In the center of the arena, just as those descending meteors were about to strike Giratina...
Giratina slowly lifted its head.
"Oooooh!!"
A deep and resonant dragon growl echoed throughout the Gym.
The sound wasn't particularly sharp, but the pressure contained within it made the soul of everyone present tremble.
The air throughout the arena suddenly froze in that dragon's growl.
Then, a bizarre scene occurred.
Those crimson meteors, which had been descending with an overwhelming force, abruptly stopped in mid-air.
Dozens of meteors hovered quietly above the Gym, as if they had been frozen by some invisible power.
The entire area fell into a strange silence.
On the spectator stands, Dawn peeked through the gap between her fingers covering her eyes, now wide open in astonishment.
Her mouth was agape, and her pupils dilated uncontrollably.
"The meteors... stopped?!!"
"How did they stop?!"
Not just Dawn, but everyone in the audience was rendered speechless by this scene.
The full-power signature move of a Champion Level Pokémon was terrifying enough to flatten a building.
Yet under the dragon's growl of Giratina, those meteors were just suspended in the air.
As if captured in a still-life painting by a master artist.
The frozen meteor shower began to dissipate in mid-air, eventually turning into twinkling starlight.
What seemed to be an overwhelming meteor shower ended its 'life' with more noise than substance.
"What kind of power is this?"
Raihan murmured to himself, eyes as if witnessing a divine intervention.
Indeed, calling this scene a miracle isn't far-fetched; after all, it was a Champion Advanced Level Draco Meteor, easily nullified.
This isn't just incredible, it's unfathomable!
Beside him, Lance and Cynthia also had a serious look in their eyes.
For Lance, it was the first time seeing the Divine Domain Peak in action, while for Cynthia, it was the first time experiencing the powerlessness of Champion Level before a Divine Domain Peak.
This level of Pokémon truly is of a different realm from ordinary ones.
"In Giratina's growl just now, there should have been its Dragon Type power, which is why the Draco Meteor was stopped and even extinguished because its Dragon Type power was neutralized."
Lance slowly calmed down and began to analyze.
This scene, while shocking to behold, wasn't too difficult to comprehend in principle.
Giratina used its growl to embed its own Dragon Type power within, much like a Hyper Voice Move.
And this power precisely neutralized the Dragon Type power within the Draco Meteor, suspending it mid-air.
As the power dissipated, the Draco Meteor naturally vanished as well.
However, it's easier said than done!
Merely embedding Dragon Type power within a growl is beyond the reach of ninety-nine percent of Pokémon.
Not to mention using that power to perfectly neutralize another!
"Truly worthy of Giratina, it can accomplish such feats with ease. Raihan, that guy, is at a loss for words from the shock."
Cynthia looked at Raihan, who was too stunned to speak, a helpless smile forming at the corner of her mouth.
Putting herself in his shoes, if she were in Raihan's position facing such a level of Pokémon, her reaction wouldn't be much better.
Even the more capable Pokémon would think of how to withstand it, but against this level of Pokémon... there's really no way!
The starlight slowly dispersed across the sky, plunging the entire Gym into an indescribable silence.
Raihan stood dazed on the other end of the arena, staring at the immense figure suspended unchanged in mid-air, unable to regain his composure.
A long time later, he softly exhaled, forcibly suppressing the shock surging in his heart.
He looked up towards Lance and Cynthia in the stands, momentarily shedding his characteristic calm smile.
"Lance, Cynthia." His voice carried a trace of hoarseness, "At this point, there's no need to hide it from me anymore, is there?"
"What exactly is this Pokémon?"
"From the very first move of the battle, I felt something was off, but I never imagined it would be this off."
This is pure domination!
It's hard to imagine that the word 'domination' would be used to describe the side of a Champion Trainer!
Not even Leon could have overwhelmed him to this extent!
Lance and Cynthia exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes.
At this point, there's indeed nothing more to hide.
The sight of a meteor shower erased by a dragon's growl had already revealed the answer to everyone.
Lance took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.
"That's Giratina."
"The God of Reversal, governing a dimension that is completely opposite to our world."
"It's one of the Space-Time Three Gods created by the Creator God Arceus, a peer of Time God Dialga and God of Space Palkia."
"Legend has it that Giratina was banished to the Reverse World by Arceus due to its excessively violent nature, thus overseeing that opposite dimension on its own."
"Its power is genuinely at the Divine Domain Peak."
Cynthia added from the side.
"It's on par with the Sea God, and Giratina has no kin; it's the only one of its kind in the entire world."
"The one in the arena is the true form of the God of Reversal."
Upon hearing this series of explanations, Raihan froze in place.
His face, already tense from the shock, turned somewhat pale, although you couldn't tell much beneath his dark complexion...
Divine Domain Peak.
God of Reversal.
An existence on par with the Sea God.
These words slammed into his mind, almost shattering his entire understanding.
"Divine Domain... Peak?" he muttered, repeating the four words, his voice trembling, "Where did Ash get this kind of Pokemon?"
Raihan abruptly turned his head, looking towards the central field at the boy who seemed helpless.
"And this tier of Pokemon... you brought it to battle the Gym?"
"Are you even human?!!"
This question was asked with genuine emotion.
That's an existence standing at the pinnacle of the world, second only to the Creator God.
Never mind using it for Gym battles; having such a Pokemon appear in any region would be enough to cause a sensation throughout the League.
But now it's come out for a Gym battle?
No... Who the hell would use this tier of Pokemon just for battling Gyms!
Even if it's for easy victories, no one would use such a Pokemon to crush the competition, right!
Ash scratched his head, displaying a slightly awkward smile.
"Lance, I really don't have much choice; Giratina insisted on joining in."
"It watched my previous battles from inside the Pokeball, and gradually got interested, wanting to come out and stretch."
"Since your opponent here is Ghost Type plus Dragon Type, matching its attributes, it even more desired to come out and play."
"I couldn't refuse it no matter what, so that's why I let it out."
Raihan: ...
So the God of Reversal volunteered to come down and join?
He's lived for so many years, and it's his first time hearing about a Legendary Beast wanting to battle at a Gym due to "itching for action."
For crying out loud, itching for action! You itch and take me as the victim, right!
Raihan opened his mouth, then suddenly noticed what Ash had mentioned: "Wait, did you say... it's Ghost Type and Dragon Type?"
"That's correct." Ash nodded, "Giratina's attribute is indeed Ghost and Dragon, the same as your Dragapult."
With this phrase uttered, Raihan felt unwell.
He slowly turned his gaze towards the panting Dragapult in the field, then looked at the massive, stationary form suspended mid-air, his lips twitching hard.
Attributes identical.
Level completely overwhelming.
Dominance not even on the same dimension.
"So... you're the real Ghost Dragon then?"
Raihan's tone was filled with a mix of humor and helplessness.
Dragapult, due to its Dragon Type and Ghost Type, is often dubbed as the Ghost Dragon, meaning the dragon of spirit.
In terms of attributes, this type of Pokemon would be unique in the world — that's what Raihan thought until today.
Yet now, he encountered the progenitor of Ghost Dragons!
Turns out among the gods, there's also a Pokemon with Ghost Dragon attributes!
In the audience, Lance couldn't help but shake his head with a light chuckle.
"In cases where attributes are the same, for Dragapult to not immediately bow before Giratina shows your Pokemon has enough backbone, Raihan."
Cynthia echoed, "Although your Dragapult got beaten terribly today, after going back, it might make further progress since today it met the ancestor of Ghost Types and Ghosts~"
Raihan rolled his eyes but didn't refute.
Though Cynthia's words were teasing, after this battle, Dragapult might indeed gain new insights!
In the central field, Ash glanced at the already staggering Dragapult, an apology flashing in his eyes.
If it continued, Dragapult would only exhaust its physical strength pointlessly, serving no purpose.
Rather than have it struggle bitterly in such disparity, it was better to decisively end this duel.
"Raihan, let's not waste time further," Ash yelled across the field, "Let's end it in one move, so Dragapult can leave without regrets."
Raihan was silent for a few moments.
He lowered his head to glance at his beloved partner, whose breath was already in disarray, a hint of sorrow flickering in his eyes.
Given the current situation, even if Giratina stood still, Dragapult wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
The Divine-level pressure pressing on it was slowly draining its spiritual power.
Hence, it was time to fight it out with one move.
No matter knowing the result, he had to make Dragapult display the dignity of a Quasi-God.
"Alright."
Raihan slowly nodded, his eyes reigniting with fierce battle spirit.
"One move it is, Dragapult, show them what a Quasi-God's pride means! Use Phantom Force!"
Receiving the command, Dragapult's eyes, originally fatigued, suddenly lit up.
Its streamlined body sank abruptly, and the entire form seemed to melt as it plunged into the shadows on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Dragapult disappeared from the arena.
That's one of the Ghost Type's most cunning moves, Phantom Force.
Dragapult hid its form within the shadow space, then unleashed a lethal ambush from an unexpected angle.
Ash's eyes gleamed sharply; he clearly understood Dragapult's intention.
"Playing with shadows?" Ash grinned, softly speaking to Giratina on the field, "It's perfect, Giratina knows it too. Use Shadow Force."
Upon hearing this command, Giratina's deep red eyes gleamed lightly.
Its massive form gently moved, becoming ever so faint.
Soon, Giratina transformed into a dark shadow, melding into the shadows beneath its feet.
Though Phantom Force seemed similar to Dragapult's, it represented two entirely different forces.
Phantom Force simply involved stealthily blending into shadows for an ambush.
Whereas Shadow Force is Giratina's exclusive move.
This move not only holds far superior power than Phantom Force, but also contains terrifying force belonging to the Reverse World and the gods.
Giratina choosing this move to counter Dragapult was the greatest respect it could offer to a junior Ghost Dragon, allowing it to step down without regrets.
In the audience, Lance's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Shadow Force should be Giratina's unique skill, right? This move is more like the ancestral skill of Phantom Force; having Dragapult use it this time... indeed straightforwardly knocked into trouble!"
Cynthia's golden eyes brimmed with gravity: "Indeed, within the shadow space lies Giratina's true realm."
"After all, the God of Reversal governs the dimensions contrary to reality; this semi-real, semi-fake place like shadow space is just Giratina's backyard."
"Dragapult choosing its battleground here... risks losing even its final chance."
I'm teasing, really there was no last chance to begin with, no matter what move it uses against Giratina, only defeat awaits.
Nonetheless... choosing to challenge Giratina within shadows, that's true courage.
The entire venue suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Both Pokemon vanished into shadows, leaving only the twisting, flickering shadows in the sunlight.
No one could see what transpired within the shadow space.
But everyone could faintly sense the unsettling energy swelling beneath those flickering shadows.
In the following instant, the shadow at the center of the field suddenly surged violently.
"Bang—!!"
A muffled collision sounded from deep within the shadow space, then abruptly, the churning shadow exploded.
A streamline figure was blasted out from the shadow space by a terrifying force.
That figure is Dragapult!
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