Dynamax Machamp towered over the battlefield like a skyscraper.
John looked up, awestruck by the transformation. The Fighting-type's muscular body now seemed to ripple with volcanic energy, four arms flexing with impossible strength. Three crimson clouds circled its waist, and its championship belt gleamed golden, now magnified to the size of a small car.
There was only one comparison that came to John's mind.
"It's like something out of a kaiju movie," John whispered to himself.
He had long known that Hank's trump card was Machamp with its Dynamax capability. It was precisely because of this that Coach Williams had brought John, whose own ace was Mega Gardevoir, to challenge Hank in the first place. The coach had even used Machamp during their initial sparring sessions, and sometimes brought it out during their training regimen.
"Machamp, Dynamic Punch!" Gym Leader Hank commanded without hesitation.
The gigantic Machamp leaned forward and wound up for a devastating blow. Blinding white energy enveloped its massive fist as it launched the attack, completely filling Hariyama's and John's field of vision with its approach.
Unlike in games or anime, real Pokémon could still use their regular moves after Dynamaxing, or use certain moves as the basis for Dynamax techniques. However, this consumed tremendous energy from both Pokémon and trainer, significantly reducing the duration of the transformation.
In the games, Dynamax forms lasted for exactly three turns. In reality, the duration depended entirely on the combined stamina of Pokémon and trainer.
Now John faced the same difficult choices Hank had earlier: attack, defend, or switch Pokémon?
"Aura Sphere!" John chose to attack.
His options were limited. Besides Gardevoir, he had no better replacement ready. The six Pokémon John had registered for this battle were Greninja, Gyarados, Garchomp, Hariyama, Tyranitar, and Gardevoir.
Originally, Hariyama's slot was meant for Blaziken. But considering Hariyama's ability to use Aura Sphere with perfect accuracy, combined with the Black Belt item, John had ultimately decided on the sumo Pokémon.
If he wanted to keep Gardevoir at peak condition for the final showdown, the only other option would be Tyranitar. But with its Rock/Dark typing making it four times weak to Fighting moves, that would be suicide against Machamp.
Faced with Machamp's incoming Dynamic Punch, Hariyama formed another Aura Sphere in its right palm and hurled it directly at the giant. This one was only the size of a soccer ball compared to the earlier boulder-sized attack. The Black Belt's 50% power boost only applied to the first Aura Sphere, and Arcanine's Intimidate ability had weakened Hariyama's attack power.
Still, this soccer-sized energy ball represented everything Hariyama had left.
"BOOM!" The Aura Sphere struck Dynamax Machamp square in the chest.
Simultaneously, Hariyama's body was hit by Machamp's Dynamic Punch.
Two explosions merged into one—or more accurately, the explosion from Hariyama's Aura Sphere was completely overwhelmed by the catastrophic impact of Machamp's attack.
The Aura Sphere detonated against Gigantic Machamp's chest with barely noticeable effect.
Meanwhile, Machamp's Dynamic Punch...
A ten-foot-deep crater appeared in front of John.
"KABOOM!"
The Dynamic Punch triggered what seemed like a secondary explosion, as if the move carried genuine explosive force. The entire battlefield shook violently.
The crater continued expanding, forcing John to retreat several steps. Only when Dynamax Machamp finally withdrew its fist did the destruction cease.
Where the punch had landed, there was now an enormous circular pit roughly thirty feet in radius and fifteen feet deep. Hariyama lay motionless at the center, eyes spiraling, completely knocked out.
"Hariyama is unable to battle! Machamp wins!" the referee promptly announced.
Now both John and Gym Leader Hank were down to their final Pokémon.
The real climax of their battle was about to begin.
"Thank you for your effort," John said quietly, recalling Hariyama into its Pokeball.
Hariyama's instant defeat by the gigantic Machamp wasn't unexpected. Reality was far different from games or anime.
In official Pokémon media, Dynamaxing was described as special energy released by Pokémon that distorted the surrounding space, making them appear much larger than their actual size. After Dynamaxing, a Pokémon's HP increased, but supposedly its base power remained unchanged.
But how could that possibly be true in reality?
According to official specifications, when a Pokémon Dynamaxed, its volume, weight, and height increased several times over. Take Machamp as an example—its weight had increased tenfold from its original 300 pounds to a staggering 3,000!
And that was underselling it. A normal Machamp stood around 5'3", but this one towered at least 130 feet tall.
Ten times larger? Try twenty-five times!
A 3,000-pound Machamp throwing a punch...
The idea that such a colossal creature wouldn't have increased attack power was absurd. John could understand if its speed or agility decreased—after all, maintaining balance at that size would require tremendous effort.
But to suggest its power would decrease? Unthinkable.
"When this gym challenge is over, I need to visit the Galar and Alola regions," John muttered under his breath. If he could master Dynamax and Z-Moves techniques, his battle prowess would at least double.
He removed his final Pokeball from his belt and tossed it onto the field.
A blue-haired Gardevoir materialized, floating gracefully above the ground.
"A SHINY GARDEVOIR!!!" Gasps of amazement erupted from the crowd.
The reporters, whose senses had been dulled by the spectacular battle, found themselves newly energized by this sight. Were their camera shutters getting worn out? Even if the cameras themselves broke down, they had to capture this moment!
Red Gyarados? Mega Garchomp? Regular Shinies? All paled in comparison to a Shiny Gardevoir! Perhaps Mega Garchomp might be considered more valuable in pure battle terms, but a Shiny Gardevoir's popularity was unmatched.
John had grown accustomed to the amazement that accompanied his Shiny Gardevoir's appearances. Without hesitation, he extended his arm.
"Gardevoir, MEGA EVOLUTION!"
Multicolored light enveloped Gardevoir. When it dissipated, Mega Gardevoir stood elegantly on the battlefield, its form transformed into a magnificent white and blue silhouette resembling a flowing wedding dress.
The reporters couldn't contain themselves: "INCREDIBLE!!!"
Some spectators in the audience looked ready to faint.
A Pokémon even more precious and popular than Mega Garchomp had appeared—a Mega Shiny Gardevoir!
The moment Mega Shiny Gardevoir entered the battlefield, the outcome of the match almost didn't matter anymore. Tomorrow's headlines—no, tonight's breaking news—would feature only one star: "TRAINER REVEALS MEGA SHINY GARDEVOIR IN GRASSMERE GYM CHALLENGE!"