over yet, Lucas. Next is my strongest partner, the one who's grown alongside me from the very beginning."
His expression sharpened as he spoke.
Even if defeat was inevitable, the fight wasn't finished yet.
"I'll fight with everything I've got!"
Lucas's eyes gleamed as he replied seriously.
"That's exactly what I hoped to hear."
Leon took out his final Poké Ball.
"When I first set out on my journey, it was because of this partner that I became Galar's Champion."
"So please—allow me to receive your guidance properly!"
"This is my strongest companion!"
With force, Leon threw the Poké Ball.
"Charizard!"
The Poké Ball burst open mid-air as an orange-red Charizard spread its wings and landed before Leon, its eyes locked firmly onto Mega Tyranitar.
Leon's ace—Charizard!
Leon's career itself was legendary. In just one year after debuting, he rose to become Galar's Champion.
And throughout that journey, Charizard's importance was undeniable—just as Dragonite was to Lance.
Charizard was Leon's most vital partner.
Who wasn't a genius once upon a time?
Leon was one too—Champion in a single year!
As long as Charizard still stood, he was not defeated.
"So, Champion Charizard, huh~"
Lucas studied the Pokémon carefully, a faint smile lifting his lips.
Charizard was unquestionably one of Pokémon's most iconic figures, second only to the electric mouse in popularity.
Red's Charizard, Ash's Charizard, Alain's 'Water-Absorb' Charizard, Leon's Gigantamax Charizard—so many variants.
As for which was strongest… did that even need to be asked?
Unfortunately, this world's Leon, having stepped beyond Galar, seemed to have already set Gigantamax aside.
Even in their battle in Wymdon, he hadn't reserved Gigantamax for Charizard.
"Charizard!"
Leon slowly raised his Key Stone and called out.
"ROOOAAR—!"
Charizard roared loudly as its Mega Stone resonated with Leon's Key Stone.
Brilliant evolutionary light enveloped its body.
Mega Evolution!
"After Gigantamax, he can still activate Mega Evolution?"
Witnessing this, many people were shocked.
Everyone knew that Mega Evolution and Dynamax couldn't be used twice in quick succession—yet here Leon was, Mega Evolving after using Gigantamax earlier.
The light faded quickly, revealing the imposing form of Mega Charizard X.
"So, it really works… that's a shame, then."
Lucas scanned Mega Charizard X with mild regret—though the smile on his face never faded.
Mega Evolution and Gigantamax were entirely different forms, so using both in a single match wasn't actually strange.
What Lucas truly regretted was forgetting to Gigantamax Gardevoir earlier.
A Gardevoir enlarged dozens of times over… you could probably see under the skirt, right?
Lucas blinked thoughtfully.
Seemed feasible?
(End of Chapter)