"Oh! Gary has recalled Breloom — that's a big loss!" the host exclaimed.
Breloom had just maxed out its Attack power thanks to multiple Power-Up Punch boosts. Returning it to the Poké Ball meant all of those boosts would vanish. For a competitive battle, that was no small setback.
"Gary, you're making my blood pressure rise here," one fan grumbled.
"Yeah, couldn't you let Breloom keep going for a while longer?" another muttered.
"My… danger!!"
Gary, unfazed, plucked another Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it forward.
"Gardevoir, you're up! Deal with Flygon!"
"Gaaarde-voir!" The elegant Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.
[LV60 Gardevoir – Elite]
Bang!
As soon as she materialized, jagged shards of Stealth Rock shot up from the ground, striking her on entry. Gardevoir brushed the dust from her arm with a calm, almost dismissive glance.
The audience gasped.
"Oh my Arceus, is that… a shiny Gardevoir?!"
"She's gorgeous!" someone shouted.
"I'd give anything to have one like that!"
"I'm so jealous… imagine being Gary's kid and inheriting his Pokémon!"
Rare Pokémon always drew attention, but a shiny Gardevoir — especially one in the hands of a top-tier trainer — was an absolute showstopper.
"Flygon, Earth Power!" Brendan commanded without hesitation.
"Flaaai-gon!" Flygon swooped lower, gathering raw energy from the ground. The turf beneath Gardevoir began to glow with a saffron-gold light as tremors rippled outward.
Gardevoir glanced down — then vanished in an instant.
A split-second later, the beam of energy erupted from where she had just been, tearing up the field.
"Not good! Behind you!" Brendan shouted.
Flygon spun in midair — but saw nothing. Then, a voice rang out from below. Looking down, Flygon saw Gardevoir directly underneath, her entire body bathed in dazzling light.
"Voooiiir!"
WHAM!
The blast of psychic energy hit Flygon full force. The dragon screeched in pain before crashing into the grassy terrain with a heavy thud, eyes swirling.
"Flygon is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins!" the referee declared.
Brendan stood frozen, speechless. His jaw worked, but no words came out. This was the first time he had ever been defeated in a single blow.
At just one year into his journey, Brendan had never battled someone of Gary's caliber — a trainer who fought at an Elite Four level. The sheer gap in power was shocking.
From the stands, voices shouted:
"That's what I'm talking about! One-shot knockout!"
"Gary, keep using Gardevoir and crush him! If you win, I'll even give you my daughter!"
"Dude, you can't be more than 30 — how old's your daughter?"
"She's only seven… but give it seven years and Gary still won't regret it!"
"Wait, WHAT?!"
In the spectator section, May frowned. "What's with that Gardevoir? She's insanely strong."
Max adjusted his glasses. "It's not just strength. Gardevoir is part Fairy-type, which has a natural advantage over Dragon-type Pokémon like Flygon."
"Ohhh, so that's why!" May said, impressed. "Max, you really know your stuff."
Max puffed up proudly.
But Ash cut in. "That's only part of it. That Gardevoir's at a very high level — otherwise there's no way she'd take down a Flygon in one hit."
"True," Max admitted. Then he turned to Ash. "So who's stronger — that Gardevoir or your Pikachu?"
"Of course Pikachu!" Ash replied without hesitation.
"Pika-chuuu!" Pikachu squeaked proudly from Ash's shoulder.
Gardevoir had been with Gary since she was a Ralts in Hoenn, growing alongside his team. She was powerful, but Ash refused to believe any Pokémon could surpass his long-time partner.
"I'm not letting this end so easily!" Brendan gritted his teeth and sent out his next Pokémon.
"Aggron, let's go!"
"Aggrrooon!!" The massive Steel-type roared as it appeared.
[LV47 Aggron – Quasi-Elite]
Brendan's Lairon had evolved and climbed in strength rapidly. Level 47 was nothing to scoff at for a year's training.
"Aggron's Steel typing gives it resistance to both Psychic and Fairy moves," the host explained. "This could be Brendan's chance to turn things around."
But Brendan didn't attack immediately. He knew Gardevoir could teleport at will — a reckless charge could spell disaster. Instead, he decided to wait for Gary to make the first move.
Gary smirked. "Hesitating won't help you. Gardevoir, Aura Sphere — end this."
"What?! No, Aggron, Metal Claw!" Brendan called out quickly.
"Aggrrooon!!" Aggron braced itself, steel claws glowing as the brilliant blue Aura Sphere streaked toward it.
BOOM!
The sphere slammed into Aggron's claws — but instead of being deflected, it plowed right through, forcing Aggron back with sheer force. Its arms shook violently under the pressure before the blast struck its chest and detonated in a flash.
"AGGRROOON!!" the Iron Armor Pokémon roared before collapsing with a heavy crash.
"Aggron is unable to battle! Brendan's third Pokémon has been defeated. That ends the first half!" the referee announced.
Gary had shut Brendan out without losing a single Pokémon. The crowd erupted:
"Gary's a beast!"
"Complete victory! Let's see a shutout in the second half too!"
"Man, Brendan's getting crushed… he's got no face left after this."
"Hey, calm down — he's just a rookie. Losing to Gary isn't shameful."
"Tell that to my wallet! My bets are gone!"
Ten minutes later, the halftime break ended. Gary returned to the field with a calm, almost relaxed expression. Brendan's face, however, was tight with pressure. Being shut out in the first half weighed heavily on him.
"Alright! Let's see what the battlefield will be for the second half," the referee said.
The roulette spun on the big screen and stopped on a snowflake icon.
"The second half will take place on the Ice Field!"
The grass terrain split apart, replaced by a gleaming sheet of ice that stretched across the arena.
Gary exhaled slowly. Ice wasn't ideal — none of the Pokémon he had caught in Hoenn were particularly suited for this terrain.