As one of the newest Pokémon to evolve, there were currently only two Archaludon in the world. In order to fully master the instant rain-cannon, to fire and stop it at will and command it freely, Raihan had undergone grueling training on the Isle of Armor for the first time in ages.
"Leon, the strongest Trainer you've been searching for is right here!"
Fierce electric light tore through the raging wind and rain like a golden spear of lightning, piercing Charizard just as it was preparing to use Hurricane.
Raihan seized the initiative, took the upper hand, and instantly suppressed Leon's Charizard. Although something like that had occasionally happened in their past battles, this time was completely different.
"Archaludon…"
"There's no data on that Pokémon."
"What is that?"
Voices like those spread constantly through the spectator stands—curiosity, doubt, excitement, delight, and fanaticism.
Though they did not know what had happened, and though they did not know what that Pokémon truly was, the only thing to do now was cheer and make the battle atmosphere burn even hotter.
Gah! Getting to see a battle between Trainers this strong was worth the ticket price. Wyndon's matches really were amazing.
"D-Duraludon evolved?!"
The most shocked person was Sonia, sitting in the audience.
She gripped the chair in front of her. Although her original task was to investigate myths, there was no need to rush that kind of thing. Core legends had to be collected, local folk tales from each region also had to be gathered, and then research, verification, and field investigations had to be conducted before she could reach conclusions and edit everything into a complete book.
Otherwise, they would be nothing more than tall tales told before bed.
Because of that, she had not hurried away from the battlefield. She had stayed here instead. After all, she wanted to see the result of her childhood friend Leon's match with her own eyes. Watching in person and watching on TV were two entirely different experiences.
But now, the way things had developed had gone far beyond expectations.
"That is Archaludon. It's the same as the one we saw in Unova."
Marnie sat beside Sonia, just as she had yesterday. Her eyes also stirred slightly as she watched the intense clash on the battlefield.
"Raihan only learned how to evolve Duraludon after listening to Mr. Hikaru. After he obtained the composite metal produced in Virbank City to build large ships and bridges, a Pokémon that was believed to have no evolution gained one."
So could the alloy divine dragon that Mr. Hikaru had called almost invincible in the rain truly defeat that Charizard?
If that happened, then Leon's era would be over.
"But why would it be in Unova?!"
Sonia looked at Marnie, then immediately turned toward Hikaru. "Is this the influence of climate and terrain? But Duraludon isn't a Pokémon that exists in Unova!"
Hikaru said, "Human activity is also a form of climate and terrain. Duraludon eats stone and metal. When it Gigantamaxes, it looks very much like a skyscraper, right?"
"Do you know Conkeldurr and Klink?"
Sonia said, "Of course. Both of those Pokémon exist in the Galar region… Ah! I understand!"
She grabbed the back of the chair in front of her and began speaking to herself. "I've read some papers and legends. Papers published by Professor Cedric Juniper and Professor Juniper of the Unova region!"
"The two professors believe that humans learned the technique of making concrete two thousand years ago by studying Conkeldurr's concrete pillars!"
"Gears were the same! Long ago, humans saw the Pokémon known as Klink and created gears by analyzing their body structure and transmission method!"
Hikaru said, "Exactly. In this world, it is not that Pokémon resemble human creations. Rather, most human creations come from Pokémon."
"Duraludon has lived in this region for at least three thousand years. So where did the skyscraper come from?"
There was also another important reason. Duraludon's design also referenced the bridge of a modern ship. In other words, "ships" and "bridges" were already inseparable concepts.
Hikaru said, "You'll be attending the academic summit at the end of the year, right? There aren't many days left."
"When that time comes, many new arguments will certainly be raised. You've also read Professor Rowan's hypothesis, haven't you? Whether Pokémon that cannot evolve are 'complete forms,' and whether Pokémon that can still evolve are 'incomplete forms.'"
"And the 'Mega Evolution' that is born after a Pokémon has reached a stage where it can no longer evolve, through the bombardment of certain life energy and high-energy particles, or through the bond in people's hearts—can that be called an 'ultimate form' that surpasses evolution?"
"Pokémon 'evolution' and 'origin' are the cornerstones that support this world."
"Incidentally, it is true that Pokémon capable of Gigantamax cannot continue evolving. Gigantamax may also be a kind of evolution. But it can be reversed."
"Some Pokémon's potential has not yet been fully developed. Under certain environmental conditions, they will undergo new changes."
Hikaru's words made Sonia's eyes shine. Her mind began working at high speed, and her expression became extremely serious.
All kinds of wondrous ideas and thoughts, as well as views that had once been considered unrealistic, were pulled out and examined again. If becoming a professor was her goal, then she could not indulge in empty speculation too excessively. But some arguments, once raised, truly made people feel as if the fog had lifted.
So that was how it was. That was it.
Sonia said, "Evolution and origin. I understand now. All this time, I didn't know what exactly I was lacking. As a professor's assistant, as someone who gave up on the Gym Challenge and gave up on becoming a powerful Trainer, this is what I was missing!"
"I wasn't lacking love. I was lacking a true research direction. 'Myths' are connected to local history, but hidden within 'myths' are evolution and origin too. Gigantamax and Dynamax are also kinds of 'abnormal evolution.'"
"Why can some Pokémon Gigantamax? Why can some Pokémon Dynamax? Oleana… Oleana! Chairman Rose's secretary, the vice president of Macro Cosmos—she used to research this exact field!"
"What can change the traits of Dynamax and Gigantamax are the special mushrooms on the Isle of Armor… No, that's not the key point…"
The various thoughts in her mind were gradually being organized into a single thread. But then Sonia heard the massive explosion from the stadium, and the life goal and next research focus that had nearly connected were blown away by that tremendous sound.
"Charizard withstood the lightning attack! Unbelievable! A mysterious Pokémon! A mysterious lightning move! Champion Leon's Charizard has been forced into a corner for the first time!"
The announcer's voice over the broadcast was wildly excited. The referee also stared at the battlefield without blinking, and Raihan's unrestrained laughter was transmitted to every spectator through the stadium speakers.
"This isn't a mysterious Pokémon! This is Archaludon, one of only two in the entire world! Remember it well! It's already been registered in the Unova Pokédex!"
"After numerical quantification, this move raises Special Attack by one stage, activates instantly in rain, and is an electric cannon with a whopping 130 power. If it's used continuously in rain, Special Attack will keep rising!"
"This is way stronger than Charge Beam, right? Though Duraludon can't use that either!"
Leon said, "It raises Special Attack by one stage and has 130 power?! There's actually a move like that?"
As expected, Raihan's earlier statement about power gained from Paldea's Elite Four meant exactly this. That Steel-type specialist was even stronger than Chairman Rose, who also used Steel-type Pokémon, when it came to Steel-types.
However, the chairman had not battled with Pokémon for a very long time, so Leon did not know how much of his former strength remained.
But that Elite Four member's other identity was even more frightening.
As the head of a battle facility, he had defeated Unova's current elderly champion, Mr. Alder. Although he had not inherited the position of regional champion, he had indeed entered the Hall of Fame. Even though Galar did not have a traditional Hall of Fame, Leon still knew how the Champion Hall system worked.
Leon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled.
"Saying I've been forced into a corner is too exaggerated… Still, the audience needs to get excited too. Reversals happen in battles. Bearing the pressure and seizing victory is exactly what I want."
"Charizard, start counterattacking! Use Dragon Claw!"
"Raaah!"
The flame on Leon's Charizard's tail suddenly blazed blue-white.
Marnie's pupils contracted slightly.
"Blue flames…?"
Hikaru said, "That? It isn't the legendary move Blue Flare. It is part of Charizard's ecology. Its Ability is Blaze."
"Charizard, as a species… when it spits scorching flames from its mouth, the red flame at the tip of its tail burns even more fiercely."
"They say that the more difficult battles it has experienced, the higher the temperature of its flame becomes. When Charizard is truly angry, the front end of its tail will burn with blue-white flames."
"That is the source of one of its Mega Evolution forms."
The description had first appeared in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, but in the games, of course, Charizard could not display blue flames to demonstrate that trait. No version of the games could make ecological changes feel that alive, so it existed only in the descriptions.
However, that became the origin of Mega Charizard X.
In the anime, although Charizard had never displayed the power of blue flames, unexpectedly, Big Bro Infernape had shown something similar.
Blaze raised the power of Fire-type moves when HP dropped.
However, one could tell from Charizard's ecological traits that this Pokémon could freely turn that power on and off. A weak Charizard probably could not master such an ability.
The blazing blue flames represented Leon's Charizard bringing out its full power. But facing an Electro Shot with 130 power plus a one-stage Special Attack boost, it had actually endured.
"Although it isn't a same-type move, after Special Attack rises one stage, there isn't much difference from same-type bonus. With double effectiveness, a single hit reaches nearly 400 power, yet it can still counterattack and trigger Blaze."
"At least half of Leon's strength is concentrated in Charizard."
Leon's Charizard's level ranged from 65 to 80, with a large amount of fluctuation. How high its actual level was at the current point in time remained a mystery. But it was not merely powerful in Special Attack. Its physical Attack and durability were also absurd.
It really made one feel that Leon's Charizard and ordinary Charizard were almost not the same species. This one was an arch-tempered veteran king.
At the beginning of the first episode of Twilight Wings, Leon's Charizard had participated in an extremely bizarre match. During its decisive battle with Bea's Machamp, right at the start, it used only the Normal-type move Slash and defeated Bea's Machamp in a single blow.
After that, the scene instantly shifted to Leon raising one hand toward the sky while Bea knelt in regret.
The speed at which the match was decided made people feel as if Bea had thrown the match.
But Bea would absolutely never throw a match. Therefore, there was only one answer.
"Of course, Leon's Charizard has a hidden setting."
"It does not know Scorching Sands."
"It seems that because Leon himself got lost during his special training on the Isle of Armor, he never learned the move."
Because it did not know Scorching Sands, the fourth move on Leon's Charizard was Ancient Power.
Scorching Sands required five Armorite Ore to exchange for and was learned at the Master Dojo.
But Leon, that man with no sense of direction, was even worse than Zoro. Asking him to find stones was truly unrealistic. If he could find the entrance to the dojo, that was already cause for gratitude. He probably could not collect five stones.
The people at the Master Dojo were exactly the type who, no matter how much you argued—even if Galar was going to explode tomorrow—would refuse to teach if you did not bring five stones.
If you tried to reason with them, they would start saying philosophical nonsense no one could understand. In any case, someone like Leon, who lived for the thrill of battle, definitely would not understand it.
"Although people normally don't care about that move… whether he has a Ground-type attack is crucial."
"Because he never learned Scorching Sands and also doesn't know Earthquake, Charizard can only use Dig."
That said, Leon's Charizard really was quite fast at digging. When it fought Raihan in the anime, it was almost instant, diving from the sky into the ground in a flash like the drill from Gurren Lagann. One look was enough to tell it had practiced a lot.
"Not bad. I finally get to see a Charizard burning with blue flames! Archaludon, no matter what move the opponent uses, just keep using Electro Shot!"
Raihan laughed loudly. At this moment, he finally felt the possibility of surpassing Leon.
It did not matter what tricks Charizard played. Leon's Charizard could not set up screens, and there was no way it could withstand Electric-type attacks. Surely it could not use Slash and tear his electric cannon apart in one strike, right? If it could, they might as well declare Leon the winner.
Everyone knew his Charizard was a Slash specialist, but that would be too much of a specialty.
So there was no need to make things flashy.
Although the audience preferred flashy battles, at least today, Raihan would indulge himself.
"Sometimes it isn't bad to learn from Piers. Plain, straightforward battle represents ultimate power!"
"I've learned move spamming!"
An instant rain-activated electric cannon. Was there any enemy one cannon could not defeat? Then fire another cannon.
Charizard's Dragon Claw slammed fiercely into Archaludon.
It was super effective, but Archaludon did not react much at all. Instead, its Defense rose even further.
Leon said, "How could that be?! What is that? Your Duraludon's Ability used to be Light Metal!"
For Duraludon, the Ability Light Metal was admittedly rather hard to understand.
In theory, it could avoid damage from Grass Knot, but Duraludon itself was not that heavy. At its normal weight of forty kilograms, Grass Knot only had 60 power, and Steel/Dragon resisted it fourfold.
The only useful Ability was its rare Ability, Stalwart.
That was why there was a saying: Light Metal was the aluminum dragon, Heavy Metal was the steel dragon, and Stalwart was the true Duraludon.
However, after evolution, the two useless Abilities transformed magnificently into the noble Stamina and Sturdy.
This was a tremendous reversal.
Raihan said, "How about that? It's just as you saw! Light Metal no longer exists! Its current Ability is called Stamina!"
"Physical attack moves are useless! Stamina used to be an Ability only Mudsdale had, and now Archaludon has it too. It shouldn't be unfamiliar to you, right? After all, we have plenty of that Pokémon in Galar!"
"The more it gets attacked, the more its Defense keeps rising. Add Electro Shot to that, and it means it gets stronger the more it fights!"
"Grand iron bridge, strike the red dragon flying in the sky down with lightning! Speaking of which, the fated duel between Archaludon and Charizard is just like the legend of the Unova region. It evolved in the region with the most bridges!"
"The legend of Charizard Bridge!"
Leon was slightly startled.
Charizard Bridge… that should be the bridge in Unova's Driftveil City, also known as Driftveil Drawbridge. It was said that when Driftveil Drawbridge was raised, it looked very much like a Charizard. Combined with its vivid red color, that was how it gained the nickname. And above the bridge, it seemed that one could hear Charizard's roar.
The bridge had become Archaludon, while the flame and legend had become Charizard.
"I see! Then let us move directly to the final phase—Gigantamax!"
Leon withdrew Charizard, and the Dynamax Band on his wrist blazed with light.
By using the nature of a Wishing Star, which could attract Galar particles and absorb them, Trainers could control a Pokémon's giant transformation.
His powerful wish and the power of Dynamax gathered into the mechanism of the band and resonated with the Power Spot beneath the stadium.
In that instant, the Poké Ball was wrapped in Dynamax power, becoming pink and incomparably huge.
The climactic battle began.
"Even if I can't defeat Leon, if I can take down Charizard, that would basically count as my victory."
Looking at Gigantamax Charizard, wrapped in blazing hellfire, Raihan could not help thinking that.
Charizard was Leon's ace. Ever since Leon had taken the championship at the age of ten, it truly had not lost a single battle. Its wings burned fiercely. Its strongest attack was using those wings, hotter than magma, to incinerate its opponents.
If one had to point out a defeat, then it was when Leon had first battled Sonia as a child and had been crushed by her.
When Raihan saw this Charizard, only one voice remained in his mind.
He had to defeat this Charizard. No matter the cost. Wishing Star, grant my wish.
And then, as if responding to Raihan's wish, a powerful surge of energy and even more Galar particles gathered into Raihan's Archaludon and his Dynamax Band in amounts far beyond normal.
Archaludon Dynamaxed.
"This really is astonishing. It isn't a scene one can normally see."
Hikaru watched the Dynamaxed Archaludon. In theory, Dynamaxing was indeed something all Pokémon could use.
Only Gigantamax, which changed the Pokémon's form, was special. Normal Dynamax was simply gigantification: the body enlarged, three red clouds appeared over the head, and a dark red vortex sky formed. Beyond that, there was no change in appearance.
However, Archaludon was, after all, a ninth-generation Pokémon. Getting to see it in an eighth-generation stadium was truly worth the ticket price.
A sword from a later dynasty could occasionally cross time and space to enforce the law and behead an official from an earlier dynasty.
"The atmosphere is getting more and more fanatical…?"
The cheers from the audience had already reached a deafening level. People screamed themselves hoarse, their eyes sunken, their extreme fanaticism drowning out the reason of most of the spectators, as if even they had been affected by the Galar particles.
Meanwhile, the two giant beasts in the stadium had already begun their clash. Leon and Raihan had both fallen into an extremely focused state where they paid no attention to anything else.
"Defeat… defeat Charizard! From now on, Leon's era is over!"
"I am the strongest champion! This is the greatest battle! Let it continue like this!"
Like the frenzied whispers of the heart, those words echoed again and again in the minds of the two top Trainers. Leon shook his head violently. That whispering voice seemed impossible to drive away. Raihan, standing across from him, had begun to blur in his eyes, as if turning into something else.
What was that…?
No. He must simply be too tired.
"G-Max Wildfire!"
Leon gave the command. But under his intense wish, and beneath the swelling darkness and desire that had sunk deep into people's hearts, Gigantamax Charizard suddenly ignored the order. Or rather, it did not react immediately.
Instead, like a maddened beast, it suddenly swung its fist and smashed heavily into Dynamaxed Archaludon.
That was not G-Max Wildfire.
It was Max Knuckle.
"Charizard?!"
The violent punch stirred up a shockwave, sending a chain of ripples like red tortoise-shell patterns across the defensive barriers around the audience stands.
Violent Galar particles swirled in Gigantamax Charizard's eyes. The light of the Dynamax Band also seemed as if it would never fade.
————————
"Hey, hey, didn't that Dynamax battle just now show signs of going out of control?"
"Out of control? Isn't everything still under control? Leon only feinted on purpose, right?"
In the Gym Leaders' lounge, the earlier frenzied Dynamax battle received extremely high praise. Although Gigantamax Charizard and that new Pokémon called Archaludon had seemed somewhat crazed during the battle, the Gym Leaders could all understand it.
"Pokémon and Trainers are partners joined as one. How could a deeply trusted partner not obey commands? Obviously, that was a strategy to lure the opponent in."
"Raihan's Archaludon attacked Charizard like mad, and Charizard did the same. That was probably because they are fated rivals, right?"
"Exactly. And the audience reaction was excellent too. Let the battles begin in madness just like that."
"Yes, isn't this great? Everyone is happily slaughtering and battling. I need to put in more effort too."
Piers listened to the fanatical conversation among the Gym Leaders around him, and the unease in his heart gradually grew.
Fortunately, the Champion Cup only lasted one day. Once today ended, everything would be over.
At least temporarily.
Piers left the lounge. It would soon be his turn to appear.
"Mr. Piers… please wait."
Before the entrance tunnel, Piers saw a strange young woman.
"What is it? Bea, you deliberately ran over from the opposite lounge. Do you have something to say?"
Bea said, "That Dynamax just now seemed to go out of control, didn't it? Ever since the Dynamax Band was successfully developed, there has never been a case like this."
Her expression was extremely grave.
"Although I am also a Trainer who uses Dynamax, I felt uneasy."
"The result of the battle just now was that Charizard was knocked down because it seemed not to follow Mr. Leon's command. But none of the surrounding audience seemed to care about that."
"Although Mr. Leon still won the final battle, the undefeated Charizard was defeated. I saw intense confusion in his expression… and Mr. Leon seemed not to remember what he had just done."
"'Did I give that command?' I heard him muttering that to himself as he left."
Piers said, "…An undefeated Charizard being defeated for the first time. Although Raihan still lost, there's honor in that defeat, isn't there?"
"As for the loss of control you mentioned, Dynamax itself still has many mysteries that have yet to be solved. Besides, that person told you about the legend from three thousand years ago too, didn't he?"
"Isn't this already a kind of out-of-control giant evolution?"
"I heard that Galar particles have the power to drive Pokémon they are injected into berserk. They cause them to lose reason and return to their biological fighting instincts."
"At the beginning, Macro Cosmos's development did not go smoothly either. That was because they could not control the amount of Galar particles used. It wasn't until Ms. Oleana's research achieved a breakthrough that they finally took this step."
"Don't worry about it. We're still in the middle of the tournament."
"So, did you come here to ask me for techniques on battling without using Dynamax? If that's the case, I do have a few little tricks I can teach you."
"But if you don't use Dynamax… the fanatical, bloodthirsty audience is definitely going to boo."
At that moment, it was exactly as Piers had said.
When Galar's spectators saw that one side of the battle was Piers, the audience members who already disliked him began roaring wildly.
"Go die already, you guy who doesn't use Dynamax!"
"Boring! I want to see Dynamax! I want to see rivers of blood!"
(End of Chapter)
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