Though scorched pitch-black from head to foot, Feng Che's Rampardos was brimming with fighting spirit, its wide eyes fixed steadily on the Mega Gyarados above.
In stark contrast, the white serpent's scales had grown dull and lifeless. The light in its eyes faded by the second, and it barely managed to stay aloft in the sky. Unleashing that devastating Hyper Beam had drained the vast majority of its life force.
Below, the battlefield was utterly ruined. A gargantuan crater dominated the center, spewing thick plumes of acrid smoke, while the ground surrounding it fractured into countless jagged fragments, gouged and churned as though torn apart by a monstrous plow.
"Mega Gyarados, burn through every last scrap of your life force!" Poison Dragon issued his final, merciless command.
Prismatic streamers of iridescent energy erupted from the white beast. Like a senseless war machine driven beyond its limits, it let out a ragged roar and plummeted straight for Rampardos.
"Victor, did you catch how that Rampardos withstood the Hyper Beam just now?" Drayden asked, his expression intensely grave. "The raw power of that blast rivaled an attack from a Champion-tier Pokémon. Rampardos is only at the high Elite tier—it should have been impossible to endure."
"I couldn't quite tell either," Victor replied. In truth, he had noticed the trick, but chose to keep silent to avoid stoking Drayden's wariness.
"Haha, allow this old man to enlighten you both."
A wizened voice drifted over. Without anyone realizing, the Second Elder had opened his eyes, watching the match with keen interest.
"That Rampardos is exceptionally clever. It wove a combo of Smart Strike, Horn Drill, and Giga Impact together," the elder explained, gesturing toward the gouged earth with his walking stick. "It harnessed the immense kinetic power of Giga Impact to deflect the Hyper Beam's blast into the surrounding terrain. Just look at how pulverized the arena is."
Raising a brow, the Second Elder's tone grew solemn. "Even so, such an attack couldn't fully neutralize the sheer heat baked into the Hyper Beam. The blistering temperature still scorched Rampardos's hide."
He paused, continuing with measured calm, "Fortunately, this Rampardos boasts astonishing regenerative vitality. The charred layers across its skin will likely mend themselves in no time."
Just as the elder predicted, the blackened crust flaked away from Rampardos's hide, revealing fresh, gleaming scales underneath, leaving the beast looking sturdier than ever.
"Truly, every generation produces its own prodigies," the Second Elder murmured with a soft yawn, before slowly closing his eyes once more. "It has been far too long since I watched a battle this magnificent."
High above, the Mega Gyarados coiled through the upper atmosphere, drawing down a tempest of thunderbolts. Arcs of lightning slithered through the brooding storm clouds, gathering into an overwhelming torrent before cascading from the heavens. The thunder crashed into the serpent, cloaking its massive form in crackling, brilliant gold.
"Behold the Giga Impact I engineered by burning out this Gyarados's life force!" A manic gleam flashed in Poison Dragon's eyes. "Let's see if that Rampardos of yours can survive this!"
"Hmph. Rampardos, Dragon Rush—full power!"
The Mega Gyarados plunged like a golden cyclone out of the heavens. Within that roaring vortex raged a ferocious tempest of blinding lightning, coalescing into a colossal dragon of thunder that bore down relentlessly upon Rampardos.
Rampardos countered by channeling boundless draconic might. Countless jagged boulders fused to its frame, morphing it into a colossal dragon of living bedrock. With a thunderous lash of its thick tail against the earth, Rampardos vaulted skyward.
The violent collision between rock and lightning birthed an enormous mushroom cloud. A devastating shockwave rippled outward, sending stray lightning bolts and howling gale winds crashing straight toward the spectator stands.
"Damn it—the crowd is going to be hit!"
Just as Drayden moved to intervene, the Second Elder struck his walking stick firmly against the flagstones.
Beside him, a Drampa opened its eyes. A brilliant shroud of azure light cascaded from its body, solidifying into a massive psychic barrier that effortlessly rebuffed the raging winds and wild currents of electricity.
"That was terrifying... I watched those bolts fly right at us! I thought I was about to be turned to cinders!"
"Thank heavens the Second Elder stepped in."
"We really shouldn't stand so close to the ring. Getting caught in that crossfire is no joke."
Spectators clutched their chests, murmuring in lingering dread.
When the blinding glare finally faded, the Mega Gyarados lay collapsed on the ground, smothered in gray dust. Only the faintest tremor of breath proved it was still clinging to life.
"Worthless trash. Why don't you just hurry up and die?" Poison Dragon spat viciously. To him, any Pokémon that cost him a match was an utter failure of a tool. He had plenty of replacements waiting back in his labs; staring at this half-dead wretch only fueled his mounting fury.
"You're free to rot."
Poison Dragon hurled its Poké Ball violently against the flagstones, shattering it into jagged shards.
Freed from the ball's imprint, the Mega Gyarados gained its freedom on the very threshold of death. It stared up at the brilliant blue expanse of the sky with hollow eyes, fat teardrops rolling silently from the corners of its lids. Its ragged breathing hitched—it was expelling far more air than it could draw back in.
Just as the abandoned serpent resigned itself to dying in sheer disgrace, Feng Che stepped forward.
"If you don't want this Gyarados, I'll take it. I will see to it that it's properly cared for."
Feng Che knew this Mega Gyarados possessed a rare, atavistic draconic bloodline. Besides, he already had both a red and a black shiny Gyarados in his care; adding this white one would bring familiar company—and perhaps even let him assemble his own Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.
He tossed a Great Ball toward the fallen beast. Without the slightest resistance, the ball clicked shut, and the Mega Gyarados was caught.
"Hmph. That broken beast has already burned out its life force—it's nothing more than scrap metal," Poison Dragon sneered, curling his lip in petty spite to mask his embarrassment. "It's beyond saving. Even if you caught it, only death awaits. I never thought you'd stoop to collecting garbage. What are you, a walking recycling bin?"
"A trainer who cannot cherish his Pokémon will ultimately be forsaken by them," Feng Che retorted with cold severity. Mewtwo had never seen Feng Che speak with such absolute gravity. "Even if its condition were fatal, abandoning a partner on the verge of death is unforgivable. Pokémon are not tools for mankind—they are our companions, an undeniable truth. Life deserves reverence. Humans and Pokémon are meant to grow side by side."
Turning away, Feng Che added quietly, "I will not stand by and watch a living being perish before my eyes."
Feigning to stow the Great Ball into his spatial ring, Feng Che secretly transferred it directly to Shaymin for emergency treatment.
Shaymin, I'm counting on you.
With the Life Orb in his possession, restoring the Gyarados's depleted life force was well within reach.