"Ahh! What a crisis—what a massive crisis! Miss Cynthia is in serious trouble!"
The commentator's voice echoed across the stadium, heightening the tension in the crowd. "Facing the overwhelming might of the mysterious Mewtwo, several of Cynthia's Pokémon have already been taken down in a single blow! What will she do now?!"
Cynthia's expression was grave as she hurled another Poké Ball into the battlefield.
"Let your enemies wither in their dreams, Spiritomb!"
"Fwoosh—"
A keystone crashed onto the arena floor, and from within it, Spiritomb's eerie visage emerged, wreathed in dark mist.
"Hypnosis!" Cynthia commanded.
"Fwoosh—"
Spiritomb's form elongated, its twisted face darting forward as purple hypnotic waves surged toward Mewtwo.
If she could put Mewtwo to sleep, there might still be a chance.
But Mewtwo didn't move. It didn't even raise a hand. The psychic waves struck its body—yet nothing happened.
'Trying to hypnotize the most powerful Psychic-type Pokémon in existence? That was like trying to flip over a truck with a toy car.'
And this wasn't just any Mewtwo, it had mastered abilities beyond what normal Legendary Pokémon displayed. Unless a Pokémon was on par with it, Hypnosis would never work.
"Shadow Ball."
Mewtwo brought its hands together, condensing a sphere of swirling darkness. With a flick of its fingers, that single orb split into dozens—then hundreds—of shadowy globes floating high in the air.
At Mewtwo's silent command, the storm of Shadow Balls rained down like a black meteor shower.
Spiritomb recoiled, its face twisting in fear.
"Protect!" Cynthia ordered without hesitation.
A shimmering green barrier snapped into existence around Spiritomb. But as the Shadow Balls detonated against it one after another—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
—the supposedly unbreakable shield began to crack. Spiritomb's expression turned to despair.
A handful of Shadow Balls it might have endured. But this? The sky was still filled with them.
BOOM!!
The field shook with the final explosions. When the smoke cleared, Spiritomb lay motionless among the rubble.
But then—a faint purple wisp rose from its body, latching onto Mewtwo like a ghostly chain.
Destiny Bond.
The audience gasped.
Mewtwo did not move, its expression was unreadable. In fact, there was the faintest flicker of curiosity in its eyes.
It had battled countless foes. But it had never experienced Destiny Bond firsthand. Could this attack drag it even down?
The violet aura enveloped Mewtwo, pressing with the weight of death itself, threatening to sever its consciousness entirely.
Normally, Destiny Bond doesn't inflict damage. It simply ensures that if the user falls, its opponent falls too.
But this was Spiritomb versus Mewtwo—a vast gulf in power. Against a Legendary, Destiny Bond's chance of success dropped dramatically.
A surge of psychic energy burst from Mewtwo, tearing the spectral tether apart.
The backlash of broken energy exploded outward, lashing against Mewtwo's body. For a fleeting moment, it winced in genuine pain.
But then—a flash of healing light.
Recover.
In seconds, Mewtwo stood restored, and immaculate once more.
"Spiritomb has fainted! Victory goes to Mewtwo!" The referee declared.
"Unbelievable!" A spectator cried. "Not even Destiny Bond could take it down!"
"It's over—it's just over! It's fast, it's strong, it can teleport, it can heal—it can even shield itself with psychic barriers! What kind of perfect Pokémon is this?!"
"Finished! The match is done for!" Someone shouted.
The crowd groaned, though a few diehards yelled encouragement: "Don't give up, Miss Cynthia! You can do it!"
But everyone knew. If even Destiny Bond failed, the gap in power was insurmountable.
Only once in history—back at the Lily of the Valley Conference, when Paul managed to defeat Tobias' Latias with the same move—had Destiny Bond worked against such odds. That was a decade ago. No one had seen a comeback like that since.
Cynthia sighed and recalled her Spiritomb. "You did well. Rest now."
Without hesitation, she drew another Poké Ball.
"Resonate with your Aura, Lucario!"
"Luu—cario!"
Lucario landed gracefully, but its confident expression immediately darkened. From Mewtwo's body radiated an overwhelming aura—brilliant and scorching, like the sun itself.
"Double Team! Nasty Plot!" Cynthia ordered.
Lucario blurred, splitting into dozens of afterimages that spread across the battlefield, each one moving in unison as its mind sharpened with malice.
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. "Too obvious."
Despite the illusions, it had already locked onto the real Lucario through Aura.
"Dark Pulse!" Cynthia snapped.
A hundred Lucarios raised their paws, unleashing a storm of crackling dark energy that filled the air with black light.
Mewtwo shifted slightly, a calm gesture with its hand. Psychic power rippled outward, erasing the clones instantly. The true Dark Pulse shot past harmlessly.
"Aura Sphere!" Mewtwo intoned.
Rising higher into the air, it raised one hand above its head. A glowing blue sphere of Aura formed—growing larger and larger, until it spanned dozens of meters in diameter.
Gasps erupted from the stands. This was no ordinary Aura Sphere.
Mewtwo hurled the colossal sphere downward.
"Luuuu!"
Lucario crossed its arms, forming bone-like weapons to shield itself.
Protect!
A green dome appeared—
BOOM!!
The explosion lit the entire stadium in blinding white.
When the dust settled, Lucario lay in a massive crater, utterly defeated.
"Lucario is unable to battle! Victory goes to Mewtwo!" The referee announced again.
The commentator's voice cracked with awe. "This is unbelievable! Paul's mysterious Pokémon, Mewtwo, is far beyond anything we've ever witnessed! Not only can it summon endless Shadow Balls, but it can also wield Aura Sphere at a scale rivaling a nuclear strike!"
He turned his focus back to the audience. "Cynthia is down to her last Pokémon—the mighty Garchomp. Will it stand a chance against Mewtwo? Or is this match already decided before it even begins?"
The crowd buzzed with nervous energy.
Everyone knew who Cynthia's final Pokémon would be. Her ace. Her partner. Her strongest—Garchomp.
But whispers rippled through the audience all the same:
"How do you even fight this thing? With what? With hope alone?"
"Psychic control… instant teleport chases… Shadow Ball bombardment… Aura Sphere saturation… Which of these can Garchomp possibly evade?"
"She just needs to hold on, anything but being knocked out in a single blow!"
"..."
Some in the stands discussed nervously, others prayed silently.
Cynthia exhaled deeply after recalling Lucario, her face was calm despite the storm. She tossed out another Poké Ball with one hand, and with the other, slid her Mega Keystone across her lips.
"Garchomp—Mega Evolve!"
The Poké Ball burst open. The Keystone in Cynthia's lipstick resonated with the hidden Garchompite. A radiant light engulfed her ace.
"GRAAAH!"
With a thunderous draconic roar, Mega Garchomp emerged from the cratered battlefield. Its massive, savage frame radiated dominance—as if it ruled the arena itself.
But even rulers face usurpers. In Garchomp's fierce gaze burned a heavy truth, it was staring at a new king.
"Sandstorm! Outrage! Dragon Rush!"
The command rang out. A sandstorm howled across the field, shrouding everything in blinding grit. Crimson light flared in Garchomp's eyes, its body wrapped in a blood-red aura. Its killing intent locked onto Mewtwo. With its body coiling, a phantom dragon formed around it and surged forward like a spear.
The attack looked ordinary—but Cynthia knew better. This was no simple Dragon Rush. Garchomp had fully mastered its "bloodline mode," amplifying its already terrifying power beyond measure.
Against most Pokémon—even Champions' teams—such a strike would be irresistible.
But its opponent was Mewtwo.
"Barrier."
Mewtwo raised its hand lazily. A colossal psychic wall of violet energy materialized in an instant.
"BOOM!"
Garchomp slammed into it with full force, muscles straining to shatter the wall. But the Barrier didn't budge. Instead, the rushing dragon was halted cold in mid-air.
Before Garchomp could adjust—Paul's voice rang out:
"Counter!"
Mewtwo's eyes glowed. The Barrier flexed like a psychic net, wrapped Garchomp in its grasp, and hurled it back with twice the force.
This was no ordinary Counter. Mewtwo had fused it seamlessly with its psychic Barrier, creating an overwhelming hybrid technique.
"BANG!"
Garchomp was launched back faster than it had charged, crashing into the earth like a blue meteor. The arena shook, dust pluming high.
"Draco Meteor!"
From the crater, Garchomp raised its head defiantly, spewing blazing energy upward. The sky filled with burning meteors, descending upon Mewtwo in a dazzling cascade.
"Psystrike!"
Mewtwo's eyes blazed brighter than ever. Psychic power poured forth like a tidal wave.
An invisible force took form—a violet hurricane roaring across the battlefield, shredding everything in its path.
The meteors vanished like sparks in a storm. The winds became blades, the storm a grinder. Garchomp was swept into the maelstrom, battered mercilessly.
This was the difference. Champions and their aces could duel Legendary Pokémon only through finesse—through evasion, stalling, and countering at opportune moments.
That was how Steven's Metagross could stand against titans like Groudon and Kyogre.
But Mewtwo? Its strength wasn't just raw—it was precision. Every strike was guided by psychic certainty. Dodging was meaningless. Escaping was impossible.
Mega Garchomp, as fierce as it was, had no space to maneuver. In this confined arena, it was a dragon trapped in a cage with a god.
Yet surrender was not Cynthia's way. Nor was it Garchomp's. Even cornered, they would fight to the end.
"Garchomp—go all out! Giga Impact!"
"ROOOAR!"
Trainer and partner's will fused. Rage, loyalty, and bond ignited into burning fuel. Garchomp's body flared with the force of Outrage and bloodline power, condensed into one final charge.
It tore through the psychic storm like a dragon defying fate, fangs bared toward Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's gaze sharpened, battle spirit kindled. Raising both hands, it forged a psychic barrier around itself, then accelerated downward at full force.
This was Mewtwo's strongest dive—Ultimate Psychic Crash!
"BOOM!"
The two collided mid-air. The shockwave shook the sky, ripping the sandstorm apart, tearing clouds asunder.
Neither gave ground. The dragon and the clone god clashed, snarling in defiance.
"You're strong… but still not enough."
Mewtwo's voice echoed in Garchomp's mind. Its crimson eyes flared, psychic power erupting again—stronger, sharper, and endless.
"ROOOOAR!"
Garchomp fought back with every ounce of will, but it had already burned past its limits. The storm of Mewtwo's fury pressed down, overwhelming it.
And then—white light seared the battlefield.
Like a meteor carving across night, Garchomp was hurled to the ground. The earth split beneath its fall. Dust settled.
Garchomp lay unconscious. Mewtwo hovered above, victorious.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! Mewtwo wins! With all of Cynthia's Pokémon defeated, the victor of this match is… Paul!"
The referee's voice rang clear.
The commentator's words tumbled out, trembling with excitement:
"It's here—it's real! After an incredible battle, Paul has defeated the Elite Four and Champion Cynthia herself! His mysterious partner, Mewtwo, has etched itself forever into our memories—an invincible force alongside Paul's skill!"
"And now… please, everyone—let's welcome with the loudest applause and cheers... the new Champion of Sinnoh—Paul!"
The stadium erupted.
"Mewtwo's the best! Paul's the best!"
"We are the champions!"
"AAAAAAAH!!"
Thunderous applause and cheers shook the heavens.
Paul stood in the center, heart pounding, joy uncontainable. For the first time, his face betrayed exhilaration.
Cynthia recalled Garchomp, and smiled warmly. "Congratulations, Champion."
Paul clenched his fists, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I… am Champion. I am the Champion!"
His eyes gleamed like steel.
"I, Paul, the Champion of Sinnoh!"
(End of the Chapter)
[Author's Note: Four hundred chapters complete. A new Champion was crowned. A story arc ended in triumph. Now, new journeys awaits....]
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