"Gar-chomp!!!"
Catching a glimpse of the fallen Gengar in its peripheral vision, Garchomp, who was fiercely blocking the Kangaskhan duo's storm-like assault, suddenly let out a furious roar.
The sudden eruption of aura allowed it to vent all its previous frustration, actually turning the tables and briefly suppressing Kangaskhan's offensive.
When their fists and claws collided again, it was the attacking Kangaskhan that was forced to take several steps back, abruptly halting its fierce assault.
"..."
After a brief silence, the audience stands erupted into earth-shattering cheers and applause.
"Holy shit, is Teacher Azure's Pokemon just way too OP? It literally one-shot a Mega Gengar with a single kick?"
"For Teacher Azure to hide a Pokemon this strong until the finals, isn't that just ridiculous?"
"Could Teacher Azure really be a hidden master planning to take down two Battle Legends?"
Before the match, no one expected the situation to look like this.
Even the most optimistic casual fans of Teacher Azure probably only expected him to go 50/50 with Professor Oak and maybe find a sliver of hope in a war of attrition.
But now—
"The Aiden & Cynthia duo takes the first point!"
As the referee raised his right hand, the first red-and-white Pokeball icon beneath Agatha's portrait on the big screen dimmed.
Score: 1-0!
"Marshadow—"
After unleashing its exclusive Z-Move, the "Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike," with full force, Marshadow landed lightly. Its body was entirely dyed in a deep Blue, and its eyes, filled with fighting intent, blazed with fierce flames.
Perhaps influenced by its momentum, a faint fiery glow could vaguely be seen behind it, as if its fighting spirit had reached its peak and was on the verge of materializing.
This was Marshadow's Full Power Form, unseen for a very long time!
"I see, so it fully awakened after using a Z-Move?"
Standing on the opposite side, Professor Oak rested his chin on his hand, seriously observing the valiant figure of the Full Power Marshadow, nodding from time to time.
However, after shooting him a glance, Agatha's already dark expression turned even uglier.
This old geezer is truly getting more annoying the older he gets!
"The match isn't over yet! Save your observations for after it ends!"
After softly reminding Professor Oak, Agatha immediately recalled her fallen Gengar, which had reverted to its original form.
However, just as she was about to throw her next Pokeball, she was suddenly stopped by a hand reaching out from beside her.
Agatha froze for a moment. Even Aiden and Cynthia on the opposite side sensed something unusual and silently turned their attention to the other side.
"Agatha, can you leave the rest to me?"
Agatha, already quite displeased, was visibly getting angry, but before she could speak, Professor Oak cut her off.
At the same time, he looked at her with an incredibly sincere expression and gaze.
"This is my only request."
"—Hmph."
Agatha, who was about to explode, glared at him, snorted coldly, and quickly turned her head away.
"I'll settle this score with you after the match."
"If you old fart really lose to the youngsters, you'd better retire from the battlefield ASAP and go back to your research!"
Though her words were as sharp as ever, Professor Oak immediately understood her underlying meaning.
"Thank you, Agatha," Professor Oak said with a smile.
Turning his head to look at Aiden, who was watching him curiously from across the field, Professor Oak's expression returned to its previous solemnity.
Without any unnecessary words, he simply took a step forward, standing in front of Agatha, and took out the second Pokeball he had been holding.
"Go, Dragonite!"
At the most crucial moment of the deciding match, Professor Oak chose to believe in himself, carrying all the pressure and responsibility on his shoulders alone.
It had to be said; it was incredibly daring.
Even Lance in the stands felt a bit dazed, as if he was seeing the idol from his memories who single-handedly held up half the sky of the Kanto League.
He didn't expect that after so many years, he still had to look up to this senior.
However—
As expected!
Aiden narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth suddenly curling into a smile as he turned to look at Cynthia beside him.
Cynthia raised an eyebrow in response, exchanging a glance with him that held a hint of complexity.
Afterward, she made the exact same movement as their opponent.
"Come back, Garchomp!"
With Mega Gengar's exit, the effect that bound the Pokemon's shadows naturally disappeared, meaning their choices could be much more flexible.
The previous battle hadn't lasted long, but Garchomp's stamina had indeed been depleted quite a bit.
Even though it hadn't taken a lethal Ice-type attack, the power of Kangaskhan's Earthquake and Outrage were not to be underestimated. Attacks that hit flesh and bone would inevitably cause damage, no matter how good one's technique was.
This was true for both Garchomp and Kangaskhan.
It wasn't fatal, but just as planned, it was indeed time to let Garchomp rest for a bit.
"Garchomp—"
Garchomp, who was just getting into the groove, was indeed a bit unhappy, but considering the bigger picture of the match, it didn't dodge the red beam from the Pokeball.
Just as Dragonite appeared in the air above Professor Oak's half of the field, Cynthia immediately threw her second Pokeball.
"Bring victory to your trainer!"
"Salamence!"
"Sala—!"
Amidst the flashing red light, Aiden's burly Salamence, its blood-red wings spread wide against the wind, threw its head back and roared.
"???"
"It's Intimidate! Salamence used Intimidate, and both Kangaskhan and the freshly sent out Dragonite are clearly affected!"
"Champion Cynthia, why are you using Teacher Azure's Pokemon?"
Blue in the audience glanced down at the field. When he noticed Aiden's obvious smirk, he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Teacher Azure is definitely doing this on purpose!"
Blue was filled with a myriad of emotions for a moment.
If he still couldn't see through Teacher Azure's plan by now, then his past half-year of training (getting beaten up) would have been for nothing.
He guessed that even before the battle started, Aiden had completely predicted the flow of the match and designed an incredibly sound path to victory.
Exploiting the information gap regarding Marshadow, Aiden had already kicked out Agatha's ace Gengar, completing the first step of his plan.
But this second prediction was just absurd!
"Did Teacher Azure really guess that Grandpa would try to take on two opponents alone, choosing to send out Dragonite to match up after Gengar fainted?"
If not, there was no way to explain why Cynthia was holding Aiden's Pokeball and temporarily borrowing Salamence's power in this match.
As the Sinnoh Champion, her roster depth was absolutely sufficient, and her overall strength might not even be inferior to Teacher Azure's. There was simply no need for this.
With the facts laid out before him, Blue had to admit that in this battle, Teacher Azure had really seen right through Grandpa!
Moreover, it wasn't just a matter of understanding Pokemon; this had already crossed into the realm of psychology, hadn't it—
Was Teacher Azure really that certain Professor Oak would step up to the plate at this very moment?
Blue wondered secretly.
To this, Aiden's answer was: Yes!
When he saw the slightly stunned expression on Professor Oak's face, Aiden smiled exceptionally brightly.
Because he knew he had bet correctly!
Actually, as long as one thought clearly about why the two Battle Legends were here, getting such a definitive answer wasn't surprising at all.
Since you both came to teach me a lesson, I absolutely have to make sure you two enjoy yourselves!
"Sala!!!"
Seemingly sensing its trainer's thoughts behind it, Salamence roared at the top of its lungs once again.
Professor Oak also gradually recovered. A gentle smile appeared on his somewhat tired, aged face, and his eyes looking at Aiden across the field were filled with admiration.
If this final match were an exam, then Aiden's performance so far had undoubtedly surpassed a perfect score.
This was the first time Professor Oak had ever experienced being read so consistently by someone else.
However—
"It's too early to be happy now, little Aiden!"
Professor Oak's vigorous voice traveled across the field, clearly audible even to the audience in the stands.
"If you want to win, you'll have to step over these old bones of mine first!"
Saying this, he immediately raised his hand.
"Kangaskhan, Ice Punch!"
"Salamence, fly up and dodge, use Dragon Dance when you get the chance!"
"Don't even think about it!"
"Dragonite, fly over and use Blizzard!"
"Marshadow, use Protect to block it for Salamence!"
After Salamence entered the field, Cynthia actively took two steps back, and Aiden similarly began commanding both Pokemon.
For a moment, rapid and decisive commands echoed from both sides. As they exchanged moves, Aiden's defense remained utterly airtight.
Salamence even found the time to complete a Dragon Dance, further cementing their advantage.
However, compared to it, Marshadow was much busier.
Because the firepower of both opponent Pokemon was entirely focused on its Protect barrier, it was soon forced to take several steps back from the impact.
Deep grooves left by its feet being forcefully pushed back appeared on the ground.
"Graa!"
Seeing that Marshadow's Protect barrier was about to give way, Salamence, having finally finished its ancient dance, immediately flapped its wings and soared high.
"Salamence, use Dragon Ascent on Dragonite!"
"Dragonite, keep using Blizzard!"
Due to the effect of the Multiscale ability, Professor Oak was absolutely certain that Salamence's move wouldn't pose a lethal threat to Dragonite.
Therefore, he hadn't even considered defending from the start.
Because, just like Garchomp, Salamence was hard-countered by Ice-type moves.
Even though Salamence's Intimidate was indeed annoying, it wasn't a big deal for Dragonite.
After all, its movepool was comprehensive enough. If it couldn't use Ice Punch, it could still use Blizzard, which was even more powerful and unaffected by Intimidate.
Which was also an immense threat to Salamence!
If he could trade Dragonite's HP to take down one of the opponent's Pokemon, the tide of the battle would definitely turn around immediately.
As long as there was a moment to catch its breath, Dragonite could quickly use Roost to restore its HP, returning to full health while causing the layer of Multiscale on its body to regrow.
Theoretically, that was true, but——
Professor Oak overlooked one thing.
And that was the presence of Aiden's Marshadow on the field!
"Marshadow, use Shadow Sneak on Dragonite!"
"Marshadow!"
As soon as Aiden spoke, the long-prepared Marshadow leapt up, suddenly diving into Salamence's shadow and disappearing from everyone's sight.
Not good—
Alarm bells immediately rang in Professor Oak's head, and he instantly commanded, "Kangaskhan, use Whirlpool to stop it!"
"Roar—!"
Kangaskhan reacted almost simultaneously, stomping heavily on the ground, causing a stream of water to suddenly extend from the earth.
However, its speed was still nothing compared to Marshadow's.
Having already slipped into an alternate dimension, Marshadow was completely unrestricted, and Kangaskhan's Whirlpool naturally couldn't find its target.
The next moment—"Marshadow!"
Marshadow suddenly appeared beneath Dragonite and mustered all its strength to throw a punch at its abdomen!
Crash!
Because it had sacrificed power to pursue extreme speed, the damage from Marshadow's punch was very limited; it could even be called just a scratch.
But right after that punch, the sturdy defensive line of Multiscale attached to Dragonite's body suddenly collapsed, and countless tiny scales fell away from its surface.
"Salamence!!!"
At that exact same time, Salamence, diving down from the sky, launched a fearless, all-out charge right at Dragonite.
Boom—!
The violent collision directly made Dragonite's eyes roll back, nearly knocking it out on the spot.
However, even without the protection of Multiscale, it still gritted its teeth and forcefully endured Salamence's impact.
As the two Dragon-type Pokemon grappled in the air, Dragonite immediately locked its hands around Salamence's throat while sharply inhaling—
"Roar—!"
With a flap of its wings, bone-chilling Ice-type energy surged forward, completely engulfing the Salamence it was holding.
"Sala!!"
Salamence didn't show any politeness either, simply using all four limbs and its wings to firmly lock down Dragonite in return.
You like using Blizzard, huh? Have a taste of your own medicine!
The two stubborn dragons remained tangled up just like that.
One refused to let go, while the other, even as its stamina was about to hit rock bottom, insistently kept up the Blizzard.
"Tch—"
Seeing this, Aiden couldn't help but shake his head.
Although the result wasn't too bad, he couldn't help but feel his Salamence was being a bit too reckless?
Oh well, no harm done!
With the two Dragon-types choosing to interfere with each other and tough out the Blizzard together, the situation on the other side of the field became completely one-sided.
"Marshadow, use Drain Punch on Kangaskhan!"
"Marshadow!"
Under the continuous fierce attacks, Marshadow didn't show the slightest bit of fatigue. Instead, it seemed to grow braver the more it fought, fully stimulating its desire to battle.
Upon landing, it rushed towards the Kangaskhan duo without hesitation, its small fists swinging so fast they almost left afterimages in the air.
"Kangaskhan, Protect!"
In a critical situation, Professor Oak could only issue a command to temporarily block this wave of attacks.
Kangaskhan's most commonly used Normal and Fighting-type moves were completely meaningless against Marshadow; using them was practically equivalent to cutting off its own arms.
Although the same was true for Marshadow's Ghost-type moves, unfortunately, it was also a master of close-quarters combat, and its damage output against Kangaskhan was terrifyingly high, wasn't it?
This battle is probably lost...
After seeing the situation clearly, Professor Oak deeply felt a sense of powerlessness.
Since becoming a Champion, it seemed he had never experienced the taste of defeat.
However—
Losing to Aiden wouldn't be bad.
It shows that the young people of this era already possess the strength to overthrow old fogies like them!
Professor Oak wore a gratified smile, quietly waiting for Aiden's next command.
"Marshadow, Close Combat!"
"Marshadow!"
"Kangaskhan, Shadow Claw!"
Both sides simultaneously chose a frontal, full-force attack.
Even if we lose, we will end this battle standing!
Marshadow fired the first punch, the immense impact clearly causing Kangaskhan's abdomen to cave in.
Before completely losing consciousness, the Kangaskhan mother and child joined forces once more, their black claws striking from top and bottom, almost tearing Marshadow's shadowy body apart.
However, after the move ended, Marshadow's figure appeared right back in its original spot.
The Kangaskhan duo, on the other hand, simultaneously collapsed to the ground from the blow.
"Marshadow—"
Marshadow shook its head and let out a long breath.
Good, I probably didn't embarrass the Hero, right!
Its gaze quickly shifted to the airspace on the other side of the field, where the battle between Dragonite and Salamence had finally come to an end.
Even though they had both lost consciousness, neither of the two stubborn dragons yielded. Their bodies remained tightly wrapped around each other, frozen together into a combined ice sculpture as they accelerated and fell, smashing heavily into the ground.
"Kangaskhan, Dragonite, and Salamence are all unable to battle!"
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