"Return, Hariyama—you did well."
As Greta withdrew her Hariyama, her gaze shifted to the Medicham behind her. She spoke with firm resolve:
"It's your turn now, Medicham."
"Chaam~"
Medicham stepped forward slowly, assuming a battle-ready stance.
"Gaaaar…"
A deep, growling voice rumbled across the battlefield. Garchomp slowly raised its head, crimson eyes glowing as it locked onto Medicham.
In an instant, a wave of killing intent surged toward Medicham—cold and suffocating, as if it had fallen into an icy depth.
"Chaam…!"
Startled, Medicham instinctively took a step back. It didn't understand, Garchomp had been relatively calm just moments ago, so why was it now radiating such terrifying rage?
What happened to Garchomp?
Paul knew exactly what was going on.
Right now…Garchomp was experiencing something not unlike what Ash's Cyndaquil went through in the anime. A Pokémon that needed time to build up power during battle before unleashing its signature move, Flamethrower.
Though Garchomp hadn't fully mastered independent Mega Evolution, it had developed a unique method to channel its bloodline—a mode where it steadily accumulated battle fury and energy during combat.
And once the threshold was met, it could trigger Mega Evolution by sheer force of will.
That moment...had finally arrived.
"Go!"
"GAAAAAR!"
With a thunderous roar, Garchomp's upright body was engulfed in a radiant white light, it had begun to Mega Evolve.
Its arms transformed into gleaming green energy scythes. Muscles rippled as red and blue streaks of light surged across its now-draconic form. The entire Pokémon seemed to become a living nightmare, lunging toward Medicham like a dark dragon unleashed.
Greta was taken aback by the transformation but didn't freeze up. She reacted quickly:
"Medicham, use Detect—now!"
"Chaam!"
Her command jolted Medicham back to focus. Blue light flashed across its eyes as it activated Detect, instantly reading Mega Garchomp's incoming trajectory. With a sudden pivot, it twisted its body and dashed forward at an angle—just narrowly slipping past the onrushing monster.
No sooner had it dodged the attack than Medicham spun on its heel, twisted its stance, and launched itself upward in a sharp flying kick.
The timing was exquisite.
But Mega Garchomp, with its heightened battle instincts, had already seen it coming.
"Gaaaar…"
Just before the strike could land, Mega Garchomp twisted its body—its tail, glowing with green energy, whipped upward and collided with Medicham's kick.
Dragon Tail.
BOOM!
The two forces clashed violently. Medicham was sent flying backward along the path it came from, flipping once in the air before correcting its posture and landing gracefully.
As it lifted its head again, it found Mega Garchomp right in front of it—those scarlet dragon eyes gleaming ominously.
"Gaaaaar…"
Mega Garchomp grinned menacingly. With a savage growl, it brought both of its scythe-like arms down in a crisscross slash.
"Psychic—Mind's Eye, activate!"
Medicham's eyes gleamed with psychic clarity as a surge of mental energy burst forth, disrupting Mega Garchomp's approach. At the same time, its body dipped low and launched backward in a strategic leap.
But in the very next instant, a roaring Dragon Pulse—shaped like a spiraling dragon crashed toward it, engulfing the airborne Pokémon.
BOOM!
An explosion rang out as Medicham's body was sent flying.
Without hesitation, Mega Garchomp followed up with a devastating Dragon Rush, its entire body cloaked in draconic aura as it slammed into its foe midair, launching it further.
In a flash, Mega Garchomp reappeared overhead, its movements a blur of brutal efficiency and brought both glowing dragon claws down with force.
BANG!
Medicham plummeted like a meteorite, smashing into the battlefield below. The impact shook the ground.
CRASH!
Dust and shockwaves blasted outward as Mega Garchomp landed directly atop it, pinning the dazed Pokémon with a heavy stomp. It crossed its twin blade-like arms over Medicham's neck, locking its opponent in place.
One final Dragon Pulse gathered at Mega Garchomp's jaws, then fired at point-blank range.
When the dust settled, it was clear: Medicham had lost its ability to fight.
"Medicham loses its ability to fight, Paul wins!"
The referee made the announcement.
"Gaaaar~"
As soon as the result was delivered, Mega Garchomp's body flashed white and reverted to its regular form, its breath growing heavy as it bent over slightly to catch itself.
The current form of independent Mega Evolution aside from requiring rage, bloodlust, and a surge of energy, still came with a critical flaw—
Perhaps because it lacked the guidance of a Trainer and the power of bonds, self-induced Mega Evolution consumed far more stamina, making it unsustainable for long periods of time.
"…Return, Medicham. You did well out there."
Greta retrieved Medicham into its Poké Ball, a trace of disappointment evident on his face.
As a Frontier Brain, she prided herself on her own strength—but now, her facility had been "swept" by a challenger using only a single Pokémon, one with a lower level no less. It left her feeling more than a little embarrassed.
"Gaaaar~"
After taking a few moments to rest, Garchomp walked back to Paul's side. It had been hoping for a few words of praise but before any compliments could come, it was smacked on the head by Electivire.
"Vireee~!"
Do you know what you did wrong?
Electivire stared fiercely at the taller Garchomp. But the latter, visibly confused and shrinking back like a scolded child, looked at his big bro with a bewildered expression, clearly at a loss.
"Viree…"
You don't know? You're telling me you don't know? You win a match and suddenly you're full of yourself, huh? You think you're all that, is that it?
With each pointed remark, Electivire delivered another smack to Garchomp's head. It didn't stop until it noticed its own hand was starting to swell from the smacking.
The odd scene left both Scott, who'd been planning to come over and exchange pleasantries, and Greta, who had been ready to present the Symbol of Guts, completely stunned.
So… winning an external battle earns you a public scolding back in your own team? Is this how teammates treat each other?
"Gaaaar?"
After all the hits, Garchomp was still baffled.
It racked its brain, but couldn't figure out what it had done wrong. It had dodged the attacks it should've dodged and even pulled off a successful independent Mega Evolution.
It had been awesome, and it still got chewed out?
"Your offense." Paul finally said, unable to watch anymore. "Your attack pattern was wrong. Too many useless attacks. You haven't learned the essence of Samurott's combat style."
"Vireee~"
Electivire gave Paul a look of admiration, arms folded nodding in firm agreement.
Results aside, some of Garchomp's choices during the battle made Electivire feel like it was watching a live-action blooper reel.
When it unleashed a barrage of Dragon Claws on Hariyama, it targeted the opponent's iron palms—the area with the highest offense and strongest defense. The sustained attack got nowhere and ended up giving Hariyama the opening to counter with Foresight and land a hit.
If it had been Samurott or Electivire in that position, they would've pressured the opponent and immediately shifted angles, not wasting time pummeling an iron wall, but instead adjusting their position and striking from a new angle.
"Gaaaar~"
Garchomp let out a soft cry, immediately understanding the criticism and lowering its head in shame.
"Vireee~" Electivire growled.
Shame alone won't fix anything.You keep forgetting the lesson the moment the pain fades. Fine. I'll personally drill it into you today.
Without another word, Electivire grabbed Garchomp by the tail and dragged it out of the arena. With a surge of electromagnetic force crackling beneath its feet, it launched skyward and quickly vanished from everyone's view.
Even though Electric-type moves weren't particularly effective against Garchomp, Electivire's terrifying speed made it more than capable of taking Garchomp down.
It wasn't until the two Pokémon were gone that the surrounding crowd finally snapped out of their daze.
(End of Chapter)
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