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A powerful storm swept away the sandstorm on the battlefield, eventually converging into a violent tornado that spiraled downward, hurtling toward Garchomp.
The storm's speed was astonishing—within the blink of an eye, it was already bearing down on Garchomp. Sensing the imminent danger, Liam's expression turned grave.
He took a forceful step forward, mouth opening slightly—but realised he didn't have enough time to issue a verbal command. Instead, he cried out silently in his heart: "Garchomp! Use Protect!!"
"Gaarrrr?!"
Just a second before the storm struck, Garchomp seemed to sense something. It let out a low roar, and in that instant, a pale blue barrier enveloped its body.
BOOM!!
A deafening crash echoed across the battlefield as the tornado slammed viciously into the protective shield. The wild winds tore at the Protect, causing the barrier's glow to fade rapidly. But it didn't break. Garchomp gritted through it, standing firm under the assault.
Bang!!
Eventually, it wasn't the shield that gave out, but the tornado itself—it exploded violently, scattering gales in all directions. The final burst of wind, however, was just enough to shatter Garchomp's barrier.
The shield dissolved, but Garchomp braced with both fins, shielding itself from the residual winds.
"Nice work, Garchomp! Use Shadow Claw!!"
Seeing that Garchomp was unharmed, Liam finally relaxed and quickly issued the next command normally.
Thanks to their recent training, Liam and Garchomp had developed the ability to briefly synchronize their minds. While it wasn't yet perfect, it proved crucial at this decisive moment.
"Rooarrr!!"
Dark energy surged across Garchomp's fins, forming a pair of deadly claws. With a burst of speed, it lunged forward—appearing before Dragonite in the blink of an eye—and slashed downward with Shadow Claw, striking Dragonite's raised arms that were attempting to block.
The claws and Dragonite's scales collided, producing a cracking sound. A large swath of scales shattered upon impact, and Dragonite was knocked backward across the field. Its feet dragged along the ground, leaving deep gouges behind.
"Dragonite! Use Wing Attack!"
Professor Oak had been stunned that Garchomp had used Protect on its own. He'd momentarily spaced out, but snapped back to reality when Dragonite was hurt.
A flicker of guilt crossed his face before he shouted his command, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Rooaaar!!"
Dragonite whipped its arms outward, scattering bits of blood and broken scales. Its wings flapped violently as it took off, soaring into the air. From above, silver crescent-shaped blades flew from its wings with every beat—each one arcing down toward Garchomp.
"Garchomp! Use Double Team to dodge!!"
"Rooarrr!!"
Dodging with Double Team was Garchomp's forte. With a subtle shift of its body, white afterimages sprang up all across the field—so many it was dizzying. Dragonite's wing attacks shredded through the clones one by one, but Garchomp's real body remained hidden.
...…
"...Was that Protect triggered on its own just now by that Garchomp?"
Elite Four member Bronson's eyes gleamed as he watched Garchomp's clones scatter across the battlefield, as if he were witnessing a rare treasure.
"Hmm, there was a sandstorm earlier, so I didn't see clearly, but I think so… Although, it didn't seem completely independent? Something's off," said Agatha, eyes narrowed in thought. She glanced at Liam, who was smiling slightly as he watched the battle.
"Huh? That smile…"
Suddenly, she noticed something. Agatha looked up at Liam, whose face radiated joy, clearly savoring the match. Beside him, Professor Oak also wore a grin, his eyes alight with passion—as if he had gone back in time. For a moment, even his white hair seemed less stark.
Seeing this, Agatha couldn't help but smile nostalgically.
"Still haven't landed a single hit after all this time? That's not right… Wait… could it be—! Dragonite!! Stop Wing Attack! Use Hyper Beam on the ground at full power!!"
Professor Oak's confusion finally gave way to understanding. His lips curled into a knowing smile as he issued a swift command.
"Roaaar!!"
Trusting its partner without question, Dragonite instantly halted its wing attacks. Its jaws parted, gathering golden energy rapidly. In the span of a single breath, the Hyper Beam was fully charged and unleashed—blasting straight into the center of the battlefield with an earth-shaking impact.
A golden column of energy tore into the ground, detonating with incredible force. Cracks spread outward from the center, golden light blasting out in every direction.
"Now, Garchomp! Get out and take to the sky!"
Liam's plan was exposed, but he didn't seem bothered. He called out calmly, and a white silhouette burst from the ground. After dodging a few flying energy bursts, Garchomp steadied itself in mid-air.
"Heh… You saw through it, Professor Oak. I was hoping to keep it hidden a bit longer."
Liam looked up at his airborne Garchomp, then turned to Prof. Oak with a smile.
"You nearly fooled me! That was a clever strategy—having Garchomp use Double Team to distract me while it hid underground to recover and wait for a surprise attack. Truly impressive! Dragonite! Use Roost!"
Professor Oak praised Liam's strategy with admiration before quickly shifting his focus back to the battle.
"Rooaarr!!"
Panting slightly from exertion, Dragonite descended back to the scarred battlefield. As soon as it touched the ground, countless green lights began to swirl around it, flowing into its body to restore its stamina. Oak was clearly using Roost to recover Dragonite's strength.
"I'm not letting you get away with that! Garchomp! Use Dragon Rush!!"
Now that he had gained the upper hand, Liam wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away. Seeing Dragonite preparing to recover, he immediately shouted his command.
"Roarr!!"
Garchomp let out a fierce roar. Wrathful draconic energy surged and enveloped it, forming the shape of a fearsome dragon. With a deafening roar, it dove toward the battlefield, its body like a streak of wrathful lightning.
"Ha! Got you! Dragonite! Use Extreme Speed to dodge!!"
Professor Oak smirked, eyes gleaming as he abruptly waved his arm and shouted.
"Roaaaar!!"
Just before the blazing energy dragon struck, Dragonite's body lit up with a red glow—then vanished from its spot in a flash!
BOOM!!
Garchomp slammed headfirst into the ground, missing its mark entirely. The already-damaged battlefield took another catastrophic hit.
"Now, Dragonite!! Use Draco Meteor!!"
The instant Garchomp hit the ground, Professor Oak roared his next command.
"ROAAAAAR!!"
Dragonite soared high and let out a thunderous cry. It fired a blazing fireball into the sky, which exploded into countless fragments—each one a blazing meteor that rained down with terrifying speed.
"Shit! Draco Meteor! Dragonite knows that move too?! Garchomp!!"
Liam's face turned pale as he saw the meteor shower cascading from above. He shouted desperately at Garchomp, who had just risen from the cratered ground—but the meteors were already too close!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky lit up as meteors slammed into the battlefield, one after another—unleashing destruction like a falling star apocalypse.