Gardevoir's entire body was shrouded in a faint blue glow. Her figure kept shifting gracefully, her skirt gently fluttering as she calmly evaded the incoming Max Airstream.
Seeing this scene, Leon frowned. After Gigantamaxing, Cinderace's offensive power had clearly risen by more than one level. Even G-Max Fireball had forced Gardevoir to dodge—but damn it… damn it, it just couldn't hit her!
Because of her Psychic-type abilities, even without the ability to fly, Gardevoir could still levitate freely using psychic power, and with extreme agility. As a result, Gigantamax Cinderace simply couldn't land a hit on Gardevoir!
"According to the game mechanics, Dynamax only lasts for three turns, but in reality it's obviously much longer than that," Lucas said as he watched Gardevoir land again, still as elegant and radiant as ever. Although G-Max Fireball was incredibly powerful, aside from the raging waves of fire it kicked up, Gardevoir, who had teleported away in advance, had suffered no real damage at all.
At the same time, the duration of Gigantamax was steadily ticking away. In the games, Dynamax lasted only three turns—essentially three moves—before ending.
In reality, it was certainly longer than that, but it was absolutely impossible to maintain Gigantamax indefinitely.
"Max Flare!"
Leon once again ordered Gigantamax Cinderace to launch an attack.
He had to seize the advantage while Gigantamax was still active. Otherwise, this Gigantamax would amount to nothing more than a meaningless performance.
A spark rose from the fireball beneath Cinderace's feet. Cinderace leapt up and kicked the spark forward.
"Teleport."
Lucas's lips curled slightly upward.
Gardevoir's eyes glimmered faintly with blue light, and her figure vanished instantly from where she stood.
At this sight, Leon nearly slapped his own forehead in frustration. Damn it—again!
That cursed Teleport!
With the target gone, Cinderace was forced to halt its Max Flare mid-action.
But right at that moment—
"Cinderace!"
Leon's pupils shrank as he shouted a warning.
Gardevoir had reappeared at Cinderace's blind spot, directly behind its head!
Because of Gigantamax, Cinderace's body was simply far too large compared to Gardevoir's, and it hadn't noticed her presence at all.
"Moonblast!"
Gardevoir raised both arms, and a beautiful phantom image of the moon appeared behind her.
Cinderace sensed the surge of energy behind it, and with Leon's warning, it immediately spun around and delivered a sweeping kick toward Gardevoir.
Even without using a move, given its current size, that kick alone was immensely powerful!
But it was already too late!
BOOM!
A massive pink beam shot out violently, striking Cinderace head-on!
At point-blank range, Moonblast erupted with full force. Amid the violent explosion, Cinderace let out a pained cry and was blasted backward, tumbling off the fireball beneath its feet.
"This is bad!" Leon's gaze darkened. Gardevoir had successfully landed a sneak attack—then what came next…
"Psychic!"
The blue glow in Gardevoir's eyes deepened further as multicolored psychic energy surged forth, catching up to the falling Cinderace.
BOOM!
Another explosive blast rang out. Cinderace's descent accelerated even further, and it finally slammed heavily into the deep crater below, shaking the entire battlefield.
But the assault still wasn't over!
Suddenly, a streak of multicolored light bloomed in the sky, transforming into a rainbow beam that shot toward Cinderace at extreme speed.
"That's Future Sight? When did that happen?!"
Leon's heavy expression changed abruptly. There was no doubt about it—this was the Psychic-type move Future Sight!
Future Sight wasn't an immediate attack. It had to be set up in advance, and only after a delay would it strike the opponent.
Its power was formidable, but because of the delayed activation, very few Trainers liked to use it.
"Was it when she dodged G-Max Fireball?"
Leon quickly realized it. That was the only moment when Gardevoir could have had the opportunity to use Future Sight.
But that made this the worst possible outcome!
"Cinderace, Max Flare!"
Seeing Future Sight hurtling toward the crater, Leon immediately shouted to Gigantamax Cinderace.
He didn't even know if Cinderace could hear him, but this was his final effort.
After being hit consecutively by Moonblast and Psychic, then falling from such a height, Cinderace's condition had to be terrible.
But if Future Sight landed as well, it would truly be disastrous!
Thick smoke filled the area, making it impossible to see Cinderace's current state—but that hardly mattered, because Cinderace was definitely inside that smoke.
And Future Sight would strike that very location!
"Hyper Beam."
Lucas glanced at Leon and calmly issued the order to Gardevoir.
Gardevoir raised both arms as pitch-black destructive energy rapidly gathered in front of her.
A streak of fire suddenly shone out from within the smoke—clearly Cinderace's final struggle. But just as the flames flared up, the multicolored beam of Future Sight crashed down.
BOOM!
Future Sight detonated violently, and Leon let out a silent sigh.
It was over.
Almost simultaneously, Hyper Beam followed and slammed into the area, triggering another overwhelmingly violent explosion.
Powerful shockwaves rippled outward in all directions!
When the smoke finally began to dissipate, within the deep crater lay the massive body of Gigantamax Cinderace, collapsed on the ground. Red light scattered continuously as its form rapidly shrank, returning to its original size in the blink of an eye.
"Cinderace has lost its ability to battle. Gardevoir wins."
As the referee announced the result, the image of Leon's fourth Pokémon—Cinderace—dimmed on the display screen.
And the entire stadium instantly erupted into an uproar of chaotic discussion.
"This… even Gigantamax Cinderace lost…"
"That's just absurd. How did that Gardevoir do it? Relentless pursuit and it straight-up knocked Gigantamax Cinderace out!"
"This Lucas is way too strong. Why do I feel like he's even fiercer than his cousin?"
"It's not just you, I actually feel the same way!"
"One-versus-three! Gardevoir took out three Pokémon by herself!"
The discussions surged endlessly. At this point, the situation of the battle had become extremely clear—Leon had already lost four Pokémon in total!
Meanwhile, Lucas was still only on his second Pokémon, Gardevoir. Leon had even used Gigantamax, yet he still hadn't managed to defeat her.
"As expected, it still didn't work. Although Gigantamax boosted Cinderace's power, it actually made things easier for Gardevoir," Steven shook his head as he observed the result.
After Gigantamaxing, Cinderace's move power had clearly increased a great deal, but at the same time, Gigantamax robbed it of its signature agility and explosive speed.
Against a Gardevoir with Teleport, unless it was perfectly predicted, it was extremely difficult for Cinderace to land a hit.
"Gigantamax was wasted. If Leon doesn't use Charizard, he basically has no way to deal with that Gardevoir," Cynthia analyzed calmly. The facts had already proven that Leon's other main Pokémon couldn't handle Gardevoir.
Unless Leon's ace, Charizard personally entered the battle.
And the worst part was that Gigantamax had already been used and wasted, failing to cause Lucas any real trouble before being defeated.
If the opponent hadn't been Gardevoir, Gigantamax Cinderace would have been incredibly effective.
"Speaking of which, since Gigantamax was used on Cinderace, Leon's Charizard will probably use Mega Evolution, right? Galar really isn't bad at all," Wallace said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. Mega Evolution could be used in any region.
Dynamax, on the other hand, could only be used at Galar energy points. Leon could actually use both power-up forms in the same battle.
"I've heard Alola also has a local strengthening method called Z-Moves. It seems like those can also be used across regions."
"Z-Moves… they really might suit you quite well, Wallace."
Steven's expression shifted subtly as he glanced at Wallace and spoke seriously.
After all, Wallace had thick skin—doing those strange, flashy dances on stage during a match probably wouldn't bother him at all, right?
"Huh?" Wallace froze for a moment, looking at Steven in confusion.
…
On the battlefield
"Although Gigantamax Cinderace's moves were quite powerful, unfortunately, they just couldn't hit Gardevoir," Lucas said to Leon with a smile as he took out a Poké Ball and recalled Gardevoir.
He was already very satisfied with her performance. It was time to let her rest.
"It really is a shame. My battle plan was flawed," Leon said helplessly. If he'd known that even Gigantamax Cinderace couldn't land a hit on Gardevoir…
He definitely would have sent Charizard out to face her. Even if that meant bringing out his ace early, it would've been better than letting Gigantamax Cinderace go down for nothing.
But battles didn't come with do-overs. At the time, he had believed that with Gigantamax's increased attack range, Cinderace would be able to hit Gardevoir.
"Let's continue," Leon said. Despite the extremely unfavorable situation, he showed no sign of discouragement.
His eyes burned brightly as he waited for Lucas's next Pokémon.
"Of course. Your next opponent will be this one."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, took out another Poké Ball, tossed it lightly in his hand, then threw it forward.
The entire stadium was filled with anticipation as everyone waited to see Lucas's third Pokémon of this challenge match.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Come out—!"
With a thunderous roar, a ferocious giant beast clad in green armor crashed heavily onto the battlefield. Its savage aura formed a stark contrast to the elegant Gardevoir from before.
"Tyranitar!"
Leon's eyes narrowed as he recognized the Pokémon.
It was none other than the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar!
And judging by its aura and oppressive presence, it was far more intimidating than Gardevoir had been—though that didn't necessarily mean Tyranitar was stronger.
Rather, Tyranitar's combat style and aggressiveness were simply far more terrifying!
Most of the audience also recognized Tyranitar, and excited shouts and cheers erupted throughout the stadium.
Aside from true Legendaries, pseudo-legendary Pokémon were always the most beloved across all regions.
And Tyranitar, the rampaging beast of Mt Silver, was especially revered by Trainers!
"It's here—Lucas's Tyranitar."
Steven's expression also turned solemn. Although he knew Lucas possessed a pseudo-legendary Tyranitar in addition to Dragonair, they knew far too little about this Tyranitar.
"It's not over yet."
Lucas felt the countless gazes from all around the stadium, the smile on his lips deepening as he slowly raised his hand.
Leon's eyelids twitched violently—because he saw the bracelet on Lucas's wrist.
A Key Stone!
It was unmistakably a Key Stone!
"ROOOAAAR!"
Lucas's Key Stone flashed with light as Tyranitar let out a savage roar. The Mega Stone embedded in Tyranitar's body instantly resonated and shone in response.
Mega Evolution!
The dazzling evolutionary light lasted only a brief moment before fading away, revealing an entirely new form—
Mega Tyranitar!
Its body was even more massive, jagged green spikes jutting irregularly from its armor. A long vertical horn rose from its head, and the armor plating on its abdomen and back shifted from blue to crimson.
Savage. Violent.
"That pressure…"
Leon frowned uncontrollably as he stared at the berserk Mega Tyranitar before him.
He had never seen a Tyranitar whose mere presence was this terrifying.
One look was enough to know—it was not something to be taken lightly.
"Haxorus!"
After a moment of contemplation, Leon threw out his fifth Pokémon.
The Poké Ball burst open in midair, and a green-armored Haxorus landed on the field, the axe-like blades of its jaws gleaming ominously.
Another Pokémon that excelled in close combat—Haxorus!
"Trying to test just how strong Mega Tyranitar really is?" Lucas glanced at the Haxorus. It was no weaker than Iris's ace Haxorus—very likely even stronger.
Clearly, Leon intended to use Haxorus to probe Mega Tyranitar's true strength.
"Haxorus, Dragon Dance!"
Leon commanded in a deep voice.
Haxorus let out a low roar, its body moving in strange, ancient patterns as Dragon Dance activated, boosting both its power and speed.
"Dragon Dance? We can do that too~"
"Mega Tyranitar!"
Lucas's lips curved upward slightly.
Mega Tyranitar roared thunderously, its towering body also beginning to move as Dragon Dance took effect!
"Dragon Claw!"
Leon wasn't surprised at all—Tyranitar had always been capable of learning Dragon Dance.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted his command.
Just how powerful this Mega Tyranitar truly was—this clash would reveal it!
Haxorus's razor-sharp claws glowed with azure light as it charged toward Mega Tyranitar!
(End of Chapter)