Chapter 334 – Time for Reckoning!
Cynthia had faced Asahi's Gardevoir before on the Indigo Plateau—she knew exactly how dangerous it could be.
The moment she saw that gleam of blue light in Gardevoir's eyes, she realized: It's tracking Garchomp underground.
While Gardevoir couldn't use Earthquake, and thus couldn't attack directly below, letting it pinpoint Garchomp's location would be a strategic disaster.
Without hesitation, Cynthia gave her command: "Garchomp—Sand Tomb!"
Underground, Garchomp's spiny body rotated like a tunneling machine, pulverizing the earth beneath Gardevoir's feet into shifting sand.
The ground around Gardevoir rapidly began to collapse, turning into a trap of quicksand.
"Cynthia's Garchomp has used Sand Tomb! Gardevoir's footing is vanishing—she's in danger of being trapped!" Iono called out.
If Gardevoir got stuck, Cynthia would gain control of the match—and everyone knew that once Cynthia took the lead, she rarely let it go.
The chat exploded:
[Iono! Who do you think's gonna win?!]
Iono hesitated—she had already misread one move earlier.
But then her eyes sharpened. A true streamer doesn't fear bold predictions!
"I think Cynthia and Garchomp hold the advantage here!"
It wasn't blind hype.
Sure, Asahi was strong—but Cynthia was the top seed for the championship.
What's wrong with betting on her? Absolutely nothing!
But just as Iono finished, Asahi waved his hand.
Gardevoir's form shimmered—and she reappeared across the battlefield, teleporting effortlessly out of the quicksand's reach.
Iono froze, then quickly adapted:
"Gardevoir narrowly escaped using Teleport! But there's no way she can dodge every time!"
Just as she said that, Garchomp, underground, used tremors to sense Gardevoir's new location and rushed toward her.
But before it could strike—
Gardevoir rose into the air, her body glowing blue with psychic power. Her dress fluttered as she hovered gracefully above the arena.
Iono's jaw dropped.
"Gardevoir can fly?!"
The chat went berserk.
[Gardevoir: You thought I couldn't dodge?]
[Garchomp: Stop jinxing me, please.]
[Flying Gardevoir... is that even legal?!]
It was legal.
League battles weren't the same as online matches. If a move didn't break the rules, it was fair game—even if Gardevoir busted out Precipice Blades next, it'd still be legal.
But thinking about how confidently she'd claimed Garchomp had the upper hand...
Iono really wanted to cover her face.
"Ugh..."
While the chat kept laughing and she suffered secondhand embarrassment, Gardevoir—now in midair—finally launched her counterattack.
She cupped her hands to her chest and began to sing.
A soft, melodic voice echoed through the stadium—Captivating Voice.
To the audience, it was beautiful. But to Garchomp, it was torment.
The melody slipped through the gaps in the sand and pierced its ears. Garchomp writhed in discomfort.
Suddenly, the ground cracked open, and two massive boulders shot upward toward Gardevoir.
Rock Tomb!
Whoosh—!
The rocks screamed through the air, but both Asahi and Gardevoir smiled.
"Finally showed yourself!" Asahi declared.
Without even needing instructions, Gardevoir used her psychic energy to shift the boulders midair. They veered off course and crashed to the ground harmlessly.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
Gardevoir... feels even stronger than last time.
She pushed the thought away—no matter what, even if it was an exhibition, she would give it her all.
Her gaze lifted to the sky.
Gardevoir was airborne now.
"Aerial Ace!" she commanded.
Garchomp's eyes flashed.
It spread its wings and shot into the sky, becoming a blur of speed as it soared toward Gardevoir, air currents spiraling around it.
The real battle had just begun.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Zinnia exclaimed from the sidelines.
Gary blinked. "Is it really that impressive?"
"All it did was take off quickly. No need to be that dramatic, right?"
"It's not just the takeoff!" Zinnia's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Cynthia's Garchomp is flying way faster than a typical Garchomp! It's the fastest one I've ever seen!"
"See the vapor trails behind it? That's a sign of a Dragon-type pushing long-range flight speed limits. To leave those trails in such a short burst—you tell me that's not powerful!"
As she spoke, Garchomp had already flown several hundred meters across the arena. Once it stabilized its flight posture midair, it finally launched its attack—
Aerial Ace!
With an agile midair twist, Garchomp reversed direction and rocketed back toward Gardevoir at even greater speed. Its razor-edged scales shredded the air with a piercing shriek, its wings carving compressed air into deadly blades.
Garchomp's eyes locked on its target with unrelenting intensity—there was nowhere to run.
But...
Gardevoir didn't flinch.
Matching Garchomp's strength with her own, Gardevoir raised a hand. A glowing blade of pure psychic energy materialized in her palm—
Psychic Slash!
Boom!!
Psychic Slash vs. Aerial Ace!
The moment Gardevoir's invisible blade took shape, the twin sensory fins atop Garchomp's head twitched violently—danger.
At the last possible moment, Garchomp twisted its body.
Swish—!
The Psychic Slash barely grazed Garchomp, but the mere touch of it sent searing pain across its flank.
The blade carved through the air, slammed into the arena floor—
BOOM!
The impact gouged out a trench over ten meters long and several meters deep in the solid battlefield.
And this devastating blow... had come from a Pokémon with a slender, elegant frame—Gardevoir.
The crowd—whether watching live, on TV, or online—collectively gasped.
So this... is the power of a Champion?
[I finally get why so many Gym Leaders got wrecked by this guy!]
[So it's not that Giovanni was weak... Asahi's just busted!]
[Streamer, if Asahi ever comes to arrest you, just surrender immediately.]
Still catching her breath, Iono blinked at the chat and sighed.
Why do they always root for me to get captured...?
Up in the sky, the battle wasn't even close to over. Though Gardevoir had narrowly missed, Garchomp was already closing in.
In the blink of an eye, Garchomp was right in front of Gardevoir.
Its wings gleamed, slicing the air like blades as it swung them forward.
Gardevoir didn't move.
It was like she froze—watching the attack coming straight at her.
SLASH—!
Garchomp's wing passed right through—
—nothing.
There was no impact. No resistance. Just empty air.
The "Gardevoir" it had struck began to flicker and fade.
"Substitute... No—!" Cynthia's eyes widened.
Before she could react, the real Gardevoir reappeared—right behind Garchomp.
Wearing a serene, friendly smile, Gardevoir raised her arm.
A warm pink light shimmered in her palm.
Dazzling Gleam!
BOOM!
The attack struck Garchomp squarely in the back mid-flight, like it had been rammed by a freight train.
Thrown off balance, Garchomp spiraled downward at nearly a 90-degree angle.
"Garchomp!" Cynthia shouted.
To her, Garchomp wasn't just a partner—it was her very first Pokémon, and they'd been through countless battles together. Even though its mind went blank from the hit, her voice broke through the fog.
Still, Garchomp was plummeting fast, and couldn't regain control.
From Cynthia's point of view, she could clearly see Gardevoir charging another move—
"Asahi..."
Before she could command a response—
"Asahi: Gardevoir, Moonblast!"
Gardevoir raised her glowing hand.
Fwoosh—!
A burst of lunar energy shot downward—
—but just missed Garchomp, slamming into the ground instead.
BOOM!!
The explosion blasted sand into the air, scattering the remnants of the earlier Sand Tomb.
Garchomp... hadn't been hit.
Everyone—Cynthia, Garchomp, even the crowd—froze.
Why… didn't he finish it?
But then, they remembered—this was an exhibition match.
Asahi and Cynthia had both taken it seriously, so much so that everyone else forgot—it wasn't meant to end in a knockout.
Even Iono had almost suffocated from tension.
Now, realizing it had all been for show, she exhaled sharply.
"Absolutely amazing! I heard Mr. Asahi will be participating in the World Championship too—I wonder how far he'll go in the main tournament?" she asked aloud.
[What do you mean "wonder"? He's winning the whole thing!]
[It was just a 1v1 with a type advantage. A full 6v6 might be a different story.]
[Don't forget Leon's still in it. Even without Dynamax, he's a beast.]
The chat roared with debate. Iono finally relaxed.
Good... maybe they forgot I made two wrong predictions today.
That thought had barely formed when she saw a Super Chat float across the screen—
[SlackingOffAtWorkToday: I just saw someone in the Captain Chat mention... Iono, didn't you say I wasn't gonna win?]
The stream paused.
The chat exploded.
[Did Asahi seriously start watching the stream right after finishing the match?!]
[Let him cook! Don't let Iono off the hook!]
[Arrest her! Confiscate her mic!]
Judgment Day had arrived.
As Iono stared at the chat, stunned by the sudden reversal, the host finally stepped back onto the stage.
"Let's give a round of applause for Mr. Asahi and Miss Cynthia!"
With the match concluded, Asahi pocketed his phone and waved to the roaring crowd.
Seeing the electric atmosphere in the stadium, Director Scott smiled contentedly.
...
Though the opening match was over, the World Championships also featured a keynote address by the rotating Chair of the Pokémon League Executive Council—Chairman Darmanach.
Asahi, who had zero patience for long speeches, took the first opportunity to vanish.
Now back at his beachside villa, he was lounging comfortably on the couch. He could still remember Cynthia's exasperated glare as he snuck away.
But hey, she's a League Champion. She had to stay. I work for Interpol. I don't answer to the Committee.
With a hand gently glowing with Viridian energy, Asahi treated Gardevoir's injuries.
Even though she hadn't taken a direct hit, during her Substitute-based dodge of Garchomp's Aerial Ace, she still got grazed by the sharp airblades from Garchomp's wings.
A soft green light passed over her arm, healing the last shallow cut.
Once her skin returned to its pristine smoothness, Asahi gently released her wrist and looked into her eyes.
"Next time, don't take risks like that."
Gardevoir nodded silently.
Just as Asahi was about to say more—
THUMP!
Eevee launched into his chest like a tiny cannonball.
"Ghk—! My stomach... Eevee! I'm not a Snorlax trampoline!"
Eevee looked sheepishly up at him. "Bui~...!"
"Huh? What do you mean—Iono's here?"
Asahi turned toward the door—and sure enough, there she was.
Iono stood stiffly in the doorway, still in her stream outfit.
Then—she bowed at a full 180 degrees.
"I'm sorry! Please don't arrest me!"
Asahi: "..."
After all my explanations, you still think I'm gonna cuff you?!
....
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