"Using Inteleon's stealth and mobility to maneuver, huh?"

Naoki's mind raced, a countermeasure forming instantly.

"Dragonite, Hurricane!"

Still seething from Inteleon's earlier Snipe Shot, Dragonite snapped its wings wide, unleashing a howling cyclone. The storm roared through the arena, lashing the rain into spinning sheets.

But Inteleon reacted instantly, melting back into stealth mode, its silhouette vanishing into the watery haze.

Leon's sharp eyes scanned the chaos, waiting for that perfect moment to strike.

The wind and rain churned wildly, every inch of the battlefield alive with movement. Naoki watched just as closely, his gaze narrowing.

There, in the corner of the arena, the rain wasn't falling quite right. The water's flow, the current in the puddles… one spot was off.

"Found you."

"Dragonite, front left! Thunder!" Naoki barked.

Without hesitation, Dragonite summoned a bolt of lightning that ripped the sky apart. The electric blast tore through the rain and smashed into the invisible target.

A sharp cry rang out, Inteleon's stealth shattered in an instant, its body crackling from the electric surge.

"Unbelievable!" the commentator gasped. "He used the wind and rain to track Inteleon's position!"

Leon's eyes narrowed. Without a second's delay, he reached for Inteleon's Poké Ball, ready to withdraw it.

"Don't give him the chance! Thunder Punch!" Naoki called out.

Fueled by fury, Dragonite burst forward in a streak of lightning, riding the very storm it had created. It closed the distance in an eye-blink, its fist blazing with electrical power.

The hit landed just as Leon's recall beam reached Inteleon, sending the lizard flying backward before it vanished into the Poké Ball.

Fast, fragile, and heavily type-disadvantaged, the combination of Thunder and Thunder Punch had been more than enough to put it out of commission.

Leon, far from discouraged, grinned in admiration. "As expected. This is the opponent I've been waiting for!"

He reached for his third Poké Ball, his voice snapping with energy. "Mr. Rime, let's dance!"

The eccentric Ice/Psychic-type appeared with a twirl, tapping its cane against the wet battlefield. Even in the heavy rain, its confident smirk never wavered.

"Freeze Beam!" Leon commanded.

Mr. Rime spun his cane like a magician's wand, unleashing a narrow beam of icy light. The air froze wherever the beam passed, and raindrops crystallized midair, glittering like shards of glass.

Dragonite's instincts screamed, it was four times weak to Ice. One solid hit could end it.

"Agility! Now!" Naoki barked.

Dragonite's body lightened, wings slicing the air as it darted aside. The beam missed by inches, freezing a pillar of rain into solid ice.

"Dodged it? Try this on. Blizzard!" Leon's tone was calm, but his eyes gleamed.

Mr. Rime tapped its cane against the ground, and a swirling blizzard erupted outward, cold winds tearing across the arena.

"Meet it head-on! Fire Punch!" Naoki countered.

Dragonite charged through the storm, frost collecting along its scales. It roared, pushing through the biting cold, its fist blazing with flame as it closed the distance to Mr. Rime.

Leon's smirk widened. "Hypnosis!"

Mr. Rime's eyes glowed a soft, hypnotic pink as it lifted its cane, twirling it slowly. Dragonite's gaze was pulled toward it, and a wave of drowsiness swept over the dragon.

Naoki's voice cut through the haze. "Dragonite, stay with me! Don't fall asleep!"

Dragonite shook its head hard, the freezing rain stinging its face. The shock of the cold kept its senses barely grounded, even as sleep tried to drag it under.

Dragonite gritted his teeth, digging his claws hard into his own arm.

A sharp wave of pain jolted through him, snapping his mind back into focus.

Naoki exhaled slowly in relief. He didn't dare risk Dragonite taking another close-range hit, so he immediately called out, "Gain altitude! Attack from range, Thunder!"

Dragonite soared higher into the storm-darkened sky, wings cutting through the rain. Static surged over its scales, and in a heartbeat, a massive bolt of lightning tore downward.

Leon didn't flinch.

"I was waiting for this… Mr. Rime, now!"

The lightning was just meters away when Mr. Rime's body lit up in a dazzling, mirror-like glow. Colors shimmered faintly along its outline like oil on water, its cane raised in a theatrical flourish.

The bolt struck, and instead of searing through, it curved inward, swallowed by the reflective energy.

With a flick of its cane, Mr. Rime sent that power right back. The lightning erupted into an even brighter, concentrated beam that roared skyward, smashing into Dragonite mid-flight.

The dragon's cry was lost in the blast. Already battered from Inteleon's Snipe Shot and the earlier Blizzard, it finally succumbed, tumbling from the sky and crashing to the ground.

Naoki's hand twitched toward his Poké Ball, but he was a step too late.

"Oh my goodness!" the commentator shouted, nearly out of breath. "Mr. Rime just used Mirror Coat to send Dragonite's Thunder straight back at it, with double the power!"

Naoki recognized the technique immediately. Mirror Coat, a defensive counter that reflects special attacks back at the foe, stronger than before. In the right hands, it was devastating.

He returned Dragonite with a solemn nod. "You did well, Dragonite. Take a good rest."

Leon kept Mr. Rime in play, and after a moment's thought, Naoki selected his next choice. The third round began: Gogoat versus Mr. Rime.

The moment Gogoat's hooves hit the ground, lush greenery spread across the soaked battlefield, Grassy Terrain turning the arena into a shimmering rain-drenched meadow.

"Mr. Rime, Screech!"

"Gogoat, Sacred Sword!"

Their voices overlapped.

Mr. Rime's cane tapped the ground, and a harsh, metallic screech echoed across the field, rattling Gogoat's focus.

But the goat didn't slow. A surge of emerald energy gathered, forming a massive, blade-shaped projection in its mouth.

In one fluid motion, Gogoat combined the speed of Aerial Ace with the cutting power of Sacred Sword, closing the distance in a blur and striking before Mr. Rime could react.

The blow hit clean, launching Mr. Rime into the air before it crashed heavily to the ground.

Already weakened from Dragonite's earlier Fire Punch, the Ice/Psychic Pokémon couldn't withstand such a precise physical strike. Despite its high special defense, its physical durability was its weak point, and that strike exploited it perfectly.

"Mr. Rime is unable to battle!"

Leon recalled it silently, rain easing around them as he sent out his next Pokémon, Cinderace, returning to the field with a sharp kick of its heel.

Naoki didn't hesitate. "Sacred Sword again!"

Gogoat burst forward, emerald blade gleaming.

Faced with Gogoat charging in, Leon's command was sharp and immediate.

"Protect!"

Cinderace crossed its arms in front of its body, and a shimmering white barrier flared into existence.

The massive emerald blade of Gogoat's Sacred Sword slammed into the barrier with a deafening crack. For a moment, the wall held, but only for a moment. Tiny fractures spiderwebbed across the glowing surface, then, with a sharp shatter, the barrier broke apart.

The momentum carried the blade forward, sweeping Cinderace off its feet and sending it skidding across the battlefield.

"Protect failed!" the commentator shouted.

"Stomp!" Naoki countered instantly, pressing the attack.

Gogoat reared, its forelegs seeming to carry the weight of a mountain, and slammed them down with bone-shaking force. The ground split and cracked, shockwaves racing toward Cinderace.

Leon frowned. "Bounce!"

Cinderace tensed, then sprang skyward, the fissures splitting harmlessly beneath it. Twisting in midair, it came down with a flying kick aimed straight at Gogoat's flank. The blow struck hard, but the healing glow of the Grassy Terrain quickly began knitting the damage away.

"No more delays… Sunny Day!" Leon called.

Cinderace backflipped away, planting its feet in a graceful landing. A wave of blistering heat rolled off its body, and the dark storm clouds overhead seemed to peel away in response, parting to reveal the searing blaze of the sun.

Naoki's voice cut through the heat shimmer. "Don't give it the chance, Sacred Sword again!"

Leon reacted in the same heartbeat. "Fire Pledge!"

Both Pokémon struck at once, Gogoat charging with a gleaming leaf-blade clamped in its jaws, Cinderace summoning a roaring pillar of fire that engulfed the field.

When the flames parted, Cinderace was already falling, knocked out cold by the impact of the Sacred Sword.

"Cinderace is unable to battle!" the announcer roared.

Leon didn't waste a second, recalling his starter and hurling his next Poké Ball. "Rillaboom, let's drum this out!"

The Grass-type landed heavily, drum at the ready.

"Grass Pledge!"

Thick vines burst from the ground, surging up to meet the lingering embers from Cinderace's Fire Pledge. Grass and fire intertwined in a spiraling inferno, igniting the Grassy Terrain in an explosive Firestorm.

The entire battlefield became a blazing sea of fire, consuming both Gogoat and the energy of its terrain.

Naoki's eyes narrowed, he understood Leon's goal instantly. With the terrain gone, Gogoat's recovery would be crippled.

Without hesitation, he recalled Gogoat and sent out Pawmot.

As expected, Leon withdrew Rillaboom and threw his next ball with a grin. "Charizard, let's go!"

The dragon's roar split the air as it took flight, wings catching the harsh sunlight.

"Read me like a book, huh?" Leon smirked.

"It's obvious you came prepared," Naoki replied with a matching smile.

No more words were needed. Both trainers called out together.

"Pawmot, Wild Charge!"

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Pawmot's fur lit up with surging electricity as it gripped its golden hammer and sprinted forward, while Charizard's jaws opened wide, spewing a torrent of flames.

Under the blazing sun, the fire on Charizard's tail burned with blinding brilliance.

"Sunny day…" Naoki murmured. "So you're using it to boost its special attack."

Charizard's roar tore through the air as it unleashed a torrent of flames, the searing heat washing over Pawmot in an instant.

The little fighter's crimson cape snapped violently behind him, his golden hammer held crosswise in front of his body as he pushed forward through the blaze.

But this was no ordinary Flamethrower, beneath the unrelenting sunlight, Sunny day had supercharged every ember, every tongue of fire. The temperature was unbearable, the sheer energy overwhelming.

The heat bit into Pawmot's arms, the metal of the hammer rapidly growing scorching hot.

"Bamo!" he cried out, his grip faltering.

The golden hammer clattered to the ground, and in that moment, the fire surged forward, engulfing Pawmot and hurling him into the raging sea of flames left behind by Rillaboom's Grass Pledge and Cinderace's Fire Pledge.

The crowd gasped, but Pawmot wasn't out yet.

Electricity sparked across his fur as he shot back into the air, calling the hammer to his grip with a surge of lightning. With a sharp crackle, he rocketed straight for Charizard again.

"Blast Burn!" Leon's voice rang clear.

"Dodge it!" Naoki snapped.

Charizard gathered a massive, burning sigil in the air before unleashing it with devastating force. The roaring firestorm ripped toward Pawmot, but he banked hard, the attack scorching past him.

Without breaking momentum, Pawmot hurled his hammer at Charizard.

"Wild Charge!" Naoki called.

Pawmot became a streak of blinding white lightning, his body cutting through the air like a bolt from the heavens.

Charizard, still tracking the hammer, left itself open for the briefest moment, just long enough for Pawmot to slam into its chest with bone-rattling impact.

Leon's sharp eyes flashed. "Return!"

A beam of red light shot from Leon's Poké Ball, pulling Charizard back a fraction of a second before Naoki's next call could land.

"Now! Full power, Double Shock!"

Pawmot's fur flared with a torrent of raw electricity, the attack strong enough to flatten even a fully trained powerhouse. But with Charizard gone, the energy dissipated into the air, leaving Pawmot overextended and panting.

Leon didn't miss his chance.

"Dragapult, let's finish this!"

The dragon burst from its Poké Ball with a roar, immediately locking onto Pawmot midair.

"Dragon Darts!" Leon ordered.

With a whip of its antennae, two glowing, dragon-shaped projectiles split from Dragapult's head and streaked forward like guided missiles.

They slammed into Pawmot in rapid succession, sending him spinning through the air.

Naoki's Poké Ball was already in hand. "Return—!"

But Dragapult's eyes burned with focus.

"Don't give him the chance, Dragon Rush!" Leon roared.

Dragapult, with a blistering base Speed of 142, was unbelievably fast.

In the blink of an eye, it streaked forward like a living missile, the air screaming in its wake. The two Dreepy launched from its launchers curved back around, hitting Pawmot in perfect synchronization with Dragapult's own body slam.

The combined impact of Dragon Darts and a crushing Dragon Rush slammed into Pawmot just as he was trying to regain his footing. Already exhausted from expending all his energy in that failed Double Shock, the blow was too much.

The little warrior's cape fluttered weakly as he tumbled to the ground, sparks flickering out across the battlefield.

"Pawmot is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

Naoki exhaled slowly, muttering to himself, "What a shame…"

The match was already at a fever pitch.

Naoki still had four Pokémon remaining: Koraidon, Gogoat, Gogoat, and… Gogoat.

Across from him, Leon was down to three: Charizard, Dragapult, and Rillaboom.

Leon's grin widened, the fire in his eyes matching the flames still raging on the battlefield. "As expected of a true rival! But this," he gestured toward the burning terrain, " is the surprise I've prepared just for you."

The combined power of Fire Pledge and Grass Pledge, when fire meets grass, the flames intensify. Even on a lush green field, the energy would be converted into fuel for the blaze, continuously scorching any Pokémon caught within it.

And now, with Naoki's Dragonite, the one Pokémon who could summon rain to douse the flames, knocked out, there was no one left to extinguish them.

As long as he could keep Gogoat from recovering, Leon knew he still had a solid shot at victory.

Unless Naoki had hidden a Legendary among his remaining Pokémon.

But from what Leon knew of his opponent, aside from Koraidon, Naoki wasn't the type to bring more Legendaries into this kind of match.

That fact only made Leon's chances and his confidence grow. And he still hadn't even played his Gigantamax trump card.

Naoki smirked. "I'll admit it, I didn't expect you'd break Gogoat's Grassy Terrain with that method. You caught me by surprise."

His expression sharpened. "But… Gogoat's strength is more than just its field control."

Grassy Terrain was simply a recovery tool. The truly dangerous part was the immense stat boosts Gogoat received from the special World Tree dishes Naoki fed it.

If there was one Pokémon on Naoki's team that could be called a true stat monster, it was Gogoat.

"Come on then," Naoki said, pulling a Poké Ball from his belt. "Let's see the surprise you and Charizard have been saving for me."

With a burst of light, the familiar green-and-brown figure of Gogoat materialized on the scorched battlefield, its eyes glinting with determination.