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"What an earthshaking battle! The smoke hasn't even cleared from the field yet! But Liam's Garchomp has already returned to its side of the arena! That must mean… Lance's Dragonite has lost the ability to battle!!"
"Garchomp, blow the smoke away!"
"Gaarrrr!!"
Responding to Liam's command, Garchomp nodded, turned, and flapped its fins. Gusts of wind stirred up by the movement quickly dispersed the thick smoke covering the field.
"Dragonite…"
Lance stared into the thinning mist, his gaze slightly unsteady, his voice quivering.
As the smoke cleared, the scene was finally revealed to all.
The once-flat battlefield now had a fresh crater—smaller than the one made during the earlier Ice Field clash, but still terrifyingly destructive.
At the bottom of that crater, Lance's Dragonite lay motionless. Its scales were cracked in several places, and spirals had formed in its eyes—it had clearly lost the ability to battle.
"There it is! The outcome of the battle is now clear! The one who fell is Dragonite! The winner is Garchomp!!"
"With things as they are, Lance is now in a precarious position! He only has two Pokémon left: one is a paralyzed Seadra, and the other—its identity is still unknown! Could Lance still be hiding a powerful trump card that might turn the tide?!"
"Dragonite is unable to battle. Garchomp wins."
The referee waved his flags and announced loudly toward Lance.
Lance nodded at the referee, then walked over to the crater's edge and took out a PokeBall, recalling Dragonite.
"You did great, Dragonite. Get some good rest."
Returning to his command position, Lance handed the PokeBall to a nearby staff member for treatment. He then turned to face Liam. His expression was complex as he took a deep breath, pulling out a new PokeBall and smiling.
"I was hoping Dragonite could help me reclaim the momentum, but things didn't go as planned. Still, the next Pokémon I'm sending out is incredibly powerful. You better be careful!"
With that, Lance tossed the PokeBall. A beam of light shot out and hovered in midair. As the light burst apart, a pale-purple Aerodactyl appeared above the field, letting out a piercing roar toward the sky.
"ROOAARR!!"
"W-What?! That's… That's Aerodactyl! A prehistoric Pokémon long thought extinct! I've only seen it in restoration data files before—never in the flesh! I can't believe one actually survived to this day! Absolutely incredible!"
The commentator shouted excitedly into the broadcast, his voice practically shaking with emotion.
"Uh… Aerodactyl? How do you even have a Pokémon like that?"
Liam looked up at the airborne Aerodactyl, his face stunned. Then, with intense curiosity, he asked Lance.
"Hmph, I'd advise you not to ask too many questions—because I'm not going to answer."
Lance huffed and replied firmly.
"…I think you're reading too much into this. Come back, Garchomp!"
"Gaarrr…"
Liam, slightly speechless, took out a PokeBall and recalled a slightly reluctant Garchomp.
"Huh? You're not going to keep using Garchomp? What are you planning?"
Lance was thoroughly confused. He knew that Liam's Garchomp was still in excellent condition—more than capable of continuing the fight against his Aerodactyl, and maybe even winning. So why was it being swapped out?
"Heh. Because I have one more partner who hasn't taken the field yet. I made a promise to it—that I'd let it shine on the grandest stage, under the eyes of thousands. I can't go back on that promise. Now is the time—it's your turn to shine!"
"Come forth, Aerodactyl! Show them your might!!"
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!"
As Liam opened the PokeBall, a white beam shot into the sky. A familiar roar echoed from within. When the light cleared, another pale-purple Aerodactyl appeared—this one clearly much larger than Lance's.
With powerful wingbeats and a cold, sharp glare, it fixed its gaze on its fellow prehistoric counterpart.
"What?! You have an Aerodactyl too?! Where did you get it?!"
Lance's eyes flew open in shock the moment he saw Liam's Aerodactyl.
"Heh. I'd advise you not to ask too many questions—because I'm not going to answer."
Liam threw Lance's earlier words right back at him without missing a beat.
"...…"
"Oh my goodness! Another Aerodactyl!! Has this once-extinct Pokémon suddenly become common?! We're about to witness a showdown between two ancient titans! This is a battle that will go down in League history! We're all witnesses to something legendary!!"
The commentator's voice grew even more impassioned. The stadium erupted in a wave of thunderous cheers that rolled across like crashing waves.
"Both sides have made their substitutions! The battle officially begins!!"
The referee, voice trembling with excitement, raised both flags and shouted toward Liam and Lance.
"Strike first, Aerodactyl! Use Supersonic!"
"Show them what we've got, Aerodactyl! Use Supersonic too!"
"ROAR!!"
"ROAR!!"
Both Aerodactyls opened their massive jaws wide at the command of their Trainers. Waves of sound rippled out and collided midair, cancelling each other out completely.
"Damn! Aerodactyl, Agility, then follow with Crunch!"
"Aerodactyl, use Aerial Ace!"
"ROOAAARR!!"
"ROAR!!"
Lance's Aerodactyl used Agility, its purple body blinking through the sky as it closed in quickly.
Liam's Aerodactyl—calm and unbothered—waited for the precise moment. Just as Lance's Aerodactyl lunged in, Liam's flapped its wings hard and unleashed its newly-learn Aerial Ace, carving a tight arc through the air and completely dodging the incoming attack.
"ROAR!!"
After dodging, Liam's Aerodactyl swiftly positioned itself behind Lance's, folded its wings, and came crashing down—both powerful legs stomping hard on its opponent's back.
"ROOAARR!!"
Hit from behind, Lance's Aerodactyl let out a cry of pain and fell headfirst toward the ground.
"Fly, Aerodactyl! Pull up!!"
"ROAR!!"
Hearing Lance's shout, Aerodactyl flared its wings at the last second, skimming above the ground and climbing skyward once more.
"Nice save, Aerodactyl! Now, Iron Head!"
With Lance's command, Aerodactyl's head shimmered with metallic light. It flapped its wings furiously and shot toward Liam's Aerodactyl.
"Stand your ground, Aerodactyl! Use Double Edge!"
"ROAR!!!"
With a mighty roar, Liam's Aerodactyl burst forward, shrouded in a glowing white aura. Both Aerodactyls collided with a massive thud, the air rippling from the impact.
"ROAARR!!"
In that head-on clash, Liam's Aerodactyl held the advantage. It overpowered its opponent, slammed it downward, and sent both of them spiraling to the ground in a cloud of dust.
"Aerodactyl!"
Lance watched in worry as both Pokémon crashed to the earth.
"ROOAARR!!"
A cry rang out from within the smoke—Lance's Aerodactyl burst back into the sky, followed closely by Liam's, which was flapping its wings rapidly, ready to strike again.
"No more running, Aerodactyl! Turn and use Dragon Breath!"
"ROAR!"
Obeying instantly, Lance's Aerodactyl whipped around and fired a purple stream of energy.
"Aerodactyl, use Whirlwind!"
"ROAR!!"
Liam's Aerodactyl stopped midair, wings flapping intensely. A gale roared forward, blowing the Dragon Breath attack away into harmless mist.
"Now, Aerodactyl! Use Ancient Power—trap it in place!"
Liam smiled as Lance's Aerodactyl flailed against the wind. Sharp stones materialized around his Aerodactyl and shot out—not to strike, but to encircle the opposing Aerodactyl and block every escape route.
"What are you trying to do?! Aerodactyl, use Hyper Beam—full power!!"
Though confused by the strategy, Lance wasn't about to wait around and find out. His Aerodactyl opened its jaws wide, golden energy charging inside.
"Heh… time to end this. Aerodactyl! Giga Impact!!"
"ROAAARRRR!!!"
Liam's Aerodactyl erupted in blinding white light, surrounded by glowing rings as it unleashed a thunderous roar. Like a meteor, it dove straight toward Lance's Aerodactyl.
"No! Attack now, Aerodactyl!!"
Lance's Aerodactyl fired its completed Hyper Beam, shattering the stone barriers. The golden beam rushed toward Liam's charging Aerodactyl.
"Keep pushing! Go, Aerodactyl! Crush everything!!"
Liam's blood was pumping, face alight with battle fervor. He swung his arm with excitement and shouted with all his might.
"ROAAARRRRR!!!"
Liam's Aerodactyl howled in response, the light around it flaring brighter, speed surging forward. It plowed through the Hyper Beam like it was mist, reducing it to sparkles in the air.
Before Lance's stunned Aerodactyl could react, Liam's Aerodactyl rammed into it head-on, shattered the lingering Ancient Power stones, and sent it crashing into the ground.
BOOM!!!
A towering cloud of smoke exploded into the sky, a monument to the overwhelming power of that strike.