The next day, at the final battleground of the Lily of the Valley Conference…
"In the blink of an eye, the Lily of the Valley Tournament has reached its grand finale! Two trainers have risen above among others to take the stage!"
"On one side, we have the rising star of competitive battling—Paul!"
"And on the other side, the dark horse who has stunned the entire world by using just one Pokémon—Darkrai—to crush every opponent from the very beginning… Tobias!"
"Let's see what kind of legendary battle these two will bring us today!"
With the announcer's voice echoing through the arena, all eyes turned toward the field—where two young Trainers stood face to face: Paul and Tobias.
"The final match begins now!"
"Both trainers, send out your first Pokémon."
At the referee's signal, the tension on the field spiked instantly.
Both Trainers stood still, eyes locked in a silent clash of wills.
This wasn't just the climax of the Lily of the Valley Conference—it was the long-awaited confrontation between the so-called "Legendary Pokémon Trainer" and a challenger with raw and relentless strength.
Paul and Tobias had already made their choices. Without hesitation, they each hurled their Poké Balls onto the battlefield.
"Torterra, stand by for battle!"
"Darkrai, your turn."
"RAAA!"
With a heavy roar, Torterra's mountain-like body landed solidly on the ground.
This time, unlike before, Torterra didn't anchor itself into the soil using Ingrain. Instead, it remained mobile, standing in its natural state.
While this meant a slower energy recovery and no constant healing, it also allowed Paul the option to withdraw Torterra and switch Pokémon using his Poké Ball—an important strategic flexibility in this high-stakes battle.
Opposite him, Darkrai floated silently in mid-air, its gaze locked on Torterra from afar—calm, calculating, and utterly unreadable.
"Battle, begin! Paul has the first move!"
"Torterra—Magical Leaf! Razor Leaf!"
Paul wasted no time.
The great tree on Torterra's back swayed as it launched wave after wave of glowing green leaves. The shimmering projectiles scattered like a storm, raining down on Darkrai from every direction.
"Dark Pulse—then Dark Void."
Tobias' response came swiftly.
A dark ripple spread from between Darkrai's hands, radiating outward in all directions like a shockwave. It deflected the incoming Magical Leaf and Razor Leaf like a shadowy shield, nullifying the assault before it could land.
Then, without pause, the expanding Dark Pulse exploded in a wave of energy, sweeping the field and blasting away every remaining leaf within dozens of meters.
In the brief window created, Darkrai conjured a swirling Dark Void sphere in its hand and hurled it toward Torterra, aiming to send the Grass-type into sleep.
"Use Forest's Healing!" Paul countered immediately.
"RAAAA!"
Before Dark Void could make contact, an emitting light green aura flared around Torterra's massive body. The light washed over the shadowy orb, disintegrating it on impact.
Dark Void vanished—dissolved before it could ever take hold.
"Frenzy Plant!"
Paul's command came fast and sharp.
"RAAAA!"
Torterra stomped one mighty foreleg into the earth. In an instant, colossal vines burst forth from the ground—Frenzy Plant, nature's most destructive fury. Hardened, spiked foliage tore through the battlefield, lashing out toward Darkrai with wild, overwhelming force.
"Evade it! Ice Beam—then Haze!"
Tobias responded with precision.
Darkrai glided through the storm of vines, weaving effortlessly between strikes. When the attacks grew too dense, it blurred into pure shadow, slipping through impossible gaps and emerging unscathed.
As the storm of vines began to slow, Darkrai reformed and retaliated. A freezing beam of energy surged from its hands—Ice Beam—striking Torterra square in the side.
Already sluggish from Frenzy Plant's recoil, Torterra couldn't react in time and took the full brunt of the icy blast, the cold biting deep into its armor-like hide.
But just as Darkrai followed up with a swirling cloud of Haze, intending to suppress Torterra's stat boosts from Growth, the air around Torterra began to shift.
Leaves danced in a sudden updraft—Leaf Storm-like turbulence erupted, wrapping around its body in a miniature whirlwind. The black mist of Haze was swept aside, unable to reach Torterra's core.
The smoke may have obscured vision, but it couldn't undo Torterra's careful setup—not this time.
"Tch... That Torterra's defensive awareness is no joke."
Even Tobias couldn't help murmuring aloud. Despite having already faced so many elite Trainers in the Lily of the Valley Conference, this was the first time his Darkrai had encountered such a calculated and methodical defense.
Paul wasn't chasing raw power—he was patiently tightening the trap.
"Use Growth again!"
Paul's order was sharp and unwavering.
Golden-green light radiated from within Torterra's body once more. The tree on its back rustled with energy as its size and presence seemed to swell—Growth took hold again, compounding its strength. Its bulk became heavier, denser, and its next attack would carry even more weight.
"Don't give it the chance—Dark Void!"
Tobias' voice was sharper this time too.
A fresh sphere of darkness condensed in Darkrai's palm, then shot toward Torterra with blazing speed.
But Paul had anticipated it.
"Earth Power!"
"RAAAA—!"
With a roar, Torterra stomped with titanic force, cracking the ground beneath it. Earth Power surged forth in a golden eruption, blasting the terrain ahead into the air.
The resulting shockwave tore up the field, throwing the battlefield into chaos. Darkrai's Dark Void sphere collided midair with a chunk of upturned earth, detonating harmlessly against the debris.
The wave of golden energy didn't stop there—it rolled toward Darkrai in a layered chain of underground detonations.
"Teleport—then Blizzard."
Darkrai vanished in a flicker of shadow—Teleport, used not for long-distance escape, but for instant evasion. It reappeared above the battlefield, surrounded by swirling snow and frost.
Then came the storm.
A frigid storm howled down from the sky—Blizzard—flooding the area with ice crystals sharp enough to pierce bark and freeze breath.
"Torterra, Wood Hammer!"
Rather than retreat or dodge, Paul gave an unexpected command.
Torterra surged forward.
Its front legs glowed with vivid green as energy poured into them. With a mighty leap—not fast, but thunderous—Torterra slammed its foreleg into the ground in a sideways arc, triggering Wood Hammer.
A massive shockwave of natural energy burst forth from the impact point, shattering the frozen terrain and neutralizing the descending Blizzard. The sheer force of the blow blasted ice particles into dust, shielding Torterra from the worst of the cold.
It was an unusual application of Wood Hammer—not to strike a foe directly, but to destroy the weather itself.
But the recoil from such a move was not light. Torterra staggered, visibly panting.
And that's when Tobias made his move.
"Now, Nasty Plot—then Nightmare!"
Darkrai closed its eyes for a moment, drawing in deep shadowy power—its Special Attack spiked dramatically. Then, as Torterra faltered from the recoil, Darkrai launched forward with a sweeping motion, trailing nightmare energy from its body.
Torterra's eyes narrowed—this wasn't a dream attack like Dream Eater. It was Nightmare, meant to take hold the moment sleep set in.
"Sleep Powder, from the tree!"
Torterra's massive tree shook with a sudden blast, releasing a burst of greenish dust into the air.
This wasn't Paul making a mistake—it was a trap.
As Darkrai surged in for Nightmare, it moved straight through the falling Sleep Powder, inhaling just enough of the glowing powder to briefly falter.
And that's all Paul needed.
"Leech Seed!"
Vines burst from Torterra's body with precision, wrapping around the midair Darkrai.
The dark-type Pokémon tried to retreat, but the seeds had already latched on—beginning their slow, parasitic drain.
In the span of moments, the tides had shifted again.
A soft thunk echoed as the Leech Seed locked in. The vines tightened around Darkrai's body, glowing faintly green. Tiny rootlets began pulsing with energy—draining life force with every second.
Tobias' brows twitched.
He hadn't seen that Sleep Powder coming—not from Torterra's tree, not while Darkrai was launching a Nightmare. Paul had baited him—on purpose.
"Dark Pulse!"
Tobias' tone was sharper and colder.
A sphere of black energy burst from Darkrai's chest, exploding outward with a wave of negative force. The Leech Seed vines were shredded instantly. Torterra staggered from the hit, gritting its teeth.
But the blow hadn't come free.
Some of Darkrai's energy was still drained by the seed's last pulse before destruction.
It was no longer just an exchange of attacks—it was a war of attrition.
Tobias narrowed his eyes.
"You really think halting's enough?"
Paul didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The look in his eyes said it all: That's exactly what I'm doing.
"Growth, again."
For the third time, golden light radiated from Torterra's body—its bulk swelling, leaves trembling with power. The ground beneath it cracked under the strain of its increasing mass. Even the tree on its back was glowing faintly now.
Not just special attack. Not just physical. Everything was rising.
Tobias exhaled, finally starting to feel a flicker of urgency.
"Darkrai, Focus Blast!"
A spinning sphere of compressed fighting-type energy formed at Darkrai's hands. It launched the orb like a cannonball—fast, precise, and deadly.
But Paul didn't blink.
"Withdraw."
Torterra's massive shell glowed faintly as it hunkered down—Withdraw, not often seen on a battler this size. Its defense spiked as it braced for impact.
BOOM!
The Focus Blast exploded against Torterra's shell, sending shards of dirt and stone flying. Dust engulfed the field. But when it cleared…
Torterra was still standing.
Scorched, yes. Bruised, yes. But it endured.
And worse for Tobias, that hit had no secondary effect. No defense drop. Nothing.
This wasn't just a bulky tank—it was a fortress now.
"Leech Seed—again."
Another pair of seeds shot forward, this time preemptively, anticipating Darkrai's evasion.
Tobias frowned. Paul wasn't just being stubborn—he was gathering information with every move, laying groundwork for the long game.
This wasn't the kind of opponent you crushed with sheer firepower. Not anymore.
"All right… Time to shift gears."
Tobias' fingers tightened around his Poké Ball.
"Darkrai—return."
The crowd gasped.
Was he… withdrawing Darkrai?
Paul's eyes flicked upward—but only slightly. He wasn't surprised. If anything, he'd been waiting for this.
Because if Tobias was pulling out Darkrai now… there was only one thing it could mean.
The next monster was coming.
And sure enough, Tobias reached to his belt—and unclipped another Poké Ball.
"Let's turn up the heat—Heatran, let's go."
"Heatraaan~!"
A Pokémon emerged, its body like molten steel hardened into form. Thick metallic bands encircled each of its four legs. This was none other than the legendary Heatran—the Lava Dome Pokémon known for its fusion of fire and steel.
As a Legendary Pokémon said to dwell in volcanoes, Heatran, with its Fire/Steel typing, was a logical and strategic pick against a Torterra that had already endured multiple battles and powered up repeatedly.
"Let's see how strong you really are."
Paul's gaze sharpened. "Torterra, use Stone Edge!"
"RAAA~!"
Torterra roared. Jagged blades of stone erupted from the ground and hurtled toward Heatran. At the same time, shimmering azure stone pillars burst up from the battlefield, crashing toward the legendary Pokémon in a powerful surge.
"Smog, then Lava Plume!"
Heatran faced the attack without flinching. A thick, searing smog poured from its mouth, while an intense glow began to pulse from within its molten core. From a distance, the Pokémon resembled a volcano on the brink of eruption.
The Smog disrupted some of the Stone Edge blades, shattering them midair—but many still found their mark, slamming into Heatran's armored body. The next wave of stone pillars struck true, launching Heatran off the ground and into the sky.
The dual assault had inflicted considerable damage, but Heatran didn't halt its offensive. Even midair, the blazing fumes from its mouth surged straight toward Torterra.
Then—the battlefield cracked beneath Torterra's feet. Streams of lava surged upward, and a Lava Plume engulfed the arena, swallowing Torterra in a tempest of molten fire.
But in that moment, Torterra showed no signs of panic. Just as the searing lava was about to scorch its body, a bright green barrier shimmered to life around it—Protect, forming a glowing shield that fended off both lava and the choking smoke.
"Now—Light Screen!"
As the protective barrier dissipated, Torterra seamlessly transitioned into its next move. A second barrier formed around its body—this time made of light—halving the power of special attacks aimed at it.
"Earthquake!"
Though still bound by molten lava and unable to fully break free, Torterra took the opportunity to release an Earthquake, ready to show Heatran just how dangerous it could be.
"Lava Storm!"
As the ground trembled violently, Tobias steadied himself and issued another command.
Heatran suddenly leapt high into the air. With a burst of power, it conjured a unique Lava Storm beneath itself, using the heated currents to elevate and suspend its body midair—completely evading the quake's destructive force.
"Giga Impact!"
Watching this unfold, Paul's brow furrowed slightly. He had no choice but to order Torterra to use a move it had learned specifically for moments like this—Giga Impact.
"RAAAA!"
Power exploded from Torterra's frame, its momentum building into a tangible force. Without hesitation, it burst through the searing spiral of lava, rocketing straight toward Heatran—still hovering above the molten storm.
"Flare Blitz, then Fire Fang!"
Heatran showed no fear. The lava storm beneath it intensified, swirling into a blazing inferno that wrapped around its body. Then, like a meteor, it charged forward to meet Torterra head-on.
Mid-surge, the heated currents burned even hotter, pulsing with raw fury. As Heatran barreled toward its opponent, its jaws opened wide—heated energy shaping itself into a massive fang, aimed squarely at Torterra.
BOOM!
A fiery mushroom cloud bloomed in the sky. Both Pokémon, scorched and battered, tumbled back to earth from the clash above.
It was clear: neither side had gained the upper hand from that devastating collision.
"As expected of a Legendary Pokémon… Return!"
Had it been any other high-ranking Fire-type—one nearing the level of an Elite Four Pokémon—Torterra, fully matured, might've overwhelmed it without breaking a sweat.
But this was Heatran.
Even now, Torterra couldn't gain the upper hand. If the battle continued, Paul knew its chances of winning would drop below fifty percent.
So before Torterra could even hit the ground, Paul swiftly recalled it into its Poké Ball wasting no time.
Then, he threw out his trump card—a Pokémon known as the natural counter to Fire-types.
(To be continued...)
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