Lucario lost consciousness.
It had completely lost the ability to battle.
Blaziken had taken Lucario's final attack head-on, so its condition did not look particularly good either.
Nevertheless, it had won the battle.
Daisuke released a long breath of relief.
The pressure weighing on his heart immediately eased considerably.
After Blaziken defeated Lucario, the remaining battle had become three against two.
The difference between the two sides was no longer as overwhelming as before.
On the other side, Denjiro held the unconscious Lucario in his arms and frowned slightly.
His usually calm expression finally changed.
He was beginning to feel the pressure as well.
Denjiro recalled Lucario and sent out his next Pokémon.
It was none other than the Garchomp that had appeared earlier.
"Slash!"
"Jump back and dodge!"
Garchomp dove from the air and swung one of its blade-like arms downward.
Blaziken immediately leaped backward and avoided the attack.
After its first strike missed, Garchomp swiftly changed its approach.
As it landed, it kicked the ground beneath its feet.
Broken ice and slush flew into the air.
The fragments shot toward Blaziken like a barrage of frozen pellets.
Immediately afterward, Garchomp launched a spiraling sphere of energy from its mouth.
Those energy fluctuations unmistakably belonged to Dragon Pulse!
Blaziken reacted immediately.
It twisted its body and moved aside.
However, Dragon Pulse suddenly exploded before reaching it.
Although Blaziken avoided the direct attack, the energy released by the explosion still engulfed it.
The damage it had suffered during its battle with Lucario now became painfully apparent.
Blaziken began swaying unsteadily.
Seeing this, Garchomp immediately prepared to finish the battle.
It turned its body and charged forward, arriving in front of Blaziken in only a few strides.
Dragon-type energy gathered around its claws.
In the next instant, a razor-sharp Dragon Claw slashed toward Blaziken.
Garchomp believed that Blaziken would be completely incapable of avoiding the attack.
However, just as Dragon Claw was about to land, Blaziken suddenly abandoned its unsteady posture and swept one leg toward Garchomp with tremendous force.
Faced with the unexpected counterattack, Garchomp could only withdraw its Dragon Claw and hold it in front of its body.
Bang!
Their attacks collided.
The two Pokémon remained locked against each other for an instant.
Garchomp thought Blaziken's attack had ended.
However, it had never expected the move to be Double Kick.
Blaziken used the force of the first collision to twist its body.
It spun around with remarkable agility and delivered a second, even more powerful kick directly into Garchomp.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out.
Garchomp was forced several steps backward.
Its feet carved a deep trail through the frozen ground.
Blaziken's attack had clearly possessed tremendous power.
That meant its earlier appearance of extreme weakness had been an act.
Damn it!
What a cunning opponent!
Garchomp glared angrily at Blaziken.
However, Blaziken had once again adopted a visibly weakened posture.
Trying to fool me again?
That was Garchomp's first reaction.
However, it quickly reconsidered.
After launching its previous attack, Blaziken truly had exhausted almost all the energy remaining inside its body.
Once Garchomp realized this, it attacked again.
This time, the battle should finally end!
Garchomp rapidly closed the distance.
Energy gathered around its claws as it prepared to finish Blaziken with Dragon Claw.
As expected, Blaziken barely reacted to the incoming attack.
However, at the instant Dragon Claw descended, Blaziken forcibly drew out the last of its strength.
It twisted its body into a spin and unleashed Blaze Kick.
The flames surrounding its leg burned more intensely than ever before.
This Blaze Kick was even more powerful than the attacks Blaziken had unleashed while in peak condition.
Its Blaze Ability had activated because it was on the verge of collapse.
After taking Dragon Claw directly, Blaziken could no longer continue.
It immediately lost consciousness and became unable to battle.
However, Garchomp had not been prepared for Blaziken's enhanced Blaze Kick.
The attack struck it directly.
The force sent Garchomp flying a considerable distance.
A scorched footprint had been left across its chest and abdomen.
Blaziken had lost the ability to battle.
Seeing this, Daisuke's frown deepened.
The situation he had only just managed to stabilize had tilted sharply against him once again.
"This leaves me with one Pokémon against three."
"My chances of turning this around have become even worse."
"There's no other choice! Go, Aerodactyl!"
Daisuke's final ace was Aerodactyl.
This was its second encounter with Denjiro's Garchomp during the match.
Aerodactyl spread its wings and soared into the sky.
It released a powerful cry.
"Dragon Rush!"
Denjiro seized the initiative.
"Giga Impact!"
Daisuke issued his own command.
A dragon-shaped aura formed around Garchomp's body as it charged toward Aerodactyl.
Aerodactyl suddenly accelerated through the sky.
A powerful shockwave formed around its body as well.
Neither Pokémon showed the slightest intention of retreating.
They wanted to confront each other head-on?
Interesting!
Garchomp and Aerodactyl collided directly.
The two powerful auras crashed against each other, continuously tearing away at the opposing attack.
It was obvious from a single glance that the two rare Pokémon were engaged in an intense contest of strength.
After five or six seconds, the confrontation finally produced a victor.
Garchomp, which was known for both speed and power, had actually fallen behind!
Its dragon-shaped aura was the first to collapse, and Garchomp was sent flying backward.
However, after knocking Garchomp away, Aerodactyl's Giga Impact immediately ended.
It remained in the air, beating its wings while panting heavily.
There was no helping it.
Giga Impact consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
"Dragon Rage!"
Denjiro immediately attacked while Aerodactyl was unable to move because of the move's side effect.
However, judging from Denjiro's expression, he had never expected his Garchomp to lose a direct contest of strength.
It was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, yet it had been overpowered in its greatest area of expertise.
That was clearly difficult for him to accept.
He could not help recalling the mysterious Trainer's Garchomp from an earlier match.
That Garchomp had defeated three opponents by itself.
It had been overwhelmingly powerful!
(End of Chapter)
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