"Return, Ninjask."
Without wasting words, Brandon recalled Ninjask into its Poké Ball, his face now tense and solemn.
Ninjask had performed admirably, but the Torterra before them had become horribly powerful to the point where a single outburst could engulf nearly the entire battlefield.
Even though Ninjask had reacted swiftly to evade the attack, it was still caught within the terrifying reach of the Leaf Storm.
For an assassin-type Pokémon like Ninjask, its worst matchup was exactly this: an opponent it couldn't take down instantly, who also possessed powerful counters.
At this point, Torterra was no exaggeration: it had become a boss-level threat.
Brandon had only one Pokémon left that could potentially bring it down reliably.
Still… Brandon never imagined he'd be pushed to such an extreme.
"Dusknoir, it's your turn."
From the Poké Ball emerged Dusknoir, floating ominously like a bloated one-eyed ghostly mummy.
The moment Dusknoir appeared, Paul instantly understood Brandon's intent.
Even so, he didn't recall Torterra. Instead, he chose to calmly face Dusknoir head-on.
"Mean Look!"
Brandon commanded without hesitation.
Dusknoir wordlessly opened and closed its eye, locking Torterra in place with its eerie gaze, sealing off any escape.
"Frenzy Plant!"
"Raaa—!"
With a low roar, countless thorny vines erupted from the ground surging toward Dusknoir like a tidal wave and quickly overwhelming it in a sea of writhing vegetation.
When the vines finally receded, Dusknoir lay motionless on the ground. A strange blackish-purple wisp floated from its body and drifted toward Torterra.
The moment the wisp entered Torterra's body, it grew dizzy and staggered.
With a final glance toward its Turtwig who stood outside the arena watching, Torterra nodded faintly, then collapsed.
Destiny Bond.
"Return."
Paul retrieved Torterra into its Poké Ball and tucked it away. Without giving Brandon any chance to react, he immediately threw out his next Pokémon.
"Garchomp, battle ready!"
"Gaaar—!"
With a draconic cry, Garchomp landed gracefully on the battlefield. Its lean powerful frame coiled slightly, and as its eyes opened and closed, an ominous aura radiated outward as it activated its bloodline state, a burst of terrifying killing intent.
Garchomp stood like a demonic dragon incarnate.
"That kind of power… that aura… terrifying."
Brandon stared intently at this unusually large Garchomp.
"The aura around it is overwhelming. Its strength might not surpass Cynthia's ace, but the sheer intimidation is on par."
Reggie, who had once observed Cynthia's Garchomp up close, recalled that hers was normally docile and good-natured, nothing like the ferocity emanating from Paul's Garchomp.
"The Pokémon you've raised are truly monstrous… This is my fourth one—Registeel, go!"
With great seriousness, Brandon sent out Registeel.
Originally, Brandon had intended to hold Registeel back for later. But this Garchomp's oppressive aura far surpassed even Torterra's.
He feared that like Paul's Torterra, Garchomp might also possess the ability to continuously grow stronger during battle. If that were the case, even Registeel wouldn't be able to stop it once his other Pokémon fell.
Thus, he chose to send in his strongest now.
"Regi… steel…"
Registeel stood firmly on the ground, its alloy body gleaming with an otherworldly metallic shine.
"Lock-On, Hyper Beam!"
"Steel—"
With Lock-On activated, a targeting reticle appeared on Garchomp's body. Registeel raised its arms as terrifying energy gathered at its core, firing a massive Hyper Beam straight ahead.
In reality, once a Pokémon is locked-on, the attack will home in regardless of evasion even underground, the beam would curve downward to strike.
But neither Garchomp nor Paul intended to dodge.
"Dragon Claw!"
Paul flicked his wrist. Garchomp placed its right claw on its left hip, gathering energy as green light enveloped its arm.
As the Hyper Beam approached, Garchomp swung like an unsheathing blade slicing through the beam. The destructive energy split cleanly in two and detonated harmlessly behind him.
"Swords Dance, Dragon Rush!"
"Gaaar!"
With its killing intent locked onto Registeel, Garchomp soared skyward, its entire body glowing blue as it dove like a dragon descending from the heavens, exuding overwhelming intimidation throughout its charge.
But Registeel, Brandon's trusted ace, stood unflinching awaiting the impact.
"Iron Defense, Iron Head!"
At Brandon's command, Registeel's body briefly flashed as its defenses sharply rose, charging fearlessly toward the diving Garchomp, its sheer force warping the surrounding air.
BOOM!
The two collided. Garchomp, even while in its bloodline state, was knocked back and sent flying.
"Focus Punch!"
Seizing the momentum, Registeel launched its counterattack, charging forward with a devastating punch.
"Evade!"
In response, Garchomp unleashed a massive Flamethrower from its jaws.
BOOM!
Unfazed, Registeel punched straight through the flames, closing the gap.
However, by the time Registeel reached its target, Garchomp had already burrowed underground, leaving only an empty pit.
"Focus Punch, strike the ground!"
Brandon remained calm. Although Registeel didn't know Earthquake, Focus Punch could generate similar force.
Just as Registeel's punch was about to land, the ground suddenly caved into a swirling Sand Tomb.
Caught off guard, Registeel found itself trapped in the vortex.
Even as it sank, Registeel maintained composure, battling with expert discipline.
But suddenly, fiery jaws clamped onto its leg, pulling it deeper into the sand—Garchomp's Fire Fang.
"Focus Punch!"
Brandon's steady voice refocused Registeel. It raised a fist, slamming down toward Garchomp's head.
But Garchomp vanished the instant before impact, making the punch miss entirely.
The next moment, Garchomp reappeared above the sand vortex like a hunter observing trapped prey.
"Sandstorm Dragon Vortex!"
Paul commanded.
With a sweeping motion, a fierce tornado fused with a raging sandstorm, combining with the swirling pit below to form a violent multi-layered storm that continuously battered Registeel.
Before it could escape, Garchomp blasted another Flamethrower directly into the storm, merging fire and sand perfectly.
The combined elements inflicted brutal damage.
"Amnesia, Hyper Beam, Zap Cannon!"
Registeel instantly cleared its mind, sharply boosting its Special Defense to withstand much of the storm's power. Simultaneously, it fired alternating Hyper Beams and Zap Cannons, attempting to shatter the storm from within.
Its immense power began to chip away at Garchomp's carefully constructed vortex.
BOOM!
Finally, with a resounding explosion, the vortex shattered and Registeel was flung into the air.
But before it could land, an earth-shaking roar pierced the battlefield.
"ROOAAARRR!!"
Garchomp's body erupted with mysterious energy. Its muscles swelled and its claws transformed into two gleaming scythes.
Independent Mega Evolution — Mega Garchomp!
No longer holding back, Mega Garchomp stomped the ground, rocketing toward the airborne Registeel.
Crimson light radiated from its body, while its scythe-like claws glowed white as it struck down with Brick Break.
In desperation, Registeel triggered Iron Defense once more, layering its defenses and followed up with Iron Head to bolster its power.
CLANG!
The clash of metal rang throughout the arena as Registeel was smashed downward like a meteor, crashing deep into the earth.
"Draco Meteor!"
At Paul's command, Garchomp opened its jaws gathering a massive sphere of energy. The sphere split into dozens of meteors that spun around Garchomp before hurtling all at once toward Registeel.
This was a concentrated form of Draco Meteor though the accuracy was lower, each individual meteor carried nearly the full destructive force of a standard Draco Meteor.
It was the perfect move for striking at slow or temporarily incapacitated opponents.
One meteor after another rained down, accompanied by the constant roar of explosions echoing in all directions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Caught within the barrage, Registeel was soon engulfed in a cloud of thick smoke.
Before long, the assault subsided. Under normal circumstances, Registeel should have already been defeated.
"Gaaar!"
Yet Garchomp, still hovering in the air, remained locked in battle mode. Its muscles tensed as it focused unblinking on the smokescreen, as if seeing straight through the haze to its struggling opponent.
Finally, the smoke dispersed.
A surprising sight emerged: despite taking the full brunt of Draco Meteor, Registeel remained conscious. Instead, it lay inside a crater, fast asleep with injuries far lighter than one would expect.
Rest—by quickly entering this state, Registeel was able to heal its wounds and restore stamina.
Just moments earlier, it had used Amnesia to boost its terrifying Special Defense, allowing it to withstand the majority of Draco Meteor's damage before successfully recovering with Rest.
Of course, while it had survived, it would still need a short time before waking again.
If this had happened earlier in the battle, even Garchomp might have struggled to capitalize. But by now, Garchomp had already powered itself up with Swords Dance and had fully charged for Mega Evolution. Paul had no reason to panic.
"Let's finish this—full power!"
"GAAAAR!"
Brilliant multicolored light burst forth from Garchomp's body, as the outline of a massive blue dragon with crimson energy swirling around it took form.
With burning crimson eyes locked onto the sleeping Registeel, the draconic form opened its fiery maw and dove straight down.
Dragon Avatar—Activated!
This was Garchomp's own unique burst mode, combining multiple moves for a brief but powerful transformation that consumed massive stamina.
In this state, both Garchomp's speed and strength soared rampantly. Its attacks carried intense Dragon-type energy, and it could still incorporate other elemental moves as needed.
At that moment, empowered by Dragon Avatar, Garchomp unleashed Fire Fang lunging at Registeel like a predator homing in on its prey.
But Brandon had no intention of letting Registeel go down so easily.
"Sleep Talk!"
"Registeel—!"
Still asleep, Registeel suddenly leapt up with metallic shine flashing across its body, launching itself skyward toward Garchomp.
Heavy Slam!
The dragon welcomed the challenge. Its flaming jaws snapped shut around Registeel in midair.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted above the battlefield, sending Registeel crashing back into the ground.
Without missing a beat, Garchomp burst through the smoke opening its jaws to release a multi-colored Dragon Pulse, biting down once again while descending alongside the wave of draconic energy.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more fierce explosions rang out and at last, the battlefield fell silent.
"Gaaaar..."
Garchomp emerged from the fading smoke and returned to Paul's side. Its earlier ferocity vanished, replaced by heavy panting as its body shimmered briefly and reverted from its empowered form.
Currently, this form of self-imposed Mega Evolution still had significant flaws: aside from needing to charge beforehand, maintaining it burned through enormous stamina reserves.
The recent explosive flurry had drained Garchomp almost entirely, forcing it to exit the form.
By now, the lingering smoke cleared fully. Registeel lay motionless in the crater, unable to continue the battle.
"Return, Registeel."
Brandon withdrew Registeel into its Poké Ball. Instead of immediately swapping Pokémon, he addressed Paul seriously:
"That unique form Garchomp just displayed, was that the legendary Mega Evolution?"
Having lived for many years, Brandon had seen plenty and recognized something extraordinary though not entirely clear on its details.
"Yes. Mega Evolution. A power that allows certain Pokémon to achieve far greater strength for a limited time." Paul remained composed as he replied.
"But if I recall correctly," Brandon continued, "Mega Evolution normally requires a special item. I didn't see you use any during battle."
"My Garchomp possesses exceptional talent," Paul explained calmly. "Through training, it learned to Mega Evolve independently. And it's not the only one in this world capable of doing so."
Indeed, Paul saw no need to boast. After all, in his world, even Sabrina could use psychic power to replicate the resonance between Key Stones and Mega Stones to trigger Alakazam's Mega Evolution. And in the anime, Ash's future Greninja could achieve something similar through Bond Phenomenon—Mega Evolution without traditional tools.
Such cases were rare, but not unheard of.
"I see." Brandon nodded thoughtfully.
There will always be prodigies in this world. One must never grow arrogant; above every peak lies another. One must face this world with respect and humility.
"Mega Evolution..."
Though Brandon spoke casually, others were listening closely. In the distance, another Paul silently committed the term to memory.
He might not yet possess a Garchomp capable of independent Mega Evolution, but he could certainly work hard to capture one or obtain another Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.
As for acquiring the necessary items? If even Brandon knew about them, thorough research or consulting renowned Professors should eventually lead to answers.
Once he had the knowledge after completing his Kanto journey, he would work tirelessly to catch highly talented Pokémon and seek out the Mega Evolution stones.
"Mega Evolution…"
Unlike the alternate Paul, Reggie was already hatching his own plan: he would save up money, pull some strings, and acquire Mega Evolution tools or similar items for his brother.
If Paul had them, then so should this Paul!
(End of Chapter)
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[Author's Note: The next chapter's still percolating, but the real boss battle right now is… my exam. Just a quick heads-up — I'll be away for just a little bit to focus on my upcoming Civil Service Exam. Thank you so much for your patience and support! I'll be back in 2 days to continue the story as soon as I can. Wish me luck! 💪📚]
But, if you love to access the advance 80 chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23