The translucent barrier rippled with emerald light, yet not a single crack appeared. Behind it, Garchomp had already completed one round of Swords Dance.
"Dragon Rush!" Alfred immediately ordered.
"Gaaaaar!"
Garchomp let out a low growl and shot past Weezing, charging straight toward Dragonite.
Lance's expression changed. He had never expected this situation.
A second Champion-level Pokémon, and it was a land shark, Garchomp.
This kind of aerial battle was extremely dangerous. His original plan had been to slowly wear down the opponent's Pokémon through Dragonite's superior endurance, but now a chill ran down his scalp.
He hurriedly ordered Dragonite to turn and evade.
Garchomp's Dragon Rush was already upon them. The speed was simply too great. Dragonite could avoid it by using a move, but that would create a huge gap and allow Hunter A to escape. Letting the target slip away right in front of him would be a disgrace to the title of Dragon Master.
Clenching his hand, Lance shouted, "Dragonite, Protect!"
It had to hold. Even if he could not capture the opponent alone, he only needed to survive until reinforcements arrived.
Hunter A was one of the League's most wanted criminals. He had remained near the top of the wanted list for years, was hated by countless people, and carried one of the highest bounties.
The complete opposite was the leader of Team Rocket. Although that person permanently occupied the number one spot on the wanted list, the bounty was surprisingly low and their identity remained shrouded in mystery.
At that moment, Garchomp arrived.
The powerful blue-green energy surrounding Dragon Rush shattered against the surface of the Protect barrier. Even so, the tremendous force launched Dragonite more than a hundred meters through the night sky, and the collision lit up the darkness.
To protect Lance on its back, Dragonite did not dare make any large movements to reduce the impact.
Lance gritted his teeth, wrapped his arms around Dragonite's neck, and threw another Poké Ball.
"Go, Gyarados!"
The Water-type Gyarados had an advantage against Ground-types. Its Flying-type attribute also granted immunity to Ground-type attacks. Unfortunately, it was only Gym-level. Against Garchomp, it was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Its only role was to delay Weezing.
"Hydro Pump!"
Hovering in the air, Gyarados opened its ferocious jaws as torrents of water gathered within.
Meanwhile, Alfred held the yellow crystal in one hand and frowned deeply. Through his psychic senses, he could already see Shiro and Jan approaching rapidly alongside two Psychic-type Pokémon.
'I need to finish this quickly...'
Suddenly, Alfred shouted, "Garchomp, Stone Edge with Power Gem!"
Garchomp halted in midair. Its clawed fins briefly came together before its chest as fragments of stone merged into a brilliant deep-yellow glow.
The fused attack resembled a meteor piercing through the heavens. It effortlessly shattered Gyarados's Hydro Pump and continued forward with unstoppable force toward Dragonite and Gyarados.
Lance's eyelids twitched.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Dragonite unleashed a stream of blue energy as quickly as possible, but it only managed to delay the attack for a brief instant before the yellow beam crushed through it.
Seeing this, Dragonite immediately flapped its wings and fled to the side. It had already used Protect recently. With no defensive move available, its priority was protecting Lance.
Dragonite possessed the speed advantage and could dodge attacks with agility, but the slower Gyarados was not so fortunate.
Just as it attempted to escape, the fused attack shifted toward it. Even though Gyarados activated Protect, the normally impregnable barrier trembled violently. Then, right before Gyarados's widened eyes, it shattered.
A miserable cry echoed through the sky as a massive bloody hole appeared in Gyarados's thick body. Fortunately, Lance reacted quickly enough to recall it before it lost its life.
So strong!
Lance clenched his teeth as cold sweat soaked his temples.
Hunter A truly deserved his reputation as one of the League's most dangerous criminals. Even as a member of the main League's Elite Four, albeit a newly appointed one, he was completely outmatched.
Thankfully, he no longer had to hold the line alone. With multiple trainers joining forces, they should be able to stop him.
"Mega Evolve!"
Just then, a roar rang across the sky. A dazzling white evolutionary light instantly drew everyone's attention as Shiro held a rainbow-colored Keystone high above his head.
Nearby, Jan froze in shock. He had never imagined Shiro would choose to evolve his Pokémon at a moment like this. Wasn't that simply turning it into a target?
Alarmed, he quickly shouted, "Solrock! Forget the black sludge for now. Go protect Shiro's Pokémon!"
The moment he finished speaking, the white light vanished.
Mega Gengar opened its crimson eyes. Its enlarged body appeared wrapped in a suit of spiked armor, while scarlet mist from another dimension surrounded it and obscured the lower half of its body.
Looking at the Champion-level Mega Gengar, Solrock slowly turned its head in confusion.
"Solrock?" (Protect it? I'm only Elite-level!)
Jan failed to notice Solrock's emotions. His attention had already been completely captured by Mega Gengar, and even his words came out awkwardly.
"Pokémon... Gengar... evolved again?"
Suddenly, a rumor from his youth resurfaced in his memory, a rumor spoken of only in hushed tones.
It was said that certain Pokémon could evolve once more even after reaching their final forms, becoming even stronger. The transformation was temporary, a mechanism designed for battle and also a symbol of status.
According to ancient traditions, only those acknowledged by the gods could obtain the stones required to trigger Mega Evolution. Of course, nobody could verify where that tradition had originated.
Back when Jan was young, he had never gotten along with many of Sinnoh's upper officials. They barely spoke to each other, and as a result, he had only heard fragments of the stories.
"Take him down!"
Shiro did not attempt to micromanage Mega Gengar. He simply pointed out the target.
Gengar had only completed Mega Evolution for the first time today and was still adapting to its new body. As for Shiro, he knew virtually nothing about how Mega Gengar fought in real-world combat.
Nothing was worse than an amateur trying to direct an expert during battle. The best choice was to let Mega Gengar take control.
After three Mega Evolutions in a single day, Gengar was already becoming extremely familiar with the process. The intense battles had forced it to adapt rapidly to both its new body and Mega Evolution itself.
After Mega Evolving, the sensation of freely darting through space was indescribably wonderful.
"Gengengengen!"
Gengar laughed excitedly as it disappeared into the crimson mist.
Across from it, Alfred instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
Mega Evolution again!
Mega Evolution consumed both the Pokémon's stamina and the trainer's strength. That Galar Champion had taken a direct hit from Weezing earlier. He should have been seriously injured.
Yet not only had he rushed here so quickly, he could still perform Mega Evolution.
Alfred had never expected to fight Mega Gengar again. And this time, Mega Gengar was not the only threat.
There were three top-tier League trainers here.
"Garchomp!"
Alfred urgently called out.
Garchomp sensed the danger as well and immediately rushed back toward him.
At that very moment, a black fist suddenly emerged from behind Garchomp, dark ghostly energy coiled around it.
Bang!
"Gaaar..."
It felt as though a Bronzong had slammed directly into its forehead. Its vision exploded into countless overlapping images of Weezing.
Acting on instinct, its tail whipped backward in an attempt to strike the enemy behind it, but it hit nothing.
Still shaking its head to clear the dizziness, Garchomp suddenly saw another Shadow Punch hurtling directly toward its face.
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