The legendary bird stood there like an oversized, angry-looking wild chicken.
Its wings looked too small to be useful, almost shriveled against its muscular body.
Cynthia frowned. "So… can it even fly?"
Sam grinned. "Of course it can. It's still called Zapdos. It just… likes running more. Much more."
"Oh." Cynthia let out a breath and patted her chest, relieved.
"As long as it can fly."
Sam teased, "It's a legendary Pokémon. It would be embarrassing if it couldn't fly."
"Well… some legends do have their quirks," she muttered, remembering a few exceptions.
"Alright," she said, stepping forward.
"I'll handle this."
Sam stepped back to give her space, Lucario automatically moving in front of him like a silent guardian.
The aura Pokémon relaxed, facing a Tier 1 legendary Pokémon, even a variant, wasn't something difficult at his level.
Sam, meanwhile, had no intention of trying to catch Zapdos himself.
Compared to the Pokémon already on his team, Lucario, his starter, Darkrai, the little Lugia, and that towering Dragonite, Zapdos didn't exactly stand out.
Most of his team were special cases, limit broken.
And with the Light Stone capable of summoning Reshiram and Rayquaza's acknowledgement behind him, his standards were simply… higher.
To him, Zapdos wasn't worth the food.
To most people, though, even the "weakest" legendary was still something worth dreaming about.
"Leave it to me!" Cynthia declared.
She tossed a Poké Ball, her excitement barely contained.
"Garchomp, let's go!"
With a flash, her ace appeared.
"Roooaaar!"
Zapdos flared its wings and lowered its head, talons digging into the ground.
Sparks danced along its beak as it sized up the challenger.
Cynthia tightened her grip on her Mega Ring and took a steady breath.
"Garchomp, Mega Evolution!"
Light exploded around her partner.
Garchomp let out a thunderous roar as its form shifted, edges sharpening, power rising like a crashing wave.
Zapdos' eyes narrowed.
The pressure coming from Mega Garchomp couldn't be ignored.
"Garchomp, Dual Chop!" Cynthia commanded.
Mega Garchomp surged forward, scythe-like arms flashing.
Two crescent arcs sliced through the air.
Zapdos let out a sharp cry. Electricity gathered instantly, condensing into a fierce beam, and it blasted forward as a counterattack.
Even though the Galar variant was part Fighting and Flying, its connection to electricity hadn't diminished.
The attacks collided with a booming crack, shaking the ground beneath them.
Before the dust settled, Cynthia followed up.
"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"
Mega Garchomp burst through the drifting smoke, claws glowing with draconic energy as it dove in like a living jet.
Zapdos refused to yield. It thrust its beak forward, spinning into a powerful Drill Peck.
The impact rattled the air, and both Pokémon were knocked back, skidding across the dirt before digging in to stop themselves.
Their gazes locked. The fight had just begun.
Even with Mega Evolution amplifying its power, Garchomp only held a slight advantage in close combat.
Zapdos wasn't an opponent that backed down easily.
Sam watched with mild surprise.
"Not bad. For a Pokémon that loves fighting that much, it's no wonder it's this strong."
Despite Zapdos' changed appearance, its control over lightning hadn't weakened at all.
If anything, the Galar form seemed better suited for hand-to-hand combat.
Sam couldn't help thinking that this wild, sprinting "free-range chicken" might actually outperform the electric, feather-blasting Zapdos of Kanto in certain aspects.
"Still," he murmured, "at the same level, Cynthia's Garchomp should win. Garchomp's a champion-tier powerhouse. The odds are in her favor."
But the battle was still shifting, second by second.
"Garchomp, trap it with Sand Tomb!" Cynthia commanded.
Garchomp roared, power flaring.
Mega Evolution had pushed its control of ground energy to a whole new level.
Sand erupted around it and swirled outward, forming a whirling prison that wrapped tightly around Zapdos.
"Now! Garchomp, use Slash!"
Garchomp rushed in, scythes gleaming as it struck with fierce precision.
The two Pokémon traded blow after blow, neither willing to retreat.
Time slipped by, one minute, two, three, until nearly ten minutes had passed.
Both were battered now.
Garchomp bore several deep markings along its arms and chest from Zapdos' beak strikes.
Zapdos, on the other hand, had lost whole patches of its fiery orange feathers, leaving them scattered across the ground like fallen leaves.
But despite the back-and-forth, Garchomp clearly held the momentum.
Zapdos suddenly shrieked, electricity surging across its entire body.
Its muscles tensed, and in the blink of an eye, it shot forward with explosive speed, legs pounding against the earth.
Cynthia didn't hesitate. "Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
Mega Garchomp lunged, aura flaring into a violent, draconic pressure.
Its entire form radiated a chilling killing intent as it swung both scythe-like arms.
The two attacks collided with a deafening crash.
For a heartbeat, both Pokémon pushed against each other… then Zapdos faltered.
The blast sent the Galarian Zapdos tumbling backward, skidding across the ground before collapsing unconscious.
Garchomp stood panting, chest rising and falling, but victorious.
"You worked hard," Cynthia said softly, placing her hand on Garchomp's rough scales.
She withdrew her partner, then pulled out a Poké Ball she had prepared ahead of time.
She tossed it toward the fallen Zapdos.
Click.
Shake.
Shake…
Ding!
The Poké Ball stilled.
Zapdos was caught.
"Yes!" Cynthia snatched the ball off the ground and jumped with excitement.
The next second, she practically launched herself into Sam's arms.
"Whoa!" Sam quickly steadied her, catching her before she toppled them both over.
Cynthia hugged him tightly, waving the newly caught Zapdos in her hand.
"From today on, I have a legendary Pokémon too!"
She pulled back just enough to grin at him, eyes shining.
"With Zapdos, when the Championship Ranking Tournament starts, I'm taking first place!"
"And then, " she said it boldly, absolutely certain, "I'll marry you. I'll have the title of the world's top trainer!"
Sam couldn't help laughing as he wrapped his arms around her more firmly.
"Then if I marry you… doesn't that make me Mr. Number One?"
Her face flushed, but she didn't deny it; she only held him tighter.
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