She was dressed in an elegant evening gown that flowed down gracefully, her humanoid figure slender and well-proportioned, with clear, ruby-like eyes shining brightly.
It was none other than Gardevoir—
a Pokémon of the Psychic and Fairy types.
She was also one of the most beloved Pokémon among the general population of Trainers. After all, Gardevoir was not only breathtakingly beautiful in appearance, but her combat strength was also firmly among the upper tiers. Moreover, Gardevoir was usually gentle in temperament and extremely loyal to Trainers she acknowledged. How could anyone not love a Pokémon like that?
On top of that, the Kalos Champion Diantha's ace Pokémon was Gardevoir as well, which had further boosted the popularity of the entire Gardevoir line.
"Gardevoir, huh… she looks pretty strong,"
Blue said as he carefully examined her. From her appearance alone, it was obvious that she had been cultivated to an exceptional level, though her true strength was still difficult to judge.
However, since Lucas dared to send her out against Leon, that alone meant he was brimming with confidence.
What was more, Fairy-types were completely immune to Dragon-type moves. Setting aside mobility concerns, Gardevoir actually held a certain advantage against Dragapult.
"This is one of Lucas's main battling Pokémon. She's extremely strong,"
Zinnia said seriously, her sharp eyes fixed on Gardevoir.
By "main Pokémon," she naturally excluded those abnormal, rule-breaking top-tier Legendary Pokémon.
Zinnia would never forget what had happened at Mt. Pyre back then…
At that time, after her Salamence Mega Evolved and attempted to retreat, it had been forcibly intercepted by this very Gardevoir!
In the end, Zinnia had been completely crushed, defeated in a clean and overwhelming fashion—so shocking that her formerly proud heart had been shaken to the core.
Compared to this Gardevoir, the Galarian Moltres from earlier could at best be considered nothing more than a vanguard.
"A main Pokémon…?"
N and the others were momentarily stunned upon hearing this, falling silent as they waited for the battle to begin.
"So, the Galarian Moltres really was just a probe and used to test Leon's level?"
On the other side, Steven's gaze sharpened slightly when he saw Gardevoir. He had been present at Mt. Pyre as well, so he naturally understood just how powerful this Gardevoir truly was.
It seemed that Lucas had finally started to get serious.
"I wonder how Lucas's Gardevoir compares to Diantha's Gardevoir,"
Iris said, resting her chin on her hand. When Gardevoir was mentioned, it was only natural to think of Diantha's ace.
Nearby, Diantha gently shook her head. With her calm and elegant demeanor, even she could not immediately gauge the level of Lucas's Gardevoir.
But she would never grow arrogant—because Lucas's strength…
"Lucas's Gardevoir possesses incredibly powerful psychic abilities,"
Steven said subtly, casting a discreet glance at Diantha as he spoke in a restrained tone.
That was already putting it mildly. In his view, Diantha's Gardevoir simply couldn't compare to this one at all.
On the battlefield—
"She's holding a Mega Stone, but it looks like she's not planning to Mega Evolve,"
Leon observed keenly, his eyes catching the Mega Stone on Gardevoir's wrist.
Clearly, Lucas's Gardevoir had already mastered Mega Evolution. The fact that she hadn't Mega Evolved immediately—did that mean Lucas felt it was unnecessary?
Or perhaps Gardevoir wasn't the Pokémon he intended to Mega Evolve in this match?
'Dragon-types are completely countered by Fairy-types, but Ghost-types also have an advantage over Gardevoir. Dragapult isn't incapable of fighting,'
Leon's thoughts raced as he weighed his options, hesitating over whether to switch Dragapult out.
Gardevoir's true strength was still unknown, after all. Lucas had never used her in a formal battle before.
Steven had mentioned that Lucas's Gardevoir was very strong, but Leon didn't know the specifics.
"I'll test her first!"
"Dragapult, use Phantom Force!"
Having made his decision, Leon gave the command.
Dragapult's mobility was the highest among all his main team, making it the perfect choice to probe Gardevoir's capabilities.
Although Dragapult's condition wasn't ideal at the moment, it was still his second mainstay.
Leon refused to believe that Gardevoir could actually one-shot his Dragapult.
That was simply impossible!
A spatial shadow silently appeared behind Dragapult, enveloping it as its figure vanished once more.
"Still using that trick? It won't be of much use against Gardevoir,"
Lucas raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly, showing no concern at all over Dragapult's disappearance.
"Gardevoir."
"Gar~ de…"
Gardevoir responded with a soft cry, bringing her slender arms together slightly before her chest and closing her eyes. Invisible, formless psychic energy slowly spread outward, enveloping the surroundings.
Leon frowned slightly as he watched Gardevoir stand calmly in place. Using psychic power to detect Dragapult's position?
"Dragapult!"
After waiting two seconds, Leon gave the signal without hesitation.
A jet-black spatial shadow appeared in Gardevoir's blind spot. Dragapult burst forth from it, its claws glowing with dark energy as it lunged straight toward her.
"It's going to work!"
Seeing that Gardevoir still hadn't reacted, countless spectators widened their eyes in anticipation.
But in the very next instant, shock spread across every face in the stadium!
Dragapult stopped.
Yes—completely stopped.
Its claws halted right behind Gardevoir, unable to advance even an inch.
"How is this possible?!"
Even Leon, usually so composed, couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
Dragapult's entire body was frozen in midair, wrapped in a faint blue glow—a glow Leon was all too familiar with.
Psychic-type move: Psychic!
But this was absurd!
This was Leon's Dragapult and it had been restrained in an instant?!
Just what kind of psychic power did this Gardevoir possess?!
"Moonblast,"
Lucas said calmly, the smile on his lips never fading. Trying to ambush his Gardevoir? Did Leon not know how to spell the word "death"?
"Dragapult, Shadow Ball!"
Leon's eyes darkened. This was bad!
"Gar~ de!"
Gardevoir turned gracefully, raising one arm as a radiant moon-shaped projection appeared behind her.
Dragapult struggled frantically. After exerting all its strength, it finally managed to move its body slightly.
A pitch-black Shadow Ball began forming in front of Dragapult—but before it could be fired—
BOOM!
A brilliant beam of light slammed directly into Dragapult, sending it flying backward violently.
Moonblast!
A low, pained cry rang out from Dragapult. Taking Moonblast at point-blank range was devastating!
"Dragapult!"
Leon's brow furrowed deeply. This blow was an enormous setback.
But things weren't over yet.
Before Dragapult could even hit the ground, its body froze once more, enveloped again by that familiar pale-blue glow.
Psychic—again!
Leon's expression grew heavy as he looked at Gardevoir, who still stood serenely in place, not having moved a single step.
Yet the intense psychic light gleaming in her eyes told everyone present just how terrifying the power hidden within that slender body truly was.
Dragapult was completely unable to resist. It had just taken Moonblast head-on and hadn't even had time to recover, let alone break free from Psychic.
"Gar~ de…"
A clear, gentle cry sounded as Gardevoir lifted her arm upward.
Dragapult, bound by psychic force, shot skyward at extreme speed—until it was reduced to nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky.
Then—
With a downward motion of Gardevoir's hand, Dragapult plummeted straight down!
BOOM!!!
Dragapult smashed violently into the battlefield.
The entire arena shook as cracks spiderwebbed outward from the impact point.
From such a height, at such speed—the force was utterly terrifying!
The stadium fell completely silent, as if someone had pressed a pause button on the world.
Gardevoir slowly lowered her arm, her clear, tranquil eyes calmly gazing at the dust cloud ahead.
Moments passed. The dust gradually settled, revealing Dragapult lying unconscious in a deep crater.
"Dragapult has lost the ability to battle. Gardevoir wins,"
the referee announced after a careful inspection, raising his flag.
Leon silently recalled Dragapult. He looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand, then lifted his gaze to the elegant, radiant Gardevoir standing opposite him.
His Dragapult had actually… been one-shot.
"Th-this is way too strong…"
Iris muttered, staring at Gardevoir in disbelief. This was completely outrageous!
The strength of Leon's Dragapult was beyond question. Even if someone claimed it was the strongest Dragapult in the world, there would be little room for dispute.
And just moments ago, it had even defeated Lucas's Galarian Moltres!
Yet now, it had been dispatched by Gardevoir in just a few moves…
"That psychic attack is terrifying. She was able to locate Dragapult's position almost instantly, then restrain it,"
"And even while attacking, she maintained control the entire time. That level of precision is unbelievable,"
Diantha spoke rapidly, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Leon likely intended to use Dragapult to probe her strength, but instead, Gardevoir gave him quite the 'surprise,'"
Cynthia said sympathetically. Leon probably hadn't switched out Dragapult because he wanted to rely on its mobility to test Gardevoir.
The test was successful—
but Dragapult got sent straight out in the process.
"Now we'll see how Leon responds,"
Steven nodded, genuinely curious about how Leon would deal with Gardevoir next.
On the battlefield—
"So, what do you think of my Gardevoir?"
Lucas asked with a faint smile.
"Very strong. And extremely troublesome,"
Leon replied, his gaze fixed firmly on her.
Psychic-type Pokémon were already notorious for being difficult to deal with. Once psychic power reached this level, its utility became overwhelming.
Leon now hesitated, wondering how he should handle this Gardevoir. Her psychic abilities were powerful enough to restrain even Dragapult—this was no simple opponent.
"Then let me see how you plan to deal with her, Champion Leon,"
Lucas said politely, his tone calm and unhurried, pleasant to the ear.
Leon pondered for a moment before tossing out his third Poké Ball.
"Rhyperior! You're up!"
A burst of white light flashed as a massive Pokémon landed heavily on the field, its sheer weight making the entire arena tremble.
A towering, muscular body covered in red stone plates over gray skin—
it was Rhyperior!
"Rhyperior, huh… using sheer weight?"
Lucas observed, smiling as he quickly grasped Leon's intent.
Rhyperior was an incredibly heavy, power-oriented Pokémon. Though slow, it possessed outstanding endurance, defense, and raw strength.
Lucas himself had a Rhyperior among his main team—he knew this all too well.
Using Rhyperior to counter Gardevoir's psychic power was actually a fairly solid choice.
After all, Rhyperior's mass was enormous. Trying to restrain it with psychic power alone would be extremely difficult.
That said, Rhyperior's mobility was abysmal. Against Gardevoir, it was still at a disadvantage—it all depended on Leon's command.
Such was the nature of defensive counterattack Pokémon.
"Rhyperior, Earthquake!"
Leon's expression was serious. Sending out Rhyperior was itself a gamble. While its physical defense was exceptional, its special defense was merely average.
And Gardevoir was a Pokémon with extremely powerful special attacks!
However, Rhyperior's stamina was tremendous, while Gardevoir was relatively fragile. If Rhyperior could land a hit, the trade would be more than worth it!
Rhyperior let out a low roar, swinging its meteor-hammer-like tail before slamming it heavily into the ground.
BOOM!
The battlefield shook violently as invisible shockwaves rippled outward.
Earthquake!
"This kind of attack won't be of much use against my Gardevoir,"
Lucas said with a relaxed smile.
Without even needing his command, Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue. A faint psychic field enveloped her as her body gently lifted off the ground.
Earthquake only affected the ground—dodging it was effortless for Gardevoir.
"Next,"
Lucas said, gazing at Rhyperior,
"is figuring out how to send this big guy off the field."
This living sandbag…
looked like it would be quite enjoyable to deal with.
(End of Chapter)