Aurora's ace, battered but far from beaten. Even now, it towered, muscles taut, eyes focused and breathing heavy but steady. Deep gouges along its body told the story of the battle so far—Dragonair's strikes, Charizard's seismic hold—but its legs still rooted firm, its fangs still glinting.
Ray didn't need to scan it again. He already knew.
It was still dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
But so was Pidgeotto now.
"Use your speed," Ray said softly. "Don't fight it head-on. You know what to do."
Pidgeotto gave a sharp cry and took off, soaring upward in a dazzling spiral that pulled gasps from the audience.
Aurora gave a slight nod, her voice cold and sharp. "Don't let it dance around you. Lock it down."
Garchomp snarled and leapt into the air with terrifying force, swinging with a brutal Dragon Claw.
But Pidgeotto was already gone.
In a blur, it twisted midair and dove at impossible angles. Aerial Ace, Gust, Quick Attack—each strike targeted Garchomp's injuries with surgical precision. One to the jaw. Another to the leg Charizard had weakened. A third under the ribs where Dragonair had struck.
Dust rose with every impact. The dragon staggered, forced onto the defensive.
"Keep your momentum!" Ray shouted. "Now—loop left and strike again!"
Pidgeotto executed a perfect corkscrew maneuver, skimming inches from the ground before shooting upward at Garchomp's blind side.
But Aurora was not a passive spectator.
"Predict it. Slam the air."
Garchomp spun and slammed both claws into the ground, unleashing a shockwave of dirt and stone. The blast caught Pidgeotto midflight, throwing it off-balance. Before it could recover, Garchomp's tail whipped around and connected hard with its side.
The wind was knocked out of the bird as it crashed into the field, rolling and tumbling in a blur of feathers.
"Pidgeotto!!" Ray cried.
The avian twitched, struggling to rise, one wing slightly drooped. Blood trickled from a cut near its eye.
It stood.
Shaking. Panting. But still standing.
Garchomp stomped once, twice, and charged again. Its jaws opened for Crunch, glowing with savage energy.
"Dodge!" Ray yelled.
Pidgeotto tried. It twisted left, wings flaring, but Garchomp's fangs caught its tail feathers and yanked it down. Another Dragon Claw slammed against its back, driving it into the ground again.
Ray's fists clenched.
Not yet. Not like this.
He locked eyes with his partner. "This is your moment. You've grown stronger than ever. You're not just fast—you're unbreakable!"
Pidgeotto's eye fluttered open, then burned with new fire. Slowly, agonizingly, it rose to its feet once more.
The stadium roared.
Its wings unfurled fully again, even if one trembled slightly. It stepped forward.
And then it ran.
It took to the air with a cry that pierced the heavens. Ray could see it—the transformation, not in power or evolution, but in heart. In determination.
High above, Pidgeotto burst through the dust with a burst of speed unseen until now. It flew circles around Garchomp, faster than before. Air Slash rained from above, slicing into the dragon's battered scales.
Aurora frowned. "Enough."
"Stone Edge."
Garchomp slammed the ground, sending jagged rocks into the air. Pidgeotto dodged between them like a ribbon in the wind, tucking its wings and diving straight toward Garchomp's chest.
"Now!" Ray commanded.
Pidgeotto's talons glowed, striking with Steel Wing, smashing against Garchomp's core. The dragon roared and staggered, finally losing its footing and falling to one knee.
But it wasn't done yet.
It roared again, spinning with wild force and striking Pidgeotto midair with a final Dragon Tail, slamming it into the dirt once more.
Silence.
Then movement.
Pidgeotto stood.
Chest heaving. Eyes sharp.