"Electivire, get ready for battle!"
"Ice Punch!"
"Viree~"
As soon as Electivire took the field, it activated its battle mode vanishing in a flash of lightning. In the blink of an eye, it reappeared right in front of Garchomp, its Ice Punch leaving afterimages as it struck.
Garchomp, unfazed, skillfully blocked every incoming attack with its powerful arms. Just as it was about to counter with a decisive Brick Break, an ominous feeling suddenly crept into its mind. Instinctively, it struck first, sending Electivire flying backward.
"Boom!"
Even as it was knocked back, Electivire's two specialized tails coiled around one of Garchomp's arms, seizing the opportunity to hurl it through the air. With a swift motion, Electivire flung a Focus Blast straight at its opponent.
"Giga Impact!"
Covered in smoke from the explosion, Garchomp unleashed a Giga Impact, dispersing the haze in an instant as it rocketed straight toward Electivire.
"Dodge it!"
With the combined power of Motor Drive, Magnet Rise, and Lightning Speed, Electivire surged forward with blistering speed, barely evading Garchomp's charge.
"That speed… Dragon Rush!"
Cynthia's voice carried a note of admiration before turning cold with command.
"Aargh!"
Garchomp shook off the aftereffects of Giga Impact, disregarding the usual recoil. A chilling aura of bloodlust locked onto Electivire, freezing its movements mid-dash.
There was no escape—locked on by Garchomp's killing intent!
"Go all out—Ice Punch!"
"Viree!"
With no other choice, Electivire abandoned its previous strategy of hit-and-run maneuvers. It poured every ounce of strength into its fists, its knuckles radiating an ice-blue glow as it charged straight at the monstrous dragon.
"Boom!"
The moment they clashed, Electivire suffered the same fate as its predecessors—Garchomp completely crushed its momentum, sending it plummeting toward the ground.
However, unlike the others, Electivire's ability to Magnet Rise gave it better control midair. As Garchomp attempted to finish it off with a follow-up Brick Break, a sudden blue light flickered in Electivire's eyes—Psychic!
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
The two attacks struck simultaneously—Garchomp's Brick Break landed cleanly but at the same moment, an ice-cold fist connected with its chest leaving a deep frost mark.
"Crash!"
The ground trembled as Electivire was sent sprawling into a crater, unable to move.
"Aaahhh!"
Garchomp landed in front of Cynthia, casually brushing off the ice crystals clinging to its chest.
"Challenging Garchomp with an Electric-type Pokémon? What a joke!"
"He doesn't even understand type matchups. How can he expect to beat a Champion?"
The crowd burst into mocking laughter once more, but Paul ignored them and recalled Electivire without a word. Then, he reached for his next Poké Ball.
"Ursaring, get ready for battle!"
"Go all out!"
"Ursaa!"
As soon as Ursaring entered the battlefield, it let out a deafening roar. Flames burned across its body, its eyes gleamed red with pain and fury, and its aura exploded exponentially—its sheer presence now rivaling that of Garchomp!
Belly Drum activated—attack maxed out!
Guts activated—attack power boosted by another 50%!
"Interesting." Cynthia mused, a glint of excitement flashed in her eyes. Without hesitation, she commanded:
"Garchomp, Giga Impact!"
"AAHHHH!"
Garchomp erupted forward at full power, its overwhelming presence crashing down on Ursaring like a tidal wave.
"Ursaring, take the hit head-on!"
At that moment, fear did not exist in Ursaring's mind. With its Burn status fueling its raw strength and the Life Orb amplifying its power even further, it charged straight at Garchomp.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield. Shockingly, Ursaring didn't go down in one hit—on the contrary, it was holding its ground, matching Garchomp blow for blow.
But three seconds later, Garchomp started to feel an unexpected pressure. Sensing the tide shifting, it immediately withdrew, attempting to reposition.
But Paul wouldn't let that happen.
"Keep pushing!"
Ursaring lunged forward, throwing a massive punch, and forcing Garchomp to counter with Dragon Claw.
"BAM!"
This time, the roles had reversed—Garchomp was being pushed back!
"Evade—use Draco Meteor!"
Cynthia's command snapped Garchomp back to focus. Without hesitation, it leaped high into the air, and unleashed a barrage of Draco Meteors.
The attack exposed Ursaring's major weakness—speed. The massive bear couldn't dodge and had to rely on brute force to shatter the falling meteors.
But by the time it cleared the barrage, Garchomp had already descended behind it. A decisive Brick Break landed, and Ursaring crumpled to the ground.
Returning to Cynthia's side, Garchomp was breathing heavily, its exhaustion beginning to show after consecutive battles.
"Tch. That Ursaring was all brute strength and nothing else."
"Yeah, I thought it'd put up more of a fight. Turns out it couldn't last at all."
"So weak—totally embarrassing."
As yet another of Paul's Pokémon fell, the spectators' scoff grew even sharper.
But Paul ignored them.
"Return."
"Torterra, you're up."
"RAAAA!"
A massive Torterra landed on the battlefield with a heavy thud. Glancing around at the battered area, it understood immediately that this opponent was no pushover. Without hesitation, it activated Growth, its entire body expanding in size.
"Whoa, that Torterra is huge!"
"Why are all his Pokémon so big?"
"Size doesn't matter if it can't take a hit from Garchomp!"
Even Cynthia was momentarily surprised.
"Your Torterra is impressive. I've never seen one that large before." she admitted.
"Appreciate the compliment." Paul replied curtly. "Frenzy Plant!"
The ground shattered—countless hardened vines erupted, lashing toward Garchomp.
"Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp didn't choose to take the hit head-on. Instead, it charged straight toward Torterra, skillfully weaving through the hardened plants it could avoid and slashing through those that stood in its way.
"Boom!"
In an instant, Garchomp closed the distance, minimizing damage taken as much as possible. Without hesitation, it brought down a ruthless Dragon Claw on Torterra's head.
"Bang!"
"Raaa—!"
The impact forced Torterra's head to slam into the ground uncontrollably.
One move wasn't enough to take down the sturdy Torterra, but Garchomp wasted no time—its other claw immediately followed up with a crushing Brick Break, dealing even more damage.
"Grab it!"
Despite the pain, a determined glint flashed in Torterra's eyes. The ground beneath Garchomp's feet suddenly shattered as strange roots and vines burst forth, entangling its limbs. At the same time, the three rocky lump on Torterra's back glowed green, transforming into chains of energy that wrapped around Garchomp.
Grass Knot, Ingrain, and Giga Drain!
The three moves activated almost simultaneously. Garchomp barely had time to shatter the incoming Giga Drain, but by then, half of its body was already bound by the relentless roots and vines.
Torterra showed no intention of letting Garchomp go. It spat out a Leech Seed, further restricting its opponent's movement. Meanwhile, the glowing chains tightened once more, draining even more of Garchomp's strength.
Then, without hesitation, Torterra lunged forward, sinking its jaws into Garchomp. A sinister red glow radiated from the massive tree on its back—it was actively absorbing Garchomp's energy.
In the blink of an eye, the battle had completely shifted!
Torterra had unleashed every move at its disposal to trap and drain Garchomp, locking it down entirely.
Given the prior damage Garchomp had sustained from Froslass earlier, the effects of these attacks were now amplified significantly.
"What an incredible control..."
Despite her words of admiration, Cynthia's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Aaahhh!"
Though bound in multiple places, Garchomp could still move its head. Without hesitation, it unleashed a Dragon Pulse at point-blank range, blasting Torterra and breaking free from several layers of its bindings.
Realizing the danger, Torterra hurriedly summoned vines to gag Garchomp, aiming to prevent it from launching any more attacks.
But just as the vines wrapped around its mouth—
"Fire Fang!"
Flames erupted from Garchomp's jaws, instantly incinerating the vines. Another Dragon Pulse followed shattering even more restraints.
Then, with one final burst of power, Garchomp broke free completely. Leaping high into the air, it launched itself downward—Giga Impact was fully charged!
"Protect!"
A green barrier materialized between the two Pokémon. However, it barely lasted two seconds before shattering under the sheer force of the attack.
"BOOM!"
"Raaaa—!"
A massive explosion erupted. From within the rising cloud of dust, Garchomp shot upward once again, firing a final Dragon Pulse into the smoke-filled battlefield, thickening the haze even further.
Moments later as the dust settled, Torterra lay collapsed on the ground.
Garchomp, having landed in front of Cynthia had also dropped to one knee, and breathing heavily.
"Return."
Silently watching his fallen Torterra and the exhausted Garchomp, Paul retrieved his Poké Ball and recalled his Pokémon. He then turned toward Cynthia and gave a small bow.
"Thank you. I'll be back to challenge you again."
With those words, Paul turned and walked away, leaving behind murmurs of disapproval and disdain from the gathered spectators.
Yet their voices did little to faze him.
"Paul… quite the impressive young man and his Pokémon too."
Gently stroking her battle-worn Garchomp, Cynthia watched Paul's retreating figure with a small smile.
"Aaahh…"
Even in its weakened state, Garchomp gave a small nod, its eyes filled with memories of its own battles from long ago.
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