The next day.
“Have you heard? The Champion of the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference and the Champion of the Kalos League Conference are supposedly battling here at the arena today.”
“Really? Is that true?”
“I don’t know, I only heard it through the grapevine, but seeing so many people gathered here, it might be true!”
“That Champion of the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference, I remember he had a mythical Pokémon, Darkrai.”
“And a Latios! These two Champions are more eccentric than the last, all with legendary Pokémon.”
The time Tobias and Gui Ling agreed upon was 12 PM, but by early morning, the entire stadium was packed with people, and even a few familiar faces could be seen in the crowd…
“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to be here too.”
“I thought you were still filming. Did you put your work aside?”
“Of course. It’s been so long, and I still want to witness the Trainer of Yveltal with my own eyes. Oh, right, you must have battled the Champion of the Lily of the Valley Conference before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, his Pokémon are very strong, but their actual combat experience is insufficient. He’s completely relied on his Pokémon’s inherent strength to get this far. What about Gui Ling? I’ve heard rumors about him, but I haven’t met him.”
“That guy… I remember he once fought over a giant stone with Steven, and Steven even fainted at the time.”
“Hmm, it seems his strength is good. Then this match today is undoubtedly going to be something, right?”
Zhu Lan and Kalos sat in the VIP stands and began chatting, while at this moment, a figure slowly walked over at the entrance.
“Hey, are you two here to watch the battle too?”
“Diancie?”
“Yes, I heard there’s a big event here today, so I specifically wanted to come and see.”
…………
“Where is that guy? It’s been 10 minutes already.”
Tobias had arrived at the battleground early, but seeing that 10 minutes had passed and Gui Ling still hadn’t arrived, he couldn’t help but grow increasingly anxious.
Just then, a huge dark shadow swooped down from the sky, accompanied by an intense sense of pressure, as a large red and black bird flew onto the battleground.
“It’s Yveltal! The Champion of the Kalos League is here!”
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Gui Ling still did not descend from Yveltal’s back.
“………… (I say, you can’t complete this match on my back, can you?)”
“Then what do you suggest? I don’t want people to know I sprained my leg when I rushed over…”
“………… (Your luck is terrible, you can trip on flat ground. Has that broken deer’s stone not healed you yet?)”
“It’ll take some time…”
Gui Ling moved his leg around, found it was mostly healed, and jumped down, but that jump almost caused him to injure his leg again.
“Oh my…!”
“………… (What’s wrong?)”
“It healed for nothing…”
“………… (A lot of people are watching you. I’ll block for you, you call someone else first.)”
…………
“Now that both contestants have arrived, the battle rules are 3v3. Both sides can freely switch Pokémon, and Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Terastallization can each be used once. The battle ends when any Pokémon loses its ability to battle!”
“Then, let the battle begin!”
As the referee exerted all his might and immediately left the field, everyone’s spirits seemed to tighten in an instant, their gazes firmly fixated on Tobias and Gui Ling.
“Go, Darkrai!”
“Marshadow, it’s your turn!”
“Oh! Is it a battle between mythical Pokémon?!”
The referee immediately jumped onto Aegislash and flew into the air, only then letting out a sigh of relief. He certainly didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire of these two powerful beings.
“Sucker Punch!”
“Dark Hole!”
As Darkrai began to condense Dark Hole, this battle officially began.
Marshadow initiated the attack first, but Sucker Punch failed. However, Darkrai’s Dark Hole also allowed Marshadow to accurately dodge it.
“Shadow Sneak!”
While Darkrai was waiting for Tobias’s instructions, Marshadow had already arrived behind Darkrai and landed a direct punch, gaining an early advantage.
Before Tobias could react, Marshadow’s next attack, Power-Up Punch, had already landed on Darkrai’s face.
Darkrai could no longer tolerate its Trainer’s daze and, on its own initiative, used Dark Pulse to attack Marshadow.
“Spectral Thief.”
Both sides hit each other, causing considerable damage, but Darkrai’s HP was already at rock bottom. As a Fighting-type, Marshadow still had some advantage.
“Now, Dark Hole!”
Gui Ling touched his already equipped Ghost-type Z-Crystal, and a surge of purple energy instantly flowed into Marshadow’s body.
“Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike!”
Watching the approaching Dark Hole, Marshadow’s body slowly glowed dark green. When Dark Hole struck, it shattered it with a punch. Immediately after, the remaining attacks struck Darkrai first, and then Marshadow leaped high, successfully finishing off Darkrai with a kick.
“Darkrai is unable to battle!”
“Return, Latios, go!”
“Return, Marshadow, you did well. Go, Zygarde!”
Accompanied by a dragon roar, 50% Forme Zygarde appeared on the battleground, which made Gui Ling feel a bit curious.
“Even though 50% Forme looks like a cobra, why does it roar like a dragon?”
“………… (It’s originally a Dragon-type.)”
“What about Alola’s Exeggutor?”
“………… (That’s an exception…)”
“Latios, Dragon Pulse!”
Latios used Dragon Pulse, hitting Zygarde head-on, but Zygarde merely shook its massive head, appearing completely unaffected.
“I’ll let you have three moves.”
“?! Too arrogant!!! Psychic!”
Zygarde felt pain and instinctively unleashed Core Enforcer, which just happened to hit the unprepared Latios.
Boom!!!
“Latios is unable to battle!”
“I… I didn’t mean to, do you believe me?”
“Hahahahaha!” × 999
The scene erupted in laughter. Even Zhu Lan and Kalos in the audience seats were laughing heartily, not to mention Diancie next to them, who was almost choking from laughter.
Only Tobias watched the unconscious Latios, stubbornly recalling it with reluctance.
“Heatran! Don’t disappoint me!”
Tobias pressed his hands on the last Poké Ball, then threw it forcefully, and a turtle-like Pokémon appeared on the battleground.
“A Heatran, a Legendary Pokémon? So that Heatran from the Lily of the Valley Conference registration was yours, huh~”
“You’ve been there?”
“No, but I know a little about you. Since it’s Fire and Steel… Groudon, go easy on it~”
As the ground trembled and the temperature rose, Primal Groudon stomped its foot on the ground, making the entire earth shake.
The Heatran in front of Primal Groudon looked like a tiny turtle, gazing up at the giant dragon before it.
Heatran: “How selfish are you?! Bah!”
“Heatran! Ancient Power!”
“Fire Blast!”
The two abilities began to clash. Ancient Power was instantly disintegrated upon contact with Fire Blast, and Heatran was almost knocked out by that attack.
“Don’t rush, dig a hole first!”
“Precipice Blades! Hit it out for me!”
Boom!!!
The next second, the entire battleground was covered in red jagged stones, and Heatran was directly sent flying into the sky by the inertia. When the timing was right, Groudon gently spun around, and its massive tail directly knocked Heatran flying.
“Heatran is unable to battle! Gui Ling wins the match with an overwhelming advantage!”
Although the referee felt heartbroken looking at the damaged battleground, the thought of the considerable income it brought him today made the pain seem less severe.
“My apologies, I will bear the cost of the damaged battleground.”
Gui Ling looked at the shattered battleground, walked over to the referee, patted his shoulder, and said.
“Good! Thank you! I’m truly grateful!”
Gui Ling nodded, tossed a diamond the size of a pigeon egg to the referee, and then walked up to the dazed Tobias.
“Go back and train more.”
“What do you have to be proud of? You still got here by relying on your Pokémon’s strength! You and I are the same kind of person! If I had your lineup, I wouldn’t have lost!”
Gui Ling turned back, smiled at Tobias, and slowly walked to Yveltal.
“That’s the difference between you and me. If you want to capture powerful Pokémon, you must have the determination to become partners who depend on each other. Otherwise… Trainers can choose Pokémon, but Pokémon can also choose Trainers.”
Tobias still didn’t understand after hearing this. Just as he was about to press Gui Ling for more, he and Yveltal had already flown away.
Unbeknownst to him, Darkrai in its Poké Ball felt a sudden jolt in its heart after hearing that sentence.