No one expected that the people who had first mocked Sato didn't show up at all, and the only one who stood up for him, Cyrus, was now standing on the field.
And the moment Gardevoir appeared, a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd once again.
It was one thing to send out a rare Gardevoir, but this Gardevoir was also a Shiny Pokémon!
'WHY DID HE GET ALL THE GOOD STUFF?!'
Those older League-born Trainers, who were a few years ahead of Sato but had never risen high or fallen low -just hovered in mediocrity- were especially purple with envy.
Meanwhile, a few Trainers who were paying attention to Cyrus widened their eyes in shock!
His Gyarados clearly had Peak Ace level combat power.
At the same time, Sato saw Cyrus holding a Key Stone.
"Mega Evolution… that was your discovery, right, Sato? I heard Gardevoir also has a matching Mega Stone. I wonder… IF WE'LL SEE IT IN THIS BATTLE!?"
'…'
Cyrus spoke with feigned politeness, then immediately ignited his inner chūnibyō soul without hesitation.
"GYARADOOOOOS, MEGA EVOLVE! BLOOM INTO THE TRUE BRUTAL DRAGON YOU ARE!"
A flash of radiant light… Gyarados, once slender and streamlined, suddenly turned bulky and menacing. The backward spines on its dorsal fin sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"GYAAAAAAA!"
The newly evolved Mega Gyarados let out a thunderous roar, filled with confidence in its overwhelming strength!
However, even with the Mega Evolution boost, the Peak Ace-level Gyarados still hadn't fully reached Elite Four level.
At best, it had reached the doorstep, but it still wasn't quite there.
In contrast, Gardevoir -facing a Mega Gyarados many times its size- didn't even flinch. Its expression was just as it had been at the beginning…
"Aren't you going to Mega Evolve your Gardevoir? Or… do you not even have a Gardevoirite~?" Cyrus said with mockery written all over his face, though his eyes hid a deep-burning rage.
He could never forget that night when this very Gardevoir stripped off his clothes piece by piece in sheer humiliation!
Seeing Cyrus's twisted face, the crowd grew confused again. 'This old guy… doesn't exactly look like a good person either.'
"Why would I need Mega Evolution to deal with you? Gardevoir, Magical Leaf."
Sato acted as if he hadn't noticed Cyrus's anger. And truthfully, he had forgotten all about Gardevoir's little frisking incident back then…
His sweet, gentle, beautiful, generous, brave, righteous, noble, majestic, and elegant… Gardevoir!
…How could she ever strip someone?
Yeah, impossible.
On the field, dozens of Magical Leaves spun through the air with casual flicks from Gardevoir before flying straight toward Gyarados.
"Such a weak attack… what is that even supposed to-"
"GYAAAAARAAA!"
The deafening scream cut off Cyrus's taunt. The bulky Gyarados was now writhing in pain.
Everywhere the Magical Leaves passed, deep gashes opened up, slicing down to the bone, making everyone watching swallow hard.
Back when it was just a Magikarp, it had survived countless hunts thanks to its tough, steel-like body.
After evolving, Gyarados's outer scales and bones(?) had become even tougher and thicker, extremely resistant to slicing moves.
More importantly, this Mega Gyarados was nearly Elite Four level… and yet it had just been severely injured by a simple Magical Leaf from Gardevoir!
"M-Mmm, Is it just me, or has no one ever figured out what level Gardevoir's really at…?"
A timid voice rose from the crowd, but it instantly sparked an uproar.
The problem was… Gardevoir's appearance was too elegant. People often got lost in its beauty and forgot something crucial.
Gardevoir itself… was incredibly powerful.
From the moment Gardevoir entered the field, it had stood there silently, not releasing a trace of aura; completely unlike Gyarados, who had come out roaring.
Like it had never seen the world before.
But if it didn't look like it…
Could it be… Elite Four level?
"Impossible… YOU'RE ONLY FIFTEEN!"
Cyrus gripped the Key Stone in his hand tightly, unwilling to believe that Gardevoir had already reached Elite Four.
Sato glanced at the unmounted Key Stone in Cyrus's hand and immediately understood: he'd probably just obtained it recently. Maybe even Gyarados had been a last-minute choice.
All this… just to get revenge for being stripped?
But hey, we still haven't settled the whole egg-snatching thing!
"Gardevoir, Thunderbolt."
Sato had no obligation to answer Cyrus's questions, and he didn't hesitate in commanding another attack.
Gardevoir's eyes remained calm as ever. It stretched out both arms and conjured an Electro Ball, releasing a seemingly unimpressive surge of electricity straight toward Gyarados.
This time, Cyrus didn't dare act tough and have Gyarados take the hit directly. He quickly ordered it to use Dark Pulse.
The dark purple-black wave of Dark Pulse clashed with Thunderbolt. But instead of cancelling each other out as expected…
Thunderbolt crushed right through the Dark Pulse, pressing it back toward Gyarados, leaving everyone around stunned.
When Sato fought Flint, he hadn't even used this strong Gardevoir… and still won.
Many in the crowd couldn't help wondering: what other terrifying cards was this fifteen-year-old monster Trainer hiding?
"GYARADOOOOS! PUSH IT BACK WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOOOOT!"
Cyrus activated his [Trainer Move: ROAR], launching into a battle cry worthy of a full-blown chūnibyō war chant!
Strangely enough -or maybe thanks to Mega Evolution- Gyarados seemed to feel Cyrus's inner rage and unwillingness to lose.
It straightened up and released its most powerful Dark Pulse, finally starting to slow the advance of Thunderbolt.
Unfortunately, Gardevoir's Electric-type energy was also about to run out. Rather than waste more effort, it simply abandoned the attack.
As for Gyarados… if just blocking that was already such a struggle, there was no way it could go on the offensive. It could only pant heavily, trying to recover its stamina.
"…Third move," Sato murmured, then gave the next command. "Gardevoir, Focus Blast. End it."
"Voir~"
For the first time since the battle began, Gardevoir made a sound.
And with it came a pure white Focus Blast that, once again, looked utterly ordinary.
Cyrus's pupils quivered. 'Did Sato just say… this move would end the battle?'
"Sato… how arrogant can you be?!" Cyrus growled, then shouted his own command: "GYARADOS, GIGA IMPACT!"
"GYAAARADOS!"
Gyarados let out a mighty roar, as if encouraging itself. It then lunged toward Gardevoir at full force.
As it charged, a swirling energy shield of yellow and purple wrapped around its body. Exactly like a proper Giga Impact.
Then, in the next instant, Giga Impact collided with Focus Blast!
And what happened next stunned everyone: the Focus Blast, no bigger than a basketball, stopped the massive Gyarados dead in its tracks.
…And even began to push it backward.
From an outsider's view, it looked like a ping pong ball smashing into a giant carp.
And yet, it was the ping pong ball that pushed the carp back!
BOOOOM!
The Focus Blast exploded, sending Gyarados crashing backward into the ground. Its tail twitched twice… then went still.
A flash of rainbow light marked its return to normal form. Now back in its base state, Gyarados lay on the ground with spiral eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
On the other side, Gardevoir remained calm, elegant, majestic, beautiful… and hadn't taken a single step the entire battle.
Defeating Gyarados felt like it had done something trivial, barely worth mentioning.
And to be fair… Gyarados was just its third-move opponent. Nothing more.
.
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200 PS - Chap