c140 – The Wounded Gardevoir
Explosion?
This wasn't just any battle this was a five-star hotel in the heart of Guancheng. Dozens of guests and staff occupied the building, and the surrounding blocks were filled with pedestrians and evening traffic.
Chen Xiaoxiao instantly recalled her earlier research Prince Hui's Golem was a Level 76 specimen, battle-tested against League elites. At that level, Golem's Explosion was devastating. Even in the Pokémon Adventures records, such a move had obliterated a Steelix in one hit and leveled an entire facility during the Hoenn arc.
Here, the blast wouldn't just destroy the rooftop it would collapse several floors, sever power circuits, and ignite raging fires. Shattered glass and debris would rain down on the crowded streets, vehicles would be wrecked, and the casualties… unthinkable. Prince Hui clearly didn't care.
"Haha! Salamence now!"
In a single motion, Prince Hui vaulted onto his Salamence's back. The Dragon-type's wings sliced the air, and with a thunderous crash it shattered the floor-to-ceiling windows, surging into the night sky.
"Gardevoir, now!" Chen Xiaoxiao barked.
She knew—once Golem's body began glowing white-hot, the detonation was inevitable. Elite-level Golem could trigger Explosion in under three seconds; any interruption attempt risked the blast going off point-blank.
Without hesitation, Gardevoir Teleported to Golem's side, Psychic power flaring. Both vanished an instant before
BOOM!
The detonation erupted high above the Prince Hotel. For a moment, the sky over Guancheng bloomed with what looked like a massive, fiery chrysanthemum. Pedestrians pointed upward, confused some thinking the city was holding fireworks early.
Prince Hui glanced back, smirked, and recalled Golem mid-fall with a beam of red light. His Salamence kept soaring, wings beating hard.
In the office, Gym Leader Lin and Xiao Wang both exhaled. The explosion hadn't torn through the building but Chen Xiaoxiao's face fell.
"Gardevoir hasn't come back yet…" she murmured, a knot of dread forming in her stomach.
Seconds later, Gardevoir appeared in midair and crumpled to the ground. Lin and Xiao Wang's eyes widened Chen Xiaoxiao's heart clenched.
Her partner was blackened with burn marks, dress torn, skin blistered. Cuts from shrapnel laced her arms, and smoke still curled faintly from her hair. She was conscious but barely.
"Gardevoir!" Chen Xiaoxiao sprinted forward.
(Xiaoxiao, stay back!)
A Confusion barrier snapped into place between them. Heat radiated off Gardevoir's body in visible ripples standing too close risked severe burns.
Chen Xiaoxiao stopped, tears springing to her eyes. She understood Gardevoir had Teleported Golem far enough away to save everyone here, taking the brunt of the Explosion herself, and still… she was shielding Chen from harm.
"Latias!"
A red beam split the air and Latias materialized, her eyes flashing with alarm at the sight of Gardevoir. She darted forward, enveloping her in an emerald glow Heal Pulse. Slowly, some of the burns eased, but even Latias' legendary healing wasn't enough to erase the damage quickly.
"Damn it go after him!" Chen snapped.
Lin and Xiao Wang jolted into motion. "Come out, Aerodactyl!" they shouted in unison. Twin prehistoric fliers emerged, and their trainers leapt onto their backs, angling toward Salamence's escape trail.
Gardevoir's heat shimmer finally began to fade. She let the barrier dissolve, and Chen Xiaoxiao knelt beside her, reaching out but stopping just short, afraid to disrupt Latias' healing.
Since her earliest days as a Ralts, Gardevoir had been with Chen protecting her, training with her, fighting beside her in Gym challenges and League trials. To see her like this…
(I'm fine, Xiaoxiao… see? Already recovering.)
The telepathic whisper was weak, but the smile on Gardevoir's face was steady. Chen's tears returned, mingled with fierce guilt.
(Don't worry… I'll rest in the Pokémon space. Don't let him escape.)
She brushed Chen's cheek with a trembling hand. Latias nodded firmly, promising to watch over her friend. Both shared Chen's hatred for those who treated Pokémon as mere merchandise.
Chen took a deep breath. "Alright. Latias, take care of her. Return."
Twin beams of red light pulled the two into their Poké Balls.
Her anger boiled over. "Come out, Solgaleo!"
The Sunne Pokémon roared, mane blazing like a sunrise. He had been listening inside his Poké Ball now, seeing Gardevoir injured, his golden eyes burned with fury.
"Solgaleo scan for a Salamence in flight with a rider!"
The great lion closed his eyes briefly, then rumbled low target locked. A flash of white light, and the world folded around them.
When space unfolded again, Chen and Solgaleo were high above Guancheng's skyline. Ahead a Salamence beating its wings desperately, Prince Hui hunched over its neck. Farther back, two Aerodactyls pursued.
With another warp, Solgaleo appeared directly in Salamence's path.
Prince Hui's eyes went wide. "Damn it! Salamence pull away!"
The Dragon-type banked hard, trying to escape but Chen Xiaoxiao's glare told him there would be no running tonight.
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