That was Jason's absolute trust in Iron Valiant.
Iron Valiant also thought of the noisy purple figure on the sidelines, worrying about him the whole time. Their promise—he wouldn't lose to her.
He couldn't fall.
He absolutely must not fall here.
A surge of power welled up from deep in his broken frame. Larry watched the figure who had clearly reached his limit and still refused to drop, and a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.
"What a… tenacious Pokémon."
He drew a deep breath and raised his arm. "In that case, I'll send you off with my strongest strike."
"Altaria—Sky Attack!"
One of Flying's most powerful moves—charge up, then devastate.
Altaria ignited, blazing white; all its power gathered to its body, a holy, blinding sun. The end had come.
But as the light-born star stooped to dive, Jason's voice cracked the air—madness edging it.
"Now!"
"Stake everything—Close Combat!"
The reeling silver figure snapped its head up; his eyes exploded with light. He unleashed everything. No dodge, no flinch—straight into the falling "sun" with all he had left.
He poured every shred of energy, all his will, all his pride into his fists.
A Close Combat barrage.
Under a thousand stunned stares, ragged silver and sacred white smashed together. For an instant, time tore away—the world blasted to white.
Then—BOOM!!!
A vast explosion swallowed everything. The energy storm tore outward, even making the sky-simulator screens snow with static.
At ground zero, two Pokémon blasted apart, skidding to opposite ends. Dust rolled. Silence smothered the world.
One second. Two. Three.
The haze thinned. At one end, Altaria lay still, eyes spiraled—unable to battle. At the other, Iron Valiant remained on one knee. His body was ruined—but he had not fallen. With the last breath of strength, he held his final pose.
The ref stared, lips trembling a long time before he could raise his flag and force the call out:
"A—Altaria is unable to battle! Therefore—the winner—is—Iron Valiant!"
Won.
On the words, Iron Valiant's taut will finally loosened. He tipped forward—but didn't hit cold stone. A soft body caught him.
Jason.
He'd sprinted onto the field at some point and cradled him. "Good work. You fought brilliantly," he murmured.
Every eye fixed on the steel knight. He had won—again—against all odds. And everyone could see what it had cost. The once-perfect frame was battered almost beyond recognition—a skyscraper standing through a hurricane, still upright at the brink.
"He's… still standing," someone whispered in the seats.
He was. After that punishment, at that cost—he hadn't fallen. That Pokémon resolve moved every heart there.
Jason hurried to his partner, checking wounds in silence. He knew Iron Valiant was at the limit. "Thank you," he said softly, laying a hand on metal. Iron Valiant lifted his head; the red glow was dim—but he still gave Jason a small nod.
Across the way, Larry recalled Altaria and looked at the ruined opponent with the purest Trainer's respect. "An incredible Pokémon—to achieve this much."
He meant it. Then he took a fourth ball.
"But as an Elite Four, I won't pull my punches." He threw. "Next—Oricorio!"
A jaunty, electro-pop chirp rang out—a small yellow bird with twin pom-poms floated down. Pom-Pom Style Oricorio. It clashed with the grim, heavy mood like a cheerleader on a battlefield—lively and bright. No one dared underestimate it. Its Trainer was Larry.
Oricorio felt the still-burning battle will from across the field—tilted its head, then, on command, began to dance.
"Quiver Dance."
Its body swayed to a distinct beat. Each turn and hop sent a subtle power ripple across the air. Unseen force settled on it—Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed rose together.
"Another—another setup?"
"And Quiver Dance at that—the apex buff!"
"It's over—Iron Valiant can't withstand a buffed special sweeper now!"
Despairing cries rolled across the seats. Everyone knew—this would be the straw that broke it.
Jason looked from the climbing Oricorio to the partner swaying on his feet and made the call.
"That's enough, Iron Valiant." His voice was very soft. "Rest."
Iron Valiant froze, then turned, something complicated flashing in those dim eyes—unwilling, confused, instinctively resistant. He wasn't down. He could fight.
"I know you can," Jason said gently. "But there's no need. Any more and you'll take damage you can't undo. Your battle is over. You were outstanding—you proved your strength."
"We'll finish this. Leave the rest to us."
The words washed over the near-berserk battle fire, smoothing it. Iron Valiant went silent. He glanced once at Oricorio—now fully buffed, power rippling—then looked back to Jason and nodded, solemn.
He yielded. The hero exited. The crowd rose as one to applaud him, loudly and long.
In that ovation, Gast floated to Jason's side. "Jason—" Gone was the usual teasing and bounce—her voice was more serious than ever. She had watched the whole match in silence—watched Iron Valiant go from steamrolling to slugging to throwing everything in for the win—and felt Larry's strength like a mountain and a sea.
Her swollen confidence took a hit. So this is how the strong really fight. So this is the will victory costs. She looked at Jason; in her red eyes, a new fire burned.
"Leave it to me."
No wheedling, no boasting—just a steady, near-pleading resolve. Jason turned to her and saw the decision there. He nodded. "Go."
Gast drew a deep breath, purging nerves and noise, then floated to center to face a fully Quiver-Danced Oricorio radiating power. No fear. She opened her mouth and loosed a sharp, taunting cry.
"Heh-heh-heh!"
It declared the terms: Gengar, on stage.
Larry's gaze narrowed; this Gengar's aura was no ordinary one. "At last—the Gengar," he murmured.
"The battle resumes!" the ref called.
"Oricorio—Revelation Dance!" Larry snapped. In Pom-Pom Style, Revelation Dance is Electric. The pom-poms flared, blazing with lightning. Oricorio danced again—gold arcs fountaining like showers of sparks, blanketing the space around Gast.
"Evade—and counter with Shadow Ball!"
The ghost's body blurred. Using her ghost typing, she juked through the field at high speed—flicker-appearing in gaps in the net of lightning, popping up in surprising angles. She didn't shoulder hits like Iron Valiant; she took the route that let her shine. As she dodged, dark-purple orbs formed in her hands.
Shadow Ball! Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—tails of darkness lanced from tricky angles toward the dancing bird. A high-speed artillery duel exploded; gold bolts and violet spheres smashed, tangled, and blew apart, lighting the simulated sky in strobing flashes.
"Too—too fast!"
"This Gengar's so agile—dodging and striking with that precision!"
"Jason's calling is scary—he's anticipating Oricorio's every move!"
"But this won't crack it—after Quiver Dance, its Sp. Def is high—Shadow Ball won't finish it!"
"Yeah—now it's a race to see who runs out of gas first!"
Gast's breathing quickened; the strain bit both ways. They understood—chipping meant nothing. The match would hinge on the next exchange.
Larry's eyes went razor-sharp. He raised an arm. "Oricorio—gather everything!"
"Hurricane!"
Oricorio stopped dancing and rose to the top of the arena, pom-pom wings spread. Air currents roared chaotic; crushing power coiled. A titanic tornado knitting sky to ground spun to life—Flying's great finisher, Hurricane.
Jason's eyes went very grave. He knew Gast couldn't get clear.
He looked at the purple blur. "Gast—you've already done great," he said softly.
She jolted—then looked back with a grin. "Jason, I've got one more move~"
"Destiny Bond."
She knew exactly what it meant. A forbidden pact—drag the foe down with you at the cost of your own fall. In her mind flashed Iron Valiant's ruined body standing and standing again. Light flickered in her eyes. She didn't hesitate for a heartbeat.
~~~
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