Chapter 453: The Rules of Engagement
The aged Salamence was indeed giving Forrest a look of pure resentment.
Before they arrived, Forrest had distinctly told him they were challenging the descendant of Arthur. At the time, he'd thought this would be a sure win.
Sure, Old Flame had Mega Evolution and he didn't, but the person commanding him wasn't the original Arthur! Mega Evolution depended on the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. In reality, the power boost from this form wasn't a fixed value like in the battle simulators; it was influenced by multiple factors. A Mega Evolution achieved simply by throwing resources at it, like the one Old Flame's mate had, wouldn't provide a substantial increase in combat power.
That was why the major teams in the Kubfu Alliance hadn't historically invested heavily in developing Mega Evolution. If the bond was insufficient or the Pokémon itself wasn't strong enough, forcing a Mega Evolution was basically just an expensive cosmetic change—like spending a fortune on a new skin that didn't even boost your stats. The cost-benefit was extremely low.
Therefore, the aged Salamence had believed that against an Old Flame with a less-than-optimal Mega boost, he might just have a chance to redeem himself from past defeats.
But when he actually got on the stage and took a look, he was dumbfounded.
What the—?! What is this?!
Why did the human on the other side, the one secretly waving at him, look more and more familiar the longer he looked?
Forrest, you little brat! You tricked me!
If he had heard Forrest's grand deductive reasoning earlier, his thoughts would have mirrored Arthur's perfectly—You're a master detective, alright. Just please, stop deducing...
Forrest, still oblivious, had no idea why his Dragon "senior" was staring at him so resentfully. He was still radiating that same soaring confidence and conviction.
"Arthur, you'd better be careful!" he declared. "This Salamence I'm using was passed down from my own ancestor, a Pokémon from the same generation as your ancestor, Champion Arthur. You absolutely cannot underestimate him!"
"Got it," Arthur replied succinctly, acknowledging the well-intentioned warning.
At the same time, he noticed the Salamence on the field looked so mortified it seemed like it wanted to cover its face with its claws.
Forrest was brimming with confidence when, suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind through their telepathic link.
"Shut up!"
"???"
Forrest was completely lost. Could it be that my Dragon senior is still unwilling to listen to my commands? Okay, I get it! He's just facing a descendant. He's probably confident he can win without my help!
But then, another voice came through the link, this time sounding even more exasperated.
"You idiot, you'd better give this battle everything you've got when you command me!!"
Huh? What's going on?
Forrest's confusion only deepened.
The Salamence on the field was mentally exhausted. If Old Flame hadn't just asked him to keep the secret, he would have swatted Forrest to the ground with one claw.
Descendant, my foot! This is the guy you've been so desperate to find! You've completely screwed me over!
Watching the aged Salamence's increasingly helpless and resentful expression, Arthur felt a strange, satisfying little thrill. Ahem.
He quickly composed himself. Can't get cocky.
Out of respect for his old friend, he made a point to ask, "What rules are we playing by for this round?"
The audience and commentators were momentarily stunned.
"What does Trainer Arthur mean by that?"
Could there be a different set of rules for a professional match?
But Forrest, whose experience wasn't limited to stadium battles, understood immediately.
"If you don't mind," he replied, "we can use the rules of a practical combat drill."
"Alright. Then, win or lose, this Pokémon will not participate in subsequent rounds."
"Deal."
The audience was completely baffled by their exchange. It wasn't until the referee confirmed the terms and officially started the match that the meaning of their conversation became clear.
The commentator was so excited he started swearing.
"HOLY CRAP?! They're going to fully buff themselves and go all out for one single clash!!"
The biggest difference between a practical combat drill and the current stadium battle format was this: both sides were allowed to apply their buffs beforehand. In a real-world battle, setting up buffs is a given. Unless it's a sudden ambush, using items, applying stat boosts, and strategically recalling Pokémon are the three greatest tools for victory.
This was a fundamentally different combat philosophy from competitive stadium battling. On a professional stage, getting even a single layer of buffs up was a rare achievement. Most of the time, using a stat-boosting move was a feint to force the opponent into a direct confrontation. Unless you were completely overwhelming a weaker opponent, you rarely saw a battle between two fully-buffed Pokémon.
But in real combat, being fully buffed was the norm.
For this reason, Old Flame and Specter had never really had a chance to display their most overwhelming advantage over the new generation of competitive Pokémon—the fact that these battle-hardened veterans could sustain a far higher limit of stat buffs than their stadium-bred counterparts.
In the previous match between Elara and Quincy, Elara's Serperior had reached its limit after reversing just three stages of stat reduction from Snarl, thanks to its Contrary ability. While that was enough for her to complete a three-Pokémon sweep, for a former Champion-level Pokémon like Old Flame, that limit was nothing!
This match hadn't even officially started, yet the commentators were already losing their minds.
"OH MY ARCEUS!! MY GOODNESS!! The two Pokémon are still boosting themselves?! Just how much stronger can they possibly get?!!"
By now, Old Flame had already stacked three layers of Dragon Dance, two of Work Up, and one of Swords Dance.
Across the field, the aged Salamence had executed a full five Dragon Dances and two instances of Focus Energy!
The terrifying energy fluctuations around both Pokémon were beginning to warp the very space around them, shrouding their bodies in an ethereal glow that made them difficult to see clearly.
"What the—!"
The sheer power radiating from the field left not just the commentators, but even the professional trainers in the audience, completely speechless.
"Are they planning on demolishing the entire stadium?!"
"What are those two Pokémon made of? How have their bodies not exploded from that much power? Is this the level of a past Champion? I always thought the descriptions in the history books were exaggerated."
At that moment, some even began to wonder: Maybe those historical accounts were actually downplaying it?
Finally, the buffs were complete. Old Flame Mega Evolved. The two great dragons locked eyes, their fighting spirit igniting into a blazing inferno.
The climactic duel they never finished two hundred years ago would finally be decided today!
To be honest, even Forrest, still standing on the field, couldn't help but feel a knot of tension in his stomach. This was the first time he had ever witnessed Pokémon radiating such an astonishing level of energy.
But he remembered his Dragon senior's earlier command—Give this battle everything you've got!
He took a deep breath and was the first to break the standoff.
"Ascend, then use Dragon Rush!"
Arthur, however, gave a more seasoned command.
"Land, brace yourself, and take the hit! Then, use its momentum to counter with Breaking Swipe!"
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