The originally heavy atmosphere suddenly turned into a battle, and Lillie completely couldn't understand it; she just felt that both of them were very strange!
Watching the two who were already standing by the stage, ready, Hala smiled, "This is what a Trainer is like. Raising Pokémon and battling with them; to use a battle as a curtain call, he really managed to think of that."
...
Lillie didn't have a Pokémon, so she couldn't quite understand. She joined Hau and Sun to watch this unique battle from the side.
Gengar quietly came up behind her, seemingly wanting to play a prank, but didn't act immediately...
Hala continued to serve as the referee. Decidueye and Cyclizar were already on the stage, and both Trainers were ready.
Hoshino didn't dare to treat the old man and Decidueye as ordinary Trainers and Pokémon, even if they were almost at the end of their lives.
Ever since Cyclizar used Miraidon's power and moves last time, he realized something: Cyclizar had only lost its memory, it hadn't forgotten how to use them.
All those moves were still there; it had muscle memory, so he just needed to find a way to make it use them...
The battle started instantly. Decidueye didn't even need the old man's command; it flapped its wings and flew into the air to gain the high ground. This was a kind of unspoken understanding.
"Pretty fast, but..." Hoshino immediately waved and shouted, "Jump up, focus the power in your body into your claws, and then swing them!"
Although the instruction was a bit long, Cyclizar could understand. Immediately, a pair of purple and red energy claws, Dragon Claw, suddenly appeared on its hands!
It didn't understand what this was and was very curious, but it still immediately prepared to jump.
But just then, Decidueye in the sky suddenly spread one wing like a bow, and an arrow had already left the string, shooting downwards.
Seeing this, Lillie, who was watching, was a bit confused: "Shadow Sneak? This is a Ghost-type move, isn't it? Cyclizar is a Normal-type, so it shouldn't have any effect. Did the old man and his Pokémon make a mistake?"
She didn't understand, but Hoshino did, and he quickly shouted, "Run forward!"
However, it was still a step too late. The arrow didn't hit Cyclizar but directly pierced into the shadow of its tail. Cyclizar was about to run forward but found its tail seemed to be grabbed by someone. Its foot suddenly slipped, and its body tilted forward.
Decidueye in the sky also suddenly descended, aiming at Cyclizar's head with a downward kick, slamming it to the ground, and then bounced up, instantly spreading its wings, shooting out three arrows, with super effective results!
Watching this smooth sequence, Lillie exclaimed, "It's Triple Arrows... It actually knows the exclusive move of ancient Hisuian Decidueye!"
Hau, beside her, couldn't smile at all and mused, "What a violent fighting style..."
Sun nodded, "Yes, this is completely on a different level from our strength. It makes me want to get in there and experience it."
Hearing this, Hala said with a smile, "In his era, the Pokemon League Association hadn't come up with things like Trainer levels. By the time that came out, he had already retired, but his strength, if placed in the present, would be Champion Level!"
Hiss!
Champion Level, the highest Trainer level, not only requires strong strength but also requires a comprehensive understanding of Pokémon to be met. Neither can be lacking.
The system of distinguishing Trainer levels and assessment was first proposed by the Paldea region's League and later adopted by the League Association. However, Champion Level and Champion title are two different things; this needs to be clarified.
For example, in Alola, there are a few Trainers who are Champion Level, such as Professor Kukui, but there are no people with the Champion title because this is one of the few regions that hasn't established a Pokemon League...
The battle on the stage continued. Although this Decidueye was also half-dead, perhaps because this was its last battle, its aura was constantly rising, approaching its peak!
"He's really strong, but..."
Hoshino wasn't nervous despite being at a disadvantage; instead, he said with a smile, "Although controlling the tail can make Cyclizar fall, its tail is very sensitive, and it might break off."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cyclizar, which had just been attacked by Decidueye, suddenly turned into a smooth cross-section of a severed tail—it was a substitute attack, while the real Cyclizar had already raised its Dragon Claw and swung it fiercely!
Tail-shedding to escape is an instinct for all Cyclizar, and this one was no exception. Gengar was now quietly lying on Lillie's shoulder, undetected by the young lady who was intently watching the battle.
With such a close-range attack, Decidueye couldn't dodge, but it didn't seem to have any intention of dodging either. It quickly flapped its wings and counterattacked with Leaf Blade!
Dragon Claw and Leaf Blade clashed repeatedly in mid-air, evenly matched. Finally, Cyclizar landed on the ground and casually picked up its severed tail to reattach it.
"Cough cough... You really have some moves."
The old man's emotions also became somewhat excited. Even though he hadn't battled for nearly twenty years, he could instantly get back into it and coordinate with Decidueye with perfect synergy.
"Let's fight with all our might!"
"Goo!"
Decidueye's fighting spirit completely erupted. Its feathers seemed to be revitalized at this moment, once again full of vigor.
It then spread its wings and launched a Brave Bird attack. Although it could have used arrows from a distance to wear down its opponent, it chose close-range combat; this was its fighting style.
Hoshino frowned. He could clearly see that Decidueye was overdrawing its body to regain its former power, and he understood the meaning behind this action.
So his emotions were also stirred. He waved his hand and shouted, "Use Dragon Claw to cross-block and hit it back!"
Cyclizar again used Dragon Claw as it had just done, crossing its arms to block Decidueye's impact, but the power was somewhat beyond imagination. It was knocked flying before it could counterattack.
And the next second, Decidueye repeated its performance, using Triple Arrows once again, hitting all of them.
The gap in strength was completely apparent. In this state, Cyclizar was no match for Decidueye, which was fighting with a resolve to die in this final battle. The mentality of both Trainers was also the same.
"One more Brave Bird attack!"
"Don't resist it, meet it with Dragon Claw!"
Hoshino knew time was running out, so he summed up all tactics into one word: "reckless." He just wanted to have a satisfying battle in this final time!
Cyclizar swung its Dragon Claw, colliding with Decidueye, and then another close-quarters battle began. Both Pokémon were fully in the zone, abandoning all defense for pure offense. Amidst the voices of both Trainers, they gradually became evenly matched!
The old man propped up his body, his eyes actually seeing nothing anymore, but he could still feel that he was fighting alongside Decidueye.
"This is the last of it. Let them witness the moves we trained day and night. Shoot out all the arrows!"
As his words fell, Decidueye suddenly soared towards the sky, spreading its wings in mid-air. Countless arrows surrounded its body, forming a circle, and then descended simultaneously with its movements!
Such a display startled the three young friends watching nearby. Even Hala had never seen such a maneuver before.
Hoshino looked up, his expression somewhat shocked: "Sinister Arrow Raid? No, it's just some similar movements; it's not a Z-Moves."
Although he said that, he also saw how powerful this move was. These weren't Shadow Sneak arrows, but the kind from Triple Arrows—it was a Fighting-type move!
Seeing the attack fall, he immediately waved and shouted, "Just like using Dragon Claw, this time release all your power, transforming it into a menacing aura to envelop yourself, and use Dragon Rush!"
"Cycli!"
Cyclizar was completely fired up, and purple and red energy gathered on its body surface.
It then transformed into a slender dragon shadow, meeting the arrows raining down from the sky. The dragon shadow was instantly pierced like a porcupine, but Cyclizar and Decidueye, hidden within, collided once again!
Powerful energies intertwined, then converged and burst through the sky, and then, a figure revealed a long-lost satisfied smile and fell backward.
At the same time, another figure also fell onto the stage, and the battle ended...
The old man and his companion enjoyed their last full-power Pokémon battle together. Decidueye chose to overdraw its body to fight, not wanting the old man to worry about its sadness when he left.
When they die, they must die by their companion's side. Whether Pokémon or Trainer, they both worried about each other, and finally, they left together...
After a long while, Hala went to see them off for the last time. The few young friends remained where they were. Having witnessed such a scene, no one had the mind to think of anything else.
Hoshino stroked Cyclizar's head. As for the outcome of that battle, he wasn't sure, but it didn't matter anymore. At least there were no regrets left.
He turned to look at the few people over there, then walked over and slowly said, "Is it really necessary? All of you are almost crying. They left without any regrets; you should be happy about this."
Hearing this, Hau and Sun hadn't reacted, but Lillie suddenly asked angrily, "Are you heartless?"
"Hmm... My emotions depend on who the other person is. And haven't you noticed that Gengar has been on your shoulder the whole time?"
"Gengar~"
"Ah?!"
Lillie suddenly snapped back to reality, and upon seeing Gengar's smiling face, she instantly bristled again.
Hoshino smiled, feeling that his communication with her was gradually becoming easier. It felt like making friends wasn't too complicated... Not sure, still need to observe the situation.
Just then, his phone panel popped up untimely, making him slightly stunned, followed by the familiar reward effect appearing.
[Obtained Decidueye's Eternal Friendship: Shadow Arrow, Cloaked in Shadows (Learned the move Shadow Sneak, can use spiritual power to create shadows, draw a bow and arrow to launch attacks, can be used with Decidueye's exclusive Z-Moves, only for Ghost-type Pokémon with hands)]
"Eternal... Is it because the Pokémon is no longer here? This must be its final gratitude to me. The commission is over, so I'll accept this."
Suddenly gaining such a talent, Hoshino was quite surprised. If he hadn't taken the initiative, he probably wouldn't have gained Decidueye's friendship.
The restrictions on this talent were quite significant, but for Gengar, it perfectly fit, even to say it was a complete power-up for Gengar.
"Bow and arrow, should they be considered items?"
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