"Latios is unable to battle. The victory goes to Naoki!"
The referee's announcement rang through the stadium, snapping the audience out of their stunned silence. All eyes turned to the field, where the mysterious masked Pokémon had just felled a Legendary in one clean blow.
Naoki recalled Ogerpon with a beam of red light, then turned to the scarlet-scaled Pokémon standing calmly by his side.
"Koraidon," he said. "It's your turn now."
"Ah..gah!"
The ancient dragon let out a low growl, its primal voice rumbling like thunder across the arena.
Koraidon walked forward with deliberate steps, the ground beneath its feet trembling faintly with each one. Its muscular, reptilian body gleamed under the lights. Scarlet scales, glowing throat sac, sinewy limbs coiled with energy, this was no ordinary Pokémon.
The crowd held its breath.
"That's the Pokémon that's been beside Naoki since the start…"
"I thought it was his companion… like a pet or mount…"
"No way. That's a battlefield monster."
Commentator Christopher's voice was rising with excitement. "Naoki has brought out another Pokémon, and just like before, it's completely unfamiliar to the world! Look at that presence! Look at that power!"
Even expert Pokémon Professors were baffled.
Rotom scanners failed to identify it.
But in a cozy corner of Pallet Town, Professor Oak laughed in delight as he watched the screen.
"Well now," he said, sipping tea. "So he's sending out Koraidon after all."
His assistant blinked. "Koraidon? You mean you know it?"
Oak nodded. "Yes. It's a Pokémon from the Paldea region."
But he didn't know more, because as far as Professor Oak knew, even the Paldea people might not know Koraidon.
In short, it was a Pokémon with a very mysterious origin!
...
Back on the battlefield, Tobias's face hardened.
Darkrai. Latios.
Both defeated.
Now he was staring down a primal beast whose aura roared like an ancient storm.
He didn't hesitate.
Reaching to his belt, he pulled out his third Poké Ball and flung it forward.
Another burst of white light split the air.
At first glance, the Pokémon that emerged looked like Latios—but its body was red, more elegant in build, its eyes sharper.
Latias.
His third Pokémon. His third Legendary.
The audience erupted.
"Tobias is going for a triple! Darkrai, Latios, now Latias, he really is a Legendary Master!"
But the crowd didn't cheer long.
Because facing Latias… was something that felt even more dangerous than a Legendary.
The match resumed.
"Latias, Mist Ball!" Tobias commanded.
Latias cried out. A pale pink light gathered in her mouth, forming a glowing orb of psychic mist. She fired it like a cannon across the field toward Koraidon.
Naoki's voice remained steady.
"Koraidon. Dragon Claw. Dodge and close in."
"Ahgah!"
With a roar, Koraidon burst forward.
One second, he was standing still.
The next, he was gone.
A shockwave cracked the ground behind him.
He blurred across the field, weaving left and right, leaping off the walls, dodging the Mist Ball with impossible speed. The orb exploded behind him in a flare of psychic fog.
But Koraidon had already torn through it.
His claws surged with emerald dragon energy, crackling like lightning.
Tobias's eyes narrowed.
"Latias, get airborne, now!"
But it was too late.
Koraidon lunged and slashed.
Boom!
The Dragon Claw smashed into Latias's side, sending her spinning through the air before crashing hard into the ground.
She skidded, bounced, and flared her wings just in time to regain balance.
"Recover! Reflect!" Tobias shouted.
Latias's body glowed faintly as her injuries began to fade, and a psychic barrier shimmered into place in front of her.
Naoki's eyes narrowed.
"She's stalling. Not this time."
"Koraidon. Collision Course!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Koraidon's body erupted with brilliant, crimson energy. His throat sac glowed, ancient symbols flickering faintly across his chest.
Then he charged.
Koraidon shot forward like a meteor.
Latias barely had time to cry out before he collided with her.
The Reflect barrier shattered like glass.
Latias was sent flying, crashing into the far edge of the energy dome. She slumped to the ground, limp.
She didn't get up.
That Pokémon was just… too powerful.
If the audience hadn't fully understood what was happening at the start, they certainly did now. After three consecutive, crushing victories, it was painfully clear to everyone that Naoki and Tobias weren't even in the same league.
Not even a Champion-level trainer could go toe-to-toe with him?
People across the globe found themselves recalling Naoki's earlier matches.
In those battles, Naoki had almost never used the same Pokémon twice.
And that was exactly what made him so terrifying.
Because according to rumors, the Pokémon he'd used in those previous battles… were just ordinary ones raised on his ranch.
Which meant the Pokémon appearing here today, these incredible, dominating beasts, could very well be Naoki's main team.
When that thought settled in, a collective gasp spread through the crowd.
What was Naoki's true strength?
No one dared to guess. No one could imagine it.
"Latias is unable to battle! Naoki wins this round!" announced Duncan, the referee, after carefully checking Latias's condition.
The arena erupted into noise.
Before the match began, a large number of spectators had confidently placed their bets on Tobias. He was the prodigy. The chosen one. The Legendary Master.
But now…
"Koraidon, return!" Naoki called out.
Across the field, Tobias stood in silence. He slowly took a deep breath, then recalled Latias with a heavy expression.
The fourth round was about to begin.
For the first time in his career, a bead of cold sweat slid down Tobias's forehead.
Since becoming a trainer, he had never faced an opponent like this.
In the past, his Darkrai alone was usually enough to sweep through an entire opposing team.
But now, even Darkrai had fallen.
He was running out of options.
"Hah…"
He exhaled, then reached for his next Poké Ball.
No hesitation this time.
With a snap of his wrist, the ball soared into the air and burst open in a flash of light.
A graceful Pokémon descended onto the field, its body shaped like a crescent moon. Pale lavender wings, soft as gossamer, shimmered with psychic energy.
Naoki recognized it instantly.
Cresselia. The Lunar Pokémon. The embodiment of peaceful dreams.
He felt a flicker of emotion.
He remembered how Geeta had once gifted little Elara a Cresselia feather, a talisman said to protect the bearer from nightmares.
And now, the real thing stood before him.
"Naoki," Duncan called, turning to him. "Please send out your next Pokémon."
Naoki snapped back to the moment, then calmly reached for a new Poké Ball from his belt.
He threw it hard.
The ball cracked open in midair with a high-pitched click, releasing a piercing white beam that slammed into the arena.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The temperature plunged.
A howl of frozen wind burst from the light as a massive form emerged, wreathed in frost.
Crystalline wings stretched wide. Yellow eyes gleamed like frozen stars. Icy mist curled from its jaws.
Kyurem had arrived.
"Crack... crack... crack...!"
Frozen shockwaves rippled outward from its feet. In seconds, the battlefield transformed. The icy floor deepened, frost crawling up the walls like living vines. Every breath from the audience fogged in the air. Even the stadium lights seemed to dim under the oppressive chill.
Cresselia hovered in silence above the frozen ground, her wings shimmering, but her expression had changed.
...
Bonus @1000
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