"The Seismitoad has lost the ability to battle! Mega Gyarados wins!"
As the referee raised his flag high and made the announcement, the entire Indigo Stadium erupted like a volcano. The deafening cheers and chants filled every corner of the arena.
"Champion Lance! You're the strongest!"
"That was insane! That Mega Gyarados is a complete monster!"
"Haha! I'm dying of laughter here! And to think the Galar region was bragging so much—this is their Champion Leon? Really?"
"Unrivaled Dragon Master Lance!"
The Indigo trainers shouted in excitement as if celebrating a national festival. The sheer energy of the crowd was overwhelming—the roar of their voices could have easily drowned out even Team Yell!
"This…"
While the Indigo trainers were bursting with joy, the Galar supporters who had specially traveled across the sea to watch the match were looking increasingly uneasy.
"As expected of the world's No. 1-ranked Champion Lance… but Leon actually lost his first Pokémon already," said Raihan, his expression tensing. Though he had expected Lance to be powerful—and even considered the possibility that Leon might struggle—
…he never thought it would turn out like this!
They were all very familiar with Leon's Seismitoad. It was a well-balanced Pokémon with high adaptability, and combined with its unique poison gland abilities, it was a nightmare to deal with in battle.
But this time, the Seismitoad barely had time to do anything before being completely overpowered and swept away by Mega Gyarados's ferocious offensive.
Lance's strength was far beyond what they had imagined.
"Leon won't lose… right?"
Melony asked hesitantly, her voice tinged with worry.
Before coming to Indigo, everyone from Galar had pinned enormous hopes on Leon. If he could defeat Lance—the Unrivaled Dragon Champion—then Galar's reputation might finally soar high enough to rival Indigo's!
After all, the World Coronation Series was an international event broadcast worldwide. If Leon managed to defeat Lance, the Galar region would gain immense fame and recognition overnight.
But on the other hand… if he lost, it would be utterly humiliating.
"The battle's just getting started. Don't jump to conclusions yet," Raihan said quietly, shaking his head.
Back on the battlefield—
"As expected, I was too careless."
Leon recalled his fallen Seismitoad, staring at its Poké Ball for a long moment before lifting his gaze toward Lance, whose expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever. Leon's expression grew more serious.
Unlike any of his past opponents, Lance was without question the strongest trainer he had ever faced.
Just one small opening—and his Seismitoad had been knocked out instantly. The pressure was immense.
"Go! Aegislash!"
The trademark confident grin returned to Leon's face as he threw his next Poké Ball, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
The Poké Ball burst open midair, releasing a brilliant flash of light. A golden figure floated before him—a Pokémon resembling a mighty sword, its thick double-edged blade gleaming, with two ribbon-like arms and a massive round shield clutched in one hand.
It was Aegislash, in its Blade Forme!
"A sharp sword and an impenetrable shield, huh?"
Lance's crimson eyes swept over Aegislash, his tone calm and unreadable. "So, you plan to go head-to-head against my Mega Gyarados."
In the stands, Lucas raised an eyebrow with interest when he saw Leon's Aegislash appear.
It was clear that even after Seismitoad had been crushed by sheer brute force, Leon hadn't backed down. Instead, he was preparing for a direct confrontation.
Aegislash was a remarkable Pokémon. It possessed two distinct forms—a razor-sharp offensive Blade Forme, and a solid, unbreakable Shield Forme.
Its overall power depended entirely on its trainer. In Blade Forme, Aegislash's attack power was terrifyingly high, but its defense dropped to almost nothing.
If an opponent managed to strike during that brief opening, Aegislash could be gravely injured—or even knocked out instantly.
Especially when facing an opponent like Mega Gyarados…
Aegislash's typing was Steel and Ghost. If Mega Gyarados's Crunch landed during Blade Forme, even if Aegislash didn't faint outright, it would be half-dead.
But if Leon could perfectly time his form changes, then Aegislash could, in a sense, become invincible.
Aegislash was a Pokémon that pushed a trainer's control and decision-making to the absolute limit.
"Use Swords Dance!"
Without wasting a single second, Leon gave his command.
Aegislash's body glowed with a blinding aura, its blade emitting a fierce gleam—it was powering up its attack with Swords Dance!
"Let's see just how strong that attack of yours really is." Lance gave a low chuckle. "Mega Gyarados—Aqua Tail!"
Whether it was sword or shield, it didn't matter—in front of his Mega Gyarados, all of it was meaningless!
"ROOAR!"
Mega Gyarados roared furiously and charged forward. Its enormous body radiated overwhelming power, the sheer force of its movement shaking the stadium.
Having just crushed Seismitoad, Mega Gyarados's momentum was sky-high, and the Galar supporters were visibly anxious.
But the sharp-eyed spectators noticed something odd.
"Wait a second… shouldn't Mega Gyarados still be affected by Outrage?"
Iris pointed in shock toward the dragon-serpent, calling out to Alder and the others.
When it defeated Seismitoad earlier, Mega Gyarados had clearly used Outrage. Normally, after using that move, even if a Pokémon avoided confusion, it would still experience a brief period of exhaustion.
While special training could shorten that recovery time, no one could completely eliminate it—at least, not this fast!
But Lance's Mega Gyarados looked completely fine—its energy was overflowing!
"Could it be that the Outrage duration was too short?" Steven muttered in thought. "Or maybe… it's gone through some sort of specialized training."
That was the only logical explanation he could think of.
But Lucas, sitting in the stands, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Dual Outrage, huh? So, you've trained in that too…" he murmured.
Five years ago, Lucas had returned to the Blackthorn Clan, where he obtained two secret techniques—one was the Dual Dragon Combat Technique, and the other, the Dual Outrage.
The Dual Dragon Combat Technique required extremely rare conditions—two dragons with perfect synergy and matching energy resonance—so Lucas had never trained in it himself.
However, Lance, blessed with extraordinary luck, possessed twin Dragonairs who fulfilled all the conditions and successfully mastered the technique.
As for the Dual Outrage, it was another ancient dragon technique.
Compared to the Dual Dragon Combat Technique, Dual Outrage was far less restrictive—it demanded no specific pairings, only a Pokémon's natural talent and mental fortitude.
The principle behind Outrage was simple: unleash the Pokémon's draconic bloodline to achieve a massive but temporary power boost.
However, its drawback was severe—mental instability, confusion, and exhaustion afterward.
Dual Outrage, as the name implied, was a deeper, second-layer activation of that draconic potential—a second Outrage, triggered within the first.
It was a dangerous yet overwhelmingly powerful technique.
But the greater the power, the higher the risk.
If a Pokémon lacked sufficient willpower, using Dual Outrage could drive it into a permanent state of madness—a mindless, rampaging beast, no longer itself.
That was true insanity—not just temporary confusion.
So, while Dual Outrage was extremely strong and easier to learn than the Dual Dragon Combat Technique, its potential consequences were far more terrifying.
Even without mastering it, undergoing the special Outrage training brought benefits.
Like Lance's Mega Gyarados—it probably hadn't reached full Dual Outrage, but its control over Outrage was highly refined.
It could enter and exit the state almost instantly, reducing the side effects to nearly nothing.
This was possible only because its Outrage duration had been so short during the earlier exchange—just long enough to use one attack before safely pulling back.
Lucas himself had trained his Dragonair in Dual Outrage, though he rarely used it. Lately, he had even begun guiding his Rayquaza and Eternatus in the same discipline—but that would take time.
Back to the battle.
"Sacred Sword!"
As the rampaging Mega Gyarados lunged forward, Leon's eyes flashed sharply.
Aegislash floated upward, its blade gleaming blue and white as it swung toward the incoming Aqua Tail.
Sacred Sword vs. Aqua Tail!
The sharp slash met the crashing wave. A powerful shockwave burst outward, whipping up a storm of wind and mist.
When the energy finally dispersed, both Pokémon were forced backward from the recoil—neither had gained the upper hand.
"Hydro Pump!"
Lance raised a brow, slightly impressed. "Stronger than I thought."
Mega Gyarados roared, unleashing a massive blast of water straight toward Aegislash.
"King's Shield!"
Aegislash instantly shifted forms, planting its sword behind its great shield as it transformed into its Shield Forme.
The Hydro Pump struck directly—but Aegislash only slid backward a few meters, completely unharmed.
In Shield Forme, Aegislash's defense was astonishing. The moment it used King's Shield, it entered a full protective stance—blocking any attack completely.
Even after the effect ended, it would still retain enhanced resistance against the next few hits.
That was the brilliance of Aegislash's offensive-defensive mechanic.
"Evenly matched?" Green muttered, wide-eyed. "That Mega Gyarados didn't even overpower it!"
Lucas chuckled. "Did you really think Aegislash's attack power in Blade Forme was a joke?"
If not for its slow speed and complex mechanics, Aegislash would easily rank among the top-tier Pokémon in any competitive format.
In fact, with both physical and special attacks at a base stat of 140, its offensive potential was downright terrifying—comparable to some legendaries!
But because its defense plummeted during Blade Forme and its speed wasn't great, Aegislash demanded absolute precision.
It could even be trained as a mixed attacker—but that carried risks, since getting caught in Blade Forme could mean instant defeat.
That's why Aegislash was a Pokémon that truly tested a trainer's tactical awareness more than almost any other.
"Lucas, who do you think will win this one?" Green asked, frowning. The strange sword-and-shield Pokémon seemed far stronger than she had expected.
"Aegislash is powerful because of its mechanics," Lucas replied thoughtfully, "but purely in terms of raw strength, it's still slightly below Mega Gyarados. I'd say sixty-forty—Gyarados has the edge."
Mega Gyarados was an absolute powerhouse with the type advantage, so Bai naturally leaned toward Lance.
Still, in the hands of a trainer like Leon, Aegislash was anything but easy to deal with.
And as expected, the battle that followed was an intense back-and-forth.
Unlike the previous round, Leon was now fully focused, displaying his true skill as the Monarch. Even facing the overwhelming might of Mega Gyarados, his Aegislash didn't falter and managed to strike several heavy blows in return.
BOOM!
After a fierce exchange, Mega Gyarados's tail crashed down in a final, crushing Aqua Tail. Aegislash could endure no longer—it fell to the ground, its golden body dimming.
But Mega Gyarados was also covered in wounds, its breathing ragged. Aegislash had left it with significant damage.
"Aegislash is unable to battle! Mega Gyarados wins!"
The referee raised his flag again, and the giant screen displayed Leon's second Pokémon fading to gray.
"Whoooa!"
The crowd erupted once more. With this, Lance had taken a solid two-Pokémon lead!
"Not bad," Lance said coolly, glancing at his battered Mega Gyarados. "It seems your reputation isn't entirely unearned."
This Mega Gyarados was the first gift he had prepared for Leon—and it had already been pushed close to its limit.
"The battle's far from over," Leon replied in a low voice.
He had expected Aegislash to at least trade blows and knock Mega Gyarados out in return, but even that hadn't happened.
"Oh? Then come at me," Lance sneered, his lips curling into a dangerous smile. "I don't enjoy playing house with the weak."
His aura radiated pure dominance—the stance of a true champion.
"You won't be disappointed," Leon said solemnly, ignoring the provocation. "Because from here on… the real battle begins."
He raised his third Poké Ball high.
"Time to take the stage—Dragapult!"
The Poké Ball burst open, and a sleek, draconic Pokémon shot out, its spectral tail gleaming as it floated into the air.
Mega Gyarados was growing exhausted—now, it was time for Leon's counterattack to begin!
(End of Chapter)