Tornadus moved fast.
Wrapping himself in a storm of dead leaves, he rushed in on Lucario, who was still bound by [Grass Knot].
The slicing winds scread through the air, sharp as blades.
But sothing about it made Tornadus uneasy…
Lucario, clearly caught in a bad spot, didn't look panicked in the slightest. On the contrary, his expression was unnervingly calm.
Was it just his imagination—or did Lucario actually look... excited?
Hff—
Gritting his teeth, Tornadus poured more force into his attack, intent on ending the fight quickly.
But just then—
A beam of white light suddenly burst from Lucario's chest, piercing through the swirling winds and shooting straight toward Elias.
In the chaos of the storm, Lucario beca a beacon—radiant even in broad daylight.
Elias, who had been preparing to call a counterattack, was montarily stunned by the sudden change.
He looked down at the light connecting the beam to the stone at his chest and frowned in confusion.
What is this?
His instincts scread that this light was no ordinary phenonon.
And sure enough—
The next second, the white glow expanded rapidly, swallowing Lucario's entire form in a brilliant burst.
Tornadus, closest to the center, squinted against the blinding flash.
"Is that…?"
In the stands, Cynthia's eyes widened as she stared down at Lucario in disbelief.
She couldn't see it clearly, but there was no mistaking it—this was [ga Evolution].
A form of evolution discovered in modern tis, originating from the Kalos region—a state that allowed Pokémon to surpass their natural limits.
Even in the present day, it remained a cutting-edge technique, rarely seen and difficult to master.
And yet now, here it was—in ancient Hisui, centuries before it should even exist?!
If she didn't know for a fact that Elias had been born and raised in Hisui, that his behavior and mannerisms were entirely local—
She might have believed he, like her, had co from the future.
That thought brought a sudden wave of lancholy.
If only he really were from the future...
Then maybe—if she ever found a way back—she wouldn't be returning alone.
Even if she never made it ho, at least she wouldn't be the only one stranded in ti. Maybe that would make things… a little easier to bear.
While Cynthia was lost in her own thoughts, Tornadus—still facing Lucario head-on—felt half his body go numb.
Others might not be able to sense it as clearly, but he could.
Once engulfed in that white light, Lucario's strength had skyrocketed—exploding upward in an instant.
The aura locked on him was suffocating, pressing down like a mountain.
The rate of increase was absurd—like the fox had evolved all over again.
Worse—his attacks weren't landing. Not even a little.
The raging winds crashed against a veil of aura that surrounded Lucario, but couldn't break through it at all.
No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't even get close.
Tornadus hesitated—should he call Enamorus for backup?
But just as he considered it, the light around Lucario faded.
And standing there now was soone else entirely.
Lucario had grown taller, leaner—his limbs more refined, his build sharper. His forearms now bore gauntlet-like extensions, deep crimson in color, lined with tal spikes that glinted coldly.
Across his body, black markings striped his fur like arcane runes.
The transformation left Tornadus dry-mouthed.
Then Lucario looked up—and t his gaze with icy, expressionless eyes.
"Tornadus—use [Extrasensory] to cover yourself and fall back!"
Cogita had sensed sothing was wrong and imdiately gave the order.
But Tornadus gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to run.
He knew—if he tried to escape the way Cogita suggested, there was no way he'd make it.
Hff—
He swept his arm forward, drawing a cyclone into his limbs.
His body swelled with power, muscles bulging like a sponge soaking up water.
[Bulk Up]
And next—
[Reversal]
With two consecutive moves, his confidence surged anew.
Clad in violent winds, he lunged forward and threw all his weight into a single, devastating strike.
Vrrrm—
The air howled by Lucario's ears.
But to the newly ga-evolved Lucario, Tornadus's attack barely registered.
Lucario's eyes narrowed. In one swift, fluid motion, he spun his aura staff around himself.
[Swords Dance]
His attack power surged.
Taking down Tornadus now would be child's play.
Just before Tornadus's blow landed, Lucario sprang lightly off the ground.
Boosted by [Extre Speed], he vanished—reappearing behind Tornadus like a phantom.
He twisted his staff downward—
[Rock Slide]
Chunks of jagged stone erupted from the earth, crashing upward toward Tornadus.
At the sa ti, Lucario's fist lit with silvery-blue fire.
He followed up with a perfectly-tid [teor Mash].
BOOM!
The strike landed dead center on the flying rocks, triggering a violent explosion mid-air.
A flash of fire lit the sky, forcing everyone watching to squint against the glare.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
To the people of Hisui—most of whom had spent their lives relying on raw strength to fight wild Pokémon—this display was beyond anything they'd imagined.
Even against powerhouses like Machoke or Machamp, seasoned warriors from Hisui could usually hold their own.
That was part of why so many resisted the idea of capturing Pokémon.
But a battle like this—what they'd just witnessed—
They had never seen anything like it.
From the stands ca the quiet, involuntary sound of people swallowing hard.
For the first ti, they were seeing the true might of Pokémon laid bare.
And all of them knew—none of them could take a hit from that [teor Mash] and live to tell the tale.
As the smoke cleared, Tornadus lay on the ground, bruised and battered.
Being a Flying-type, he was already doubly weak to [Rock] moves—and now, with [teor Mash] on top of it, the damage was devastating.
He collapsed with a snarl of frustration, but couldn't deny it:
He was down for the count.
He struggled, trying to rise, but his legs wouldn't listen.
With a bitter grunt, he slumped back to the dirt.
It's fine, it's fine…
He tried to comfort himself.
There's no way Lucario could unleash that kind of power without paying a price for it.
Even if I'm down… there's still Enamorus, right?
That Lucario won't last—he can't! We've still got this!
Holding onto that hope, he turned to Enamorus with pleading eyes.
And then…
He saw Enamorus lean down and whisper sothing into Cogita's ear.
And Cogita—
Pulled out the white flag she'd prepared in advance.
"We forfeit," she said, smiling as she waved at Elias.
Then she winked.
Tornadus: ...??
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