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"Golisopod is unable to battle! Venusaur wins!" the referee announced with authority.
Nessa had now lost two battles in a row, leaving her with only one Pokemon remaining. The match had reached its final, decisive stage.
"It's been quite a while since I've encountered such a formidable challenger..." Nessa could clearly sense the intense pressure radiating from Chris.
She was certain that Chris's abilities far exceeded her own, and the gap between their skills was substantial—not just a minor difference.
However, as a Galar Gym Leader renowned throughout the Pokemon world for her fierce competitive spirit, Nessa had only one response when facing powerful opponents.
The stronger the opposition, the more determined she became!
Chris's impressive strength ignited Nessa's warrior spirit and her burning desire for victory. She felt her competitive fire blazing within her chest.
Just as she was about to declare defiantly, "I won't be defeated so easily," she paused, thinking of the Pokemon she was about to send into battle. Nessa honestly reconsidered her words.
"Well then... I can only count on you, my trusted partner!" Nessa grasped the massive Dynamax Band on her left wrist with her right hand, and a Poke Ball suddenly began expanding in her grasp.
The Poke Ball continued to swell until it became difficult to hold with both hands. Only then did Nessa hurl it forward with all her might.
"Let's go!"
The oversized Poke Ball burst open, and a colossal turtle emerged from within.
The creature raised its two powerful front limbs while its hind legs, several times thicker than normal, planted firmly on the battlefield ground. Using its tail for additional support, it established its imposing stance on the arena.
The blade-like protrusion on top of its head had transformed into a cannon barrel, with three red energy orbs rotating ominously around its crown. The Pokemon resembled a living war fortress, radiating intimidating power.
The sky above began to darken, shrouded in a layer of crimson that turned the atmosphere blood-red and ominous due to the creature's overwhelming presence.
The Pokemon before them was known as Drednaw—or more precisely, this was Drednaw in its Gigantamax form, having grown to gigantic proportions.
Its typing was Water and Rock, which meant it actually took normal damage from Grass-type moves rather than being weak to them. This wasn't the overwhelming disadvantage Chris had initially anticipated.
In this final battle, Nessa was sending out a Pokemon that could stand against Chris's Grass-type ace. There were two possible explanations for this strategic choice.
Either this was her only remaining Pokemon, or this Gigantamax Drednaw was Nessa's trump card—her most trusted and powerful partner.
Only with a trump card Pokemon would a Trainer place such complete faith and trust in their companion.
"Gigantamax, is it? Then I should show you some respect in return." Chris revealed his Z-Power Ring, the crystalline structure gleaming on his wrist.
"Venusaur, Mega Evolution!"
"Saur!" With a deep, resonant cry, Venusaur became enveloped in brilliant, multicolored light.
After extensively researching Pokemon Mega Evolution techniques, Chris had carefully trained each of his Pokemon to maximize their bond and prepare them for Mega Evolution when possible.
Unless Mega Evolution was completely impossible for a particular species, Chris made sure to put in the dedicated effort required to enable his Pokemon partners to achieve this powerful transformation.
As the dazzling light faded and dispersed, Mega Venusaur stood revealed before the crowd.
The Pokemon's body had grown considerably larger, its coloration shifting from dark green to a lighter, more vibrant shade. A magnificent pink flower now bloomed atop its head, while the foliage on its back had become even more lush and abundant than before.
Both its combat capabilities and commanding presence had risen to an entirely new level.
"Solar Beam!" Chris raised his hand and snapped his fingers decisively, seizing the initiative.
The flower on Mega Venusaur's back began to glow brilliantly, and despite the red-tinted sky over the Water Gym's stadium, intense sunlight suddenly broke through. The heat could be felt even through the crimson atmosphere, and the energy condensation required minimal charging time thanks to the artificial sun.
Seeing that Chris had immediately opened with the devastating Solar Beam attack, Nessa, as a seasoned Gigantamax Trainer and Gym Leader, knew she had no choice but to meet this challenge head-on with equal force.
She raised her hand commandingly and called out her strategy.
"Drednaw! G-Max Stonesurge!"
Red energy pulsed ominously atop the living war fortress.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The cannon barrels on Gigantamax Drednaw's shell erupted with tremendous force, launching torrents of blue-white energy straight toward the sky.
The entire sky darkened further as a dimensional portal tore open in the crimson atmosphere.
In mere moments, countless massive boulders began raining down from the otherworldly gateway, accompanied by a torrential downpour. Water and stone crashed down together in perfect unison, covering the entire battlefield in chaos.
Strangely, the rocks seemed to shimmer and fade as they fell through the air, many of them becoming translucent before disappearing entirely.
Chris observed the gradually vanishing giant rock shower filling the sky above.
G-Max Stonesurge—this was Gigantamax Drednaw's exclusive G-Max move. After use, it would create the additional field effect of Stealth Rock, which would damage any Pokemon that switched into battle later.
However, despite its appearance, this wasn't actually a Rock-type move but rather a Water-type attack.
"Fire!" Chris commanded without hesitation, raising his hand.
The Solar Beam charged on Mega Venusaur's back erupted instantly!
The surging, brilliant white light immediately illuminated the entire Water Gym stadium, its radiance cutting through the darkness.
The cylindrical beam of pure energy tore straight through the falling rock shower. The transparent stones were illuminated, revealing their true colors before being completely shattered by the overwhelming force. Finally, the blazing white light struck Gigantamax Drednaw without any obstruction.
The war fortress-like body was immediately pierced through by the Solar Beam's devastating power.
The Dynamax energy dispersed, and Drednaw returned to its normal size as it collapsed, unable to continue battling.
Chris had returned to his room in the Pokemon Center, holding his Rotom Phone and examining it carefully. He wanted to see if Nessa had mentioned anything about the Isle of Armor after their battle concluded. Otherwise, he would need to find another gym to challenge in order to gather more information.
The battle results screen was currently displayed on his device.
[Defeated LV 52 Gigantamax Drednaw. Venusaur gained 8,922 experience points.]
[Defeated Nessa, Leader of Hulbury Gym. Received prize money: 5,000 Poke Dollars.]
[Nessa: "Your strength has conquered my raging seas!"]
[Nessa: "This is proof of your victory over Hulbury Gym—the Water Badge."]
[Nessa: "I'm giving you the Technical Machine for Surf, along with some valuable training experience for Water-type Pokemon. I hope this knowledge proves helpful to you."]
[Nessa: "By the way, you asked me about traveling to the Isle of Armor before our battle. I happen to have an extra ticket to the Isle of Armor. You can take this to the station and board the train that will transport you there."]
Chris reviewed all the rewards from beginning to end.
Seeing that he had finally been given the ticket to the Isle of Armor, Chris breathed a sigh of relief.
This battle had not been fought in vain after all.
It didn't matter that some of his other Pokemon were at lower levels—this victory had served its purpose.
Since the seventh generation of Pokemon games, Gym Badges no longer provided access to hidden moves or special techniques. Neither the Alola Region nor the Galar Region used the traditional HM system, so even obtaining Badges didn't unlock any secret abilities.
However, Badges still provided a 10% boost to move power, which remained a valuable benefit.
Therefore, challenging gyms in the Galar Region still held significant strategic value for trainers.
Nevertheless, Chris wasn't planning to continue his gym challenge spree for the time being.
He picked up the ticket to the Isle of Armor with excitement—it was time to head to that mysterious island first!
Chris vaguely remembered that the Isle of Armor was rumored to be home to some incredibly rare and powerful legendary Pokemon that could potentially be caught by worthy trainers.
The prospect of such an adventure filled him with anticipation for what lay ahead.