After the Air Slash descended, the Light Screen shattered like a sheet of paper, sliced apart with ease.
And the Air Slash did not weaken or vanish after cutting through the barrier—it continued to surge forward at full strength, heading straight for Volcarona.
Under Nathan's command, Volcarona dove sharply toward the ground, desperately trying to evade the attack.
But Volcarona's speed was still slightly lacking. Although the Air Slash did not strike its body directly, it still clipped its wings.
Volcarona had six wings in total. The two lowest ones were sliced apart, leaving behind only small remnants, while the rest were completely severed.
It had narrowly avoided being cut in half, but the price paid for dodging was two wings.
The consequence of this loss was severe—Volcarona's speed was now drastically reduced.
"Damn it! This guy is really too difficult to deal with!"
Nathan cursed inwardly.
Just moments ago, when he had used Fire Spin and Hurricane to suppress Moltres, he had thought he was still holding the upper hand.
But who would have expected that Moltres, with just a single move, had already recovered nearly fifty percent of its strength?
And now, his Volcarona had lost two wings, making the battles ahead even more grueling.
"Fight to the end!"
Gritting his teeth, Nathan knew this battle could not drag on any longer—it had to be decided quickly.
"Overheat!"
Under his command, Volcarona unleashed the move Overheat.
Its already high body temperature skyrocketed further. Sparks began to crackle and burst around its body—not from using a move, but from its sheer overheated state.
Once fully entering the Overheat state, Nathan followed up immediately.
"Flamethrower!"
Volcarona opened its small mouth, and torrents of flame roared forth.
But this time, the fire was no longer the orange flames it usually spat out.
Instead, the flames blazed yellow.
Compared to the previous orange flames, these yellow flames carried nearly double the temperature.
Moltres was already standing on the ground, and the Flamethrower, aimed low, swept across the battlefield directly toward it.
Wherever the flames passed, the earth began to liquefy.
Sand and other materials on the ground melted instantly under Volcarona's fiery breath.
"Moltres, Endure!"
Seeing such destructive power, Blaze shouted anxiously.
But by the time his command rang out, the Flamethrower had already arrived.
The flames engulfed Moltres in an instant.
At once, the battlefield transformed into a living purgatory.
The yellow flames wrapped around Moltres, and the black-and-red fire it had been shrouded in quickly vanished.
The ground beneath its talons melted into molten lava.
The battle seemed on the verge of ending!
Volcarona's Flamethrower only lasted just over ten seconds. This was already the last of its remaining strength.
If even this final outburst could not defeat Moltres, then Nathan knew he would lose this battle.
After a dozen seconds, the flames finally subsided…
As the fire faded away, Moltres's silhouette gradually came into view.
It had not fallen—it was still standing proudly.
Nathan's eyes dimmed with disappointment at the sight.
But just as that despair set in, the familiar sound of the system chimed in his mind.
[Congratulations to the host—Volcarona has successfully defeated three Legendary Pokémon, and now qualifies for Legendary advancement!]
[Congratulations to the host—Volcarona has been crowned as the Apex of Fire-Types!]
Two consecutive notifications resounded, and Nathan's heart leapt in excitement.
Yet before he could fully rejoice, a stabbing pain in his head snapped him back to reality.
The battle had lasted too long, and his Synchronization had reached its limit.
As soon as the synchronization cut off, the exhausted Volcarona plummeted from midair toward the ground.
Nathan rushed over immediately, working to heal its injuries.
Blaze likewise hurried to tend to his Moltres. A few minutes later, both trainers had finished treating their Pokémon.
Blaze recalled Moltres into its Poké Ball and walked over to Nathan, who was still carefully healing Volcarona.
Letting out a deep sigh, Blaze finally spoke.
"You won…"
Though unwilling to admit it, he forced the words out.
He had endured for so long, yet in the end, defeat was inevitable.
"Thank you for letting me win. It was just a fluke—pure luck, really."
Nathan recalled Volcarona into its ball and stood up with a smile.
And honestly, it truly had been luck. If this Moltres had not been in its Galarian form, the battle might have ended very differently.
After all, Galarian Moltres had a much lower resistance to Volcarona's flames.
"No, a win is a win. Luck is also a form of strength."
Blaze brushed aside his frustration and offered a faint smile.
Failure itself was not frightening—the truly tragic thing would be being unable to admit failure.
"Haha, if you put it that way, then I suppose you're right. I've always been very lucky."
Nathan laughed heartily.
After all, just the fact that he had the system made him luckier than anyone else in the world.
Such a thing was one in hundreds of millions.
"But I will challenge you again. I hope next time, you won't turn me down!"
Blaze's eyes gleamed with renewed fighting spirit.
This defeat had made him clearly realize Moltres's weaknesses—especially when facing Volcarona.
Its flames were simply too devastating against Moltres.
But once he devised a counter-strategy, he would definitely return to face Nathan again.
Meanwhile, Kelly and Grog, having watched the battle conclude, quickly walked over.
"Boss, you're too strong! To defeat a Legendary-tier Pokémon with only a Champion-level Pokémon—you're my idol!"
Grog burst out, brimming with excitement.
He had never seen a Pokémon stronger than Champion level before, and the sight of today's battle stirred his blood.
If only he were younger—he would have begged Nathan to teach him how to raise Pokémon.
"Weren't I already your idol before? Looks like I've failed as a boss, huh?"
Nathan teased, though inside, he was overjoyed.
Volcarona had earned the right to advance into the ranks of Legends—how could he not be delighted?
"Nathan, I recorded the whole thing. Should I send it to you like usual?"
Kelly pointed to the camera in his hand.
Nathan nodded. Of course, he wanted the footage—he would still be facing countless challengers in the future.
If he had to search for them himself, who knew how long it would take?
He couldn't just keep pestering Entei and the others all the time—they'd blacklist him eventually.
The group then boarded a plane and returned to Grace City.
As a gesture of thanks, Nathan treated Blaze to a meal.
After all, Blaze had come all this way to challenge him, and had even helped Volcarona qualify for Legendary advancement. How could he not show gratitude?
During the meal, Blaze's eating habits perfectly mirrored his fiery Pokémon and appearance.
He devoured two full bowls of chili peppers… raw.
After a hearty meal, the group parted ways.
That night, Nathan uploaded another video online.
As always, the title was just as arrogant and provocative as before.
Because his goal was simple—to attract challengers. And without being a little boastful, who would bother to come?
The next morning, Nathan called Grog.
"Grog, if anyone comes to challenge me while I'm away, help settle them in. I'm heading out for a bit, but I'll be back soon."
Volcarona had now qualified for Legendary advancement. Nathan's next goal was obvious—he had to train it further, to push it past the threshold.
Truly, having the system was wonderful. He couldn't help but imagine the looks on Entei and the others' faces when they saw Volcarona return as a true Legendary.
"Got it, Boss. But how long will you be gone? I need to prepare."
Last time, when Blaze came, Grog had been hounded with endless questions about Nathan's whereabouts.
This time, Nathan was at least warning him beforehand.
"Probably no more than a week—seven or eight days at most."
Nathan thought carefully before replying.
This trip was straightforward: grind experience for Volcarona.
Pure training wasn't complicated, and within a week or so, it should be enough.
After the call ended, Nathan didn't immediately set out.
Instead, he first visited his mystic realm.
Since this trip's focus was solely Volcarona, bringing Mewtwo and the others along would be a waste of their time.
It was better to let them train on their own within the mystic realm.
After all, the gravity regulators could also be used inside.
(End of Chapter)