Regardless of how the spectators felt, nothing could change the fact—Gabite had evolved into Garchomp.
As the blinding white light faded, a towering figure over three meters tall emerged before the crowd—Garchomp in all its glory.
Its body was primarily deep blue, with a red underbelly stretching from its lower jaw to the upper abdomen, transitioning into a yellow lower torso. Its mouth was lined with razor-sharp teeth.
A reversed, five-pointed yellow star adorned the tip of its snout. Two white bone-like protrusions jutted from both its upper arms and thighs, resembling the fins of a shark. Its wings, positioned alongside the dragon-like claws on its forearms, bore a structure akin to pectoral fins. A jagged dorsal fin completed its fearsome appearance.
"GAAARRR!!"
The moment its evolution concluded, Garchomp let out a menacing grin, lowering its head to glare at the wide-eyed Jolteon before it. Those piercing yellow eyes brimmed with a terrifying killing intent.
"Gaooo...!"
Feeling the oppressive aura, Jolteon instinctively took several steps back. Realizing what it had done, it quickly steadied itself, summoning all its courage to face the newly evolved dragon.
"Don't be afraid, Jolteon! Even though it evolved, Garchomp won't be in perfect condition!"
Reassuring his Jolteon, Barry swiftly issued a command.
"Use Swift!"
"Gaooo~"
Jolteon swiftly distanced itself from Garchomp, releasing a flurry of glowing stars that shot toward its opponent.
"Tornado. Earthquake."
Paul gave his command calmly.
"Gaaaaar!"
Garchomp let out a mighty roar, summoning a swirling dragon-infused tornado around itself as a protective barrier. The incoming Swift attack was completely shredded by the vortex.
The moment it neutralized the attack, Garchomp stomped down with tremendous force, triggering a powerful Earthquake.
"Boom—!"
The battlefield trembled violently, far more intensely than any previous Earthquake.
"Jolteon, detect it!"
At the critical moment, Jolteon's eyes glowed with a mysterious light. It carefully analyzed the seismic waves, stepping with precision on certain spots imbued with that same mysterious energy—completely avoiding the Earthquake's damage.
Paul, however, remained unfazed.
"Again!"
Understanding the command, Garchomp unleashed another Earthquake, making the battlefield quake once more.
Jolteon had no means to fly or use Magnet Rise—there was no escaping the inevitable. As the shockwaves struck, it let out a pained cry, barely managing to stay on its feet.
Yet, despite enduring the poison coursing through its body, Garchomp initiated yet another Earthquake.
"Hyper Beam!"
With nowhere left to run, Jolteon gathered all its remaining energy, firing a devastating beam that seemed powerful enough to tear through the heavens.
After the Earthquake attack, Jolteon collapsed instantly.
As for Hyper Beam...
"Dragon Claw, cut through it."
Garchomp's white claws were enveloped in a green glow, transforming into a blade-like shape as they sliced cleanly through the Hyper Beam. The light dissipated, and Garchomp calmly walked back toward Paul.
"Boom!"
Behind them, an explosion erupted.
"Jolteon is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!"
"Since all of Barry's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this match is Paul!"
The referee made the final declaration.
"Alright everyone, the match is over. I'm heading out first."
Barry waved casually before summoning his Staraptor which grabbed him and soared into the sky, disappearing into the distance.
"This result... really isn't surprising at all."
"Barry got wrecked. He didn't even take down a single Pokémon. Paul didn't even have to send out his second one."
Watching the battle conclude, Lucas and Dawn couldn't help but sigh.
"When I saw Barry's Rapidash pinning down Gabite, I thought he had a real chance of making this a tough fight."
"When I saw his Snorlax use Sleep Talk and counter Gabite with Block, I was sure Barry would take it down without a problem."
"But the moment he sent out Toxicroak as his fourth Pokémon. I knew, Barry might not even be able to defeat Gabite."
"I felt the same way."
Lucas: "How's the recording?"
Dawn: "Already sent it to you."
Lucas: "Great!"
"Eat up."
On the battlefield after securing victory, Paul pulled out several Sitrus and Berries and tossed them to Garchomp.
With a single gulp, Garchomp devoured all the berries. Instantly, the toxins within its body dissipated, its stamina surged, and a seemingly endless wellspring of strength filled its frame.
"Gaaar~"
Garchomp lifted its head, gazing at the vast boundless sky. It let out an eager cry toward Paul.
Now that it had evolved, the fins on its arms had transformed into wings—perhaps not conventional ones, but wings nonetheless—granting it the ability to fly.
It had always dreamed of soaring through the skies, and now, it couldn't hold back any longer.
"Go ahead, just don't fly too far."
Understanding Garchomp's intent, Paul nodded.
"Gaaaar—!"
With a mighty roar, Garchomp leaped into the air and took off into the sky.
At first, its fly was a bit unsteady, but it quickly adapted as though it had been born for this.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it—! I haven't even defeated a single Pokémon..."
Barry's face was filled with frustration.
Ever since the battle in Hearthome City, he had been haunted by the memory of being swept by Paul's Electabuzz in a six-on-six match. He had been waiting for a chance to reclaim his honor.
But now, before he could even avenge that loss, he had already suffered another crushing defeat.
If this were the old reckless Barry, he might have lost his mind by now.
"It's okay, Barry. A loss is just a loss—it's no big deal."
"Yeah, yeah, it's not like this is the first time. You'll get used to it."
Lucas and Dawn, after watching the high-definition battle footage on their phones, struggled to hold back their laughter as they tried to comfort him.
"You two are terrible at comforting people."
Barry: =_=
"We're just good friends. It's what we do."
"Yeah, exactly!"
The two chimed in together, enjoying the drama unfolding before them. After all, they weren't the ones getting beaten up—why not sit back and enjoy the show?
"Barry, you surprised me in this battle."
At that moment, Paul approached.
Barry's eyes lit up instantly as he looked at Paul with anticipation. "See? Even Paul was impressed by my battle!"
"I'm surprised that you don't even understand how to choose the right Pokémon for battle. Do you think you're doing right by your team?"
Paul's voice was calm yet firm as he stared at Barry.
After Rapidash's strong opening performance, Barry had to face Gabite who had only used Dragon Dance once. But instead of sending out a Pokémon that could counter its speed, he made the baffling choice of using Snorlax—a Pokémon known for its sluggish movement.
As expected, Snorlax barely landed a hit. Meanwhile, Gabite used the free turn to set up another Dragon Dance, making it completely unstoppable.
The only thing that remotely worked was the Sleep Talk move, which by sheer luck, triggered Block—an ironic stroke of fortune.
Of course, that move also backed Gabite into a corner, forcing it into an Outrage rampage. Its latent dragon bloodline surged to the limit and just as it was about to spiral out of control, Jolteon struck at the perfect moment—triggering its evolution into Garchomp.
To put it bluntly, choosing Snorlax as the second Pokémon was a fatal mistake.
If instead Barry had sent out Empoleon—who was fast and could use Ice-type moves—or Toxicroak, who could poison Gabite, the outcome would have been entirely different.
Either of those choices would have inflicted serious damage on Gabite, or at the very least, poisoned it—ensuring that even if it evolved, it wouldn't last long.
But instead? Thanks to Barry's "brilliant" decision, his last three Pokémon barely had a chance to fight back.
"What…"
Barry's mouth was slightly open, momentarily at a loss for words.
"A single Garchomp took down all six of your Pokémon—is that a problem with your Pokémon?"
"In the end, whether it's a match or a battle, if you lose, the responsibility lies with the Trainer."
Not raising your Pokémon to be strong enough, failing to devise a proper strategy, not coming up with the right countermeasures…
Of course, even if you actively challenge a powerful opponent like he did and lose, it's still the Trainer's fault.
But in battles where the outcome is almost predetermined, winning or losing is no longer the real purpose of the challenge.
"Your Pokémon have trained hard to grow stronger—but what about you?"
"Are you just standing on the sidelines cheering during training? Or are you failing to come up with the right counterplay in battle, rendering all of their efforts meaningless?"
"If this is the best you can do, you'd better not consider me as your opponent. I don't need such a weak opponent."
As Paul said this, the corner of his mouth curled slightly, revealing a hint of disdain.
"Thanks. I'm leaving."
With that, Paul took his phone from Dawn's hands, gave a slight nod, and walked away without a hint of hesitation.
"..."
Barry lowered his head, clenched his fists tightly, and his molars nearly grinding into dust—yet he couldn't find any flaw in Paul's words.
DAMN IT… AAAAAHHHH!!!
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