As the portrait of Gyarados on the massive screen dimmed to gray, it was unmistakable that Lance had already lost two Pokémon on his side.
"In that case, not counting the Salamence that's basically already crippled, Lucas is already ahead by one Pokémon…"
"This Lucas is seriously incredible—he can even suppress Champion Lance."
"Lucas Oppa really is the strongest!!"
"Hey now, the battle has only just begun—don't rush to conclusions," someone countered.
"But that Rhyperior is insanely strong. It looks like it's still in great condition."
All kinds of topics exploded across the forums. After all, with Gyarados falling, the situation had clearly begun to tilt in Lucas's favor.
Even after taking two super effective hits from Gyarados, Rhyperior's aura remained powerful. Its stamina was still abundant, which made it extremely difficult to deal with.
Lance stared at Rhyperior for a moment, then, without much hesitation, threw his third Poké Ball.
"Garchomp!"
The Poké Ball burst open midair, Lucas light flashing as a domineering, ferocious land dragon spread its arms and slammed heavily onto the battlefield.
It was none other than the Sinnoh region's pseudo-legendary Dragon-type—Garchomp!
"Garchomp, huh? Looks like Lance still wants to settle this head-on,"
Steven said with a chuckle, stroking his clean-cut chin as he looked at the savage Garchomp.
As a Ground/Dragon-type pseudo-legendary, Garchomp's combat style was never defensive—it worshiped ferocious, overwhelming offense!
Lance was still Lance. Even when at a disadvantage, he refused to play it safe, choosing instead to smash open his path with sheer violence.
"Yes, and…"
Cynthia carefully examined the Garchomp, her beautiful eyes flickering slightly.
This Garchomp was no worse than her own—and perhaps even more than that.
On the battlefield, Lance took a pure, flawless Key Stone from his pocket. His cold, stern face showed no expression.
Mega Evolution!
"ROOAAAR—!"
Garchomp threw its head back and roared as dazzling evolutionary light instantly engulfed its entire body.
Amid the crowd's gasps, the light vanished in an instant, revealing a vicious, berserk Mega Garchomp. The two blood-red scythe-like blades on its arms sent chills down everyone's spine.
"Mega Garchomp!"
Lucas curled his lips into a grin as he looked at the Mega Garchomp. A opponent like this was truly interesting for Rhyperior.
"Earthquake!"
The moment the Mega Evolution ended, Lance coldly issued his command.
Mega Garchomp slightly lifted its foot, then slammed it down hard.
The entire battlefield shook violently as invisible shockwaves rippled outward.
"Earthquake!"
Rhyperior whipped its meteor-hammer tail down heavily.
The two earthquakes raged and collided before finally settling back into silence—but Mega Garchomp had already begun charging toward Rhyperior.
Incredibly fast!
"Rock Tomb!"
Lucas commanded calmly.
Garchomp was classified as the Mach Pokémon precisely because, in its lore, its flight speed could even reach supersonic levels. Even the air currents generated by its wings during high-speed movement were said to be capable of cutting down trees.
Of course, that was just lore—after all, Dragonite was also said to be able to circle the planet in a short time.
Still, there was no denying that Garchomp was absurdly fast.
After Mega Evolution, strictly speaking, Mega Garchomp's speed actually dropped compared to before. However, its offensive power became vastly stronger than it had ever been.
Yes—by sacrificing some speed, it gained terrifying attack strength.
That was Mega Garchomp.
Rhyperior let out a low roar as the ground trembled. Four massive stone walls burst up from beneath the earth, blocking Mega Garchomp's advance.
"Dragon Claw!"
Mega Garchomp's blood-red scythes glowed with azure light. Two cold flashes swept past, and the stone walls in front of it were instantly severed.
It was getting closer!
"Rhyperior—High Horsepower!"
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. That ferocious momentum really was impressive.
Rhyperior lowered its head as earth-yellow light surged across its body, charging straight at Mega Garchomp.
High Horsepower!
Mega Garchomp raised its blood scythes high and slashed down violently.
BOOM!
High Horsepower and Dragon Claw collided fiercely, a shockwave nearly solidifying as it blasted outward. The ground beneath both Pokémon cracked under the terrifying pressure.
"ROOOAAAAR—!"
Mega Garchomp's savage dragon cry rang out as it exerted force again, knocking Rhyperior back.
"Stone Edge!"
"Dragon Rush!"
Forced back two steps, Rhyperior roared as countless sharp stone blades materialized densely before it.
At the same time, Mega Garchomp bent its knees slightly and leapt powerfully into the air. Dragon-shaped energy instantly enveloped its body as it twisted midair and dove straight down toward Rhyperior.
Dragon Rush!
"ROOOAR—!"
The violent dragon cry shook the heavens. Stone blades clashed continuously with the charging dragon, exploding one after another upon impact.
Yet Mega Garchomp did not retreat at all—it charged straight through the Stone Edge barrage.
BOOM!
The overwhelming Dragon Rush slammed heavily into Rhyperior, drawing out a deep, pained groan.
"Garchomp—Dragon Claw!"
Lance's cold shout rang out again.
Mega Garchomp landed, its blood-red scythes carving a crimson arc.
"Ice Punch!"
Rhyperior steadied itself, dense icy-blue frost surging over its massive claws as it swung toward Mega Garchomp.
Dragon Claw and Ice Punch struck almost simultaneously, each landing squarely on the other.
Two explosive BOOMs echoed as Rhyperior was once again driven backward by the tremendous force.
Mega Garchomp didn't fare well either—Ice Punch was extremely effective against it.
"This endurance…"
Mega Garchomp leapt back briefly to readjust. Lance's brows furrowed as he stared at Rhyperior, which had already regained its footing.
Dragon Rush followed by Dragon Claw—those hits should have dealt tremendous damage, especially coming from his Mega Garchomp.
In terms of pure offense, Mega Garchomp even surpassed his ace Dragonite.
Yet the damage Rhyperior had taken was far less than he had expected.
Was it its defense? Or its HP?
And that massive tonnage, its sheer weight and stability, gave it absurd staying power. From beginning to end, it had only been pushed back, never knocked down.
Otherwise, he could have pressed the advantage.
"As expected of your Mega Garchomp, Cousin. In a head-on clash, it really doesn't seem like I can gain much advantage,"
Lucas said with a smile, genuinely impressed by Garchomp's strength.
A Pokémon chosen by Lance to be in his hand was naturally exceptional.
In fact, every top-tier trainer's main partner was a prodigy among prodigies.
"You're the same,"
Lance replied flatly.
Lucas hadn't used any top-tier legendaries—clearly, he wanted a fair and square battle.
Even so, to Lance, Lucas was an unprecedentedly powerful opponent.
"Looks like I'll need to use a little trick,"
Lucas chuckled, withdrawing Rhyperior into its Poké Ball.
"Hm?"
Lance's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, because Lucas didn't put the Poké Ball away after recalling it.
Instead, he held it right there in his palm.
Many spectators' eyes lit up instantly as they understood his intention.
Gigantamax!
The wristband on Lucas's arm flashed red, crimson arcs of electricity surging into Rhyperior's Poké Ball.
Gigantamax energy gathered rapidly as the Poké Ball began to expand.
"A battle between Gigantamax and Mega Evolution?"
Leon smiled as anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
Although Gigantamax originated from Eternatus, it was still the signature phenomenon of his homeland.
"This trip was worth it, what a spectacle."
Steven also sighed in admiration. Things had escalated to this level so quickly.
On the battlefield—
"Come on—Rhyperior!"
With the Gigantamax energy fully charged, Lucas hurled the enormous Poké Ball forward.
BOOM—!
The Gigantamax Poké Ball burst open, red light flashing as an eerie, dark crimson vortex cloud formed in the sky. A colossal Rhyperior crashed heavily onto the battlefield.
"So big!"
That was the collective thought of nearly every spectator unfamiliar with Gigantamax.
Bathed in the faint crimson glow unique to Gigantamax, the monster stood nearly thirty meters tall. Above its head churned ominous dark-red flame clouds born of Gigantamaxing.
The pressure it radiated was indescribable—its sheer size alone was enough to make hearts tremble.
In front of it, Mega Garchomp looked no bigger than a mouse.
Gigantamax Rhyperior!
"Cousin Lance, let me see—will your Mega Evolution prove stronger, or will my Gigantamax come out on top?"
Lucas said calmly, catching the Poké Ball as it automatically returned.
"Being big alone doesn't mean much,"
Lance sneered, arms crossed, a ripple flashing through his eyes.
He wasn't a battle maniac—but for some reason, his emotions were surging right now.
"Garchomp! Earthquake!"
The next instant, Lance swung his arm down sharply as he shouted.
Gigantamax or not, his dragon legion was unstoppable!
"ROOOAAR—!"
Mega Garchomp's dragon cry thundered as it stomped down fiercely. The entire battlefield shook violently, the shockwaves nearly tangible.
"Max Quake!"
Lucas shouted.
Gigantamax Rhyperior raised its massive arms high as waves of earth erupted from the ground. Gigantic boulders burst upward, earth and stone surging toward Mega Garchomp.
Earthquake was completely swallowed by Max Quake!
Max Quake!
After Gigantamaxing, Ground-type moves transformed into Max Quake, and using them also raised the user's Special Defense.
"Draco Meteor!"
Lance wasn't surprised—he already understood Gigantamax mechanics.
Max Moves were indeed far stronger than ordinary moves.
Mega Garchomp leapt into the air, avoiding Max Quake's onslaught, as an extremely condensed sphere of Dragon-type energy soared into the sky.
Draco Meteor exploded high above, raining down like countless falling stars.
Lucas glanced at the dragon meteors overhead but didn't try to stop them—there was no way to.
After Gigantamaxing, Rhyperior's mobility had nearly vanished. It was better to wait for Mega Garchomp to attack and then counter.
"Dragon Rush!"
After releasing Draco Meteor, Lance pressed the attack without pause.
He knew that unlike Mega Evolution, which could be maintained indefinitely unless the Pokémon was defeated, Gigantamax had a time limit.
But Lance had no interest in stalling.
He was Lance.
Fear an opponent? Impossible.
Even if the opponent were the Creator Arceus himself, the "Dragon Master" Champion would charge without hesitation—let alone a giant Rhyperior!
The Champion's will was unbreakable!
"Come on, Rhyperior!"
Lucas shouted, eyes locked on Mega Garchomp.
"Max Knuckle!"
Gigantamax Rhyperior roared as an enormous energy fist formed above its head and slammed down toward Mega Garchomp.
Max Knuckle—the Fighting-type Max Move evolved from Fighting-type moves.
"Dodge it!"
The dragon formed by Dragon Rush didn't collide head-on with Max Knuckle. Instead, it surged upward at high speed, narrowly avoiding the massive energy fist.
Then, using gravity and momentum, Mega Garchomp dove again.
With the force of the plunge, Dragon Rush smashed squarely into Gigantamax Rhyperior's face.
BOOM!
A perfect hit!
Gigantamax Rhyperior let out a pained roar, and at that very moment, the Draco Meteors released earlier finally came crashing down.
Dragon meteors bombarded Gigantamax Rhyperior, exploding violently upon impact.
Lance watched calmly. The situation looked favorable—but…
Gigantamax Rhyperior didn't even take a single step back!
"Cousin, your scratch damage really is impressive,"
Lucas teased with a grin.
Lance's expression darkened.
Scratch damage?
Damn it!
"Dragon Claw!"
Mega Garchomp raised both blood-red scythes and slashed down heavily.
Yet the effect was still minimal. After Gigantamaxing, Rhyperior's already absurd HP had been boosted even further!
To put it vividly, even if Mega Garchomp's Dragon Claw hit Gigantamax Rhyperior cleanly, it only shaved off about five percent of its health!
Too strong!
Seeing that Gigantamax Rhyperior didn't even bother to roar, Mega Garchomp raised its blood scythes again, feeling almost insulted.
But at that moment, Gigantamax Rhyperior's massive claw swung down violently, smashing straight into Mega Garchomp.
It wasn't even a move—just a simple slap. If it had been a technique, Mega Garchomp would've had time to react and dodge.
Under the terrifying force, Mega Garchomp was sent flying.
"Being tanky doesn't mean I'll let you attack so recklessly,"
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You really think you can treat Rhyperior like it's air?"
"Max Rockfall!"
Gigantamax Rhyperior roared.
Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, an incomparably gigantic boulder erupted from the ground and then crashed down toward Mega Garchomp.
A boulder even larger than the entire battlefield!
(End of Chapter)