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"Th-This—this! Delia! Are you here to demolish my Gym or what?! First you smashed the walls, and now you won't even spare the roof! That's going too far!"
Only after all the chaos on the battlefield had finally settled did Clair return, her face dark with anger. Looking at what had become a field of ruins, she stomped her foot and shouted at Delia.
"Hehe~ hehehehe~"
At this moment, Delia had already hidden herself beside Liam. After hearing Clair's shouting, she slowly poked her head out, wearing an unmistakable I've done something wrong expression.
"Ahem! Ahem! Th-this… Lapras has lost the ability to battle! And—uh—the Gym Leader recalled her Pokémon midway, so Dragonair is also disqualified from battle! This round is a draw!"
Just then, strange noises came from the rubble nearby. The old butler emerged, covered in dust, from the ruins. After spacing out for a brief moment, he uprightly and dutifully announced the result of the previous match.
For a moment—
Liam: "…"
Delia: "…"
Clair: "...Butler! What do you mean by that?! My Dragonair hasn't lost yet!"
Clair was clearly dissatisfied with the announcement, hopping in place as she protested angrily.
"Ahem, Miss, those are the Gym's rules. There's nothing I can do."
The old butler spread his hands helplessly, his face full of resignation.
"Hmph! Fine! There's only one left anyway! I won't lose! Hurry up and start!"
Clair puffed out her cheeks and spoke unhappily, another PokeBall already appearing in her hand. She was clearly ready to fight again.
"Um, Miss? Shouldn't we change the battlefield? Look at this place—it's already in ruins. It's not really suitable for battling anymore…"
The butler looked troubled as he glanced at the destroyed battlefield and spoke hesitantly.
"Change it for what? So it can just get destroyed again? Are you paying for the repairs out of your salary?"
Clair rolled her eyes and muttered.
"Ahem! Then we'll continue right here. I think this place is perfectly fine. Challenger, please step forward and prepare!"
The moment his salary was mentioned, the butler's expression straightened. He adjusted his clothes and announced solemnly.
Delia: "…"
Thus, the final battle of the Blackthorn Gym challenge began amid the ruins. Delia walked to the edge of the battlefield and threw her PokeBall. The Pokémon who had already fought once before—Blastoise—appeared once more!
"Blastoise! This is the last battle! Give it everything you've got—it's all up to you!"
"Blas-toise!"
Blastoise landed heavily atop the rubble, feeling the cold beneath its feet. It opened its mouth and let out a powerful roar.
"Delia, your Blastoise is indeed strong, but the first battle must have drained a lot of its stamina. The Pokémon I'm about to send out still has full strength. If you want to win the final round, it won't be that easy! Go—Shelgon!"
"Grooo!!"
Clair knew that Delia only had one Pokémon left—and a Blastoise that had already expended much of its strength. Full of confidence, she sent out her final Pokémon: a Hoenn-region Shelgon!
"Huh? A Pokémon I've never seen before—Shelgon? Is this one also a Dragon-type?"
Delia didn't recognize Shelgon at all, though she had seen its evolved form, Salamence, a few times before.
"Delia, this Pokémon is called Shelgon. It's a pure Dragon-type. Its traits are high Defense and Attack, but relatively low Speed. You've seen its evolution before—the Salamence that Black Ape rides. It should be very strong, so be careful."
This time, Liam spoke up to remind her.
Unfamiliar opponents always brought uncertainty, and Liam didn't want Delia to lose simply because she didn't know Shelgon's attributes—especially with only one month left before the Silver Conference of the Johto League.
"Oh! So it's a Pokémon from another region! No wonder I've never seen it. Dragon-type, Dragon-type! Blackthorn Gym really lives up to its reputation as the Dragon Gym—even Dragon Pokémon from other regions! Gym Leader Clair, you're really amazing!"
After listening to Liam's explanation, Delia looked at Shelgon with sparkling eyes and offered her sincere praise.
"Uh—th-that… hehe, it's nothing~ Delia, honestly! We're battling right now! Flattering me won't work—I won't be happy at all!"
Suddenly praised by Delia, Clair became flustered. Though she said she wouldn't be happy, the smile on her face betrayed her true feelings. She really was a simple person.
"She was sulking just a moment ago, and now she's completely forgotten why she was angry. In that sense… this Gym Leader Clair is kind of like Delia—innocently silly."
Liam smiled wryly to himself as he watched Clair, who had clearly thrown her earlier anger to the back of her mind.
"Ahem! Then—Blackthorn Gym Badge Match, final battle! Blastoise versus Shelgon! Both sides ready! Battle—start!!"
Sensing the increasingly strange atmosphere, the butler coughed lightly and loudly declared the start of the match.
"Hmph! Delia! I'm definitely making you my friend—but a battle is a battle, and friendship is friendship! I won't hold back in the final round! Let me show you my resolve! Shelgon!"
"Grooo!!"
"Full power Iron Head!"
"Grooo!!"
As Clair's command rang out, Shelgon let out a deep roar. It suddenly charged forward on all fours, its thick limbs smashing apart large chunks of ice as it barreled toward Blastoise with unstoppable momentum!
"In terms of resolve, we won't lose either! Blastoise! Full power Skull Bash!"
"Blas-toise!!"
Facing Shelgon's fierce charge, Delia showed no hesitation. Blastoise's entire body was instantly enveloped in brilliant white light. With a powerful push of its legs, it shattered the ice beneath its feet, its massive body surging forward like a blazing comet of white light straight toward Shelgon!
BOOM!!
The two massive Pokémon collided head-on! At the moment of impact, a violent shockwave erupted from the center, whipping up a fierce gale. The sheer force of their clash showed just how brutally and wholeheartedly both Pokémon were fighting!
"Blas-toise!"
"Grooo!!"
The two didn't remain locked together for long. The rebound force from the collision blasted them apart, sending both sliding backward.
"Evenly matched? That won't do! Shelgon—use Zen Headbutt!"
Clearly unsatisfied with the stalemate, Clair frowned slightly and issued another command.
"Grooo!!"
Shelgon's round body was instantly wrapped in pink psychic energy. With surprising speed, it launched itself into the air and slammed toward Blastoise!
"Blastoise! Use Aqua Tail!"
"Blas-toise!"
Though Shelgon's attack was swift, Delia was prepared. As her command rang out, Blastoise's thick tail surged with swirling water. Just as Shelgon closed in, Blastoise spun sharply and whipped its water-coated tail forward, striking Shelgon head-on!
"Grooo!"
Boom! Boom!!
Shelgon's "round and sturdy" body was sent flying, slamming heavily into the rubble. It slid a long distance, smashing through chunks of ice, before finally stopping at the edge of the battlefield.
Yet after coming to a halt, Shelgon shook itself as if nothing had happened, then—somewhere beneath its shell—let out another thunderous roar!
"Grooo!!"