"Dragon type against Dragon type? Interesting!"
Gui Ling touched the Mega Stone on his wrist, smiled, and said.
"But my Noivern is different, Mr. Dande, I hope you can handle this move! The wrath of the Sound Wave Dragon!"
Noivern roared, and the ears on its head erupted with a powerful Sound Wave. Before Gui Ling could even give a command, it unleashed a Boomburst towards Dragapult.
Dragapult agilely weaved through the air, the Sound Wave grazing its body and stirring up gusts of wind.
"Dragapult, use Dragon Darts!"
Dande commanded loudly. Dragapult's launchers on either side of its head fired two Dreepy towards Noivern.
"Supersonic!"
Noivern flapped its wings, and Sound Wave formed a barrier, blocking the Dragon Darts. The two Dreepy were disoriented after being hit by the powerful Supersonic attack.
"Noivern, Mega Evolve! May the Sound Wave Dragon protect its body, and grant it the 'Echo' that perceives all!"
Its two bat wings transformed into four, and its tail grew longer, with its overall size increasing significantly.
(If you're wondering why Noivern Mega Evolved, see Chapter 35.)
As the Mega Stone glowed, Noivern completed its Mega Evolution, and its aura instantly intensified.
Noivern let out a roar, and Sound Wave surged towards Dragapult like a raging tide. Dragapult was hit by the Sound Wave and staggered a few times.
"Dragapult, hold on! Counter with a wide-range Thunderbolt!"
Supersonic and lightning clashed in the air. After a stalemate, the two energies canceled each other out.
"Draco Meteor!"
"Evade them all!"
Dragapult successfully dodged the Draco Meteor using Dragon Darts, then appeared in front of Noivern.
"Use Dragon Tail!"
"Dragon Claw!"
The two Dragons engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle in the air. Gui Ling's original plan was to kick up dust on the ground to interfere with Dragapult, then use Noivern's advantage to win.
But fighting in the air didn't seem to allow him to execute that.
"Noivern, fly down!"
"I won't let you succeed, hold it with Dragon Tail!"
It seemed Dande had already anticipated Gui Ling's plan.
There was no advantage in a direct confrontation, and this method wouldn't work either...
"That's right, Flamethrower!"
The smoke generated by Flamethrower would occur regardless of what moves collided.
"Dragapult, quickly dodge!"
"Air Slash! After hitting, use Boomburst!"
Dragapult dodged the Flamethrower but couldn't avoid the dense Air Slash. After being hit, it lost its balance and nearly fell.
Noivern seized the opportunity and used Boomburst to directly suppress Dragapult to the ground.
"Use Boomburst at maximum power, don't let the opponent get a chance to get up!"
Noivern continuously used Boomburst, furiously increasing the frequency and power of the Sound Wave.
Finally, Dragapult was directly pressed into the ground by Boomburst, unable to be dug out. The entire battle arena's ground was pulverized by the Boomburst, with no intact pieces of land remaining.
"That's truly astonishing, Gui Ling. You said you weren't a great Trainer, but in my eyes, you already are!"
"Forget it, I'm not worthy yet. It's all thanks to everyone's efforts. Without everyone, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"Next, I won't make it so easy for you! Rillaboom!"
"Rillaboom?"
Gui Ling looked at Rillaboom. He remembered that this Rillaboom had previously defeated all of Kalunai's Pokémon except Gardevoir in a one-on-five battle, and it was also her strongest Pokémon besides Charizard.
"I thought you'd use Mr. Rime. Noivern, come back, you've worked hard. Go, Garchomp!"
Garchomp flew out of its Poké Ball and let out a roar.
Although Gui Ling's Garchomp hadn't defeated countless strong opponents like Zhu Lan's Garchomp, with the companionship of Gardevoir and Diancie, Garchomp, despite not having fought many battles, lived a very happy life every day.
According to the strategy, if he lost, Gardevoir would be next, so this time...
"Garchomp!!!" (I must win!!!)
"Rillaboom, use Heavy Slam!" Dande shouted. Rillaboom charged towards Garchomp like a heavy tank.
"Garchomp, meet it with Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp's front claws glowed with a sharp light as it charged towards Rillaboom. The two collided violently, shaking the ground.
"Garchomp, use Earthquake!"
The ground began to shake violently, and Rillaboom struggled to stand firm.
"Use Drum Beating!"
Rillaboom furiously beat its drum, and two massive vines lashed out towards Garchomp.
"Dragon Tail!"
Garchomp seized the opportunity to leap up and fiercely strike Rillaboom with its Dragon Tail. Rillaboom cried out in pain but did not fall.
"Body Slam!"
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
Garchomp's speed increased to its maximum, like a black lightning bolt, passing through Rillaboom's side and leaving several scratches on it.
"Continue attacking, use Draco Meteor!"
Garchomp gathered energy in its mouth, and a series of meteor-like energy blasts shot towards Rillaboom. Rillaboom once again used Drum Beating, attempting to block, but several blasts still hit it, causing it to stagger.
"It's time to decide the winner, Dande! Garchomp, Mega Evolve! May the Earth Dragon protect its body, and grant it the 'Strength' to brave all!"
"If that's the case..."
Dande recalled Rillaboom. As Dynamax energy gathered in the Poké Ball, Dande threw the enlarged Poké Ball into the air.
"Rillaboom Gigantamax!"
"Max Airstream!"
"Hyper Beam!"
The Gigantamax Rillaboom charged forward with an overwhelming force, the air around it exploding from the compression. The Mega Evolved Garchomp showed no fear, a thick Hyper Beam erupting from its mouth, colliding head-on with Max Airstream.
Hyper Beam and Max Airstream were locked in a stalemate, both sides' energy constantly depleting.
Suddenly, Garchomp, using the power of Mega Evolution, forcibly increased the output of its Hyper Beam, and Rillaboom's Max Airstream began to show signs of weakening.
Rillaboom let out a roar, its muscles bulging as it desperately tried to maintain the momentum of its Max Airstream.
In the end, Max Airstream still overpowered Hyper Beam. Although Garchomp's Hyper Beam reduced some of Max Airstream's attack power, it was still knocked back.
"G-Max Drum Solo!"
"Draco Meteor!"
The two moves struck each other, and both sides took the opponent's finishing move head-on.
When the smoke cleared, Garchomp hung its head, its two scythe-like arms drooping weakly. Rillaboom, due to its Gigantamax form, had significantly increased health. Although it appeared heavily scarred, it had not fallen.
"Garchomp!"
At this moment, a Poké Ball on Gui Ling's belt twitched, and Gardevoir jumped out, looking at Garchomp on the field with great concern.
"Gardevoir!"
Just then, Garchomp suddenly lifted its head, its eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. The wounds on its body began to heal, and the power of Mega Evolution surged again.
Before the battle...
"I still remember Rillaboom. I have to say it's very good. You, you might not be able to beat it."
"Garchomp?" (Then... what should I do?)
Ceruledge crossed its arms, deep in thought.
"According to the original plan, if you lose, Gardevoir will be next. Master intends for the two of you to take down the opponent's Rillaboom. After that, only Charizard will be a threat. Then, it will be Teacher's turn to act."
"Garchomp!?" (Mom's going to fight?! No! You said it's very strong, and besides, Fairy-type doesn't counter its Grass-type...)
Garchomp shook its head frantically. At this moment, Ceruledge extinguished the spectral flames on its twin blades and solemnly patted Garchomp's shoulder.
"Then you will defeat it yourself! Can you do it?"
... ... ... ... Time returned to the present.
"Garchomp..." (That guy, Ceruledge... looked at me with murderous eyes before the battle, making me a little nervous even now...)
"Garchomp..." (Can I still do it? Of course...)
"Garchomp!!!" (I... I will win!!!)
Garchomp roared skyward, its power continuously condensing. Its Mega Evolved form became even more radiant, and its original wounds healed at a visible rate.
"Good boy... impressive!"
Although Gui Ling didn't know what Ceruledge had said to Garchomp, seeing Garchomp's rekindled fighting spirit, Gui Ling immediately issued the final decisive blow.
"Dragon Rush!"
"Rillaboom! Max Airstream!"
Garchomp, like a black meteor, charged towards the Gigantamax Rillaboom with a do-or-die attitude.
Rillaboom showed no weakness, enveloping itself in powerful Gigantamax energy, and met the charge with overwhelming force.
The two collided fiercely in mid-air, erupting in a dazzling light, and a powerful shockwave swept across the entire arena.
As the light gradually dissipated, Garchomp was seen biting firmly onto Rillaboom's shoulder. Although its body was heavily scarred from the impact of the Gigantamax energy, its eyes remained resolute.
Rillaboom struggled to shake its body, trying to break free from Garchomp. However, Garchomp, using its last ounce of strength, unleashed Bite, delivering the final blow to Rillaboom.
Finally, Rillaboom could no longer sustain itself and crashed to the ground.
"Rillaboom is unable to battle, Garchomp wins!"
The audience below erupted in fierce cheers. For some reason, they saw the shadow of Zhu Lan's Garchomp in this Garchomp.
Gardevoir happily ran towards Garchomp. Garchomp slowly walked to Gardevoir's side, its eyes filled with exhaustion but also pride.
"Garchomp..." (I won...)
As its Mega Evolved form dissipated, Garchomp collapsed into Gardevoir's arms. In this battle, both Pokémon lost their ability to fight. Now Dande only had two Pokémon left, while Gui Ling had a heavily injured Darkrai, a slightly tired Ceruledge, an injured Noivern, and two Pokémon that had not yet appeared.