Watching the energetic Korrina, the corner of Terrance's eye lingered on her wrist guard.
A Key Stone.
"So, Lucario can do it too." Terrance was taken aback. This Korrina looked even younger than him, and yet she had already mastered the power of Mega Evolution. It seemed that the new generation of Trainers in a few years would be quite formidable.
Clearing his throat, Terrance said to Korrina, "I'm not a challenger."
"Eh?!" Korrina was stunned.
"How should I put it… I just want to ask you about something…" Terrance began to explain.
"I see." Korrina and Lucario looked a little disappointed, but in the next moment she quickly perked up again, and said excitedly, "Of course, no problem! As long as it's something I know, I can answer it. But since you're not challenging the Gym, that means we don't have to wait until dusk to go there. So why not have a battle with me right here instead!"
Having just finished training with Lucario, Korrina wanted to test the results.
"You can use Mega Evolution, right?" Terrance's lips curled into a smile as he pointed to the Key Stone on the back of her hand. If it were just a regular battle, he wouldn't be very interested, but if it was a Mega Evolution showdown… then it was worth a fight.
"Uh…" Korrina nodded, then said, "If you're strong enough to force me and Lucario to go all out."
The moment the two met, the atmosphere between them became tense. Battle was imminent.
"Then I'll go with Lucario. What about you?" Korrina asked.
"I'll go with Altaria." Terrance tossed out Altaria's Poké Ball. The Altaria he had raised, clearly better than most of its kind, appeared instantly in the air, looking down at Lucario on the ground.
It had once battled Albus's Lucario, and had even defeated the ace of the Elite Four. Just from its presence alone, Altaria could gauge the opponent's general strength.
"As expected, it looks really strong." Korrina stared seriously at the imposing Altaria, showing no signs of backing down.
"Then let's begin. Altaria, use Dragon Claw," Terrance commanded.
Swoosh!
Bluish-violet flames flared out as Altaria slashed down with its conjured massive claw, diving straight toward Lucario.
"Lucario, block it!" Korrina's pupils shrank. Altaria's speed was far beyond what she and Lucario had imagined. As Lucario raised its arms to defend, Altaria's Dragon Claw had already struck.
Boom!!
With a resounding thud, Lucario was sent flying, its feet skidding far across the ground, leaving a deep trail behind.
Looking at its slightly trembling hands, Lucario wore a solemn expression as it stared intently at Altaria.
"Is our strength enough to make Lucario Mega Evolve?" Terrance asked with a smile.
"Alright, I admit you're strong…" Korrina was slightly startled, then said, "In that case… let's begin, Lucario!"
"Life…" Korrina extended her left arm, her expression turning serious. As she shouted, Lucario began gathering its aura.
"Life… Explosion. Lucario, Mega Evolve!!" Her right hand quickly pressed down on the Key Stone, and a dazzling white light enveloped Lucario, empowering it through the Mega Stone. [TN: Life Explosion is used by Korrina in japanese version of the anime and game. ]
As Lucario Mega Evolved, dust swirled around and the air grew turbulent. Gazing at the newly transformed Mega Lucario, Terrance smiled faintly.
"So this is Mega Lucario? This is my first time facing someone in a Mega Evolution battle."
Lucario's form was clearly even more striking now, its entire body looking fully armed. Facing this opponent, Altaria turned to look at Terrance.
"The first time facing someone in a Mega Evolution battle? What do you mean?" Korrina exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course, I mean this." Terrance revealed his Mega Ring as he spoke.
"Mega Evolution!" Korrina said in astonishment.
She had gone through great effort to complete her Mega Evolution training. In order to obtain Lucario's Mega Stone, she not only completed a 100-win streak challenge but also underwent even more grueling trials…
"I see. Then let me and Mega Lucario witness your full strength." Korrina said excitedly.
"As you wish. Altaria, Mega Evolve." Terrance gave the command quickly.
A dazzling light lit up the sky, linking Terrance and Altaria. In the next instant, Mega Evolution was complete!
Gazing at the majestic form of Mega Altaria, Korrina and Terrance spoke almost in unison:
"Bone Rush!"
"Dragon Claw!"
Lucario swiftly formed a pale yellow bone club, swinging it as it awaited Mega Altaria's descent.
The bluish-violet flames of Dragon Claw and the pale yellow bone club collided, unleashing a violent shockwave and impact.
"Swords Dance!"
"It's over. Dragon Rush."
In the midst of their clash, Korrina seized an opening to give a quick command, but what followed was Terrance's calm and composed order.
The combo of Dragon Claw and Dragon Rush was executed with extreme speed. The two moves were flawlessly chained together, as if they had been unleashed simultaneously.
BOOM!!!
Caught off guard, Mega Lucario was struck and sent flying, crashing onto the beach. As Lucario reverted from its Mega Evolution form, Korrina stood frozen in shock.
Lost?
Lost in just two turns?
"That's only natural." As the fast-paced battle ended, an elderly voice rang out.
An old man dressed in gray, with a hairstyle similar to Korrina's, stepped forward and said, "You and Lucario have only just grasped the power of Mega Evolution. There's no way you could defeat this Trainer. He and his Altaria have already reached a far higher level."
"Grandpa!!" Korrina exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the man.
"If you keep being this laid-back, not only will it be impossible to carry on the Gym's legacy, you'll also struggle to defeat that boy with the Pikachu who beat you before," the old man said bluntly.
Korrina's grandfather, huh…
Having released Mega Altaria from its Mega Evolution state, Terrance recalled it immediately.
Just two turns had been enough for him to gauge Korrina's strength. Mega Evolution had indeed brought Lucario a significant power boost, and might even allow Korrina to stand firm in the Champion League. But still, this strength was not even on par with Albus's regular-form Lucario.
Their fundamentals… were still lacking.
So even though Terrance's Mega Altaria had only shown a fraction of its power, Korrina still couldn't keep up.
"I heard the commotion from inside the Gym and came to check it out. What's going on here…" the old man looked toward Terrance, wanting to know who he was.
"Hello, sir. It's like this…" Terrance nodded. "I heard that this Gym has raised a Mega Lucario, so I came to inquire about something."
"If a human who possesses Aura power completely loses their Aura and falls into a state where their life force is on the verge of disappearing, is there still a way to save them?"
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