After having Gengar and the others help fill the large pit, Lucas prepared to head back to the Breeding House.
At that moment, Brock came up to Lucas. "Manager."
Lucas stopped and looked at Brock. Seeing Brock's squinty eyes, he seemed to sense something. "A battle?"
Cynthia stopped in her tracks upon hearing this and looked at them.
Brock nodded. "Yeah."
"With me?"
"The journey in the Sinnoh region is almost over. I'll need to go back and inherit my family's Gym soon, so I won't have time to keep traveling with Ash anymore."
Brock spoke nonchalantly, a smile on his resolute face.
Lucas, however, felt a hint of sadness and reluctance in his heart.
The man who had accompanied Ash through three journeys was also about to leave him.
Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh—Lucas had seen them all.
Although every region had a different female lead, Brock had always been there.
Although the future Ash could still set out on journeys with other companions, there would never again be a man who would immediately rush up whenever he saw a beautiful woman, only to be knocked out and dragged away, nor would there be one who could clearly distinguish between the Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys of every region.
Lucas laughed. "Sure."
Hearing Lucas's words, Brock's eyes crinkled with a smile. He admired this man's breeding skills and had learned a lot from him about how to get along with Pokémon. After traveling through several regions, he felt he had faintly touched upon that level.
"How about a battle between men?"
Lucas said with a laugh.
Brock nodded. "Then please, let's have a battle—a true battle between men!"
Brock widened his eyes and spoke sincerely.
For some reason, looking at Brock's squinty eyes, Lucas was suddenly absolutely certain that Brock was widening them this time.
Brock and Lucas stood on the field that had just been filled in.
Brock gripped a Poké Ball and looked at Lucas. "Manager, this was my very first partner. We've been through a lot together. Although I rarely take it with me on my travels anymore, I believe our bond hasn't diminished at all. So, please witness the bond between us."
Brock tossed the Poké Ball, and a massive figure appeared on the field.
"Oh, it's Brock's Steelix! It really has been a long time."
Ash said with some emotion as he looked at the Steelix on the field.
"Remember to find time to go back and get Pidgeot."
Lucas looked at Ash.
"I know! I already called my mom yesterday and asked her to go look for it."
Ash scratched his head and said.
Lucas looked at his Pokémon. Zoroark nodded to him. "I can help too."
"And me."
Latias's voice echoed in Lucas's heart, and then she revealed herself. Cynthia gave her a curious look.
"Latias?"
Then she looked at Lucas, her beautiful eyes darting around as she wondered about something.
Lucas shook his head.
"A true man must undergo a transformation within the flames. I bet you think so too, right, Brock?"
Brock grinned and laughed.
"Exactly. So please, let it take the field."
Lucas nodded. "Ninetales."
Ninetales leaped onto the field, its previously lazy demeanor replaced by an incomparable and extremely overbearing aura.
"Why does it feel a bit like the aura of that Entei we saw before?" Ash asked in confusion.
"Entei?"
Cynthia's eyes narrowed.
"The incident in Crown City, right?"
The rule for this battle was 1v1, with no referee needed.
"Manager (Brock), let's battle!"
"Earthquake!"
Steelix began to repeatedly slam the ground with its tail, causing ripples to spread across the earth toward Ninetales.
"Jump to the edge, then use Fire Blast."
Ninetales jumped to the edge of the ripples and steadied itself on the shaking ground. Intensely hot flames erupted from its mouth, forming the shape of the character 'big' as they flew toward Steelix.
"Steelix, Iron Tail!"
Steelix raised its tail high and lashed out at Ninetales.
"Ninetales, meet it with Iron Tail."
Ninetales's nine tails merged together, glowing with a white light as it lashed back fiercely against Steelix's tail.
Without any evasion, the subsequent battle between the two Pokémon consisted entirely of move clashing against move.
"Bulldoze!"
"Scorching Sands!"
Gothitelle expanded her psychic power. Flint watched the situation on the field; Steelix was covered in wounds and teetering, while Ninetales was also covered in injuries. However, hearing its still-steady breathing, it was clear that Ninetales's condition was much better than Steelix's.
"What a tanky Ninetales—"
As a Fire-type Elite, it was also Flint's first time seeing such a tanky Ninetales. It seemed that massive size wasn't just for show.
Brock looked at the swaying Steelix. As if sensing him, Steelix turned back to look at Brock, revealing a gap-toothed smile.
Brock's eyes grew hot as he recalled the various regions he had traveled through, the people and Pokémon he had met, and the first time he saw Onix as a child.
On his tenth birthday, he opened his eyes to see an Onix wearing a bow.
"Dad, thank you for choosing Onix as my partner, and thank you for giving me the chance to pursue my dreams."
"My traveling life is over, but my own dream hasn't ended yet."
"Gym Leader, battling, breeding, healing—I will learn it all and continue to grow."
"So, let the transformation happen today!"
"Manager, are you ready!"
Brock suddenly let out a roar.
Lucas couldn't help but gasp. He felt the fire burning in Brock's heart, and his own heart began to pound violently.
"A battle allows both sides to feel each other's emotions."
Snowflakes began to drift from the sky. Whether from the cold or excitement, Lucas's body began to tremble.
Battling a protagonist from the world he had once longed for made Lucas feel incredibly excited at this moment.
Perhaps because they were both Breeders, he held Brock in a special regard.
"Come on, Brock."
Lucas's voice trembled slightly before becoming deafening. "Show me that will of yours that you claim is like steel!"
Brock stripped off his shirt, standing bare-chested in the snowy winter. The pendant around his neck was none other than a key stone.
He ripped the key stone off, gripped it in his hand, and swung it toward Steelix.
"I am a man with a will of steel!"
Brock's lean, muscular body stood perfectly straight as the key stone began to erupt with a blazing light.
"Steelix, Mega Evolution!"
The light erupting from Steelix and the light from the key stone intertwined, enveloping them both.
Seeing this, Lucas's blood boiled. He had just taken off the knitted sweater Gothitelle had made for him.
"Gothe."
"Lilli."
"Gengar gargar."
"Hehe."
Lucas's movements paused, and then, in front of everyone, he put his clothes back on.
Cynthia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Lucas really trusts you all."
Cynthia said.
Gothitelle and the others expressed that he was just like a child.
Lucian, standing nearby, laughed.
"Aren't you the ones who spoiled him like a child?"
"But this is good too—a Trainer trusting his Pokémon, and the Pokémon worrying about their Trainer."
Lucian pushed up his glasses.
"Let me see, Lucas, how you will respond to the blazing yet steel-like will of Brock and Steelix."
The light dissipated, and Steelix completed its Mega Evolution. Its body had become even more massive, with a ring of floating metal fragments rotating clockwise around its neck. Its eye color had changed from red to blue, and six fang-like protrusions appeared on the sides of its mouth.
The three pairs of rod-like protrusions on its body had turned into diamond-like crystalline material, and the tip of its tail had also become diamond. Each side of the four segments without rod-like protrusions now featured a blue hexagonal ring pattern.
Mega Steelix officially makes its debut.
"Brock can Mega Evolution now too?"
Ash's voice was full of yearning.
Looking at the Mega Evolved Steelix, Lucas revealed the bracelet on his wrist. He twisted it, and his body began to move in a slow rhythm.
"What is that?"
Ash asked curiously, looking at the crystal on the bracelet on Lucas's wrist.
"A Z-Ring. When a Trainer and their Pokémon are in sync, it allows their moves to change into much more powerful Z-Moves."
Lucian explained from the side.
Ash nodded, indicating he understood.
Lucas performed the Wukong steps. Looking at Brock and Mega Steelix opposite him, he felt he had calmed down, but his heart was still pounding fiercely.
"Brock, to respond to that steel-like will of yours, I'm going to give it my all as well."
Brock's expression was solemn as he nodded heavily.
"Steelix, Earthquake!"
Ninetales didn't dodge. Following Lucas's Wukong steps, it took the Earthquake head-on.
Lucas crossed his arms, his voice extremely calm.
"Then, let's respond to them with our full power."
Ninetales gave no verbal response, but the Wukong steps came to a halt.
"Inferno—"
"Overdrive!!!"
Ninetales spat out a fireball formed from magnificent flames in front of it.
"What beautiful flames—"
Dawn couldn't help but speak up.
Cynthia's brow furrowed; this move had become stronger again.
The pressure it gave off was much stronger than it had been at the Canalave Gym.
Ninetales, its body covered in wounds, crashed into the fireball and charged straight at Steelix.
The fireball slowly melted as Ninetales charged, eventually coating Ninetales's body. Ninetales moved forward like a massive pillar of fire, brilliant and powerful.
"Steelix, Giga Impact!"
Mega Steelix twisted its body, exerting all its strength to crash head-on into the oncoming Ninetales.
"Gothe!"
Gothitelle was already prepared. She unleashed her full psychic power to completely envelop the area where Lucas and the others were battling.
Aaron felt this somewhat oppressive psychic power and frowned.
"What terrifying psychic power—"
"Ninetales, Gothitelle—"
"I imagine Gengar, his ace, must be just as strong, and there's also a Lilligant—"
"Lucas is truly powerful—"
Meanwhile, Flint watched the field. Although it was tightly enveloped by Gothitelle's psychic power, she could still feel a scorching wind blowing through.
"Fire—"
She looked up at the sky; the snowflakes were melting before they could even hit the ground.
This was exactly why she loved Fire-type Pokémon so much.
Flint's eyes were filled with Joy.
"I really want to try battling Lucas—"
The smoke cleared; Steelix was charred all over, while Ninetales stood tall and straight.
It had completely absorbed the flames bestowed upon it by Entei.
It walked back to Lucas's side. Lucas reached out and rubbed its fox head, which was as tall as he was.
"Good job, Ninetales."
"Siu~"
Ninetales narrowed its eyes.
Sensing a murderous intent, "And Gothitelle, thanks to you. As expected, I can't lose Gothitelle, just as Lucas can't lose Mother Goth."
Gothitelle rolled her eyes.
"Is there any difference between those two sentences?"
Ash asked, scratching the back of his head.
"You wouldn't understand—"
Dawn began to explain to Ash, but Ash still looked completely bewildered.
"Thank you."
Brock recalled Steelix and came over to Lucas's side.
Lucas waved his hand. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Seeing Lucas's sincere smile, Brock laughed.
"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, help me fill in the pit, and then let's eat!"
"Gengar gargar"