Max Geyser surged forward like a floodgate bursting open, instantly swallowing Staraptor whole.
Watching Staraptor disappear beneath the torrent, Reiji's confidence started wavering.
But then—
He saw the pale green glow of Protect, the strongest defensive move in the Pokémon world.
And his heart settled down again.
After all, Staraptor's level was significantly higher than Castform's.
If there was that much of a level gap and Protect still got shattered—
Then he'd jump straight out the nearest window.
But as time passed…
Reiji began to panic.
Because he could clearly see that within the terrifying flood of Max Geyser, Staraptor's Protect barrier had begun flickering erratically.
It looked like it was about to collapse at any moment.
"How is this possible?!"
"How can there be an attack even Protect can't fully block?!"
"Is this some kind of Brick Break-like move?!"
Hearing Reiji's confusion, Red kindly explained:
"Protect's defense is indeed practically invincible."
"But it has one small weakness."
"Its duration is too short."
"And Dynamaxed Pokémon have attacks with massive range and extremely long-lasting effects."
"So Protect doesn't work very well against them."
The moment Red finished speaking—
Staraptor's Protect finally reached its limit.
A miserable cry rang out as Staraptor was blasted away by Max Geyser!
The terrifying force sent waves of agony through its body.
At the same time, after Max Geyser was unleashed, the excess water shot into the sky—
And instantly, dark storm clouds covered the heavens.
With a deafening thunderclap, torrential rain came pouring down.
Seeing this, Reiji felt like his brain was no longer functioning properly.
"Gym Leader Red!"
"Tell me honestly!"
"Are you cheating?!"
"This so-called Max Geyser is way too broken!"
"The power's ridiculous, the accuracy is ridiculous, the duration is ridiculous—and now it summons rain too?!"
"You're basically using two moves at the same time!"
"How is this remotely balanced?!"
Rain poured from the sky.
Castform transformed into its Rain Form, its typing changing from Normal to Water.
Looking at Reiji—who seemed moments away from crying over how absurdly overpowered Max Moves were—Red calmly replied:
"Let me clarify first."
"I'm not cheating."
"This battle style is officially permitted by the League."
"It's completely legal and regulation-compliant."
Then Red silently added in his heart:
"Well… maybe not yet."
"But it definitely will be in the future."
"Therefore, I, Red, Gym Leader of Mossdeep City Gym, am absolutely not cheating."
Hearing that, Reiji looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"Gym Leader Red, please leave us ordinary people a way to survive!"
"I have an eighteen-year-old younger brother to support!"
"And another eighteen-year-old younger brother too!"
"I have responsibilities!"
"The damage from Max Geyser was already absurd enough!"
"But now there's rain too!"
"Your Castform transformed into Rain Form, which boosts Water-type moves by another fifty percent!"
"And rain boosts Water-type attacks by another fifty percent on top of that!"
Reiji stared at his completely soaked Staraptor, who could barely stay airborne in the storm.
Then he decisively shouted:
"Gym Leader Red!"
"I surrender!"
"I'm done fighting!"
Seeing this scene, even Red was slightly stunned.
Although Max Moves were indeed outrageously strong, Red had estimated it would still take at least three attacks to defeat Staraptor.
He hadn't expected Reiji to surrender voluntarily.
That left him feeling slightly disappointed.
Of course, Red wasn't some tyrant who forced people to continue battling after they surrendered.
He casually waved his hand.
"Fine then."
"If you surrender, you surrender."
Besides, with Alakazam acting as a living battery, I'm not exactly lacking Dynamax uses, Red thought inwardly.
Reiji wiped the rainwater from his face as he looked at Red.
A trace of unwillingness and indignation still lingered in his heart.
He genuinely felt Red's "cheat" was way too overpowered.
But then he remembered—
Red would become Shinji's teacher in the future.
Which basically made him Reiji's teacher too.
And instantly, all his resentment disappeared completely.
Still, Reiji couldn't help asking the question everyone present was dying to know.
"Gym Leader Red…"
"What exactly is this so-called Dynamax?"
"Don't tell me Castform will stay this huge forever?"
The moment Reiji finished speaking—
Castform suddenly shrank like a rapidly deflating balloon.
Its massive body trembled once before rapidly shrinking from a giant dozens of meters tall back into its original tiny thirty-centimeter form.
Seeing everyone's curious and investigative gazes, Red smiled faintly.
"Don't worry."
"This isn't some impossible secret."
"It's simply a standard battle style that can eventually be popularized among the public… perhaps even among all Trainers."
"Of course, fully promoting this battle system may take some time."
"When I get the chance, I'll probably write a research paper and let Professor Oak take a look."
"Maybe I can even earn myself a Doctor title while I'm at it."
"And claim another League research reward too."
Hearing that, Reiji, Clair, and Yuki were all completely stunned.
Clair rushed over to Red in a few quick steps.
"Gym Leader Red!"
"You mean this enhancement method can actually be mass-produced?!"
"Oh my god!"
"This is incredible!"
"If you're really willing to release this to the public, the Kanto Region might gain another Pokémon Professor!"
Hearing Clair's excitement, Red smiled and waved his hand modestly.
"No, no."
"It's still far from that stage."
"There's still a big gap between laboratory prototypes and widespread implementation."
"It's fine!"
"Take your time, Gym Leader Red!"
"If you ever need help, just tell me!"
"And if I can't solve it…"
"My cousin definitely can!"
Afterward, Reiji left Mossdeep Gym filled with emotion.
Meanwhile, Red dismissed everyone else and held Castform in his arms.
"How did your first Dynamax feel?"
"Wuuu~ wuu~ wuuwuu."
Hearing Castform's answer, Red nodded thoughtfully.
"So you felt extremely exhausted afterward, like your body was hollowed out?"
"And Pokémon afraid of heights might have trouble using it?"
"Don't worry."
"Once you become more proficient with Dynamax, it probably won't feel so tiring anymore."
Unlike Mega Evolution—which drew upon a Pokémon's own hidden power—
Dynamax was essentially borrowed energy from Eternatus.
So theoretically, using it shouldn't drain the Pokémon too heavily afterward.
Just as Red and Castform were discussing the experience—
Two figures radiating dark resentment slowly approached him.
It was Marshtomp and Larvitar, both drooling with envy.
Especially Marshtomp.
The way it looked at Red was practically overflowing with longing.
Its eyes seemed to scream:
Let me try! Let me try too!
I wanna become a giant mecha too!
Seeing Marshtomp so excited, Red smiled.
"Weren't you the one who said you preferred relying on your own strength?"
Marshtomp froze.
Right…
This was borrowed power.
It completely contradicted the ideals it had always believed in…
Watching Marshtomp sink into depression, Red helplessly spread his hands.
"You were the one who gave up voluntarily."
Then Red turned toward Larvitar.
"And you?"
"You want to Dynamax too?"
But to Red's surprise—
Larvitar excitedly pulled out its lollipop and gestured enthusiastically.
Could the lollipop become that big too?
Red flicked Larvitar on the forehead.
"All you ever think about is eating."
Meanwhile…
Somewhere in Sinnoh.
A certain Champion looked at the report on her desk.
"A newly discovered ancient ruin has appeared in the Kanto Region."
"It seems they excavated something extremely interesting from it."
Cynthia leaned back in the Champion's chair and murmured to herself:
"Should I take a trip to Kanto?"
"Or stay in Sinnoh and continue researching ruins?"
Clearly—
Cynthia's chronic indecisiveness had struck again.
◇ You can read 60+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/ElaraVance1
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter