"Medi!"
Seizing the opening between Electivire's attacks, Medicham thrust forward with Focus Punch, smashing aside Electivire's fists and driving the strike straight toward its chest.
But Electivire showed no fear. It calmly stepped back, lips curling into a grin.
The lightning strike earlier might not have hurt Medicham, but it had successfully established an electromagnetic field around them.
The magnetic waves pulsed, sending invasive currents that muddled Medicham's mind. Its vision blurred, thoughts scattering.
Magnetic Field Interference!
WHOOSH!
Two cable-like tails suddenly lashed out, wrapping around Medicham's arms and yanking them to the side. Electivire tilted its head and effortlessly dodged the incoming punch.
"Thunder! Lightning Field!"
"Vireee~!"
A triumphant sneer appeared on Electivire's face as high-voltage currents surged from its tails. Lightning wrapped around Medicham, and with the magnetic field resonating, the storm solidified into a terrifying golden prison of thunder, trapping both Pokémon within.
The jolt snapped Medicham back to its senses, but it was too late—the battlefield was now Electivire's domain.
"Aaah! Cha! Medi! Medi!"
From the outside, no one could see what was happening within, only hear the deafening crackle of electricity and Medicham's pained cries echoing again and again.
As the seconds passed, those cries weakened.
Lucian watched with grim eyes. When the timing was right, he commanded:
"Reversal!"
Though his words did not reach Medicham's ears, in its haze it heard them all the same.
In that instant, all its strength exploded outward. Power surged through its weary body like a dying flame reignited. With one desperate burst, Medicham broke free and struck Electivire squarely.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Twin shockwaves split the Lightning Field wide open. The spectators caught sight of Medicham, shrouded in crimson light, facing Electivire, now cloaked in its armored shell of thunder.
But the moment its feet touched the ground, Medicham staggered and dropped to one knee. The hidden Toxic Spikes beneath the battlefield flared, poisoning it instantly.
"Recover!"
"Medi~!"
Before the venom could spread, Medicham's body glowed white. Wounds sealed, stamina partially restored.
"Vireee~"
Electivire watched without concern, grinning wider as it absorbed the remnants of the Lightning Field into its body. As if spectating rather than fighting, it stood casually while Medicham restored itself a second time, pulling its health back to full.
This carefree and mocking stance only deepened the dread in Lucian and Medicham's hearts.
That last exchange, when Medicham's boosted speed and offense had given it the best chance to win—hadn't been enough. If even that couldn't fell Electivire… how could they hope to?
"Rain Dance."
Paul spoke coldly.
"Vireee~"
Electivire remained unmoving. A sphere of water gathered in its hand, drifted skyward, and dissolved into heavy storm clouds that rolled across the field.
"High Jump Kick!"
As the first raindrops fell, Medicham lunged forward, springing high to deliver a devastating knee strike.
Electivire didn't flinch. It simply raised a fist, meeting the attack with a Plasma Fist.
CRASH!
Electric sparks burst outward, flooding the arena with light.
For a brief moment, the clash held—but less than a second later, Electivire was sent flying backward, overwhelmed by Medicham's strike.
The impact nearly shattered its armor of thunder, but Electivire endured. With a surge of magnetic energy, it propelled itself into the storm-filled sky.
Medicham wouldn't let it escape. Locking on with psychic focus, it hurled an Aura Sphere and leapt after it, Focus Punch raised in a rising strike.
BOOM!
But within the storm, Electivire thrived. It shattered the Aura Sphere with a single Plasma Fist, then raised a Protect barrier to repel Medicham's blow.
CRACK!
Medicham's punch couldn't break through. Realizing it couldn't win on the ground, it floated into the air with psychic energy, feinting with one strike to break the barrier before launching a draining Drain Punch.
Yet, in a flash of lightning, Electivire was suddenly dozens of meters away.
In raw offense, it still fell short of Medicham. But with the storm-empowered magnetic field enhancing it, Electivire's speed now utterly eclipsed Medicham's.
And in the sky—the domain of thunder—it was unstoppable.
"Psychic!"
Medicham tried to bind Electivire's movements with psychic force. But Electivire shrugged it off effortlessly, pushing back with equal psychic pressure before widening the gap once more.
"Thunder. Lightning Field."
Paul's simple command made Electivire's grin widen with glee. It charged its body first, boosting its power with Charge, then unleashed everything.
Lightning exploded outward, dyeing the storm clouds gold.
The sky and earth trembled. A colossal prison of thunder descended, its ceiling the heavens, its floor the ground. Golden serpents of lightning coursed wildly, annihilating everything they touched.
Stone pillars crumbled into dust in an instant.
Inside, Medicham froze in terror, its fur bristling as the storm of judgment raged around it. It could only push its limits, relying on Detect and extrasensory awareness to anticipate the bolts.
But can Detect truly see through everything?
And even if you foresee the strike—can you really evade it?
If thunder fell like gentle rain, perhaps. But this lightning poured like a waterfall, countless bolts filling every corner of the field. Dodging was no longer an option.
One second—Medicham endured.
Two seconds—sweat poured down its brow.
Three seconds—blood spilled.
At the fourth second, Medicham's vision blurred.
Before the fifth second, Medicham could no longer endure.
The storm of lightning showed no sign of fading. Instead, it intensified as Electivire sustained the current.
When Medicham's focus broke, it collapsed completely under the baptism of thunder. A flash of white light ended its Mega Evolution, leaving it unable to battle.
"Vireeee~!"
Sensing its opponent had fallen, Electivire swept both arms wide. All the rampaging electricity across the field rushed toward it like obedient children being called home, streaming back into its body.
Within three seconds, no stray sparks remained. The battlefield was silent, save for the charred, shattered, and chaotic ground—a mute testament to the devastation.
"Medicham is unable to battle! Electivire wins! The winner of this match is Paul!"
With the referee's declaration, the Elite Four Challenge officially concluded. The announcer's voice rose in excitement:
"Ahhh-woooh! The tournament has ended!"
"Over two days and four battles, Trainer Paul defeated Bug-type Elite Four Aaron, Ground-type Elite Four Bertha, Fire-type Elite Four Flint, and finally the Psychic-type Elite Four Lucian. With a flawless record, he has earned the right to challenge Champion Cynthia!"
"Now, let's give our loudest applause to Paul!"
The arena was silent for a beat, then erupted into cheers and clapping that thundered through the stadium, echoing into the skies.
"Come back, Medicham. You fought well."
In the center of the field, Lucian recalled his Pokémon, and smiling calmly as he looked at Paul.
"I never expected a rookie Trainer to come this far so quickly. You remind me of someone… long ago."
He turned away, adding softly:
"Good luck, young man."
Just before leaving, Lucian paused as if struck by a thought. Turning back, he asked:
"So then… are you planning to use Garchomp in your next battle?"
Up to this point, Paul had revealed most of his team. Only Monferno and Garchomp had shown themselves repeatedly, so it seemed almost certain that Garchomp would appear in the next fight.
But in such a crucial match, revealing one's ace card so openly was tantamount to showing his hand. Would Paul really do that?
Lucian's question was less curiosity and more of a subtle warning: choose carefully, don't stubbornly lock yourself into Garchomp.
Lucian left, not expecting an answer. Yet Paul's calm voice carried across the field:
"Of course. Garchomp will be the one to battle."
Paul's plan was simple: every one of his Pokémon deserved to fight. For the final round, it had to be either Electivire or Garchomp. Since Electivire had already been used, the stage was now set for Garchomp.
No doubts. No second thoughts.
"Eh? Can Paul really say that so bluntly?"
Lucian wasn't the only one stunned. Dawn and nearly every sharp-eyed spectator, were left gaping.
Whether or not Paul used it was his choice, but announcing it aloud? If he didn't follow through, he'd invite criticism.
And yet, most of the audience was electrified. Paul's Garchomp facing Cynthia's Garchomp—wouldn't that be spectacular?
A showdown to decide the world's strongest Garchomp!
"What's the problem? Paul never does anything without absolute confidence. If he says it, then he means it. He's always right, no matter what! Don't overthink it. After all, he's my greatest rival—the Trainer I respect most!"
Barry was practically Paul's number-one fan in that moment, unconditionally backing his choice.
"This approach isn't ideal," Lucas analyzed coolly, "but it's not bad either. Medicham's boosted power was already on par with Cynthia's Garchomp."
"Paul's Garchomp isn't weaker than his Electivire. Against any of Cynthia's Pokémon, its chances of victory remain strong."
It wasn't that Lucas underestimated Cynthia, he had studied her battle footage carefully.
Her style relied on overwhelming power rather than intricate tactics. Not reckless, but neither truly strategic. Cynthia's battles were most often decided by sheer dominance, steamrolling opponents.
In his view, if Pokémon strength was equal, even he could take Cynthia down. Let alone Paul.
Amid the cheers, the doubts, and the debate, Paul left the stage, composed as ever. Tomorrow would be a day of rest. The day after, the Champion Challenge would begin—and he would face Cynthia.
From a high balcony few noticed, Cynthia herself had arrived late due to investigating ruins, catching only the tail end of Lucian's match. She watched Paul's retreating figure with keen interest.
"What a remarkable young man. I'll need to prepare well and give everything I've got in this battle."
Her hand brushed the Poké Ball at her waist.
"Don't let me down, Garchomp."
The ball glowed faintly red and shook in response.
...
Later that evening, Paul avoided reporters and dined with Reggie before returning to his lodgings. There, he dialed Mew for another call.
But Paul had no idea that, deep within the Tree of Beginning, an unusual scene was unfolding.
Only minutes earlier, Mewtwo had been practicing autonomous Mega Evolution (X Form) with Mew's guidance.
Nearby, Mew was busy "fishing" artifacts with a newly retrieved Regigigas and a cadre of guardian Pokémon, conducting research into "forging."
This obsession began with Mew's newfound passion for "fishing things out" of interdimensional space.
After days of dabbling, Mew realized a problem:
"I'm incredible, I can use any move. So why do I have to transform into Hoopa every time just to use Hyperspace Hole for fishing?"
Something wasn't right. Not at all!
Determined, Mew tried fishing without transforming into Hoopa.
The results were disastrous. Without Hoopa's aura, the difficulty increased tenfold. Locating targets became nearly impossible. With Hoopa's aura, everything was clear. Without it, only suffocating darkness.
For the first time, Mew felt frustration—and unwillingness.
Mew: "I am second to none! If I finally enjoy something, why must I rely on another Pokémon's form to do it? No! Impossible!"
So Mew transformed into Hoopa, rallying its guardians and Regigigas to study the aura itself.
Through experimentation with Origin Ore, Elemental Crystals , the Plates, and rare metals and meteorites it had fished up, they finally succeeded in replicating Hoopa's Super Aura.
"Mii~!"
Gazing at the floating aura ring, Mew's eyes sparkled. With a wave, it claimed it, imprinting its own essence upon it.
"Mii~!"
The moment it bonded, Mew laughed proudly. It resized the ring at will, even wearing it around its neck like jewelry.
"See? I'm the greatest! From today on, I have my own aura!"
But when Mew tried fishing again with the new aura, something unusual stirred.
Guided by instinct, it reached through—
—and pulled halfway out a very familiar little Pokémon.
"Ahhh! Hoopa—Hoopa can't fit through! Stop pulling! It hurts so much!"
(End of Chapter)
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