Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
On Thundurus's side, the battle was just as intense.
If one were to judge purely by offensive power, Thundurus, who commanded the power of electricity, should have been the strongest among the three Forces of Nature.
Yet now, under the coordinated efforts of three Pokémon, Thundurus's attacks were failing to produce any tangible results at all. They simply could not pose a real threat to the trio.
"Lass~"
Froslass's figure floated beside Thundurus, gray mist surging continuously from her body.
That mist kept spreading toward Thundurus, the curse power contained within it constantly merging with the curse energy already lingering on Thundurus's body.
Almost every moment, the gray mist and the curse power were eroding Thundurus's stamina, causing its attack power to weaken steadily as it lost more and more strength.
"THUUUN! DUUU! RUUUS!"
Thundurus roared furiously, bolts of lightning blasting toward Froslass.
But just as the lightning was about to strike her, her body suddenly vanished from where she stood.
In the next instant, Froslass appeared beside Gardevoir. Then, both Pokémon vanished again at the same time, causing the lightning that fell from the sky to strike nothing but empty air.
When they reappeared, the two Pokémon were already right beside Thundurus. The attacks they had prepared in advance struck without hesitation, making Thundurus roar in pain again and again.
At this moment, Gardevoir had pushed her spatial abilities to the absolute limit. Teleport was being cast continuously without interruption, allowing her figure to appear anywhere on the battlefield at will.
Even if Thundurus managed to seize an opportunity and blast lightning at the spot where Gardevoir had teleported, she could immediately create a black hole, swallowing the lightning whole and neutralizing the incoming attack!
And when absolutely necessary, Gardevoir could even swap positions with Garchomp, allowing the Ground-type Garchomp to effortlessly withstand the electric currents!
This was the move Ally Switch, another application of spatial power. By alternating between Teleport and Ally Switch, she effectively granted her companions mobility comparable to instant teleportation.
As the battle dragged on, Thundurus's stamina was clearly being drained at an alarming rate. The power of its lightning steadily weakened, and after being struck time and time again, its entire body was now covered in wounds.
"Lass!"
Seeing this, Froslass's gaze sharpened, and the gray mist surged forward at high speed.
Just as Thundurus attempted to move and evade, Gardevoir activated her spatial power, directly locking Thundurus in place and preventing it from moving at all.
The gray mist coiled upward, rapidly invading Thundurus's body. Without the slightest hesitation, Froslass unleashed the move Curse, detonating all the accumulated ghost energy inside Thundurus's body at once!
After using Curse, an overwhelming sense of weakness swept over Froslass. Her figure plummeted rapidly from the sky—but even so, she still used her final strength to follow up with Destiny Bond!
"THUN! DU! RUS!"
Accompanied by earth-shaking roars, Thundurus was completely shrouded in gray mist. The gray coloration quickly crept across its skin, rapidly draining away the little life energy it had left!
Listening to the constant thunder and roars echoing in their ears, the trainers on the battlefield all showed expressions of hope.
After witnessing Lilligant and Naganadel defeat Landorus and Tornadus, they now held the same expectations for Froslass and Gardevoir. Defeating guardian deities as ordinary Pokémon no longer felt so unattainable!
Now, seeing Thundurus's miserable state, they clenched their fists tightly, praying for Thundurus to fall as soon as possible so that everything could finally come to an end!
"THUUUN! DUUU! RUUUS!"
But a guardian deity was still a guardian deity.
Thunder suddenly surged around Thundurus, and in the end, it forcibly dispersed the gray mist clinging to its body.
However, its skin had already turned dull and gray, even wrinkled in places, as though it had suddenly aged from its prime into old age. Its aura had weakened to the extreme.
"Thundurus has been heavily wounded! Well done, Froslass!"
Seeing this, all the trainers on the field clenched their fists in excitement, commanding the Pokémon that still retained fighting strength to continue launching their attacks.
In an instant, countless attacks engulfed Thundurus. Terrifying power roared through the sky, bombarding its shattered body again and again.
But just when everyone thought the battle was about to end, thunder suddenly thundered and lightning erupted—instantly tearing apart all the incoming energy!
Thundurus's figure gradually emerged. At this moment, it had drawn upon its final reserves of power, wrapping its entire body in lightning and faintly beginning to merge with it, transforming itself into lightning itself!
It could already feel its life force rapidly slipping away. Using its last strength, it unleashed its strongest attack, hoping to end the battle before it was too late.
Turning its body into lightning—at this moment, it was lightning!
"ROOAAAR!"
On the ground, Garchomp had already completed its final charge.
Positioning itself in front of Gardevoir, it stomped hard on the ground and shot straight into the sky. Dragon-type energy formed a massive draconic phantom around its body as it charged forward head-on—this was its strongest move, Dragon Rush!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In midair, Thundurus, now transformed into lightning, collided directly with Garchomp's Dragon Rush.
After a brief stalemate, the lightning shattered the Dragon Rush completely and slammed Garchomp's body straight down from the sky!
BOOM!
Lightning struck the ground, making the entire earth tremble violently!
Then, the lightning surged back into the sky, leaving behind a scorched crater. Garchomp lay within the crater, its body charred black all over. Even with its Ground typing, it ultimately could not withstand the damage from the lightning and collapsed, losing its ability to fight.
"Even when gravely wounded… it's still this strong?" The trainers clenched their fists unwillingly. The power of a guardian deity was still terrifying.
Seeing this, both Lilligant and Naganadel rose into the air once more. Although their previous attacks had already exhausted them to their limits, they still forced themselves to try and join this final battle.
"Leave it to Gardevoir. I believe she can complete the final breakthrough."
At that moment, Aven stepped in front of the two Pokémon and turned his gaze toward Gardevoir floating in the sky.
"Garde… Voir…"
Gardevoir's expression was solemn, rainbow-colored energy surging continuously around her body.
She knew as well that the battle had reached its final stage, and she was sparing nothing, pushing every ounce of her power to its limits.
Azelf's power was fully activated. With her eyes closed, she carefully sensed it, continuously merging her psychic power with Azelf's power of will.
"Gardevoir, believe in yourself. Release all of your power."
At that moment, Aven's voice suddenly echoed within Gardevoir's mind. He and Gardevoir both possessed Azelf's power, tightly linking the two of them together.
"Garde… VOIR!"
Gardevoir turned back to look at Aven, nodded firmly, and allowed the rainbow energy around her to continuously fuse into her body!
In the next instant, dazzling white light suddenly erupted from Gardevoir's body. Life energy surged forth, circulating according to a specific pattern of power.
This was the power of Mega Evolution.
After exchanging experiences with Lilligant, Gardevoir had long understood how to condense Mega Evolution energy. However, condensing that energy and successfully completing Mega Evolution were two entirely different matters.
Yet now, faced with a guardian deity, she did not hesitate at all. She fully activated the life energy within her body, transforming it into special Mega Evolution energy and continuously awakening the deepest power hidden within herself, allowing her life level to leap toward a higher tier!
"It's coming… Mega Evolution!"
Aven raised his head, his expression solemn as he watched Gardevoir in the sky.
Then he frowned slightly—he could faintly sense that for Gardevoir, completing Mega Evolution was still somewhat forced.
But at that moment, Lilligant suddenly came to his side, reached out, and held his hand. Streams of life energy flowed continuously through his palm and into his body.
"Lilligant…" Aven glanced at his companion, then took a deep breath and murmured, "That's right. Mega Evolution isn't just about using life energy—the bond between trainer and Pokémon is just as important!"
At the same time, Gardevoir in midair seemed to sense something and turned her head to look down at Aven. The heart-shaped mark on her chest suddenly began to glow.
This heart-shaped mark had replaced the horn that once sat on Ralts's head and possessed the ability to sense emotional energy.
Through this mark, she clearly felt the deep bond between herself and Aven—and she could also feel Aven's power continuously flowing into her body through that bond!
"Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"
In an instant, the minds of trainer and Pokémon synchronized. Their spirits resonated, as if their souls had partially overlapped. A power that surpassed all limits surged forth, driving Gardevoir's life toward an even higher realm!
BOOM!
Terrifying energy erupted from Gardevoir's body. Countless red psychic waves appeared between Gardevoir and Aven, drawing in all of Aven's psychic power and the life energy Lilligant had gathered, condensing it all into Gardevoir!
In the next moment, brilliant white light enveloped Gardevoir as her figure began to transform within the glow.
When the light of evolution finally faded, Mega Gardevoir appeared.
Compared to before, the horn on her head had grown larger. What once looked like a simple dress had elongated into an elegant evening gown, and the horn on her chest had split into two!
For an ordinary Mega Gardevoir, the hair would be green, and the gloves and gown would be white. But Aven's shiny Gardevoir was different—her hair was blue, and her gown was a far more dazzling black, making her look like a proud black swan!
(End of Chapter)