"Regigigas is unable to battle, Ursaluna wins!"
The referee carefully examined the collapsed titan before making the call, ensuring it had truly fainted.
"What an incredible clash of raw power! Although Challenger Lucas sent out the Legendary Colossal Pokémon said to move continents itself, the Champion clearly anticipated this."
"By relentlessly wearing it down with Ninetales' fiery assaults, and then overwhelming it with the brute might of Ursaluna, Paul has once again claimed victory."
"I dare say—the Champion deserves the title of Legend Slayer! For in his presence, no Legendary Pokémon has ever stood tall until the end…"
The announcer's voice rose with passion, but down in the arena, Lucas silently recalled Regigigas.
"Rest now, Regigigas."
His expression remained solemn, yet far from disheartened—as though he had anticipated this outcome.
And indeed, he had. Capturing Regigigas the first time had been arduous, largely due to his lack of knowledge about it. But once he learned more, he realized that defeating a Regigigas saddled with Slow Start wasn't impossible.
If given another chance, Lucas believed he could have captured it without even resorting to a Master Ball.
After all, reality was not like the games. Being slow was a fatal flaw. Speed didn't just mean striking first—it meant dodging, weaving, surviving. And when you were slow, even the strongest attack might never connect.
Especially for Pokémon that relied on sheer strength—if they couldn't utterly overpower their foes, they risked being toyed with and struck down by fast.
As Paul made no move to recall Ursaluna, Lucas hurled another Poké Ball, sending out his worn and weary Clefable.
"Clefable, use Healing Wish!"
Though battered and scorched, Clefable raised its arms. A glowing orb of light burst forth, shooting into the Master Ball in Lucas' hand—the one holding Regigigas.
With its final act complete, Clefable collapsed. Yet within its Poké Ball, Regigigas stirred anew, and restored.
Paul, watching closely, knew Ursaluna could not stop Clefable's sacrifice. He instead ordered it to drop onto all fours, triggering Rest, replenishing its strength completely.
Regigigas revived. Ursaluna rejuvenated. The battlefield reset.
"Clefable is unable to battle! Ursaluna wins!"
The referee declared.
"You've done well. Rest now, Clefable."
Lucas recalled his Pokémon, then, after a moment's thought, threw another Poké Ball.
"Salamence, to the field!"
"Rooooaaar!"
With a mighty cry, the dragon soared into the sky. Once belonging to the infamous Hunter J, Salamence now flew freely, its power and aura far greater than in the past. Yet even so, it paled in comparison to Ursaluna in its fully powered state.
"Stone Edge!"
Paul wasted no words. Ursaluna summoned jagged stones, hurling them skyward in a deadly barrage.
"Dragon Dance and fly!"
Salamence dared not face Ursaluna head-on. It flared its wings, whirling into a Dragon Dance, then shot upwards, climbing several hundred meters to evade the storm of stones.
Out of Ursaluna's effective range, attacking would be pointless. Any wild strike would waste precious energy.
Paul scowled, irritation flashing across his face. He itched to punish Salamence with a Precipice Blades—but Ursaluna did not command such power.
Meanwhile, Lucas' strategy was clear. Against Ursaluna's overwhelming force, he had no chance in a head-on clash. Better to stall, empower Salamence, and then strike with speed.
But Paul was not the kind of trainer to sit idle while his opponent boosted unchecked.
Ursaluna had no further means of bolstering itself—its Attack already maxed, and defensive buffs meaningless against Salamence's aerial advantage.
So Paul made his move.
"Return. Drapion—enter! Set Toxic Spikes and Acupressure!"
"Draaah!"
Landing on the battlefield, Drapion immediately jabbed pressure points along its body, triggering Acupressure to boost its stats. Then it flung two bursts of poison skyward. The toxins exploded, falling like a toxic rain to coat the arena floor—two layers of Toxic Spikes. Any grounded foe would be poisoned upon entry.
Lucas' heart sank.
Regigigas could levitate if it forced itself, but its sluggish movement would only make it an easy target in the air. Setting foot on the poisoned ground meant certain toxic damage.
How he now regretted not bringing his Togekiss with Defog. But regret was useless, every choice had been deliberate.
What mattered now was stopping Drapion before it spiraled out of control. Left unchecked, its Acupressure boosts and Rage-fueled ferocity could turn it into an even greater threat than Ursaluna.
"Meteor Shower! Draco Meteor!"
From high above, Salamence unleashed a devastating torrent of draconic energy. Bursts of light rained down like blazing meteors, engulfing the field.
Dodging was impossible—but Drapion never intended to.
"Pin Missile!"
Having boosted its power with Acupressure, Drapion launched a storm of Pin Missiles from its claws. One after another, they intercepted the falling meteors, detonating them midair.
The remaining missiles streaked upward, locking onto Salamence.
"Tailwind! Then Dragon Rush!"
Salamence's wings beat furiously, conjuring a mystical gale. The Tailwind doubled its speed. In a blur, it slipped past the pursuing Pin Missiles, then dove like a green comet, Dragon Rush igniting its body.
"Rock Tomb!"
Drapion hurled boulders skyward. Salamence wove through, smashing aside a few, and breaking through the barrage.
But as it burst past the last stones, its eyes widened.
Waiting below were two massive, frost-tipped claws, gleaming with murderous cold. Drapion's lips curled into a savage grin, its eyes glowing red with fury.
In just moments, it had already powered itself twice with Acupressure, its stats soaring. Fueled by Rage, its strength rivaled titans.
"Draaaah!"
It lunged, pincers ready to snap.
With a surge of force from Drapion, Salamence's assault collapsed instantly. The dragon was swatted from the sky and slammed into the ground with crushing force.
"BOOM!!"
The impact reverberated. Struggling, Salamence ignored its pain and tried to take flight again—only to find its proud wings rimed with ice crystals, their movement stiff and sluggish.
"Ice Fang!"
Though Ice Fang was not Drapion's strongest move, against a Dragon/Flying-type like Salamence, its quadruple effectiveness made anything else unnecessary.
Drapion lunged with terrifying speed, all three of its massive pincers striking at once—each fanged with icy energy, aimed directly at Salamence's wings and head.
"Dragon Claw! Scary Face!"
Salamence, unable to retreat, made a desperate stand. Its foreclaws flared with draconic energy, slashing upward to intercept, while its face contorted into a menacing glare, releasing an aura meant to slow Drapion.
"CRASH!"
The clash was brutal. In that instant, Salamence felt sensation vanish from its claws. A splitting pain struck its skull—the world went dark, and the dragon collapsed in silence.
It's super effective!
A critical hit!
"Salamence is unable to battle—Drapion wins!" The referee declared.
"Return, Salamence."
Lucas recalled his fallen dragon, a frown deepening across his face. Drapion stood in the center of the arena, radiating killing intent, and Lucas finally understood.
Through observing the past few rounds, he realized: Paul had mastered some technique, a power tied to Rage, that could ignite greater strength in any Pokémon.
Without it, Drapion defeating Salamence—or Ursaluna crushing Regigigas, would not have been so easy.
"Once more—Regigigas!"
Now down to his last two Pokémon, Lucas hesitated no longer. He threw the Master Ball, summoning the colossal Titan once again.
"Re…gi…gi…gas…"
But Slow Start still hindered it. Even its cry seemed delayed, stuttering like a broken echo.
And this time, the moment Regigigas set foot on the battlefield, toxic fumes surged upward. The Toxic Spikes Drapion had laid earlier activated, venom flooding its system.
As a Legendary, Regigigas resisted fiercely—mere toxins could not overwhelm it instantly. For a moment, it held the poison at bay.
Paul sneered. "Then let me help it along. Toxic! Venoshock! Pin Missile!"
Drapion's power surged. Purple miasma thickened around Regigigas, forcing the toxins deep. It spewed a concentrated blast of venom, then launched a storm of glittering needle-missiles from its claws.
"Protect!"
Lucas' order was sharp and decisive. Even before its engine had started, Regigigas raised a shimmering green barrier, blocking every strike.
But Lucas knew the truth: defeating Drapion would be even harder than Ursaluna.
With Acupressure powering it further and further, Drapion's speed eclipsed Regigigas'—even after Slow Start wore off. Lock-On would not be enough.
His mind raced.
Then he reached into his pocket. From it, he drew a Dynamax Band, snapped it onto his wrist, and recalled Regigigas.
The Master Ball flared purple, enlarging with radiant energy. With a mighty throw, Lucas released it again.
The arena shook as a titanic, towering Regigigas—dozens of meters tall—manifested, shrouded in crimson storm clouds.
Regigigas had Dynamaxed!
"Regigigas, Max Quake!" Lucas commanded.
"Re…GIII…"
The behemoth stomped down. A cataclysmic shockwave tore across the battlefield, earth splitting, magma-like energy surging outward in a devastating wave.
Paul responded instantly. "Acupressure, then Rock Tomb—use the rocks to escape!"
Drapion's tail-pincer struck pressure points again, boosting its stats further, while boulders cascaded from the sky. Leaping onto the falling stones, it bounded upward, trying desperately to evade the seismic wave.
But Regigigas was no fool.
It roared, swung its colossal fist, and smashed Drapion out of the sky.
Even Paul was caught off guard.
"What—?! Using a normal strike during a Max Move?!"
Too late. Drapion plummeted. The Max Quake erupted, engulfing it completely.
It's super effective!
Drapion staggered, barely clinging to consciousness. Regigigas, its Special Defense now boosted by the Max Quake, did not waste its moment.
The giant lifted its foot.
"BOOM!!"
One brutal stomp—and Drapion collapsed.
"Drapion is unable to battle, Regigigas wins!"
The referee's voice rang, but the arena was hushed. Every spectator stared, wide-eyed, at the Dynamaxed Titan.
This—this was nothing like the Dynamax battles they knew.
"Weren't there supposed to be only three Max Moves?" Someone whispered.
"What was it… punching? Stomping?!" Another gasped.
Paul smirked faintly, recalling Drapion. "Impressive. A fascinating battle style."
Indeed, though the anime and games allowed Dynamaxed Pokémon to use standard moves, their power rarely compared to Max Moves, and still drained Dynamax energy.
But Lucas had discovered something new: blending Regigigas' natural strikes with its Max Moves, chaining them together to all but guarantee hits—and finish weakened foes.
"Just a little trick I stumbled on." Lucas replied modestly.
If it had been Ash, he would have puffed up with pride at Paul's praise. But Lucas was different. He knew clearly—his innovation was minor compared to the overwhelming potential Paul and his Pokémon had unlocked through Rage.
That, truly, was the greater power.
(End of Chapter)
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