Want to read ahead. You know where
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The yacht was anchored near an uninhabited island, its hull gently rocking with the rhythm of the waves.
The salty sea breeze whispered through the palms, rustling leaves and scattering loose grains of sand along the beach.
There, on the pale stretch of shore, two figures stood facing each other—Sam and Cynthia.
This wasn't a casual spar.
Both stood tall, eyes locked, with serious intent reflected in their expressions.
Before them, two Pokémon had already taken their positions.
On Sam's side—Darkrai.
Opposite it—Cynthia's Garchomp.
[Pokémon: Garchomp]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Dragon / Ground]
[Ability: Sand Veil – Increases evasion in a sandstorm]
[Level: 67 – Champion Tier (Mid)]
[Potential: Peak Champion]
[Known Moves: Crunch, Dual Chop, Sand Tomb, Dragon Breath, Bulldoze, Dragon Claw, Slash, Dig, Sandstorm]
[Egg/Inherited Moves: Outrage, Double-Edge, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Dive]
[Contest Condition: Good]
[Notes: With exceptional genetic aptitude and precise training, this Garchomp stands at the peak of her species.]
Cynthia gave Sam a playful smile—teasing, but with a sharp edge.
"Sam~" she sang softly.
"Even though you're my fiancé~"
Her eyes narrowed, that grin fading into something far more competitive.
"Don't expect me to hold back in battle."
Her voice grew firm.
"I want you to fight me with everything you've got."
The usual flirtatious tone was gone.
This was Champion Cynthia—battle-hardened, commanding, unflinching.
Sam gave a slight nod, expression steady.
"I will," he replied quietly.
"You have my word."
This was no ordinary practice match.
It was a test of strength and understanding, and perhaps something more personal beneath the surface.
Cynthia took the initiative.
"Garchomp, Sandstorm!"
The dragon roared, slamming her claws into the ground.
A swirling torrent of sand whipped up around her body, obscuring the air with a thick veil of grit and wind.
Here, on this beach full of loose sand, the move took full effect immediately.
Visibility dropped.
The sandstorm wasn't just a move—it became part of the battlefield.
For a Pokémon like Garchomp, this environment was a blessing.
With her Sand Veil ability, her evasiveness would spike, turning her into a phantom of claws and speed.
Sam didn't panic.
"Darkrai," he commanded, "Nasty Plot."
Darkrai's crimson eyes gleamed with dark energy.
A ripple of aura pulsed outward as it silently began gathering power, tapping into the depths of its shadowy potential.
Energy surged through its form, boosting its special attack in preparation for what was to come.
Neither trainer had yet gone on the offensive.
Instead, they'd each made strategic plays—one altering the field, the other buffing stats.
At their level, battles often hinged not on raw power alone, but on timing, prediction, and synergy.
The sandstorm raged on.
Then Cynthia broke the silence.
"Garchomp, Dual Chop!"
With a shriek, Garchomp lunged forward, claws glowing with energy.
She vanished into the whirling sand, reappearing for just a moment, then gone again.
To the untrained eye, she was a blur.
A ghost in the storm.
Her slashes cut through the air, aiming straight for Darkrai.
Garchomp wasn't known for subtlety.
She hit hard and fast, and if those twin strikes landed, they'd do serious damage.
But Sam was ready.
"Darkrai—phase into the ground."
Darkrai let out a low hiss as its form wavered, melting into a long, black shadow that slithered beneath the sand, altogether avoiding Garchomp's assault.
The slash passed harmlessly overhead.
Cynthia's golden eyes narrowed as she watched her opponent vanish.
"Of course..." she muttered.
"A Mythical Pokémon…"
She clenched her jaw.
"Its body isn't just shadow—it can phase like a Ghost-type."
The unexpected evasiveness had caught her off guard—but only for a moment.
She was Champion of Sinnoh for a reason.
Years of battle experience kicked in.
"Garchomp, Sand Tomb! Flush it out!"
The dragon let out a guttural growl and slammed her foot into the sand.
The terrain beneath them trembled.
A vortex of churning earth and sand erupted in all directions, aiming to trap anything hidden below.
There was no time to hesitate.
Darkrai's haven underground was rapidly becoming a prison.
And Cynthia—she wasn't going to let her prey get comfortable.
As Garchomp launched into the air, preparing to slash down from above, Sam's voice rang out—steady and sharp.
"Darkrai, Smack Down!"
Darkrai reacted instantly.
Its body twisted, shifting into a more aerodynamic form as it gathered concentrated Ground-type energy along its shadowy arms—arms that looked like jagged death scythes cloaked in aura.
With a grunt, Darkrai slashed down hard.
Boom!
The force of the strike erupted across the soft beach, sending sand flying in all directions.
Cracks split through the earth in jagged lines beneath Garchomp.
But she had already anticipated it.
Using the shockwave itself, Garchomp twisted through the air and landed cleanly, barely affected.
The impact still tore through the sand, and in seconds, the wind picked up again.
The storm thickened.
Fragments of the battlefield were now feeding into the swirling Sandstorm, making it harder to see, harder to breathe—everything the Garchomp thrived in.
Meanwhile, beneath the surface, Darkrai was still burrowed in the sand—until now.
The force of the Sand Tomb had disturbed the underground enough to force Darkrai out, its shadowy body briefly destabilizing as it rose back into view.
Cynthia's eyes sparkled with sharp intent.
"There! Now!"
"Garchomp—Dragon Claw!"
"Awroooh!"
Her command was immediate. Garchomp's claws lit up with a piercing white aura, twin blades glowing like compressed dragon energy.
With a burst of white vapor from her wings, she rocketed toward the now-exposed Darkrai, slicing through the sandstorm like a missile.
Sam's eyes stayed calm, even as his Pokémon was seemingly vulnerable.
Darkrai was faster. Much faster.
But he didn't give the order to dodge.
Instead, he waited, watching Garchomp accelerate, her movements sharper, her trajectory locked in. She was committing.
At the exact moment her speed peaked—right when it would be impossible to turn or adjust—Sam finally spoke.
"…Darkrai."
"Use Dark Void."
"Hissss…"
Darkrai's body pulsed.
A wave of dense, black energy burst outward, warping the very air.
Ahead of Garchomp, the sky itself seemed to tear open, forming a swirling black vortex.
From within it, ghostly hands stretched outward—dozens of them—reaching from the dark dimension like shadows with form.
Cynthia's eyes widened in alarm.
"Wait!"
She hadn't heard of this move before.
"Dark Void?"
Just the name sent a chill down her spine.
It wasn't just some sleep-inducing trick—it felt like something deeper, darker.
A primal instinct told her: this is bad.
But it was too late.
Garchomp, at full speed, couldn't pull back in time.
The black hands wrapped around her arms, her legs, her head, draining the will to fight. Her body sagged mid-air.
Consciousness faded.
Thud!
She crashed to the ground, fast asleep.
The black vortex collapsed behind her.
The scattered remnants of her energy still floated briefly before falling too, like feathers stripped of purpose.
Cynthia stared, dumbfounded, at her fallen ace.
"…Asleep?"
She blinked, then gasped softly as recognition dawned.
"This… this 'Dark Void'—it's like an advanced version of Hypnosis!"
She let out a frustrated sigh and shot a playful glare at Sam, who stood across the battlefield with his arms calmly folded.
"Unbelievable~"
"It's bad enough when you tease me normally—but now even my Garchomp gets outplayed like this?"
She huffed, half-exasperated, half-impressed.
Sam didn't gloat. He gave a small smile, his eyes focused.
He knew this wasn't over yet.
And Cynthia?
She wasn't done either.