Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
As Ho-Oh's Fire Blast came crashing down, Delia was on the brink of death. In that desperate, critical moment—
A hoarse, furious shout tore through the air!
"Garchomp! Scizor! Protect!"
"Gaaaar!!"
"Scizor!!"
With that command, two streaks of light—one white and one red—flashed through the forest like lightning! In an instant, they burst through the dense trees and reached Delia's side almost in the blink of an eye!
Then, with two resounding cries, twin deep-blue barriers surged outward, solid as bedrock, shielding Delia completely—no flame could touch her.
"Arcanine! Flame Charge followed by Wild Charge!"
"Grrraaaah!!"
A crimson blur burst from between the trees, leaping from trunk to trunk with explosive power! Blue flames wrapped around its body as it charged, slamming straight into Ho-Oh in midair! The impact was so fierce that Ho-Oh was blasted back across the sky.
"Gaaaar!"
"Scizor!!"
As Ho-Oh tumbled through the air, Garchomp and Scizor glanced at each other. With twin roars, Garchomp unleashed Dragon Rage while Scizor flared its wings, whipping up a silvery Air Slash! The twin attacks tore into the blazing Fire Blast kanji still hovering in the air—
BOOM!
The explosion scattered the fire completely, extinguishing it at last.
"Delia!!"
A rapid succession of footsteps approached. A familiar voice shouted her name. Delia looked up from the crater she had fallen into, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
"Liam!!" she cried.
"Delia! Are you hurt?!"
Seeing her in tears, Liam's expression tightened with alarm. He sprinted to the crater's edge and reached down with both arms, pulling Delia into an embrace.
"I-I'm fine! But Dragonair—it's badly hurt!" she sobbed, clutching her wounded Dragonair.
"What—Dragonair evolved?! Don't worry, Delia. You're safe now. Dragonair will be fine. I'll treat it right away."
Liam's eyes widened in brief surprise, but he quickly pulled several healing sprays from his pack and began tending to Dragonair's injuries.
"Gyaaaah!!"
Ho-Oh, which had been blown away moments ago, returned with a furious cry. Three figures now stood upon its back—the Masked Man and his two followers, Kaz and Sham.
"Well, well! Right on time," the Masked Man sneered, looking down at Liam. "But you're too late! Ho-Oh is already mine. No one can stop me now—not even you, Champion Liam of Kanto!"
Liam ignored him completely, focused only on healing Dragonair.
"Tch! Ignoring me, are you?" the Masked Man spat. "Do you look down on me, Champion? Hahaha! So that's the arrogance of a Champion! Fine then, let's see how strong the Champion of Kanto really is! For a warm-up—go, Jynx! Use Blizzard!"
The Masked Man tossed a PokeBall. His Jynx leapt gracefully from Ho-Oh's back, landing among the trees. Its purple hands rose, summoning a frigid gale that gathered rapidly into a raging Blizzard!
"Shadow Claw."
Even as he kept working, Liam's calm voice issued the command, not even bothering to glance at them.
"Gaaaar!!"
In an instant, Garchomp vanished from sight—its powerful legs propelling it like a jet along the ground! Dark energy gathered around its claws as it closed the distance faster than the eye could follow.
Before Jynx could even react, Garchomp's right claw slashed through it with overwhelming force, sending the Pokémon crashing through several trees in a storm of dust and debris before vanishing into the forest depths.
"Gaaaar…"
The so-called warm-up battle ended in seconds. Victorious, Garchomp padded back to Liam's side, its gaze cold and disdainful as it stared up at the speechless trio above.
"Phew… all right," Liam finally said, setting aside the last potion. "That should stabilize it. Delia, Dragonair's out of danger now. Don't let it battle again for a while—recall it to its PokeBall."
Delia exhaled in relief, wiping her tears. "Thank you, Liam… Dragonair, you did so well. Come back and rest now. Riolu, Cyndaquil—you too. You've all worked hard."
With a soft smile, she recalled her Pokémon.
Liam ruffled her hair gently. "Good. Now that Dragonair's safe…" He rose slowly, his expression hardening. "It's your turn."
He stepped up beside Garchomp and Scizor, eyes blazing with fury as he glared at the Masked Man.
"You—How dare you!" he roared. "Garchomp! Dragon Rush!"
"GAAAR!!"
Raging dragon energy burst around Garchomp as it launched skyward, becoming a colossal violet-blue dragon of energy that slammed directly into Ho-Oh's chest!
"Gyaaaah!!"
"Waaah!!" "Aaah!!"
The force was devastating. Ho-Oh let out a pained cry, its body jerking violently as it was hurled upward. Kaz and Sham screamed as they were thrown from its back—only the Masked Man managed to cling to Ho-Oh's neck feathers.
"Go, Delibird! Save them!"
The Masked Man released another Pokémon. Delibird appeared, snatched Jynx's PokeBall, and dove after the falling duo.
"Ha ha ha! Impressive power! Truly worthy of a Champion's Pokémon!" he laughed wildly, eyes glinting with madness. "But your opponent is Ho-Oh itself! Do you know how hard it was to capture this legendary Pokémon? It's mine now—my commands will make it unstoppable! Ho-Oh, Recover!"
"Gyaaaah!!"
Green light enveloped Ho-Oh, mending every wound in seconds until it was completely restored.
Liam watched in silence, expression unreadable. Then his voice came low and cold:
"Yes… a Pokémon's strength is tied to its Trainer. But I don't recognize you as Ho-Oh's Trainer. You think command equals bond? You think temporary control equals partnership? You…"—his voice rose to a furious shout—"you don't fucking understand at all!"
"Let me show you… what the true bond between partners looks like!"
"Mega Evolve!!"
"GAAAR!!"
With a roar that shook the forest, Garchomp's body erupted in radiant light—its form twisting, fangs lengthening, blades gleaming sharper than steel—
The Champion's rage had awakened the Dragon.