At the ranch's open battlefield, Naoki and Leon stood on opposite ends, facing each other with blazing determination in their eyes.
Naoki sent out his trusted partner, Gogoat, while Leon answered with his signature Charizard. Both trainers stood tall, the tension between them electric. It was clear this was no casual battle. They were fighting with everything they had.
Pokémon from across the ranch began to gather. Koraidon, Bellibolt, Cyclizar, Garganacl. They all came to watch, curiosity and excitement sparkling in their eyes.
Even Raikou, resting far off in the field, turned its head toward the battle. With narrowed eyes, it quietly observed from a distance, gauging the strength of the man chosen by Ho-Oh, the so-called Rainbow Hero.
At the center of the field, Sonia, acting as the referee for the match, stepped forward and raised her hand. With a cheerful voice and a sweeping gesture, she declared, "This battle is officially underway!"
"Charizard!" Leon called out, his voice strong and commanding. "Let's open with Air Slash. Cut through with everything you've got!"
With a mighty roar, Charizard spread its wings. Milky white currents of wind gathered around its body and compressed into razor-sharp blades of air. With a powerful flap, the wind blades tore across the battlefield, screeching through the air straight toward Gogoat.
Naoki didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled faintly. "Trying to gauge its defenses first? Gogoat, let's show them how far you've come over these past few years."
"Meah!"
With a determined cry, a radiant green glow erupted from Gogoat's hooves, spilling across the ground like a wave and transforming the entire field into a lush Grassy Terrain.
As the incoming Air Slashes approached, Gogoat summoned thick Vine Whips. With a fierce snap, the vines lashed upward, meeting the blades of air head-on.
Two opposing forces, wind and plant, collided in midair.
The air blades cut into the vines but were halted halfway, trapped and then absorbed by the flexible, reinforced greenery. The attack fizzled out with only faint cuts left behind.
Charizard's opening move had been neutralized completely.
"Even when facing a move with a type advantage… that's impressive." Leon's eyes lit up. "You've come a long way, Gogoat!"
Excited by the challenge, Leon dropped his testing phase and shifted gears.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower! Full power!"
With a deafening roar, Charizard surged into the sky, wings beating strongly. Fire sparked in its maw, then erupted in a focused torrent of blazing flame, sweeping downward in a wave of red and orange heat.
This was a champion's Charizard, not just strong but overwhelming.
The fire engulfed Gogoat in an instant.
Leon clenched his fist. "Yes, direct hit!"
But his celebration was short-lived.
Green sparkles, the energy of the Grassy Terrain, suddenly gathered around Gogoat. The burnt patches on its fur began to shimmer, and in mere seconds, the wounds began to close.
In a flash, Gogoat stood tall again, completely recovered.
"What…?" Leon's eyes widened in shock.
He knew the Gogoat's Grassy Terrain well. It could restore health, yes, but this was way too fast, compared to the previous time he had battled Gogoat.
"What kind of terrain is this? That healing's absurd!"
Naoki stood calmly across the field, arms crossed.
"It looks like the Revival Dumplings have really strengthened Gogoat's connection to nature," he murmured.
But now, it was their turn to strike.
"Gogoat, Vine Whip!" Naoki commanded.
In an instant, a surge of thick vine whips erupted from Gogoat, coiling upward like living snakes and lunging straight for Charizard in the sky.
Leon snapped to attention. "Dodge it, now!"
But it was too late.
Just as Charizard began to veer away, the vines had already wrapped tightly around its torso, snaring its limbs and midsection. The cords constricted, winding tighter with immense pressure.
Charizard let out a guttural cry, its eyes narrowing in pain. The pressure was so intense, it felt as if its internal organs were being crushed.
"Not good!" Leon gritted his teeth. "Charizard, Flare Blitz! Shake it off!"
Charizard struggled, forcing its body to channel every ounce of fiery energy within.
With a burst of heat, flames exploded from its body, engulfing both itself and the vines clinging to it. The intense fire quickly began burning through the Grass-type bindings, loosening their hold.
Charizard's breathing quickened. The moment it felt the pressure ease, it locked eyes with Gogoat below.
It was ready to retaliate with everything it had.
Naoki saw that look in Charizard's eyes and immediately understood.
His gaze sharpened. "Don't give it the chance. Slam it down!"
The vines, still burning and scorched, suddenly contracted.
Before Charizard could launch its counterattack, the tightened whip yanked its body downward and slammed it hard toward the battlefield below.
Leon clenched his fists. They had almost turned the tide, but now Charizard was in trouble again. His heart raced.
Just before Charizard struck the ground, a blinding surge of flame exploded from its body.
Its Blaze ability had activated.
The fiery outburst instantly reduced the remaining vines to ash. Charizard roared and soared back into the air, its wings slicing the sky. Its blazing eyes locked on Gogoat, and with flames erupting from its mouth and tail, it dove straight down like a comet of fire.
Leon exhaled slowly. They weren't out yet. Charizard was still in it.
The heat on the field intensified. With the Blaze boost fueling it, Charizard's speed surged. Before Naoki could issue another command, Charizard had already crashed into Gogoat, clamping onto it with its claws as searing flames engulfed the area.
The moment of impact triggered a massive explosion across the field.
A shockwave of fire and force blasted outward. The heat swept across the ranch like a furnace. Nearby, Alcremie was almost blown away by the blast and squealed in surprise, only to be shielded just in time by Garganacl, who stepped in to protect her.
Sonia raised her arm to block the wave of heat, her expression tense. Her eyes stayed fixed on the battlefield, heart pounding.
Who had won?
As the smoke began to clear, everyone held their breath.
And there, slowly emerging through the haze, was Gogoat.
Still standing.
Gogoat's body was covered in scars. Its grassy fur had been scorched by the flames, leaving it looking battered and worn.
But the battle wasn't over.
The Grassy Terrain around the field pulsed with energy. Soothing green light surged toward Gogoat, and under its healing effect, the wounds on its body began to close at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Roaaar?" Charizard stared in disbelief.
It had just delivered a full-powered, Blaze-boosted attack. And yet, right before its eyes, Gogoat was recovering.
Then Naoki's voice rang out, calm and clear. "Use that move."
Charizard's eyes widened as it saw Gogoat lower its stance, green energy rapidly gathering in its mouth.
In a flash, a glowing emerald blade materialized, shaped like a massive, divine sword crafted from pure Grass-type energy.
Without a sound, Gogoat burst forward.
Its body vanished in a blur and reappeared behind Charizard, already standing with its back turned, unmoved.
Charizard blinked, confused.
Then the pain hit.
A sharp, clean wound carved across its abdomen. Charizard gasped and looked down in disbelief, seeing the damage left behind by the attack.
A blinding white flash filled its vision. Then, its body collapsed onto the battlefield.
Charizard had fainted.
Leon's eyes widened, pupils contracting in shock.
It wasn't just the defeat that shook him. It was the terrifying rate at which Gogoat had recovered.
That level of regeneration was nothing like what he had encountered before. This wasn't the same Grassy Terrain from years ago.
That healing—it was unreal.
How do you even beat something like this?
Strategies and countermeasures rushed through Leon's mind.
To beat Gogoat, he needed to eliminate the Grassy Terrain. If he couldn't neutralize its healing, he couldn't win.
Moves like Clear Smog, Burning Jealousy, Misty Explosion, Steel Roller, all of them could clear terrain effects.
But Charizard didn't know any of those.
That meant even with its full power, his Charizard couldn't completely overcome Naoki's Gogoat.
Give it a few seconds, and Gogoat would restore its health all over again.
Unless he could use Dynamax…
But Dynamax was restricted to special Power Spots, and they weren't in the Galar region now.
Could anyone really defeat a Pokémon like this?
If it couldn't be overwhelmed quickly, it would simply recover again and again. That kind of resilience could break the will of any trainer.
And what made it worse was that this wasn't the only Gogoat.
Leon slowly turned his eyes to the side, looking at the other two Gogoats standing silently nearby.
There were three of them.
Naoki had raised them all to this level. That kind of control over Grass-type power… this wasn't just champion-level strength anymore.
Naoki had become something more.
A true Pokémon Master.
And from across the field, Raikou continued to watch.
The Legendary Beast had kept its distance, but its gaze was locked on the Gogoat that had just brought down Charizard.
At first glance, it had seemed ordinary.
But Raikou now realized it had been wrong.
There was real power inside that Pokémon.
Could it be a worthy opponent?
That thought echoed quietly in Raikou's mind.
...
Bonus Chapter