The matchups sorted themselves naturally.
Shadow Lugia versus Reshiram. Zekrom versus Garchomp.
"Lugia, take the sky!" John called out.
Lugia nodded once, spread those massive black wings, and launched upward. As it climbed, it spat a Hydro Pump directly into Reshiram's face, basically saying catch me if you can, birdbrain.
Reshiram wasn't about to take that lying down. The white dragon's wings ignited as it rocketed skyward in pursuit.
Which left the ground battle to Zekrom and Garchomp.
Ghetsis's plan was simple: have Zekrom pulverize the trainer into paste.
"Mega Evolution!" John raised his arm.
Rainbow light exploded around Garchomp as its Mega Stone activated. When the brilliance faded, Mega Garchomp stood ready, dual blade-arms gleaming.
"Dragon Dance!" John said first.
"Zekrom, Dragon Pulse!" Ghetsis's command followed immediately.
Mega Garchomp crossed its scythe-arms, body erupting with sharp white light. The Crown of Dragons materialized, proof of its mastery.
Attack power, speed, everything spiked hard.
Garchomp could technically use Dragon Dance without moving at all, it had mastered the technique that thoroughly. But actually performing the motions amplified the stat boost significantly.
Zekrom didn't hesitate. Following its trainer's command, it tilted back its head and unleashed Dragon Pulse, except as an Electric-type dragon, even its breath attacks crackled with lightning.
Problem was, electricity meant nothing to a Ground-type like Mega Garchomp.
The real damage would come from both Pokemon sharing Dragon typing.
BOOM!
The earth shook. The entire castle trembled like it might collapse.
The floor in front of Mega Garchomp erupted upward, forming a massive stone shield that completely blocked Zekrom's Dragon Pulse.
Ghetsis frowned, dissatisfied with Zekrom's destructive output. How could a single breath attack fail to break through ordinary rock?
He didn't realize the stone slab had been reinforced, Garchomp's doing.
But behind that rock shield, Mega Garchomp had already vanished.
"Our turn. Dragon Claw," John commanded, voice edged with excitement.
He hadn't fought a proper slugfest in ages.
Zekrom's wings beat once, lifting its massive frame skyward, exactly when John added another command.
"Precipice Blades!"
"Impossible!" Ghetsis snarled. "That was Groudon's move!"
A heartbeat later, after completing its Dragon Claw strike, Mega Garchomp dove underground. It burst from a tunnel opening with one claw extended forward, the other reaching back. That rear scythe-arm began condensing earth energy, transforming in an instant into a colossal blade of living rock.
CRASH!
"You call THAT Precipice Blades?" Ghetsis sneered. "Giving it the same name as Groudon's ultimate technique when the power doesn't even match the original's pinky finger—"
His mockery died mid-sentence.
Sure, Garchomp's Precipice Blades worked completely differently from Groudon's version. But that didn't make it a knockoff.
Mega Garchomp had learned the move from a Precipice Blades TM John had acquired. The technique itself was genuine.
The difference? Garchomp eliminated the pointless rising stone pillars, compressing all that earth energy into the rock blade itself. Same explosive impact on contact.
Maybe less visually impressive than Groudon's version, but that made it easier to disguise. Harder to predict.
And it suited Garchomp's fighting style perfectly, blade strikes, slashing attacks, close-quarters devastation.
The rock blade connected with Zekrom's body.
KABOOM!
The explosion launched the Electric Dragon over a hundred meters into the air. Mega Garchomp itself got slammed into the ground from the recoil force.
"Getting angry already?" John laughed.
See, Zekrom had limited options. Its entire moveset consisted of Dragon and Electric attacks.
Outrage was probably its strongest Dragon-type technique available.
And judging by how Zekrom's eyes were turning bloodshot as it recovered mid-air, thrashing with barely-controlled fury—
Yeah. Outrage was coming.