Whether Area Zero's monsters can be tamed has nothing to do with a trainer's talent or strength—they lack the crucial sapience of Pokémon. Clavell knew this truth from working alongside Professors Sada and Turo.
It was the consensus of all who had ventured into Area Zero.
Clavell lowered his arm. For now, he could only trust Geeta—and Lucas.
On the field, the battle began under countless eyes.
Not refusing Lucas's offer to let her move first, Dendra smiled and ordered excitedly, "Kommo-o, begin with Dragon Dance!"
It was practically a free turn. Rather than attacking rashly, it was better to boost and seize advantage—a lesson Dendra had learned from countless matches against Iono.
"Roooaaar!"
Kommo-o slammed its powerful arms together and leapt into a fierce Dragon Dance. A faint red aura lit its form—its already excellent Speed and Attack rose a stage!
Lucas ordered in time, "Electric Terrain."
In Clavell's widening eyes, Raging Bolt began to move—obeying command.
Raging Bolt slammed its forefeet down. Lightning erupted from its purple, storm-cloud mane; terrifying Electric energy coursed into the ground. In a blink, the field was a crackling domain of arcs and sparks!
"So it's Electric. Kommo-o, Earthquake!"
With the initiative, Dendra pressed the advantage, giving the second order while Raging Bolt set up.
Kommo-o obeyed. Earthen energy coated its arms as it hammered the ground with crushing force.
No one doubted the quake would be terrifying; students braced or grabbed supports to avoid falling.
In that instant, Electric Terrain finished spreading. Lucas chuckled, "Thunderclap."
A muffled thundercrack burst. In the next heartbeat—before anyone fully processed it—thunder roared from Raging Bolt's mane and smote Kommo-o's sturdy body, overtaking it before its move landed!
"Gyaaa!!!"
Kommo-o's pupils shrank. Before its sharp senses could react, its body was flooded with lightning. It howled in pain, and its Earthquake motion stalled under paralysis.
Arven's eyes went round.
What just happened? Even for lightning, wasn't that too fast?
Raging Bolt is a Paradox Pokémon, right?
So if he wanted to go into Area Zero to protect his parents, that meant he'd have to face down Paradox Pokémon like Raging Bolt?
Huh? Me, fighting Paradox Pokémon? Seriously?
Arven fell into thought.
As a Dragon famed for physical prowess—and a top-tier one at that—Kommo-o endured the current by sheer durability.
Even so, scorched patches marred its scales; the air reeked of something singed. Despite resisting Electric, Thunderclap under Electric Terrain dealt hefty damage.
The Thunderclap caught Dendra off guard—not just the unfamiliar name, but the effect. Electric moves shouldn't work like that; only something like the Dark-type Sucker Punch felt similar.
She called out, worried, "Kommo-o! You okay?"
Kommo-o shook its head and growled to show it could continue.
Dendra's eyes sharpened. "Good. Let Mr. Lucas see our grit—Dragon Pulse!"
A blue-violet energy dragon lunged at Raging Bolt. Its force made students involuntarily step back, cowed by Kommo-o's presence.
Though it looked like a melee bruiser, Kommo-o's special attack wasn't shabby.
"We'll do it too. Dragon Pulse."
Lucas waited a moment for Dendra and Kommo-o to recover before ordering. This was a spar—a teaching match. No need to nitpick seconds; testing Raging Bolt's resistance to command mattered more.
Raging Bolt opened its jaws; massive Dragon energy gathered and surged forth as a snarling dragon.
The pulses collided and churned. Dust billowed at their clash, then Raging Bolt's clearly stronger pulse ripped through the smoke and howled on toward Kommo-o.
"Dragon Claw!"
"Rooar!"
Kommo-o roared, crossing its arms. Green dragon energy formed giant talons as it smashed into the oncoming pulse!
Boom!
The blast sent pressure and sound rolling outward; dust forced students to cover their noses and squint toward the center, eager to see if Kommo-o endured.
Anyone could tell there was a stark power gap. They wanted to know how long the new teacher could last against Lucas.
"Kommo-o is still standing!"
At the shout, eyes focused on the wavering silhouette in the dust—Kommo-o remained upright.
Dendra's face was grave. The physical gap was too big; she had to narrow it—now!
She would go all in!
"Clangorous Soul!"
From within the dust came a roar louder than before; a metallic, stirring clamor resounded. As a blast of pressure cleared the air, Kommo-o charged with overwhelming presence!
With each step, its life force waned.
With each step, its momentum soared.
Kommo-o's signature—sacrifice a large chunk of HP to boost all stats!
Dendra thrust her right fist forward. "Close Combat!"
Kommo-o, eyes reddened, blurred forward to Raging Bolt, unleashing a storm of punches. Flesh-on-armor thuds boomed; the shockwaves made students raise arms to shield themselves.
Raging Bolt lowered its gaze, admiring Kommo-o's full-power assault.
Not bad—striking at a much larger foe without fear. Fine courage.
But a dragon's majesty can't be infringed. Kommo-o knew the price to pay.
As that thought surfaced, Lucas's voice arrived on cue.
"Dragon Hammer."
Vast Dragon energy armored Raging Bolt's body—like a hard carapace, an unbreakable shell. Its massive form became a colossal battering ram, sweeping down with irresistible force!
Kommo-o's flurry halted. In the next instant, overpowering force transmitted through its fists. Like a tennis ball off a racket, it was smashed into the cracking field.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Even that heavily boosted Kommo-o couldn't gain ground. How terrifying was Raging Bolt's raw power?
The blow was decisive, dropping Kommo-o's already low HP into the red.
Sparking and staggering within Electric Terrain, Kommo-o rose, feeling like it had been hit head-on by a truck.
Even on the brink, Kommo-o and Dendra's fighting spirit didn't falter—they still sought a way through!
Dendra didn't want to use a self-harming move, but she knew she had to use everything to contend with Raging Bolt.
"Clanging Scales, then Outrage!"
Kommo-o scraped its scales, letting loose a nails-on-chalkboard screech that sent students clutching their ears. Dragon-charged sound waves spread outward, then focused on Raging Bolt, making it falter.
Seizing that instant, Kommo-o threw back its head and roared. Blood-red light engulfed it as a terrifying aura shook the air. Fury-filled dragon eyes locked on Raging Bolt!
Now Kommo-o looked more like an Area Zero beast than Raging Bolt. Some students, boys and girls alike, hid behind friends.
To the enraged Kommo-o, only Raging Bolt existed. It shattered the ground, flashed in, and resumed a brutal Close Combat!
With all its boosts stacked, Kommo-o finally reached damage that could meaningfully hurt Raging Bolt. Lucas spoke.
"Wild Charge—"
Blinding current exploded around Raging Bolt, boosted by Electric Terrain.
Its huge body became a cannonball and slammed into Kommo-o. Gritting through the searing pain of electricity, Kommo-o held on—even as it was bulldozed back more than ten meters.
Behind her lenses, Penny's eyes flickered. She remembered how, when her father became Galar's new Champion, he'd also fought like Dendra…
"Kommo-o, well done!"
Seeing Kommo-o finally withstand an exchange, Dendra's eyes lit. The chance was now or never.
"Use this strike to turn the tide! Kommo-o—Reversal!!!"
For a heartbeat, clarity returned to Kommo-o's blood-red eyes. It roared to the heavens; its precarious life force became boundless power, its aura spearing the sky.
Even if it would fall afterward, it would carve a mark onto Raging Bolt!
Right—Fighting-types love that comeback move; wasn't Cynthia's Garchomp flipped by Ash's Mega Lucario with Reversal?
Lucas's gaze dropped slightly. Electric Terrain was fading—time to end it.
He also wondered how brilliant this would look with Terastal and harsh sunlight someday.
As Kommo-o's tightly clenched fist shot for Raging Bolt, Lucas flicked his right hand up and murmured, "Electric Surge."
Vmm—
The sky thrummed.
In an instant, dazzling golden light filled every eye. Students flinched, tearing up reflexively.
The dying Terrain's electricity gathered into raging thunder at a single point. With an eardrum-shaking roar, a pillar of lightning speared the clouds.
Kommo-o's final lunge froze in place.
As the fury of lightning dissipated, a pungent burnt smell spread.
Dendra cracked her eyes open, heart hammering.
She saw it—Kommo-o still standing, fist just a step from Raging Bolt, body charred black. Her face changed and she stumbled forward.
In her panic, she couldn't even speak.
Raging Bolt looked down at the still-standing Kommo-o, admiration in its eyes.
Such grit—challenging a stronger foe and fighting to the last moment—deserved praise.
Knowing its presence made some nervous, Raging Bolt didn't toy with anyone's feelings. It glanced at Lucas, who returned it to a high-grade ball.
In the crowd, Nemona and Pawmot were shaken to their cores; a tiny seed took root.
Could they one day blaze with lightning like that?
Just then, a pretty pink-haired woman slipped through the crowd and hurried to Dendra and Kommo-o. Slightly surprised, she flashed a sweet smile.
"I'm Miriam, the nurse. Let me handle Kommo-o's treatment."
She pulled a Paralyze Heal spray from her lab coat, then released a Meganium to use Heal Pulse on the downed Kommo-o.
Lucas paused with Comfey's ball in hand, then smiled wryly. Fate sure wanted Miriam and Dendra to become friends.
Seeing Dendra's eyes fixed only on Kommo-o, he decided to save his suggestions for later. Right now, her entire heart was with Kommo-o.
Under gazes of awe or fear, Lucas turned away. With the battle done, he'd go check out his new private office from the promotion.
Clavell stared deeply at Lucas's back. Today, he had witnessed history—human and Paradox Pokémon fighting together.
The prejudice and stereotypes from his Area Zero research days were rewritten in that moment.
"Among Paradox Pokémon, there are truly special individuals who can partner with Trainers to fight."
Suppressing his excitement, Clavell announced, voice steady, "In this one-on-one singles match, the winners are Lucas and Raging Bolt!"
In the chairwoman's office, Geeta stood with hands behind her back, eyes still reflecting that pillar of lightning.
Her lips curled slightly. Glancing at a cooperation proposal from the Galar League, she whispered, "With his talent, it won't be long before he surpasses me—and contends with the brightest stars of other leagues."
"Professors Sada and Turo will be even more thrilled when they see this footage. The research into special Paradox individuals who can partner with Trainers already has a very mature direction."
"Oh—his Dragonite hasn't learned Extreme Speed yet, has it? The Johto dragon clan plans to host that… Hassel will probably dodge his family and not go. I'll ask Lucas if he wants to go."