Cynthia's final Pokeball arced through the air for a heartbeat before an enormous shape manifested in the crimson light.
The light receded slowly, revealing a Garchomp who stood nearly a foot taller than others of her species. Faded scars crossed the dark purple hide along her arms and chest, each one left by an opponent who had tried and failed to bring her down. She rose to her full height as the red glow disappeared.
Her yellow eyes immediately settled on Trilla.
For a moment, Garchomp simply stood there, shoulders relaxed, breathing slow and steady. There was no growl, no display of intimidation. She watched Trilla the same way a veteran boxer studies someone entering the ring for the first time.
The confidence I'd felt a moment earlier vanished.
Trilla met her stare without flinching.
She's... incredible, she admitted quietly.
Don't let her reputation beat you before the battle starts, I replied.
I won't.
The referee looked between both Pokémon.
"Battle... begin!"
Trilla moved first.
A mass of pink energy blossomed between her palms. The second the Moonblast was primed, Trilla thrust both hands forward.
The projectile tore across the battlefield toward Garchomp.
She reacted faster than I could track.
Garchomp brought her tail crashing into the stone, and a line of jagged Stone Edges erupted from the battlefield. The Moonblast slammed into the first pillar and melted it into molten slag before punching through the next. One after another, the stone spikes shattered apart until smoke and pulverized rock obscured the battlefield between them.
The final Stone Edge exploded when a Dragon Pulse bored through the collapsing debris.
Trilla saw it a second too late, and the beam struck her square in the chest.
She wasn't thrown backward. Instead, the draconic energy washed over her body, scorching the front of her white dress black in an instant.
Trilla hadn't even looked back up before Giga Impact detonated against her. She twisted through the air and managed to land on her feet, but her leg buckled beneath her. Catching herself with one hand, Trilla forced herself upright and gathered psychic energy between her palms.
Her opponent stood motionless roughly thirty feet away.
She wasn't recovering.
She was waiting.
Then Garchomp spoke for the first time.
Show me what you can do.
Her voice was low and raspy, carrying none of the arrogance I'd expected. If anything, she sounded... excited.
Trilla answered with action.
A brilliant flare of psychic energy erupted around her body as she Mega Evolved. Trilla's gown lengthened, the burn markings vanished, and her aura expanded in visible waves. The stone beneath her feet cracked as the transformation reached its peak.
A grin spread across Garchomp's face.
Now this is a fight!
She roared and exploded forward.
Trilla completed her transformation barely a heartbeat before Garchomp arrived. A glowing claw swept through the space where her head had been. Trilla was long gone.
She reappeared behind Garchomp with a Moonblast already formed in her palm and drove it into the dragon's back.
The blast staggered Garchomp several steps forward, but she turned the stumble into a spin, whipping her tail backward. The impact folded Trilla over as blood sprayed from her mouth.
She managed to teleport away before a follow-up strike came.
Trilla appeared on the other side of the arena and gained a psychic lock on Garchomp. Her eyes blazed pink as an aura of psychic energy surrounded her opponent.
Just as she prepared to lift and slam Garchomp down, however, Garchomp took a step forward.
Trilla's eyes widened in shock
That's impossible.
Garchomp grinned.
You have no idea what's possible.
In a display of sheer physical might, Garchomp broke the psychic lock and blitzed Trilla.
She closed the distance so fast that Trilla didn't have time to teleport. Garchomp swung her arm upward, the flat of her claw catching Trilla beneath the chin and launching her high into the air.
Garchomp slammed one foot into the battlefield, causing a massive boulder to erupt from the stone and shoot skyward after Trilla.
Garchomp tilted her head back and released a wisp of violet energy that struck the rising rock.
The boulder glowed white-hot for a moment.
Then it exploded.
Draco Meteor erupted beside Trilla at point-blank range.
The first explosion hurled her back toward the battlefield while the remaining fragments ignited overhead, raining down around her in a storm of draconic detonations that swallowed the arena in smoke and violet fire.
When the barrage finally subsided, Trilla was on one knee, breathing in ragged gasps as she struggled to stand.
Garchomp emerged from the smoke.
The battle was over the moment she closed.
Trilla raised her arms to defend herself, but Garchomp crashed into her anyway.
The shoulder tackle lifted Trilla clear off the ground and carried her several yards before slamming her into the battlefield with enough force to crater the stone beneath them.
Silence settled over the arena for what felt like the longest second I'd ever experienced.
Then the referee dropped his flag.
"Gardevoir is unable to battle!"
I stared at Trilla for a moment before remembering the Poké Ball in my hand.
You were incredible.
I said as red light swept across the crater and pulled her battered body safely inside.
Across the battlefield, Garchomp slowly straightened. Smoke still curled from her skin where Trilla's Moonblast had struck, but she showed little sign that the fight had taken anything out of her. Her yellow eyes shifted toward me as I clipped Trilla's Poké Ball back onto my belt and reached for Nick's.
Before I could release him, the arena rumbled beneath my feet.
Garchomp glanced down as the fractured stone began to sink. Heavy floodgates opened along the walls, but instead of the torrent that had transformed the arena for Swampert's battle, a thick slurry of mud poured across the battlefield. It spread rapidly over the descending stone until the entire arena was buried beneath several inches of brown sludge.
A metallic hiss sounded overhead.
More than a dozen PokéBots descended from compartments in the ceiling. Rather than taking positions around the PAP barrier, they immediately went to work. Panels opened across their bodies as mechanical arms unfolded and began assembling lengths of reinforced steel. Welding torches flashed overhead while beams locked together one after another. Several other PokéBots simultaneously installed a rail system along the surrounding support pillars, and within less than a minute, an enormous steel cage hung suspended above the battlefield.
I stared up at it.
"Damn, that was fast."
The referee stepped forward as the final PokéBot finished welding the cage onto the rail system.
"This battlefield combines two League-sanctioned environmental hazards. The ground has been configured to replicate the New Orleans Gym battlefield. Every sixty seconds, the arena will generate a seismic pulse equivalent in power to Earthquake. Any Pokémon in contact with the battlefield when the pulse occurs will sustain damage."
A digital timer illuminated along the arena wall as he gestured toward the structure overhead.
"The cage above the battlefield is adapted from Marshal's Elite Four arena. Following each seismic pulse, it will descend to further restrict vertical mobility. Trainers and Pokémon are advised to monitor both hazards throughout the round."
A timer illuminated from a projector on one of the drones with sixty seconds on the clock.
I unclipped Nick's Poké Ball. "You're up."
Nick materialized in the mud with a heavy thud. His feet sank several inches into the sludge, and he pulled one free with an irritated grunt before looking across the battlefield.
His expression changed the moment he saw Garchomp.
She was watching him just as intently.
Nick lowered his head and spread his jaw blades while Garchomp shifted her weight forward.
The referee raised his flags. "Battle, begin!"
The timer began to count down as the dragons both charged simultaneously.
Nick pulled one arm back as his fist ignited with Brick Break. Garchomp became a streak of blue draconic energy as Dragon Rush enveloped her, and the two attacks collided in the center of the battlefield. Nick's fist buried itself in Garchomp's shoulder at the same instant her head crashed into his chest. The impact sent a shockwave through the mud and staggered both Pokémon in opposite directions.
Garchomp dug her feet into the sludge and stopped herself after several yards. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she straightened. Nick rolled his shoulder across from her, one hand briefly pressing against his sternum.
She's strong.
So are you.
I replied as they began to circle one another. When only eight seconds remained, Cynthia glanced toward the display.
"Garchomp."
Nick charged again, but Garchomp didn't meet him this time. She dipped low and dragged her claw through the battlefield, flinging a glob of mud directly into Nick's face.
What the fuck?!
He recoiled and wiped furiously at his eyes as Garchomp jumped. Her claws hooked through the steel lattice overhead just as the timer reached zero.
The battlefield bucked beneath Nick.
The seismic pulse hit with enough force to send mud spraying several feet into the air. Nick managed to clear his eyes just as the ground rolled beneath him, but he was too late. His legs buckled, and he crashed onto his knees.
Garchomp released the cage and dropped directly onto him.
Brick Break hammered into Nick's exposed back and flattened him face-first into the mud.
"Nick!"
He didn't move.
Garchomp immediately jumped backward rather than risk remaining within his reach. Machinery groaned overhead as the cage descended several feet along its rails before locking into its new position with a deafening clang. The timer reset to sixty seconds.
For several long moments, Nick remained facedown in the mud. Then one arm moved. His palm sank into the sludge as he pushed himself onto one knee. Mud poured from his chest and jaw while he slowly forced himself upright.
Garchomp opened her jaws.
"Dragon Pulse."
Draconic energy erupted across the battlefield. Nick crossed both arms over his face and planted his feet as the beam crashed into him. The attack forced him backward through the mud, burning across his forearms while his claws carved trenches through the battlefield.
He remained standing.
The moment the beam cut off, Nick dropped his arms and charged.
Garchomp barely had time to close her jaws before his forehead crashed into her chest. The headbutt knocked the air from her lungs and launched her backward. She hit the mud on one knee before catching herself, one arm wrapping instinctively around her ribs.
Nick was already advancing when Cynthia glanced toward the timer.
"Pulse!"
Garchomp sprang toward the cage, but Nick lunged after her and caught her by the tail.
Her eyes widened as he ripped her back out of the air. Garchomp hit the mud hard, and before she could regain her footing, Nick swept one leg through hers and dumped her onto her back. She tried to rise, but Nick planted one foot squarely against her chest and forced her back down.
Garchomp shoved against his ankle as the timer approached zero.
Nick leaned more of his weight into her.
You're taking this hit with me.
The seismic pulse ripped through the arena.
Mud erupted around them as the battlefield rolled beneath their bodies. Nick staggered backward, his teeth clenched as the force traveled through his legs. Garchomp flinched beneath him, an involuntary growl escaping her as the Earthquake hammered through her body.
The cage began descending again.
Nick recovered first. He raised one foot to stomp down on Garchomp, but she surged upright and drove her head into his sternum. Nick stumbled backward as she followed with Dragon Claw, her arm cutting toward his torso.
Nick caught her arm before the strike could land and twisted hard.
The joint gave with a sickening pop, and Garchomp roared as her shoulder dislocated. Her arm dropped uselessly to her side as Nick shoved her away.
For the first time, Cynthia's composure cracked. "Garchomp!"
I'm fine.
She very clearly wasn't.
Nick surged toward her, but Garchomp pivoted and slammed her tail into him. The strike staggered him long enough for her to glance toward the timer. Only seconds remained before the next pulse.
Garchomp jumped.
Nick reached after her but missed. She caught the descending cage with her good arm just as another seismic pulse tore through the battlefield. Nick was thrown onto one knee as the mud rolled beneath him.
His claws carved trenches through the sludge while he fought to stay upright. Above him, the cage descended another few feet before Garchomp released it and dropped back to the battlefield.
She landed awkwardly. Her dislocated arm still hung uselessly at her side, and her breathing had become noticeably heavier.
Nick looked even worse.
Blood and mud streaked his body. One leg trembled whenever he put his full weight on it, and each breath seemed to require more effort than the last. He slowly forced himself upright and glared across the battlefield.
Garchomp saw how badly he was hurt.
So did Cynthia.
"Finish it. Dragon Rush."
Blue energy erupted around Garchomp as she lowered her head and launched herself forward.
Nick, move!
He didn't.
Garchomp crossed the battlefield in an instant, but just before Dragon Rush struck, Nick's arm shot upward and wrapped around her throat.
The attack collapsed around them.
Garchomp's eyes widened as Nick stopped her dead.
For half a second, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Then Nick lifted his head, and my stomach dropped when I saw the crimson burning in his eyes.
Nick...
His free hand seized one of the fins along the side of Garchomp's head.
He slammed her face-first into the mud.
The impact shook the battlefield. Before Garchomp could recover, Nick hauled her back up and smashed her down again. Mud exploded around them as he wrenched her upright once more, dragging her battered face back to eye level.
Garchomp's jaws began to glow for a point-blank Dragon Pulse.
Nick saw it too.
He released her throat and clamped both hands around her jaws, forcing them shut before she could fire. The Dragon Pulse fizzled between Garchomp's teeth in a muffled burst of violet light as smoke curled from the corners of her mouth.
Nick squeezed harder.
Garchomp struggled against him, but he didn't seem to feel it anymore. He wasn't watching Cynthia. He wasn't watching the timer. He wasn't listening to me.
There was nothing left in his eyes except Outrage.
Nick, that's enough. Make space!
His grip tightened.
No!
Garchomp's eyes shifted downward.
Both of Nick's hands were occupied around her jaws, leaving his torso completely exposed.
Her good arm ignited, and Brick Break slammed into Nick's chest.
His grip broke instantly as the blow staggered him backward. Garchomp tore herself free and stumbled away, coughing smoke from between her teeth as she finally managed to open her jaws.
Nick, move!
He tried.
Dragon Pulse erupted from Garchomp's mouth and struck him squarely in the chest.
Nick was ripped from his feet and hurled across the battlefield. He crashed into the mud, rolled several times, and finally came to rest near the edge of the PAP barrier.
The crimson faded from his eyes.
The referee dropped his flag.
"Haxorus is unable to battle!"
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
Garchomp remained standing in the center of the battlefield, but only barely. Mud coated most of her body, and blood ran from the corner of her mouth. Her injured arm still hung uselessly at her side. Her breathing was deep and uneven as she stared across the arena at Nick.
The grin she'd worn at the beginning of the fight was gone.
I raised Nick's Poké Ball and recalled him.
You almost had her, buddy.
The red light disappeared into the ball. I stared at it for another second before clipping it back onto my belt.
A sickening crunch pulled my attention across the battlefield.
Garchomp had braced her injured arm against her body. With one sharp movement, she forced the shoulder back into its socket.
I shivered at the sound.
"Ouch."
Garchomp slowly rotated her injured shoulder, grimacing as she tested the joint before allowing the arm to settle at her side.
For the first time since she'd entered the battle, she looked like she'd been through one.
Garchomp slowly rotated the injured shoulder, grimacing as she tested the joint before allowing the arm to settle at her side.
For the first time since she'd entered the battle, she looked like she'd been through one.
The referee raised a hand, and the PokéBots immediately descended around the battlefield. The cage surrounding Garchomp collapsed almost as quickly as it had been assembled. Mechanical arms unlocked each section and carried the steel panels away while others swept low over the arena, blasting streams of water across the field. Mud peeled away in thick brown sheets and disappeared through drains along the perimeter until the last remnants of Clay's battlefield were gone.
What remained was a standard stone battlefield.
I reached for the final Poké Ball on my belt.
Garchomp watched me from across the arena. Her chest rose and fell steadily, and one arm still hung slightly lower than the other, but there was nothing tired about her eyes. If anything, the sight of me reaching for my last Pokémon seemed to breathe new life into her.
Her mouth curled into a grin.
I pulled Zoey's Poké Ball free and enlarged it in my hand.
Red light spilled across the stone as Zoey materialized in front of me.
She immediately lowered into a crouch, one hand touching the battlefield as her mane settled across her back. Her crimson eyes lifted toward the enormous dragon waiting on the opposite side.
Zoey slowly rose to her full height as Garchomp's eyes narrowed with recognition.
She rolled her injured shoulder once more and raised both claws, settling into her stance despite the pain.
So you're her ace.
Zoey's ears twitched.
A smile gradually pulled at the corner of her muzzle.
And you're the one everyone's been so afraid of.
Garchomp gave a low, rumbling laugh.
Zoey flexed her claws.
The referee looked between them before lifting his arm.
Neither Pokémon took their eyes off the other.
"Battle, begin!"
Garchomp's jaws opened, and blue light erupted from her mouth.
Zoey threw herself aside as the Dragon Pulse tore past her and exploded against the PAP barrier. She landed in a low crouch and immediately pushed herself upright.
She's going to try to get close, Zoey warned me. If she does, we lose.
She was right. Zoey could hurt Garchomp from a distance, especially after the beating Nick had just given her, but there was no world where she could trade blows with her.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered.
Garchomp surged forward as draconic energy enveloped her body.
Cynthia had clearly expected Zoey to be sluggish after her battle with Spiritomb.
She wasn't.
Zoey waited until Garchomp was almost on top of her before throwing herself backward. Her shoulders struck the stone, and she rolled with the momentum, narrowly slipping beneath Garchomp's charge. As Zoey unfurled from the roll, three Shadow Balls formed between her claws and launched in rapid succession.
The first exploded against Garchomp's side. The second struck her chest, and the third caught her bad shoulder, wrenching a snarl from her as the combined impacts forced her several steps off course.
Zoey drove a fist into the battlefield and immediately handsprung backward. The stone beneath her softened into loose earth as she flipped through the air, and the instant her hands touched down, she plunged through the surface and disappeared.
Garchomp stopped, her eyes tracking the battlefield while her tail slowly lifted behind her.
I recognized the movement.
Earthquake.
Before Garchomp could bring her tail down, the ground to her right exploded.
Zoey burst from beneath the battlefield and drove her fist into Garchomp's chest.
She immediately yelped.
Ow!
Zoey recoiled, clutching her hand as Garchomp's head snapped toward her. One massive arm swept through the air, and Zoey's eyes widened as she dropped beneath the swipe with inches to spare.
"Dark Pulse!"
Black energy erupted from Zoey's palm at point-blank range.
The blast struck Garchomp beneath the jaw and snapped her head back. She staggered as darkness engulfed her upper body, and by the time it cleared, Zoey had disappeared.
Garchomp's eyes moved across the empty battlefield.
Cynthia nodded, and Garchomp's posture changed.
Her claws lowered. Her shoulders relaxed, and she allowed her injured arm to hang loosely at her side.
Zoey, wait.
My warning came too late.
The illusion shattered as Zoey appeared at Garchomp's flank.
Garchomp's tail slammed into her side.
Zoey cried out as she was ripped from her feet and sent flying across the battlefield. She struck the stone several yards away, bounced once, and rolled before finally digging her claws into the ground hard enough to stop herself.
"Zoey!"
I'm okay.
Zoey dragged herself onto one knee as Garchomp lifted a foot and slammed it into the battlefield.
Stone erupted from the ground in front of her.
"Draco Meteor."
Garchomp kicked the chunk of stone into the air.
Her head tilted upward, and violet energy gathered in her maw before erupting upward. The beam struck the rock and carried it higher, draconic energy pouring into it until the stone began to glow white-hot.
Then it exploded.
Dozens of blazing fragments scattered across the arena before gravity caught them.
"Zoey, cloak!"
Her body disappeared as the first meteors began to fall.
They hammered the battlefield like artillery. Stone burst apart beneath each impact as explosions rolled across the arena, one after another. Garchomp stood motionless beneath the barrage while the PAP barrier flashed around us.
For a second, I couldn't find Zoey.
Then one of the falling meteors suddenly changed course and struck something invisible.
Zoey's illusion shattered instantly as she crashed against the stone and rolled onto her side.
The rest of the Draco Meteors detonated across the battlefield before it finally went still.
The referee raised his arm.
"Zoroark is unable to-"
Zoey's claws scraped against the stone.
The referee stopped.
I stared as she planted one trembling hand beneath herself and pushed. Her arm buckled once before she forced it straight. Then she got a foot underneath herself.
"Zoey..."
She hauled herself upright.
Her legs shook violently beneath her, and one arm hung uselessly at her side. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps, but somehow she remained standing.
Garchomp stared at her from across the battlefield.
Then she began to walk.
Zoey couldn't dodge anymore. She could barely stand. After what Garchomp had done to Nick and Trilla, I knew exactly how quickly she could end this.
Garchomp crossed the final few yards and came to a halt in front of her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Garchomp's expression softened.
You fought well.
Zoey looked up at her. Garchomp nodded.
Rest now.
Zoey's legs finally gave out, and Garchomp caught her before she hit the ground.
She carefully lowered Zoey onto the stone and withdrew her arm before straightening.
The referee waited only long enough to make sure Zoey wasn't getting back up.
"Zoroark is unable to battle! Garchomp is the winner!"
His arm swung toward Cynthia.
"With Atrea Morgan having no remaining Pokémon, the winner of this match and defending Champion is Cynthia."
For several seconds, I just stood there.
I'd lost.
The realization settled over me strangely. There wasn't the hollow disbelief I'd felt after Drayden. No anger or desperate need to replay every mistake.
I was disappointed. Of course I was.
I'd come this close.
Across the battlefield, Cynthia recalled Garchomp. The red light swept over her battered body, and for the first time since the battle began, the arena was completely empty.
Cynthia looked down at the Poké Ball in her hand before clipping it back onto her belt.
Then she walked toward me.
I stepped down from my platform and met her near the center of the battlefield. Broken stone still covered portions of the arena, scars left behind by a battle that had somehow felt like it lasted hours.
Cynthia stopped in front of me and extended her hand.
"Congratulations, Atrea."
I stared at it.
"I lost."
A small smile crossed her face. "You did."
I laughed under my breath before taking her hand.
"You pushed every member of my team," she continued. "You adapted when your strategies failed, trusted your Pokémon when they saw things you didn't, and forced Garchomp farther than most trainers ever have."
My eyes drifted toward the Poké Ball at Cynthia's waist.
"Not quite far enough."
"No." Cynthia's smile widened slightly. "Not quite."
I looked back at her.
The disappointment was still there. I'd wanted to win. After eight Gym Leaders and the entire Elite Four, I'd walked into this arena believing I could leave it as Champion.
But I'd also watched Nick dislocate Garchomp's shoulder.
I'd watched Zoey drag herself back to her feet after a Draco Meteor that should have ended the fight.
We'd come close.
Really fucking close.
I tightened my grip around Cynthia's hand and smiled.
"Enjoy the title while you've got it."
One of her eyebrows lifted.
"Because I'm coming back."
Cynthia laughed softly.
"I would be disappointed if you didn't."
We released each other's hands, and I turned toward the edge of the arena.
Skyla was already waiting for me.
The second I got close enough, she threw both arms around me.
I stumbled backward with a laugh. "Damn!"
"You almost beat Cynthia!"
"Almost."
Skyla pulled back just far enough to stare at me. "No. Seriously. Do you understand how insane that was?"
I glanced back across the arena.
Cynthia had returned to her side of the battlefield, speaking quietly with the referee while the PokéBots descended to begin repairing the destruction we'd left behind.
Skyla slipped her hand into mine.
"You okay?"
I thought about it.
"Honestly?"
She nodded.
"I'm a little bummed."
"It'd be odd if you weren't."
"But..." I looked back toward the battlefield one last time. "I thought she'd destroy me."
Skyla snorted. "You thought Cynthia was going to destroy you?"
I nodded and squeezed her hand.
"I wanted to win. I really did. But after Drayden..." I paused, searching for the right words. "That felt different. When I lost to him, it felt like I'd hit a wall. Like everything I'd accomplished before that suddenly didn't matter because I'd finally met someone I couldn't beat."
Skyla listened without interrupting.
"This wasn't like that." I glanced toward Cynthia again. "I can beat her."
Skyla smiled.
"Yeah."
"Not today."
"No."
"But I can."
Her fingers tightened around mine.
"Then I guess Cynthia should enjoy the title while she's got it."
I laughed.
"That's what I told her."
"Naturally."
She leaned against me as we started toward the exit.
One more night in Denver before we returned to Santa Monica to figure out what to do next.