"Looks like a real variable has entered the field."
Following the shift in its physical form, Flygon felt an inexhaustible reservoir of raw power coursing through its veins. It parted its jaws and roared, releasing a Dragon Pulse that materialized into the soaring silhouette of a desert predator. At the same time, spinning hexagonal lattices of compressed sand formed around Flygon, whistling through the air toward Haxorus like a barrage of razor-sharp shuriken.
"Watch out, Haxorus! Counter with Brutal Swing!"
Just as Iris prepared to repeat the maneuver, Haxorus found itself rooted to the spot. The towering draconic phantasm born from the Dragon Pulse exerted a suffocating draconic aura. Pinned beneath that sheer pressure, Haxorus felt its muscles seize in a faint, involuntary tremor.
Iris noticed the anomaly at once, but it was already too late.
The screaming shuriken of compacted sand slammed into Haxorus. A jolt of sharp, piercing pain lanced through its armored hide, followed immediately by darkness as the blinding glare of the massive Dragon Pulse swallowed it whole.
A series of deafening explosions rattled the field, throwing up thick clouds of billowing smoke.
Cough, cough...
As the dense haze slowly cleared, Haxorus lay sprawled across the shattered arena floor, completely unconscious.
Flygon, meanwhile, reverted from its atavistic evolutionary state. In truth, Feng Che knew his Dragon Force was more than potent enough to sustain Flygon's primal form for an extended period. But rather than risk startling the Dragon Clan into greater vigilance, he withdrew the aura intentionally, directing Flygon to put on a convincing display of near-total exhaustion.
"Look at how pale that Flygon's face is. It seems drawing on that level of Dragon Force exacts a heavy toll on the body after all," Victor noted, running a hand through his hair.
Seeing Flygon's apparent state of distress, Drayden felt the weight in his chest ease considerably.
A double-edged sword, then. An exchange of mutual depletion. Good. Very good.
As long as Iris claims victory in the remaining two rounds, everything will stay on course.
From the VIP stands, the Second Elder observed the arena with a brooding, calculating look. His dragon-head cane tapped against the paving stones in a measured cadence, transmitting coded instructions.
Concealed nearby, Shadow One decoded the rhythmic pattern via Morse code.
Second Elder: Run a full background check on this newcomer immediately.
Second Elder: He is far from ordinary.
Second Elder: The timeline has shifted. Instruct our forces to strike ahead of schedule.
Second Elder: We make our move before the Dragon God Shrine.
Second Elder: Whether Iris claims the title of clan head or this outsider does, neither outcome bodes well for us.
Shadow One: Understood, My Lord.
Feng Che, the Second Elder is having your identity investigated, Mewtwo transmitted with dry amusement. They're planning to make their move right at the Dragon God Shrine.
These humans truly are complicated creatures—forever scheming, forever plotting.
They really don't place Zekrom in their eyes at all, do they? Feng Che thought, a cold glint flashing across the depth of his gaze. Had Zekrom remained asleep, their little coup might have stood a chance. But by now, Zekrom is already watching from the storm clouds above the shrine.
Daring to stage a revolt before the very shrine of the Dragon God... It's nothing short of suicidal.
Even if he did not claim the championship of the festival himself, Feng Che had no intention of letting the Second Elder seize power. If the mighty Dragon Clan fractured into pieces, Alder would get exactly what he wanted: an unresisting target to subjugate.
"Hmph! You might have taken down my ace, but don't think for a second my other two Pokémon are push-overs," Iris called out defiantly, breaking through the murmur of the crowd. "Come on out, Garchomp!"
The draconic predator materialized onto the field, its sleek body bearing the deep midnight-blue of an apex hunter. From the underside of its lower jaw across its upper chest ran a streak of vibrant crimson, giving way to a golden-yellow underbelly. Two hammer-like protrusions jutted from the sides of its head, resembling the silhouette of a hammerhead shark. A reversed yellow star-shaped mark sat atop its snout above a maw lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Its wings were fused along its forearms like shark fins; when tucked close during flight, the beast took on the hydrodynamic profile of a jet aircraft. Its dorsal fin and tapered tail echoed the ocean predator it was modeled after.
Capable of hurtling through the sky at the speed of sound, Garchomp was armored in fine, needle-like scales that slashed aerodynamic drag while lacerating any foe that made physical contact. When sprinting at top speed, the air cleaving off its wingtips whipped into razor blades capable of shearing down surrounding trees. The twin sensors on its head acted as sophisticated biological radar, pinpointing the vector and velocity of distant quarry with chilling precision.
Iris had summoned Garchomp specifically to leverage the shifting sands underfoot. Flygon had already transformed the field into a veritable ocean of loose grit—a foundation custom-made for Garchomp's sand-veiled mobility.
"Return, Flygon," Feng Che said, calling back his partner with a sweep of his red beam. "You're up next."
He tossed another Poké Ball into the air, releasing a Dreepy onto the sands.
"No way... That's a Dreepy?!" Iris's eyes sparkled behind her mask with unconcealed delight. "I scoured the Spirit World within Unova and never managed to encounter one! It's absolutely gorgeous!"
Feng Che's Dreepy, however, was an anomaly. Its physical frame had grown to a scale nearly rivaling a fully evolved Dragapult. Perched atop its broad, sleek skull rested two smaller, palm-sized Dreepy—the actual standard size for the species. This particular specimen had been fed so prodigiously that it looked like it had been raised on industrial livestock feed. From a distance, spectators might have easily mistaken it for a mature Dragapult.
"Garchomp, summon a Sandstorm!" Iris commanded.
Garchomp spread its scythe-like arms wide. In an instant, a raging curtain of grit swept across the arena floor, relentlessly grinding bedrock into loose dust. Feeding on the remnants left behind by Flygon, Garchomp rapidly expanded the dune territory until it covered twice the footprint of the standard battle enclosure.
"Garchomp, you churned up way too much sand! Half of it spilled past the boundary line!" Iris grumbled at her partner.
Garchomp scratched its head with the flat of its fin, rolling its eyes at her with visible disdain.
Garchomp: This nagging woman is lecturing me again... Still, credit where it's due, she found a decent opponent this time.
The moment Garchomp locked eyes with Dreepy, the lethargy in its stance vanished, replaced by an edge of razor-sharp wariness. It could instinctively sense the suffocating, phantom pressure radiating from Dreepy—the chilling aura of Giratina itself.
Seeing Iris summon a Garchomp reminded Feng Che of the one he had caught earlier and left behind at the Gardenia estate.
Ah... Once this tournament wraps up, I'll have to go bring that Garchomp back, he mused, scratching his cheek. Its latent potential was exceptional; it'd be a shame to let it languish.
Having too many Pokémon could genuinely be a headache sometimes. Nurturing elite talent required a mountain of rare resources. Fortunately, backed by the deep pockets of the Gardenia family and the wealth of the Sasaki clan, resources were the least of Feng Che's concerns.
"Dreepy, use Shadow Sneak, then follow with Dragon Darts!"
Dragon Darts was an assault that bypassed conventional physical defenses entirely. Once the spectral projectiles struck home, they detonated directly against the opponent's spirit, dealing irreversible damage straight to the soul.