"Machamp, use Low Sweep!"
"Darmanitan, use Hammer Arm!"
In this round, Rex drew number 1, meaning he'd be the first to compete. His opponent had chosen Darmanitan, while the lucky one to draw number 9—a young man in his twenties—got a free pass.
Since battling Nimbasa Gym's Mega Ampharos, Machamp seemed to have broken through to a new level. Though outwardly nothing had changed, even Blaziken and Heracross combined could now barely last long against it.
It was as if Machamp had awakened something—its movements were now completely stripped of excess. In battle, it instinctively found an opponent's weak point and took them down with minimal effort.
Rex suspected this had something to do with Keldeo.
Because lately, he'd noticed traces of Keldeo's fighting style in Machamp's movements.
And Keldeo wasn't just any Pokémon—it was a mythical one trained by three other legendaries. For Machamp to have absorbed even a fraction of that was incredible.
Darmanitan was no slouch. Had this been before the Mega Ampharos battle, it might've put up a decent fight. But now, it was hopelessly outmatched.
As Darmanitan launched its Hammer Arm, Machamp leaned slightly and struck first with Low Sweep.
Darmanitan didn't even see it coming. Its legs buckled, and it tumbled backward before it could finish its move.
Its attack failed.
And before it could get back up, Machamp delivered a clean knife-hand chop to the neck.
Unsurprisingly, Darmanitan was knocked out cold.
"Whoa, that Machamp's no joke!"
"Yeah, Darmanitan didn't even get to fight back!"
"Also—are its arms… thicker than usual? That's kinda terrifying."
The crowd buzzed with chatter. Darmanitan's trainer had been considered a strong contender, someone fairly well known in Unova. To see him lose so easily, and to someone unknown like Rex, shocked everyone.
The spectators were merely surprised, but the other competitors saw Rex as a serious threat to their own championship hopes.
They were caught between two thoughts—wanting to avoid him for as long as possible to secure a better ranking, and wanting to face him quickly to test their strength.
Most trainers craved strong opponents. Only by challenging them could their own Pokémon grow.
When the judge declared Rex the winner, he calmly returned to his seat with Machamp.
"Hey, Rex," Aliza called. "Did your Machamp get a power boost or something? It feels totally different from before!"
Having trained alongside Rex the last few days, Aliza was familiar with Machamp's strength. But today, she didn't recognize it at all.
Even Nimbasa's Gym Leader, Yuli, watching from the guest seats with the others, looked stunned.
She still vividly remembered how her Mega Ampharos had barely defeated Machamp. It had been a hard-fought win. In her mind, the two were evenly matched.
But now?
Now she was sure: if they battled again, her Ampharos wouldn't win. Machamp's growth had far outpaced her own partner's.
"Rex's progress really is incredible," said Cynthia, who knew him best.
After all, she had lived on his farm for a time.
Back then, what had intrigued her most was his bond with several mythical Pokémon. His team was strong, yes, but she hadn't been too focused on that.
Now, after watching Machamp battle, she realized this one Pokémon alone could rival some of her own.
And that was terrifying.
Cynthia wasn't champion just because of Garchomp. Her other Pokémon were all strong enough to rival elite-level teams—and perhaps even surpass them.
"Machamp's just had a few breakthroughs, that's all," Rex deflected. "Let's focus on the matches."
The truth was, he didn't fully understand Machamp's change either. He planned to ask Diancie to help him delve into it later.
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, Aliza stopped asking and turned back to watch the ongoing matches.
There were still three more quarterfinals to go, and one of them quickly caught everyone's attention.
A trainer sent out a Haxorus—a powerhouse—and absolutely demolished a Toxicroak.
"Since five trainers remain after the second round, letting someone pass by default wouldn't be fair. So I'll be participating in this round," announced the castle's steward, Sterling.
Rex found nothing odd about this. In fact, he was hoping to face Sterling. The man was a skilled trainer—one worth testing himself against.
Once everyone drew lots, Rex ended up with number 6, which meant he'd be facing Sterling directly in the third match.
Sterling gave Rex a warm smile, which Rex returned politely.
In the first match of the semifinals, the Haxorus trainer returned—but this time, he used a Dragonite.
Clearly, he favored Dragon-types. Rex wasn't sure if it was a full specialization or just a preference.
His opponent, a middle-aged man, sent out a Vanilluxe.
Judging by the confident smirk on the man's face, it was obvious he'd noticed his opponent's dragon bias and had prepared accordingly.
The Haxorus trainer looked rattled at first but quickly collected himself. He didn't believe Dragonite would lose just because of a type disadvantage.
And he was right.
Despite a tough fight, Dragonite relied on raw power to power through Vanilluxe's advantage and secured victory—earning its trainer a place in the top three.