Rumble—!!
The entire battlefield trembled violently. A powerful seismic wave spread outward from the impact point, and the first to suffer was Lapras!
Lapras clenched its eyes shut tightly. After taking the Dragon Rush head-on, it now endured a devastating Earthquake at point-blank range—the damage was immense!
"Sheer Cold!"
Iris balled her tiny fists and shouted loudly when she heard Lapras's pained cry.
She couldn't just surrender like this! At the very least…
At the very least, she had to seriously wound that Mega Salamence before falling!
Lapras's willpower was truly exceptional. Hearing Iris's command, its body began to radiate a thick frost. The chilling breath of absolute cold condensed rapidly—the move Sheer Cold was forming!
In the games, Sheer Cold is a one-hit KO move: if it lands, the opponent instantly faints.
But in this real-world setting, of course, it wasn't such a broken move but even here, it remained one of the most dangerous Ice-type techniques.
Its freezing power far surpassed that of Ice Beam by a wide margin!
"You're far too naive." Lucas chuckled softly.
"Salamence!"
To try and use Sheer Cold right in front of his Mega Salamence? What a ridiculous idea.
Mega Salamence was standing directly before Lapras. Its fierce dragon eyes gleamed as it lifted one front claw and kicked Lapras with brutal force.
Under that terrifying strength, Lapras's large body was sent hurtling backward, the gathered Ice-type energy instantly shattered.
It wasn't even a special move just a single kick but in Lapras's current, battered condition, it was absolutely fatal!
"Lapras!"
"Hyper Beam!"
Iris's panicked voice rang out, but Lucas's command came at almost the same moment.
Mega Salamence raised its head high. Destructive black energy condensed rapidly before its jaws, and a moment later—
A gigantic black beam of light erupted, blasting straight toward Lapras!
Mega Salamence's ability was Aerilate, which converts Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves!
BOOM!
The Hyper Beam struck true!
Now empowered with Flying-type STAB, the destructive Hyper Beam smashed into the defenseless Lapras with overwhelming might.
The impact sent Lapras skidding backward across the field, before its body slammed into the reinforced arena wall with a thunderous crash!
Although Ice-type moves were super-effective against Flying and Dragon types, that was only a matter of type advantage—it didn't mean Ice-types resisted Flying or Dragon attacks.
In other words, both Dragon Rush and this Flying-type Hyper Beam dealt full damage to Lapras!
If not for the arena's energy barrier, that blast might have endangered the audience sitting behind Lapras's end of the field.
"Lapras is unable to battle! Mega Salamence wins!"
The referee rushed over to inspect Lapras carefully. After confirming it had lost consciousness, he took a deep breath and raised his flag to declare the result.
For a moment, the vast audience fell silent.
Most of them had come here to cheer for Iris. Yet now…
Even Lapras—the Pokémon that should have held a decisive type advantage had been crushed completely by Mega Salamence in a reverse-type victory!
This was already Iris's fifth Pokémon down…
She had only one left—her ace, Haxorus.
Even the audience in the online streams and forums were stunned. By this point, the battle's outcome had become painfully clear.
This full team match wasn't even a contest anymore—it was a total slaughter.
And the one being slaughtered… was Iris Aurelian, the 6th trainer on the Master Class Ranking, the one who had even defeated Hoenn Champion Wallace!
"Where on earth did this Lucas come from? How have I never heard of him before?"
"He's absurdly strong! That's the same Iris who beat Champion Wallace!"
"That's a Salamence four times weak to Ice! Four times! And it fought Lapras like it was the one resisting Ice instead—what kind of monster power is that?!"
"Bro, I think I get it now, this Lucas's the perfect candidate to be Indigo's next Elite Four leader! His cousin's the Champion, and he's the strongest of the Four!"
"Are you kidding? With what he's showing right now, why should he be below Lance at all?!"
As expected—the chat exploded into chaos once again.
On the field, Lucas's calm voice broke through the tension.
"So, there's only your Haxorus left, huh? Come on, then—let me see just how strong your ace really is."
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. He still had things to do after this fight—namely, that strongest dragon he was after!
…
Back in the stands, a tall, broad-shouldered man sighed softly as he looked down at Iris, who now stood alone on the field.
It was Alder, the reigning Champion of Unova.
But right now, he wasn't a Champion, just a worried mentor watching over his protégé.
Iris was his successor, the hope and light of Unova's future… yet at this moment, she was being utterly overwhelmed.
Still, Alder wasn't surprised. As a Champion, he knew far more about Lucas than the average spectator did.
So, Lucas defeating Iris didn't shock him. What troubled him was—
Why did Lucas have to challenge Iris of all people?!
Damn it!
Hasn't Unova suffered enough already?!
"I just hope Iris can adjust her mindset after this," Alder murmured, shaking his head.
He was frustrated, yes—but what could he do?
All he could do was hope that Iris wouldn't let this one-sided loss crush her spirit. Otherwise, he'd be devastated.
After all, this time, Iris had truly lost miserably. All five of her main Pokémon had fallen, while her opponent had used only three.
Moreover, both Guzzlord and Arbok were still in good condition, and Mega Salamence was only lightly wounded.
There was a very high chance that Iris was about to be swept clean—a 6–0 defeat.
For someone as proud as Iris, that was a brutal blow. Alder genuinely worried for her mental state.
He knew Iris well—she was a girl full of pride, a true prodigy. And for geniuses like her, mindset was everything.
Alder himself was proof of that.
A single crushing loss could send someone like that spiraling into despair.
But—
"Haxorus!!"
Iris's young face turned solemn. After recalling Lapras, she threw out her final Poké Ball.
The capsule burst open in midair, releasing a flash of white light. A powerful olive-green dragon landed heavily before her.
Standing on two legs, with sharp crimson claws and axe-like tusks jutting from its cheeks—it was unmistakably her ace, the Haxorus!
Even in silence, it radiated a fierce and oppressive aura. Those blood-red twin axe fangs glimmered ominously, sending a chill through the hearts of everyone watching.
"I hadn't paid much attention before," Lucas said with a light smile, "but your Haxorus really is impressive."
It wasn't flattery. To stand out among Iris's team and become her ultimate ace spoke volumes about Haxorus's exceptional power.
"Of course it is! This is my favorite dragon, after all!" Iris snorted proudly, lifting her chin with confidence.
Alder had feared Iris might crumble after such a brutal defeat—but that fear was misplaced.
Because he didn't know what Iris knew. She had been present during the Saffron City incident and had seen firsthand the sheer terror that was Lucas—the boy with a calm gaze and refined aura who had 1v8'd a group of Champion-level Trainers… and won.
Losing to him? That was completely normal!
Her mindset was steady as ever. Win?
No way. She never even thought about winning. Win against him? With what?!
"Lucas! This is my final Pokémon! Please take this battle seriously!"
Iris straightened, her clear eyes locking firmly onto Lucas's. Her voice was serious, resolute.
She had expected to lose, but never imagined he'd defeat her so easily without even using a Legendary Pokémon.
Still, she wanted this last fight to be one fought in earnest.
"…Heh~"
Lucas paused for a moment, then, seeing the stubborn light in Iris's eyes, lowered his head and chuckled softly.
"Don't worry. I've always treated every worthy opponent with genuine sincerity."
Then, with a faint smile, he added teasingly, "Just don't cry when you lose, alright?"
"Hmph! Who do you think I am?" Iris puffed her cheeks. She wasn't one of those whiny girls who cried just because they lost badly.
"Haxorus, Dragon Dance!"
Enough talking. What stood before her now was her last battle.
This was her final Pokémon—she had to give it everything she had!
Haxorus roared, its powerful frame moving in a fierce, rhythmic dance that boosted both its speed and strength. Dragon Dance!
"Planning to buff up and fight my Salamence head-on, huh?" Lucas arched a brow.
"…Very well, I'll grant you that wish."
Mega Salamence's power had already been displayed to the fullest in the last two battles, but clearly, Iris had absolute faith in her ace.
And that was only natural. Her Haxorus was Champion-tier, high-level at that.
Lucas's Salamence was mid-Champion tier—but with the boost from Mega Evolution, it could temporarily match a high-level Champion.
And being a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, its physique alone made it far more powerful than most Pokémon of the same tier.
"Draco Meteor!"
Lucas's calm command echoed. Mega Salamence, floating in midair, lifted its head toward the sky.
A glowing, star-filled orb of energy rose high above, then shattered—raining countless blazing dragon meteors down from above!
"Dragon Claw!"
Right after using Draco Meteor, Mega Salamence lunged straight at Haxorus!
Play keep-away and chip her down from the air? Not a chance!
Lucas believed in his dragon—his Salamence would never lose to another dragon!
"Haxorus, Dragon Claw!"
Iris didn't hesitate for a moment.
Haxorus roared, halting its Dragon Dance mid-motion. Its crimson claws gleamed with fierce blue energy as it slashed upward.
Dragon Claw vs. Dragon Claw!
The two dragons collided fiercely, their claws locking in a burst of violent energy!
"Hold firm!"
Iris's gaze sharpened. Though Haxorus was forced back a step, it had successfully resisted Salamence's initial charge!
"Your strength is impressive."
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly. Indeed, this Haxorus's power was formidable.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Breaking Swipe!"
Their voices overlapped once again—two trainers commanding two dragons, each refusing to yield.
Mega Salamence gathered radiant dragon energy in its mouth, while Haxorus's long tail shimmered with power, ready to strike.
The true final clash was about to begin—
The last stand of Iris's pride.
The battle where victory no longer mattered—only proving that she would not fall without a fight.
"As long as I defeat just one of yours… that'll be enough!"
(End of Chapter)
TN: I'm gonna leave authors note explanation about Lucas.
AN: This protagonist's personality early on is intentionally harsh and flawed—some of you probably noticed that. I designed him as a semi–antihero, someone who acts without restraint and does whatever he wants to achieve his goals.
To me, being a "villain" isn't about labels—it's about methods. Justice and evil aren't defined by title, but by how one acts.
At first, some readers couldn't accept this type of protagonist, so I gradually adjusted his attitude—his mindset and temperament have evolved slowly. Yet surprisingly, many readers actually like his original harsh personality…