"Success!" A flash of joy crossed Ryme's mind—
—then the very next second, the scene burned into her memory forever unfolded.
The Banette that had just felled Gast jerked violently. The thin violet-black thread linked to it snapped taut; an irresistible death force surged along it and flooded into its body.
The smug look on Banette's face flipped to terror. Its mouth gaped, but no sound came. Its body stiffened—then toppled straight backward.
Banette—unable to battle.
One for one.
Jason's tactic had worked.
"Damn—" Ryme ground her teeth at the sight of Banette on the floor. In that instant, the match flipped on its head. With the assassin gone, the field boiled down to Iron Valiant versus Farigiraf—one-on-one.
Iron Valiant's state was dire in the extreme—an ugly wound across his back, burn chewing his stamina every second—but his eyes shone brighter than ever. He had smashed past Banette and reached Farigiraf's face.
"Psychic—stop it!" For the first time, Tulip's voice carried a thread of panic.
Farigiraf's full-force mind barrier and Iron Valiant's last power poured into his blade and crashed together.
Boom!
The impact rattled the arena. A crack veined the barrier—widened—spread—and under Iron Valiant's unbending will, the wall blew apart. He broke through the final guard and, with his last ounce of strength, drove the blade into Farigiraf's chest.
The battle was over.
Farigiraf whimpered and slowly toppled.
Dead silence.
As the dust cleared, one figure still stood—Iron Valiant. Blood-soaked, armor shattered, swaying as if he'd fall any second—yet still upright.
Round three—finished. In a way more brutal than anyone imagined, Jason's side had won again.
The gym's air seemed to freeze. The only sound came from Iron Valiant: standing at center, not a single clean plate left on his frame; the blue burn halo and countless wounds siphoning away his last drops. One arm hung at a wrong angle—the internals clearly torn.
He stood—but everyone saw it: a tower about to collapse.
Opposite, Ryme and Tulip sent out their last trump cards. Ryme's was Toxtricity—purple body, yellow chest-sack, a defiant mohawk; he plucked the "strings" on his chest and spat wild electric guitar, eyes full of destruction. Tulip's was Florges—no solid body, coexisting with an elegant orange blossom; it floated with regal calm, radiating Fairy and Psychic power, gaze haughty as it surveyed a teetering foe.
Their strongest duo.
Iron Valiant stood alone. Behind him lay Gast.
"A remarkable battle," Tulip said, genuine admiration in her voice. "But it should end."
"Right." Ryme raised a glittering Tera Orb. "We'll answer your grit with the most gorgeous finish—let all of Glaseado shake to this final movement!"
She lifted the orb and unleashed it. "Crank it to the peak!"
Tulip did the same. "And behold the apex of beauty!"
Two very different but equally mighty Tera auras erupted. Toxtricity burst in waves of ghostly purple; energy on its crown became a giant top-hatted specter—its body half-transparent, ghost flames drifting. Ghost Terastallization.
Florges bloomed in brilliant pink; energy over its head condensed into a huge, glittering eye; its form girded in psychic light too bright to look upon. Psychic Terastallization.
The twin swells rolled across the field; the air groaned under pressure; lights dimmed under their radiance. That weight, like mountains, pressed on an already spent Iron Valiant.
"It's over," the DJ murmured. Every Trainer watching thought the same: two aces at full power, both terastallized—there was no miracle left for that shredded knight.
"Final blow," Ryme intoned—the words of an ending. "Hex!"
Ghost-Tera Toxtricity's jaws glowed with ultimate shadow, while Tulip added the knife: "Florges—Moonblast."
An even thicker beam of psychic power lanced after the Hex toward the motionless target. Iron Valiant lifted his head to meet the twin annihilations. He didn't dodge—couldn't.
He just set his weakening blade in the earth to keep from falling.
Boom! Boom!
Both strikes hit together. Explosion swallowed him; smoke and warped air filled every eye.
When it cleared, a vast crater yawned. At its heart—Iron Valiant, on one knee. All glow gone; the blade he'd planted flickered out. His head drooped.
Everyone thought it was done. Even Ryme and Tulip's faces eased with victory—
"Not yet!"
A voice came from the edge. Jason.
He dropped from Miraidon's head and landed light on the floor. He strode to Iron Valiant and patted his cold metal shell.
The gym froze. Was he… going to fight himself? Alone against two Tera aces? Or call in Miraidon?
Under stunned eyes, he lifted his head to the twin terrors—and his body began to glow. When it cleared, a Gengar stood there—not Gast: larger, gaze deeper, and brimming with a ghostly power more pure and potent than hers. The gym's temperature plunged again.
"Sorry to keep you, Iron Valiant," he said. "My turn."
Silence fell like a sheet. Ryme's mic hit the floor with an ugly squeal. Even Tulip's eternal composure cracked. Gengar—really? Polite? At a glance, it looked like he'd swapped… Gengar for Iron Valiant and now fought both leaders alone.
He ignored their shock and looked at Iron Valiant. "Can you stand?"
The head jerked—a slow lift—dim optics flaring to a tiny red spark. He put a hand on Jason's shoulder and, with everything he had, pushed himself upright. Still trembling—but standing.
"I can. I'll try not to slow you down."
The 2v2 restored.
Jason wore Gast's wicked grin. "Come on—final round."
He entered the field, commanding himself—and the knight at his side.
"Toxtricity—Boomburst!" Ryme snapped back to the moment—now wasn't the time to puzzle over identities.
"Florges—Moonblast!" Tulip followed. Savage sound and searing Fairy power barreled down, sealing escape.
"Iron Valiant—on me!" Jason barked—floating in front of him rather than dodging. "Protect!"
A shield thicker than any before snapped up—two all-out Tera hits crashed in. The barrier shook, crackling with fractures—but held.
"Impossible!" Tulip blurted. Two terastallized aces, full power, stopped by a Protect? How deep did this Gengar's well go?
"Now," Jason said over his shoulder. He'd bought the last and only window.
Iron Valiant understood. With a roar, he poured the last drips of energy into his right blade—pink light blazing again.
"Spirit Break!"
"Stop it!" Tulip cried—but too late. The fairy blade, all will behind it, fell on Psychic-Tera Florges. Crack—the great eye crown split and blew apart. The Tera shell shattered; bright fairy energy ran through Florges and sent it tumbling from the air.
At the same time, Jason moved. "Your opponent—" he faced Toxtricity "—is me."
"Tera Burst!" Ryme shouted her last command. The ghost-crowned Toxtricity unleashed everything— a giant Ghost beam roared across the floor.
Jason didn't dodge. He opened wide and fired a Shadow Ball black as ink—everything he had in it. The blast met Tera Burst head-on. White light blew the world out; thunder shook the rafters.
When the dust settled, the floor was wrecked. Iron Valiant and Jason-as-Gengar both knelt, gasping. Opposite them, Toxtricity and Florges lay down—unable to battle.
The winner—Jason.
Ryme and Tulip stared for a long, long moment—then Ryme moved first, clapping. Tulip followed. They had never seen anything so fierce, so resilient, so beyond imagining. They had lost—gladly.
Jason dropped the form. The two leaders approached, each taking out a fresh badge—one Ghost, one Psychic.
"Jason," Ryme said, smiling with honest admiration. "You and your partners are the real deal. These badges are yours—earned."
Tulip nodded, respect bright in her eyes. "I'll never forget today's battle."
Jason took them—heavy fruit in his hand—then looked at his battered partners and smiled. This Glaseado run—worth it.
Glancing at Gast and Iron Valiant, he turned to Miraidon. "One more favor—take us in for treatment?"
Miraidon gave him a long-suffering look—and crouched to load all three onto his back, trudging for the center.
On the way, he grumbled: "Seriously—never call me for the fight, but always for the cleanup! I'm a legendary, you know! Any chance of a little respect?"
~~~
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