"Dragonite—continue with Blizzard!" Palmer's voice rang out sharply across the rain-drenched battlefield.
High above the ground, Dragonite beat its wings powerfully, summoning a freezing storm. The temperature seemed to plummet in an instant as icy winds spiraled outward, carrying shards of frost and snow toward Zapdos.
But Gary didn't even flinch.
He didn't look up.
He didn't hesitate.
"Zapdos—Discharge."
"KRAAAAAA!!"
Zapdos shrieked, its cry piercing through the roar of the storm. Golden lightning erupted violently from its body, branching outward in thick, crackling arcs that illuminated the entire battlefield.
The electricity surged in all directions—wild, untamed, overwhelming.
The dozens of Dragonite clones shattered instantly, dissolving into flickering afterimages under the relentless current.
Even the real Dragonite—
"WOOOAAAH!"
—was struck mid-attack, its body convulsing as electricity coursed through it.
Yet—
Despite taking the hit—
Dragonite didn't fall.
With sheer force of will, it pushed through the pain, maintaining control of the Blizzard.
The freezing storm descended fully.
BOOM!!!
Ice and wind engulfed Zapdos.
The golden bird was battered by the storm—but a shimmering barrier flickered into existence around it.
Light Screen.
The damage was halved, the worst of the storm absorbed.
Gary narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Multiscale."
He understood immediately.
Dragonite had taken the initial Discharge while at full health, activating its Ability and reducing the damage significantly.
But—
That advantage was already gone.
"Zapdos—Charge."
Electricity gathered around Zapdos, sparks dancing wildly across its wings. The air hummed with tension as its power began to build.
Palmer saw the opening instantly.
"Dragonite—Dragon Rush!"
"WOOOAAAH!!"
Dragonite lunged forward, its body engulfed in a blazing aura of draconic energy. The sheer force of its charge distorted the air itself, forming the shape of a roaring dragon as it surged toward Zapdos.
The crowd erupted.
"That's it!"
"Finish it!"
"Zapdos can't dodge now!"
Zapdos was still gathering energy—
Still charging—
Too late.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Dragon Rush struck directly.
The explosion rang out like thunder, sending shockwaves through the rain. Zapdos was blasted backward, its golden form tumbling through the storm clouds.
"YES!" Barry shouted, pumping his fist. "That's how you do it!"
Cheers broke out among those who supported Palmer.
"Dragonite's got this!"
"Zapdos is going down!"
But then—
The sky split open.
CRACK—!!!
A deafening thunderclap shook the entire battlefield.
From the storm clouds above—
A massive bolt of lightning descended.
Golden.
Blinding.
Unavoidable.
"WOOOAAAH—!!"
Dragonite was struck directly.
The lightning wrapped around its body like a living beast, surging through every scale, every muscle. Its roar was drowned out by the overwhelming power of the storm.
The rain intensified.
Steam rose from Dragonite's body as it fell from the sky.
At the same time—
Zapdos re-emerged from the clouds.
Its wings spread wide, electricity still crackling faintly across its feathers.
It had endured.
Palmer's expression tightened.
"Dragonite… are you alright?!"
For a moment, Dragonite lay still.
Then—
"Wooo…"
It slowly pushed itself up.
Its wings trembled slightly, but they spread again, defiant.
Its eyes burned with determination.
It wasn't done yet.
Palmer smiled faintly.
"That's my partner."
He raised his hand.
"Let's continue. Dragonite—Double Team!"
With a powerful flap of its wings, Dragonite shot back into the sky.
In an instant, dozens of identical figures filled the air once more, circling Zapdos from every direction like a tightening net.
Gary frowned slightly.
"…Again?"
He had already demonstrated how to counter this tactic.
So why repeat it?
"Zapdos—Discharge."
"KRAAAAA!"
Once again, lightning exploded outward from Zapdos, filling the battlefield with crackling energy.
But this time—
Palmer was ready.
"Dragonite—Dragon Rush, straight through!"
"WOOOAAAH!!"
Dragonite surged forward, its body wrapped in concentrated draconic energy. The aura around it acted like a shield, deflecting the scattered currents from Discharge.
Instead of being stopped—
It broke through.
Gary's eyes sharpened.
So that was the plan.
Discharge spread its power across a wide area—it lacked focus.
By concentrating all of Dragonite's energy into a single point, Palmer could punch through the attack.
And while Zapdos was releasing Discharge—
It couldn't use another move.
A clever strategy.
But—
Gary smiled faintly.
"Not bad."
"…But not enough."
"Zapdos—stop Discharge. Use Detect."
In an instant, the lightning vanished.
Zapdos' body went still.
Its eyes glowed a faint, eerie green.
The world seemed to slow.
Every movement.
Every flicker of energy.
Every shift in air—
Was laid bare.
Dragonite closed in rapidly, its Dragon Rush tearing through the space between them.
At the last possible moment—
Zapdos moved.
Just a slight tilt of its body—
The attack passed by, grazing nothing but air.
"What?!"
Barry's eyes widened in shock.
"He dodged that?! At point-blank range?!"
Dragonite twisted midair, trying to follow up.
But Gary was faster.
"Zapdos—Zap Cannon."
"KRAAAAAA!!"
A massive sphere of condensed electricity formed instantly in front of Zapdos.
Then—
Fired.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The Zap Cannon struck Dragonite directly.
The draconic aura shattered on impact, exploding outward in a burst of energy.
Dragonite was thrown backward violently, its body tumbling through the air.
"Finish it—Thunder!"
Zapdos soared upward, calling down the storm.
Lightning surged through the clouds, gathering power.
Then—
Fell.
CRACK—!!!
The bolt struck Dragonite before it could recover.
There was no escape.
Not in the rain.
Not under that sky.
BOOM!!
Dragonite plummeted.
It crashed into the ground, mud and water splashing outward from the impact.
For a moment—
Everything was silent.
Rain fell softly.
Dragonite lay still.
Then—
The referee stepped forward, checking carefully.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
He raised his hand.
"Dragonite is unable to battle!"
"Zapdos wins!"
"The challenger Gary has defeated both of Palmer's Pokémon!"
"The winner of this match—Gary!"
Aftermath
Silence.
Then chaos.
"What?! Dragonite… lost?!"
Barry clutched his head, his voice breaking.
"No… no way… that's impossible!"
"My dad's Dragonite… it can't lose!"
Around them, the gamblers erupted into despair.
"I'm finished! My entire salary is gone!"
"You think that's bad?! I put in six years of savings!"
"I'm doomed… how am I supposed to explain this at home?!"
But not everyone was crying.
Some were laughing.
"Hahaha! I knew it! Gary was the real deal!"
"I'm rich! I actually bet on him!"
At the edge of the crowd, the betting organizer was nearly dancing with joy.
"This is it! I've hit the jackpot!"
"Everyone bet on Palmer—I'm making a fortune!"
But his celebration didn't last long.
A staff member ran over, pale-faced.
"Boss… we have a problem."
"What now?!"
"Two people bet on Gary… and they won."
"…What?"
"How much did they bet?"
"…Five hundred thousand combined."
The boss froze.
"…And the odds?"
"…Eighty to one."
The color drained from his face.
"…That means…"
"…Forty million payout."
His legs gave out.
"…I'm done…"
"Who… who are they?!"
The staff member hesitated.
"…One is named Ash."
"…and the other… Brock."