A flash of white light—
"RAAAAH!"
With a resonant roar, a round, seemingly cuddly Pokémon appeared on the field.
Its bright yellow skin gleamed, a plump belly protruded confidently, and two antennae atop its head wobbled as its wings beat rhythmically.
Dragonite had entered the battlefield!
Truthfully, Luo Yuan had originally planned to send out Charizard, to face off against Leon's Charizard in a dramatic showdown: Mega Charizard versus Gigantamax Charizard.
But in the end, despite his Charizard's rapid growth—having already reached Elite Four-level strength—it was still a far cry from Leon's ace.
So Luo Yuan reluctantly shelved that tempting idea and chose the stronger option: Dragonite.
Seeing the Dragonite now on the field, Leon could finally confirm that the intel he'd received beforehand hadn't been fake.
He still wasn't sure where Luo Yuan had gotten that Tyranitar, but of the three Pokémon Luo Yuan had revealed so far, two were Dragon-types. It was clear: Luo Yuan's team was dragon-focused.
Leon did a quick count. Three Pokémon used so far, and all three were pseudo-legendaries.
Does this guy only catch pseudo-legendaries or something?
In the past, Leon would have scoffed at that kind of team-building. Pseudo-legendaries only have high base stats—they don't guarantee victory.
But now, after losing to Luo Yuan three times in a row, Leon was beginning to question everything. He wasn't so sure anymore.
Luo Yuan, of course, had no idea what Leon was thinking.
But if he had, he would've agreed.
It was true—pseudo-legendaries only start with an advantage. There were plenty of trainers out there who caught a whole team of them and still never made it past a single championship.
Which is why Luo Yuan didn't just catch pseudo-legendaries.
He also caught legendaries.
All of this takes time to explain, but in reality, it passed in the space of just a few seconds.
On the field, Charizard and Dragonite locked eyes, and both Pokémon immediately radiated fierce fighting spirit.
"Go!"
Leon and Luo Yuan shouted in unison.
Whoosh!
Two blurs shot forward—Charizard and Dragonite vanished from their starting positions at impossible speed.
BOOM!
A sonic shockwave cracked through the air as they collided midair, creating a rippling blast of force.
Their figures materialized in midair—Charizard's claws locked with Dragonite's arms, each trying to overpower the other.
But after a few seconds of stalemate, their wings beat rapidly, bodies flickering and vanishing once again.
Over the next few seconds, Charizard and Dragonite collided dozens of times.
Claws, tails, wings, horns—they used every part of their bodies with brutal precision. The two Pokémon exchanged blows at a rate of three impacts per second, each strike reverberating through the sky.
The air was filled with deafening booms and streaks of motion, leaving behind so many overlapping afterimages that no one could tell where either Pokémon truly was.
Spectators in the stands were completely dazzled by the speed and intensity. The announcers gave it their all, but even they couldn't keep up with the pace of the battle.
Fortunately, this raw physical exchange didn't last too long.
And the reason wasn't Dragonite—Dragonite was clearly loving every second of it.
The problem was Charizard.
Compared to Dragonite, whose massive body had been compressed into a compact form, giving it nearly limitless stamina and terrifying strength, Charizard—no matter how powerful—was still just a Charizard.
In a battle this high-impact, Dragonite's thick fat acted as armor. Charizard's hits barely fazed it.
But Charizard? It couldn't take Dragonite's hits nearly as well.
Leon, ever in sync with his partner, saw it in Charizard's expression—the subtle signs of strain.
Where the hell does Luo Yuan find monsters like this Dragonite?!
Leon bit back the thought. There was no time to dwell on it. If this went on, Charizard would be completely overwhelmed.
"Charizard!"
Leon's voice rang out with firm urgency. He couldn't afford a single mistake now.
Charizard immediately understood the signal. Their years of bond had forged an unshakable trust.
"RRAAARGH!!"
Charizard let out a mighty roar.
Leon raised his arm—and revealed the glinting [Dynamax Band] on his wrist.
From beneath Wyndon Stadium, a surge of glowing red particles erupted upward.
At the same time, the battle music shifted into a faster, more intense beat.
The swirling energy flooded into Charizard, and in the next moment, the space around it warped and twisted—
And then, as if inflated by a gust of wind, Charizard began to expand rapidly.
Its body transformed: diamond-shaped markings appeared on its belly and legs; the two horns on its head ignited into blazing flame; and most striking of all—its wings.
Charizard's wings became raging infernos, with fire stretching from its back to its shoulders and down across its chest like a living cloak.
"ROOOOOAR!!"
Now fully [Gigantamaxed], Charizard roared into the sky. From its maw burned a brilliant, molten light, radiating waves of searing heat.
WHOOOOOOOOO!!
The crowd went wild.
The blaring new BGM and the massive, fiery figure of Gigantamax Charizard electrified the entire arena.
The spectators erupted in cheers.
From their perspective, with Charizard Gigantamaxed against Dragonite, this round was already in the bag.
Even Leon believed it.
Though Dragonite had been edging ahead earlier, that advantage was nothing compared to the sheer power Gigantamax brought to the table.
The Galar fans turned toward Luo Yuan, trying to find some trace of worry on his face—some sign that he knew this was it.
But instead, what they saw was…
A curious, amused smile.
"Ah, so this is Gigantamax Charizard?" Luo Yuan said lightly. "Not bad. Looks pretty cool."
Leon didn't know how to respond to that.
Can't he feel the pressure Gigantamax Charizard is putting out?
Leon refused to believe that someone who had beaten him three times already could be that clueless.
Which meant there was only one possibility—
Luo Yuan had something else up his sleeve.
Leon's gaze shifted to Dragonite, who was looking up at Gigantamax Charizard with wide eyes—not in fear, but in pure curiosity.
What could he possibly be planning to take down Gigantamax Charizard…?
Just as the thought passed through his mind, Luo Yuan's voice echoed across the arena:
"In that case, Dragonite—
Let's show everyone your true form."
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T/N: welp thats it for translating today