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A series of thunderous explosions erupted across the battlefield. The moment Dragonite launched its Draco Meteor, the Four Elites and President Charles Goodshow, who had been standing nearby, had already darted far away, terrified of being caught in the blast.
The instant the meteor shower crashed into the ground, Dragonite displayed its extreme speed. In a blink, it appeared in front of Professor Oak, its flaming fists smashing all the flying debris that had been headed his way.
Liam, on the other hand, almost stood there like his eyes had lost focus, completely defenseless, letting the countless shards of rock fly at him without moving to dodge!
"Rooaarr!!"
Just as the debris was about to strike him, a pair of wide, violet wings swiftly wrapped around Liam. The barrage of fragments slammed into the wings with a heavy, muffled series of thuds.
"Holy crap! That scared the life out of me!" exclaimed Elite Four member Norman, hiding behind a large boulder. "Oak really isn't holding back—he even used Draco Meteor! Thank goodness we moved in time... or we'd be toast too..."
"Hmph! But this is good. The battle will end quickly," sneered Elite Four member Norman, also crouched behind a rock. He glanced provocatively at Agatha beside him. "That kid will understand—becoming Champion isn't that easy. He needs to go train for a few more years!"
Agatha, however, ignored the taunt. Her gaze remained serious as she stared at the devastated battlefield. "...Something's not right."
"I feel it too..." murmured Elite Four Bronson, his brow tightly furrowed. Being a master of Ground-type Pokémon, he was far more attuned to the earth's energy than most. "The land... it's boiling! For the first time, I can almost feel the earth's excitement!"
The rhythmic thumping beneath their feet—like a heartbeat—continued to pulse from the shattered arena, and Bronson didn't blink as he kept his eyes locked on the center of the field.
When the aftermath of Draco Meteor finally faded, Professor Oak walked over to Dragonite's side and looked around the smoky, ruined battlefield. Then he raised his voice, shouting toward Liam, who was still being shielded by Aerodactyl's wings.
"Liam! The battle's outcome is clear! With the arena in this state, President Charles Goodshow can't make a fair judgment! Just surrender already—let's go save Garchomp together!"
Opposite him, Aerodactyl slowly unfolded its wings, revealing Liam unharmed beneath them.
But at that moment, Liam appeared to be in a trance, his almost vacant eyes staring forward without acknowledging Oak's voice at all.
Professor Oak frowned. In a moment when his Pokémon's life or death was uncertain, Liam's apparent indifference hit a nerve. This wasn't like Liam—something had to be going on.
"Huh? What's going on? Liam!! Did you hear what I said? You—!"
Just as Oak raised his voice again—tinged now with anger—the ground in front of Liam suddenly let out a loud crack.
A flash of white burst forth from the earth!
"ROOAARR!!!"
"What the—?!" ×6
All eyes snapped to the white figure that had shot out of the ground. Every face was frozen in disbelief.
"Gaarrrrr..."
The one who emerged, of course, was Garchomp.
Letting out a roar of excitement at seeing the light of day again, its legs gave way, and it dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. And as Liam turned to look at it, a sparkle of life returned to his eyes.
Cough cough! Cough cough cough!!
A violent fit of coughing overtook Liam as he collapsed onto the ground. Though he hacked uncontrollably, his face was bright with exhilaration.
"Hahaha! Cough cough! Hahaha!! That was insane, Garchomp! I seriously thought I wasn't coming back from that! But that state just now... I finally managed to control it!"
Still laughing between coughs, Liam turned to the panting Garchomp beside him and grinned.
"Garrrr..!!"
Garchomp turned back toward Liam, equally thrilled, and let out a low growl of joy.
"What... what the hell is going on?!"
Norman stared wide-eyed at Liam and Garchomp, unable to comprehend how a Pokémon had taken the full brunt of Draco Meteor and still managed to dig its way out unscathed!
The other three remained silent, equally stunned. Only Bronson kept his attention on the tunnel from which Garchomp had emerged. His gaze narrowed at the entrance, where fine sand was still slowly trickling downward.
Sand? Where had it come from?
"Liam... Garchomp... you two never cease to amaze me," Professor Oak said, recovering from his shock. He looked at the laughing Liam and then asked, "How do you feel now? Can you still fight?"
"Heh... of course!"
Liam responded immediately, gritting his teeth as he forced himself upright. Garchomp did the same, steadying its legs and rising again. Trainer and Pokémon now stood tall, facing Oak directly.
"Professor Oak! The real battle begins now! Thank you for the pressure you gave us just now. It helped both me and Garchomp break through our limits!"
"Now—watch closely! Witness the unshakable bond between me and Garchomp! This is the power of a Trainer-Pokemon bond!"
"Let's do this, Garchomp!! Ascend to the next level and evolve! We'll show them our true strength!"
"ROOAARR!!!"
Liam, eyes blazing, pounded his fist against his chest with a dull thud.
And as his shout echoed, Garchomp raised its head and let out a piercing roar toward the heavens! In the very next instant, a current of fine sand erupted beneath its feet, wrapping around its body like a tidal wave. The surging stream coalesced into a towering sandstorm vortex—a spiraling dragon of sand that whipped wildly through the sky!
"What the hell is that?!" ×6!!
"I didn't mishear, did I?! He just said evolve, right?! What the hell?! Garchomp's already at its final evolution—how can it evolve again?! This has to be a deceptive trick!"
Elite Four Norman stood in shock, his jaw dropping at the monstrous sand dragon rising before him. Then realization struck, and terror crossed his face as he shouted at the others.
But before anyone could respond, another powerful roar erupted from within the raging sand vortex, once again drawing everyone's attention.
The towering twister began to dissipate rapidly. The sandstorm that had reached the clouds shrank, spinning back toward the earth and forming a swirling stream along the ground. And from within that stream—slowly, unmistakably—Garchomp emerged.
Its body was no longer the same.
It had evolved—into something even greater.
"ROOAARR!!!"