The announcer's voice echoed across the battlefield, amplified and ceremonial.
"The first game of the final is about to be held. Both players have fought fiercely and battled all the way here. Let's leave it to our referee."
As the words ended, the referee stepped forward, raising the red and blue flags in each hand. His expression was serious, formal, as if even he understood the weight of what was about to unfold.
"There will be a full-scale match between Gary and Zoe."
A pause.
"There will be no rest time in this battle until all Pokémon on one side are defeated. Now, please send out your Pokémon."
The rule landed heavily.
No switching break. No reset.
Just pure continuation until collapse.
The Lily of the Valley Conference final had canceled the halftime entirely. Even the venue was ordinary flat ground—no elevation, no environmental gimmicks. It was designed to strip away advantages and return the battle to fundamentals, restoring the normal combat environment between Trainers.
Gary stood on one side.
Zoe stood on the other.
The distance between them felt smaller than it should have.
Zoe exhaled slowly.
So this is it…
Her fingers tightened around her Poké Ball.
Gary's expression remained unchanged. He simply waited.
Then—
Both moved.
"Go on, Vileplume!"
"Magnezone—decide, it's you."
Two Poké Balls flew. Light erupted.
A massive flower Pokémon landed heavily on the battlefield, its petals releasing a faint, sweet scent that immediately mixed with the air.
"Vile—PLUME!"
[Vileplume ♀]
[Level: 47]
[Potential: Gym-tier]
At the same moment, a metallic hum filled the air.
Magnezone floated forward, its three magnetized bodies rotating slightly as electromagnetic energy pulsed through the field.
[Magnezone]
[Level: 60]
[Potential: Champion-tier]
Gary's eyes narrowed slightly.
Grass/Poison versus Electric/Steel… a bad opening for her. My luck today really is terrible.
He hadn't expected his lead Pokémon to be type-disadvantaged from the start. But it didn't change anything. The match was already tilted in his favor.
Zoe's gaze sharpened. She didn't hesitate.
"Vileplume, use Sleep Powder!"
Zoe knew exactly how strong Gary was. Even though Magnezone hadn't appeared earlier in the Conference, she didn't dare slack off for even a second. From the very first move, she was committing to control tactics—lock him down before his power could matter.
Vileplume's petals trembled.
Then—
A thick cloud of fine, glowing powder erupted outward, drifting across the field like mist. It spread wide and slow, attempting to engulf Magnezone's position completely.
The crowd reacted instantly.
"Sleep Powder!"
"She's going for control!"
"If that hits, Magnezone is done!"
But Gary didn't move.
He simply gave a command.
"Gravity."
Magnezone responded instantly.
Its core flared. A deep pulse of electromagnetic force expanded outward, warping the magnetic field across the entire battlefield.
The air itself changed.
The drifting Sleep Powder suddenly lost its buoyancy. Instead of floating toward Magnezone, it collapsed downward as if the world had gained weight. The particles dropped harmlessly to the ground, unable to reach their target.
Zoe's eyes widened.
"What…?"
She had never seen Sleep Powder neutralized like that.
Not by wind. Not by barrier.
But by gravity itself being rewritten.
Gary's voice followed immediately.
"Flash Cannon."
No emotion. No hesitation. Just execution.
Magnezone's body glowed white-hot.
Then—
A compressed beam of metallic light fired instantly.
BIIIUUU—!
The attack crossed the battlefield in a straight line, tearing through the air with a high-pitched metallic scream.
Vileplume barely had time to react.
BOOM!!
The impact detonated on contact. Dust and debris exploded outward as Vileplume's body was thrown backward, petals scattering as it crashed into the ground.
Silence followed for half a second.
Then—
The referee raised the flag.
"Vileplume is unable to battle. Magnezone wins!"
One hit. Just one.
Zoe's breath caught slightly.
So fast…
She recalled Vileplume immediately, her fingers tightening around the Poké Ball. There was no time to hesitate. No room for panic.
"Quagsire, you come on stage!"
A second Poké Ball flew.
"Quag—!"
A blue, relaxed-looking Pokémon landed, its body slightly bouncing as it hit the ground.
[Quagsire]
[Level: 47]
[Potential: Gym-tier]
Zoe had chosen Quagsire for its typing—Water/Ground gave it solid resistance against Magnezone's attacks. But its level was simply too low. Even with the type advantage, it wasn't a real match for a Champion-tier Magnezone.
Gary's gaze remained unchanged.
Zoe's voice sharpened.
"Quagsire, use Mud Bomb!"
Quagsire opened its mouth. Compressed mud bullets shot forward rapidly, spinning as they crossed the field. Each one carried weight and pressure, designed to chip and disrupt.
Gary didn't even raise his tone.
"Lock On. Then Hyper Beam."
Magnezone's sensors activated instantly. Its central eye locked onto Quagsire with absolute precision.
Then—
Energy condensed. A massive orange beam erupted forward.
BIUUU—!
The attack tore through the Mud Bombs like they didn't exist. The mud dissolved on contact, completely overwhelmed.
Zoe's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! How is it so strong—!"
The Pokémon she had carefully raised as a Breeder was being treated like a toddler in front of Gary's monster. There was no resistance at all.
Before she could finish—
BOOM!!
The beam hit Quagsire directly. A violent explosion followed. A cloud of smoke rose upward.
When it cleared—
Quagsire was gone.
The referee's voice came again, quieter this time.
"Quagsire is unable to battle. Magnezone wins…"
Zoe recalled it immediately, her jaw tightening.
Two down already…
She didn't hesitate.
"Magmortar, you're up!"
The final Pokémon appeared.
A humanoid fire Pokémon with cannon-like arms, flames flickering violently inside its body structure.
[Magmortar]
[Level: 52]
[Potential: Elite-tier]
Zoe's strongest Pokémon. Her ace. Her last hope.
She had clearly been waiting for this moment—saving her best Pokémon to capitalize on Magnezone's worn condition.
"Magmortar, use Will-O-Wisp!"
The cannon arm flared.
Then—
Multiple purple fireballs launched into the air, curving unpredictably before converging on Magnezone. The flames struck directly, wrapping around its metallic body and sinking in.
Burn status.
The audience reacted immediately.
"She landed it!"
"Burn will weaken Magnezone!"
"Now it's not over yet!"
Gary watched quietly.
Then—
He lifted a Poké Ball.
"Thank you for your hard work. Return."
A red beam shot out. Magnezone was recalled instantly.
The battlefield froze for a moment. Even the crowd went quiet.
"…He withdrew it?"
"He actually switched?"
"Why would he—he was winning!"
The host blinked, clearly surprised.
"Oh! Gary has recalled Magnezone. It seems he judged that the burn condition would have a significant impact on it!"
A wave of confusion passed through the stadium.
Some shouted in frustration.
"What happened to the one-Pokémon sweep?!"
"Yeah! What about the promised one-for-six?!"
But others argued back immediately.
"It's fine to chase a perfect victory, but you're demanding a six-for-one sweep too? Are you delusional, or do you just think Gary isn't allowed to recall a Pokémon? This is a real battle between top Trainers—there are countless variables!"
"Master Gary still isn't good enough. Look at Tobias. He used a single Darkrai the entire time."
"Just because it's Darkrai? You think Master Gary doesn't have Legendary Pokémon of his own?"
"So what if he does? Master Gary probably wouldn't even know how to use one."
"…!"
The argument simmered through the stands.
The truth was, even Gary's own fans found him frustrating to follow. He was strong—undeniably so—but wildly unpredictable. Looking back at the three League Conferences he had entered, his Pokémon lineups were almost never the same.
In this Lily of the Valley Conference, aside from Rhyperior, every Pokémon Gary had used was completely new. None of them had appeared in his previous League runs. People who didn't know better assumed these were all freshly raised Pokémon from some new batch of breeding.
That instability was exactly what made the betting odds so volatile.
Zoe, meanwhile, exhaled slowly.
He switched… So even he acknowledges status pressure.
That gave her a small sliver of confidence.
But it didn't last long.
Gary's next Poké Ball was already in his hand.
"Garchomp."
He threw it.
The ground trembled slightly as a massive dragon-like Pokémon landed. Its presence alone changed the atmosphere.
[Garchomp]
[Level: 60]
[Potential: Champion-tier]
The audience erupted instantly.
"That's Garchomp!"
"He finally used it!"
"Wait, this is his Sinnoh ace, right?!"
In the spectator section, Barry shot to his feet in shock.
"Hey! Gary actually has a Garchomp?!"
"What? You didn't know?" Dawn said, surprised.
Barry scratched his head. "No idea! This is the first time I've seen it. Is this Garchomp any good?"
"This…" Dawn hesitated. "I'm not totally sure, but it's definitely not weak. When Gary was dealing with Team Galactic, this Garchomp performed incredibly. Honestly, only a little weaker than Cynthia's Garchomp."
"That's so unfair!" Barry complained bitterly. "A Trainer like Gary entering a League Conference should be fined!"
"You actually have a point," Brock said with a wry smile. "Gary's level completely exceeds the standard of the Trainers here. But his age meets the requirements, so technically he's allowed to compete."
"What a headache…"
Barry grumbled, but quickly fell silent again—because Magmortar had already begun to move.
Zoe's expression tightened as she stared at the dragon across the field.
So this is his real power…
Gary's voice came calmly.
"Garchomp, use Stone Edge."
Garchomp moved instantly.
Rock energy surged around it.
Sharp stone blades erupted from the ground and suspended in the air for a split second before being launched forward like a storm of jagged projectiles.
Zoe reacted immediately.
"Fire Blast!"
Magmortar raised its arm cannon. Flames roared within the barrel, and with a thunderous burst, a massive wave of fire spread outward in the shape of a five-pointed character, forming a wide fiery wall designed to intercept every incoming stone.
For a moment—
It looked like it might hold.
Fire met stone. Flame surged against rock shards.
But then—
The Stone Edge broke through.
Most of the rock blades pierced straight through the Fire Blast. Though small, each shard carried tremendous force. They slammed into Magmortar's body one after another, driving it backward as it grimaced in pain.
Cracks formed in the Fire Blast.
Then—
It shattered completely.
BOOM!!
Unable to withstand the impact, the Fire Blast detonated. The explosion rippled outward, and the rock blades drove through it all, slamming into Magmortar's body directly.
The Magmortar was thrown violently backward, its feet dragging deep furrows into the ground before it finally collapsed.