Seeing that both Trainers were poised for battle, referee stepped forward and raised his flag.
"This is a three-versus-three match! Each Trainer may use up to three Pokémon. The battle ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to continue!"
Then came the sharp, echoing whistle that launched the match.
A white flash arced through the air as Flint hurled his Poké Ball.
"Ninetales! Let them feel the heat of our passion!"
A sleek figure emerged in a burst of flame. Golden fur shimmered under the stadium lights, and nine elegant tails fanned out behind her, glowing with ethereal grace. Her crimson eyes gleamed with confidence, and her posture radiated nobility.
"Ninetales, huh?" Naoki murmured, then tossed his own Poké Ball without hesitation. "Then I choose you, Giratina!"
The crowd gasped as the battlefield was flooded with a surge of swirling shadow energy. A massive figure took shape from the mist, twin columns of wings, six ghostly legs, and a serpentine body cloaked in otherworldly power.
Giratina's crimson eyes locked onto Ninetales, its glare burning with silent fury.
The crowd erupted into cheers and murmurs.
"He brought out Giratina first?!"
"Naoki isn't holding anything back!"
Hovering above the ground, Giratina let out a guttural, dimension-rending roar.
It remembered how its spotlight was stolen during the last battle, overshadowed by the Calyrex. Not this time. This was its fight.
The battle officially began.
As soon as Ninetales entered the field, its Drought Ability activated, summoning intense sunlight over the arena. The clouds parted instantly, and a dry, scorching heat began to radiate through the battlefield.
The crowd erupted.
"Drought! Ninetales is heating up the field, what a classic Sinnoh strategy from Fire-type expert Flint!" the commentator announced with excitement.
Flint narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly what kind of monster he was facing. That Giratina wasn't just large, it moved like smoke, immune to status tricks and mental interference. There was no point trying Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp. He had one shot: overpower it with raw firepower.
Even if he couldn't win the match, knocking out one of Naoki's legendary Pokémon would be enough of a victory.
"Let's go all in!" Flint shouted. "Ninetales, Flamethrower, burn right through it!"
"Taiiiil!" Ninetales let out a cry as its nine tails swirled in unison. Inhaling deeply, it launched a searing pillar of flame that lit up the entire field, the blazing heat distorting the air as it roared toward Giratina.
"Hmph," Naoki exhaled quietly.
Giratina didn't flinch. A low hum pulsed from its maw as it conjured a dense, swirling Shadow Ball with astonishing speed. The pitch-black orb crackled with ghostly energy, radiating pure malice.
The two attacks collided midair with a thunderous impact.
Flames met shadows.
A shockwave surged outward, causing the ground beneath the arena to tremble.
For a moment, the two forces locked in a fiery stalemate, until the Shadow Ball spun faster, compressing tighter, and split the Flamethrower clean down the middle.
The remnants of the attack were torn apart, and the Shadow Ball surged through the flames, straight at Ninetales.
"Flint—!" Daye shouted, but it was too late.
BOOM!
A direct hit. Ninetales was engulfed in a vortex of ghostly energy and fire, thrown back and tumbling across the field. It skidded to a stop, fur scorched, growling in pain but still conscious.
Naoki raised his voice, calmly and clearly: "Shadow Sneak."
Giratina's body shimmered, then vanished entirely.
The entire stadium gasped.
"Giratina disappeared! It's gone from the field!" the commentator exclaimed.
Smoke still curled around Ninetales. It rose to its feet, breathing heavily, tails flicking anxiously. It sensed it... something was watching. Something cold and ancient.
"Stay alert, Ninetales!" Flint warned, eyes scanning the field.
Ninetales stood frozen on the battlefield, its nine golden tails trembling slightly.
It could feel it, a presence. Something dark and overwhelming had locked onto it from somewhere unseen.
But no matter how sharp its instincts were, Ninetales couldn't locate the threat.
Suddenly....whoosh!
A chilling gust tore through the air behind it.
BANG!
Before Ninetales could even turn its head, a devastating blow struck from behind. Its body was sent flying across the arena like a ragdoll, trailing smoke and embers. It crashed hard, rolling to a stop, eyes spiraling.
It never even saw Giratina coming.
The crowd was stunned for a moment… and then erupted.
"Unbelievable! A clean knockout in a single strike!" the commentator shouted. "Giratina vanished and reappeared like a phantom, and Ninetales never stood a chance!"
But for many, this wasn't unexpected anymore.
It was Mr. Naoki, after all.
His power had long since transcended the level of conventional trainers, even Elite Four members like Flint were beginning to look like stepping stones on his path.
Now, all eyes turned toward the true giants waiting at the top.
Steven. Cynthia. Lance. Leon.
Could Naoki really take down them with the same overwhelming force?
In the arena, the referee raised his flag with calm professionalism. He didn't even blink at the outcome.
"Ninetales is unable to battle! The first round goes to Naoki!"
Even he had gotten used to scenes like this.
Flint exhaled slowly, eyes locked on his fallen Ninetales. It was a hard blow, Ninetales had always been one of his steadiest battlers, a Pokémon he'd raised since his early days.
"They're not even on the same level..." Flint muttered bitterly. "That Giratina… it's like battling a natural disaster."
Still, he wasn't done yet.
Gritting his teeth, Flint raised his next Poké Ball high.
"If I go down, I go down fighting!" he roared. "Let's light it up, Arcanine!"
With a burst of flame, a majestic Arcanine leapt onto the field, flames licking its fur and eyes blazing with loyalty. It let out a thunderous bark that echoed through the arena.
"Match two, Giratina vs. Arcanine, BEGIN!" the referee announced.
"Extreme Speed, now!" Flint commanded sharply.
Arcanine became a blur, its body enveloped in a flaming streak as it charged across the field like a bolt of lightning.
"Such incredible acceleration!" the commentator shouted. "That's the power of the Legendary Pokémon Arcanine, known as the embodiment of speed and fire!"
But;
Just before impact, Arcanine passed through Giratina's body.
The Ghost-type Dragon's form rippled like smoke, and the attack phased cleanly through, doing nothing.
"What?!" Flint's eyes widened in horror.
Of course! Normal-type moves have no effect on Ghost-types, and Giratina is both Ghost and Dragon.
He had miscalculated.
Before Arcanine could recover from the failed strike, Giratina turned its massive head slowly.
Naoki raised a finger. "Dragon Claw."
In an instant, Giratina's serpentine body twisted in midair, and one colossal claw surged forward with supernatural speed.
CRASH!
The blow slammed into Arcanine's side, sending the massive beast hurtling across the arena. It struck the stone wall, cratering it deeply before slumping to the ground, coughing smoke.
The stadium gasped again.
"That Dragon Claw was brutal! Arcanine's taken massive damage!" the commentator cried out.
"Giratina, use Shadow Force!" Naoki called out sharply.
A dark energy began to swirl in Giratina's jaws, gathering into a vortex of pure ghostly hatred.
Realizing the danger, Flint's instincts kicked in. "Arcanine, brace yourself."
But it was too late.
The eerie beam of darkness, Shadow Force combined with Giratina's innate malice, rushed forward like a tidal wave of nightmares.
There was no time to dodge.
Daye's fist tightened. "No choice. Arcanine, give it everything you've got! Flamethrower, full power!"
Arcanine, despite its battered body and searing claw wounds, responded with a defiant roar. Flames erupted from its mouth in a blazing surge, spiraling toward the incoming darkness.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided in a blinding explosion at the center of the battlefield. Fire and shadow twisted violently in the air as smoke billowed out across the arena.
Flint squinted into the blast, hope flickering in his chest. "Did… did it hold?"
But just as quickly as that hope formed;
A black streak tore through the smoke.
CRASH!
The remnants of Giratina's Shadow Force punched through the fading embers and struck Arcanine dead-on.
The mighty Fire-type let out a strangled bark, then collapsed, its legs giving way beneath it.
The battlefield went silent for half a second.
"Arcanine is unable to battle! Naoki wins the second round!"