Almost instinctively, Volkner's gaze moved past Gyarados, looking at the silhouette on Glastrier's back.
"You're sure you still want him to fight?"
The figure nodded.
"But he's already so badly injured!"
Volkner thought Axel was just afraid of failing to win the gym badge, and couldn't help frowning slightly.
"True, he's already stacked a lot of statuses and can cause great wear on my next Pokémon."
"But as a trainer, you shouldn't let him keep fighting in this condition."
"I promise, no matter the result of the next battle, I'll give you the badge."
"So can Gyarados rest now?"
After that previous battle, Volkner had developed great fondness for Gyarados, and he just couldn't accept letting him continue fighting like this.
The figure on Glastrier rubbed his chin slightly, then… kept shaking his head.
Seeing this reaction, the smile at Volkner's lips visibly disappeared.
He looked seriously at the Froslass on Glastrier's back, his gaze sharp as lightning.
"In that case… what I said earlier doesn't count anymore."
"You may be strong, but our ideals don't align."
Instinctively, Volkner took Axel as the type of trainer who pursued power but didn't care about the bond between Pokémon.
Coincidentally, Volkner, like his good friend Da Ye, was a type who highly valued bonds.
In Volkner's eyes, trainers who didn't care about bonds might be strong, but they could never reach the peak.
"Electivire, let him see our bond!"
"ROAR!"
With a low growl, Electivire behind Volkner knocked his fists together and swaggered forward to face Gyarados.
He had watched the last battle, and this Gyarados was indeed very strong.
But compared to himself, the gap was still huge.
Because Volkner loved inventing, he often drained the city's electricity completely.
Whenever that happened, Electivire would take on the burden of powering the whole city.
Over time, Electivire developed extremely powerful muscles. Whether strength or control over energy, he far surpassed other Pokémon of the same level.
A mere Gyarados, in his eyes, was nothing at all.
"If you insist on not swapping out your Pokémon, then let the battle begin."
"My Pokémon is Electivire, and at the same time he's also my ace."
"Among all Electric-types, his species ranks near the top!"
Out of courtesy, Volkner still gave a brief introduction of his Electivire.
Glastrier blinked.
From his thousands of years of experience, weren't the top-ranking Electric-types Zeraora, Zapdos, and Thundurus?
'Forget it, forget it… you can't explain that to a little gym leader…'
Seeing Glastrier nod in disdain, while the figure on his back had no reaction at all, Volkner couldn't help clenching his fists.
In his eyes, Axel was already one of those arrogant types who treated both people and Pokémon poorly.
No wonder the previous gym leaders had been crushed so badly.
'Damn twisted hobbyist, just watch how I'll deal with you!'
"Electivire, use Quick Attack, don't give Gyarados any chance to strike back!"
Volkner's thoughts were clear.
Didn't the opponent want to use Gyarados to wear him down once?
Then he would just refuse to let him have his way!
This battle, Volkner would absolutely not hold back, not even a little.
The opponent's stamina was nearly gone. With fast-striking moves, he could easily be taken down…
"ROAR!"
Electivire let out a ferocious roar, his body flashing with white light, dragging afterimages through the air as he sped forward.
Even though Gyarados had already used Dragon Dance, he still couldn't react to such a high-speed attack.
At that critical moment, a dark shadow appeared beside General, emerging at an even more violent speed, flashing to Gyarados's rear.
A noble, ferocious aura flared from Gyarados's body, startling Electivire mid-charge into freezing for a moment.
He stared doubtfully at the "Gyarados" before him, pupils dilating, even doubting reality.
Why did it feel like this Gyarados had suddenly become someone completely different?
Earlier, though he could feel heavy pressure from Gyarados, it was still within tolerable limits.
But now…
If he hadn't just watched Gyarados fighting Raichu, he might have collapsed to his knees already.
Rayquaza, controlling Gyarados's body, shifted slightly and blinked.
["Finally, I can stretch my limbs. This body's not bad to use~"]
["But this little guy really doesn't trust dragons, huh? Left me with so much stamina. Didn't they say just leave a little?"]
"Gyarados" shook its head lightly, not bothering to dwell on that small issue.
Next, it was Rayquaza's battle time.
"ROAR~", A long, resonant roar came from "Gyarados's" mouth.
Electivire instantly felt his body weaken, his vision blurring as though his soul was being drained.
Rayquaza nodded in satisfaction.
Gyarados's body was even more usable than he had imagined.
With its own built-in traits stacked on top of Rayquaza's dragon aura,
the pressure it created was almost comparable to weaker legendaries.
["Only thing is, its power and speed are kinda lacking, and it's basically got no Dragon energy."]
["Seriously, how can the so-called mighty Gyarados be this weak…"]
["Guess I'll have to go the technical route!"]
Rayquaza muttered blandly, controlling Gyarados's body to dance in midair, radiating a unique rhythm.
Seeing the change on the field, Volkner's pupils contracted sharply, his face full of disbelief.
Just a moment ago, when Electivire unleashed Quick Attack, he had thought the battle was already over.
But he never imagined, this Gyarados had become a different dragon altogether. Not only had its aura grown stronger, even its skill mastery had improved.
That Dragon Dance just now hadn't been nearly this smooth.
Volkner took a deep breath, a new caution in his gaze.
His eyes toward the figure on Glastrier's back also grew complicated.
Moments ago he was still roaring that the other was arrogant.
But now it seemed, the other clearly had great confidence.
In the last battle he hadn't used full strength at all, even toying with him like a child.
This so-called Axel was truly a terrifying trainer.
Volkner forced his mind to steady, refusing to let the opponent's scorn sway him.
"Electivire, don't give him a chance, use Swift and send him back into the Poké Ball!"
"I don't believe he can dodge even Swift!"
"Electivire, use Swift!"
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