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The battle had clearly begun, yet both Pokemon remained motionless on the field.
Garchomp flexed his claws open and closed, his muscular frame leaning forward slightly while the fins on his back spread just enough to show his readiness. His yellow eyes gleamed with dangerous intelligence.
Lucario stood with his left paw clenched at his waist, his right paw extended like a blade. The steel spikes on the back of his paws caught the arena lights as he settled into his fighting stance.
Both Pokemon had assumed their battle positions, gathering the energy stored within their bodies. Their auras steadily intensified as they stared at each other with calm focus, studying their opponent for any weakness while waiting for their trainers' commands.
The crowd held their breath, every spectator leaning forward in nervous anticipation. No one dared to blink, afraid they might miss the explosive moment when the battle would truly begin.
A fragile silence filled the arena.
Then, without warning, Henry broke the stillness with his command:
"Dragon Rush!"
Thanks to his precognitive abilities, Lucario had already sensed his opponent's incoming charge and prepared to use Teleport at any moment.
But suddenly, a massive wave of invisible killing intent crashed into him, striking his mind like a physical blow.
The move description for Dragon Rush in the Pokedex read: "The user tackles the target while emitting a terrifying aura. This may also make the target flinch."
However, no Dragon-type Pokemon had ever displayed such overwhelming bloodlust. The murderous aura was absolutely devastating.
In that instant, Lucario understood why Jaxon's Swampert had been defeated so quickly. This terrifying killing intent, infused with pure dragon energy, was powerful enough to paralyze any professional-level Pokemon with fear.
As the crushing aura struck his enemy, Garchomp slammed his feet against the ground and spread his fins wide. Purple dragon energy ignited around his body as he launched himself forward in a devastating low-altitude charge.
BOOM!
To the audience, Garchomp seemed to vanish from his position. An explosion erupted where Lucario had been standing, and the tremendous impact sent chunks of concrete flying high into the sky until they disappeared from sight.
If that attack had connected, Lucario would have been finished instantly.
The arena's massive screens replayed the crucial moment in extreme slow motion, slowing the footage down a hundred times.
Even at that reduced speed, both Pokemon moved so quickly they appeared as mere blurs. The cameras barely captured the moment when Garchomp was about to strike Lucario before the Fighting-type suddenly vanished.
"He dodged it?" Henry said with genuine surprise.
All of his Pokemon had mastered an optimized form of draconic energy called 'Outrage Power', the basis of Perfect Outrage technique, incorporating their individual strengths into this advanced energy.
Garchomp, for example, had combined the emotional energy of pure killing intent with his Outrage Power.
The stronger his bloodlust became, the more devastating his attacks grew.
Dragon Rush had become Garchomp's signature move, reaching what trainers called 'transcendent level' mastery.
Transcendent level represented the pinnacle of move mastery - a realm only achievable when a technique perfectly harmonized with a Pokemon's advanced energy manipulation.
Garchomp's Dragon Rush was powerful enough to instantly defeat any Professional-level Pokemon.
'So that's the reason - it's his psychic ability,' Henry quickly realized.
Lucario's Inner Focus ability made his mental fortitude extremely strong, providing exceptional resistance to flinching effects.
Therefore, he could resist Garchomp's killing intent, which was normally sufficient to paralyze any professional-level Pokemon with terror.
On the battlefield, Lucario's form had completely disappeared after his Teleport.
Garchomp's eyes blazed red with fury. He had entered an Outrage state, his body radiating intense heat.
Despite his obvious rage, he hadn't lost control. His predator instincts remained sharp as he calmly surveyed his surroundings.
Three seconds passed before Garchomp suddenly jerked his head upward toward the blazing sun.
A massive Aura Sphere, compressed and spinning at incredible speed, was falling from the sky above.
The enormous sphere moved relatively slowly, but it possessed a tracking property that made it impossible to avoid.
'Using Teleport to hide in the sky...'
Henry's thoughts sparked with tactical understanding, and the draconic power within him began to surge.
"Dragon Claw!"
The dragon energy surrounding Garchomp suddenly intensified by fifty percent. His razor-sharp claws, now wreathed in purple energy, slashed upward toward the incoming Aura Sphere.
SLASH!
With the terrifying cutting power of Dragon Claw, he tore straight through the Aura Sphere, completely destroying it.
Bathed in the explosive aura energy, Garchomp's entire body pulsed with power. He shook off the energy impact and suddenly opened his fanged maw wide.
A concentrated beam of purple light erupted from his throat, streaking toward Lucario in midair.
Dragon Breath.
Lucario's form vanished again as Dragon Breath pierced through his afterimage, shooting straight up through the clouds above.
At the same instant, Lucario materialized behind Garchomp, launching an Aura Sphere from each paw.
In a display of incredible battlefield awareness, Garchomp whipped his tail around as if he had eyes in the back of his head, striking both spheres simultaneously.
Dragon Tail.
The energy exploded on impact, and Lucario used Extreme Speed to disappear, reappearing a hundred meters away.
"Chase him down!" Henry commanded with simplified instructions.
Garchomp launched his signature technique once more - Dragon Rush.
With his enhanced draconic power amplifying the attack, its might was fifty percent stronger than before, and the killing intent had increased proportionally.
Logically, Lucario should no longer be able to resist this level of murderous aura.
But once again, Lucario managed to evade.
The reason was simple.
A brilliant blue light representing aura power ignited around Roy's body.
It perfectly mirrored Henry, who stood hundreds of meters away with purple energy coursing through him.
The power of aura versus the power of dragons.
The strengthening of his aura made Lucario's mind even more resilient, completely immunizing him against Garchomp's murderous pressure.
These two gifted trainers represented something extraordinary.
One was the guardian of aura.
One was the dragon master.
"Incredible!" gasped the crowd.
This rare display amazed everyone watching the match around the world.
However, the situation was gradually becoming unfavorable for Lucario.
After several exchanges, anyone with a trained eye could see that Lucario's attacks were completely unable to damage Garchomp.
In contrast, whether it was Dragon Rush or Dragon Claw, if Garchomp landed even a single hit, he could defeat Lucario instantly.
More precisely, many people were surprised that this Lucario could even contend with Garchomp to this extent.
Teleport was far from being a universal evasion technique.
If a Pokemon's reaction time wasn't fast enough, or if the move's execution was too slow, it would create an opening for the enemy.
Many observers noted that this Lucario's reflexes were remarkable.
"No, it's not pure reaction speed," muttered Takeshi Aihara. He wore sunglasses, a face mask, and a heavy coat as he hid in a corner of the arena to avoid recognition.
Unbeknownst to him, his bizarre outfit in the sweltering heat made many people think he was mentally unstable.
"If you use Teleport after 'reacting,' no matter how fast you are, there will inevitably be a moment of hesitation," Aihara whispered to himself. "In close combat at this level, that split-second pause would give Garchomp the opening he needs."
"But this Lucario is different. When it fought against Bruno, it demonstrated an ability similar to 'precognition.'"
"Lucario isn't 'reacting' and then using Teleport."
"He's using Teleport in advance after 'foreseeing' the attack."
"It's truly perfect spatial combat," Aihara said with growing conviction. "This strategy allows an S1-stage Lucario to compete with top-tier professional-level Pokemon."
Indeed.
The power of Future Sight made Lucario's teleportation tactics nearly flawless.
Even when facing a master-level Pokemon of superior strength, he could hold his own for a limited time.
"But how long can you keep this up?"
Aihara's words seemed to echo from Henry's mouth as well.
On the battlefield, Garchomp rampaged like a tyrant. Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail - every technique possessed destructive power comparable to missile strikes, perfectly demonstrating the overwhelming force that made Dragon-types so feared.
Under this relentless assault, Lucario moved like a small boat sailing through a hurricane. He could only circle and evade continuously, knowing that a single mistake would sink him.
"Such incredible strategy, such powerful foresight," Henry said suddenly. "Although I don't understand the principle behind this precognitive ability, constantly seeing the 'future' can't be easy. How much longer can your Lucario maintain this?"
The power of Terminal Acquisition combined aura manipulation with Future Sight.
Once activated, it continuously drained both aura energy and psychic power.
In just these few dozen seconds, he had already seen through to this extent.
Roy admired his opponent's perceptiveness and shook his head with a slight smile:
"Not much longer."
"Because," Roy's grin widened, "I never intended to fight a battle of attrition."
Hearing this, Henry's expression became serious.
He didn't dare underestimate Roy.
But given the current situation, no matter how he analyzed it, he couldn't figure out how Roy could possibly turn this around.
A Z-Move?
That ultimate trump card could severely injure or even defeat Garchomp in one strike.
But by now, many trainers had analyzed Z-Moves' weaknesses and developed countermeasures.
The best strategy was to maintain high-intensity offensive pressure, preventing the opposing Pokemon from having time to channel the 'Nature Power' drawn from their trainer.
In team battles, teammates could provide cover to protect a Z-Move user.
But in single combat, Z-Moves had too obvious a startup time and were easily interrupted.
Unless Roy's Pokemon could one day use Z-Moves independently without his support, this weakness would always exist.
Could Lucario already be capable of autonomous Z-Move usage?
Henry considered this terrifying possibility, his heart tightening with concern.
Roy was unaware of his opponent's mental calculations as he spoke calmly:
"Henry."
During battle, they were rivals. He no longer used polite honorifics, addressing him by name directly.
The corners of Roy's mouth curved upward, his gaze burning with confidence:
"Let me ask you something."
"Is this Garchomp's full power?"
His expression radiated an incomprehensible confidence, as if to say, 'If this is your strongest, then today's match ends here.'
Henry frowned in confusion.
At the guest commentary table, Porter touched his chin and muttered, "Is this genuine confidence, or just bravado? What do you think, Caroline?"
Caroline ignored him completely, though the curiosity in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"It's coming soon," she whispered in a voice only she could hear.
On the field.
Facing everyone's confused, questioning, and bewildered stares, Roy spoke with calm authority: "I said in a pre-tournament interview that I would completely change the world's understanding of the relationship between trainers and Pokemon in this competition."
He raised his right hand, displaying the silver bracelet and the multicolored Key Stone embedded within it for all to see.
"This is the power that will usher in a new era."
After he spoke, the Key Stone blazed with brilliant light, and a colorful leaf-shaped projection appeared before Roy.
"This is the resonance between trainer and Pokemon - a bond of souls."
A tremendous force suddenly erupted from Lucario's body, the shockwave forcing Garchomp backward. The air currents raged so violently that Garchomp couldn't approach.
"It is evolution beyond all boundaries, holding infinite possibilities."
As Roy's voice echoed throughout the venue, Lucario's body began glowing with a familiar radiance.
The light of evolution.
But why was Lucario, a fully evolved Pokemon, surrounded by evolutionary light?
Astonishment and bewilderment appeared on the faces of the hundreds of millions of people watching this historic match.
"Lucario, Mega Evolution!"