At exactly 3:00 PM, the long-awaited final match of the Ever Grande Conference officially began.
Because this was the championship battle, the organizers had postponed the start time to the afternoon so that there would be enough time for the award ceremony, presentation of commemorative trophies, and the closing ceremony later in the day.
At this very moment, Gary Oak and Tyson were already standing firmly in their respective trainer boxes, facing each other with sharp determination.
"After so many days of fierce competition, it's finally time for the ultimate showdown," the announcer's excited voice echoed through the stadium.
"After this battle, the champion of the Ever Grande Conference will be decided! Let's first determine what the battlefield will be for the opening half of the match!"
On the massive screen above the arena, the cursor on the battlefield selection wheel flashed rapidly, rotating at high speed.
The crowd held their breath until the wheel slowed and finally stopped — landing on the leaf symbol.
The stadium floor rumbled, and platforms shifted as lush, vibrant grass sprouted up from hidden panels.
Soon, the entire battlefield was transformed into a rolling green terrain dotted with patches of tall grass.
The referee raised his hand. "Trainers, are you ready?"
"Yes," Gary replied firmly.
"Anytime," Tyson said with a nod.
Both men already had Poké Balls in hand, their fingers gripping them with tense focus.
"The rules for this battle are as follows," the referee announced.
"This will be a six-on-six battle. When one side has lost three Pokémon, we will take a halftime break. During the break, both sides may switch Pokémon with those kept at the Pokémon Center. Now, please send out your first Pokémon at the same time!"
Gary and Tyson raised their Poké Balls in unison.
Gary: "Go, Salamence!"
Tyson: "Hariyama, I choose you!"
"Saaalaaa-menccceee!!" the Dragon Pokémon roared, spreading its broad crimson wings and glaring fiercely.
"Haaarii-yaaamaa!" the massive Fighting-type bellowed, stomping heavily on the grassy field.
The commentator's voice boomed: "Tyson opens with Hariyama! A risky choice, as Hariyama's Fighting-type attacks won't be particularly effective against Salamence's Flying typing. This could be a disadvantage right from the start!"
Salamence's eyes narrowed as its Intimidate Ability activated, lowering Hariyama's Attack stat.
"Hurricane!" Gary commanded without hesitation.
Salamence flapped its mighty wings, whipping up a violent storm of wind. Blades of grass were torn from the ground and tossed into the swirling air. Occasionally, a razor-sharp gust sliced through the green foliage like invisible knives.
"Haaah!" Hariyama grunted, bracing itself. It had no time or speed to dodge — instead, it dug its large palms into the grass and took the full brunt of the Hurricane.
The winds battered its bulky body relentlessly.
When the storm finally subsided, Hariyama was breathing heavily, its footing shaky. If it hadn't been for its immense stamina, that single attack could have ended the fight right there.
"Fire Blast!" Gary followed up quickly.
"Roooaaarrr!" Salamence unleashed a massive sphere of flames, which exploded forward in the shape of the Japanese kanji for "big" — the signature mark of a perfect Fire Blast.
Tyson's eyes narrowed. "Come back!" He quickly withdrew Hariyama into its Poké Ball before the attack could land.
The Fire Blast struck the ground instead, detonating with a BOOM and leaving a large scorched patch of blackened earth.
Gary frowned slightly. He knew Tyson had withdrawn Hariyama because it was already weakened from the Hurricane and wouldn't recover much stamina even if rested for later.
"Altaria, I choose you!" Tyson sent out his next Pokémon.
"Aaaaltaaaariaaa~" the Cloud Pokémon cooed, its cottony wings fluffing out gracefully as it hovered over the field.
Gary acted immediately. "Come back, Salamence!" He returned his Dragon Pokémon in a flash of red light.
He hadn't sent Salamence out to battle seriously — only to lower Hariyama's Attack and test Tyson's opening strategy.
"Gardevoir, you're up!" Gary threw another Poké Ball.
"Gaaardevooiiirrr!" The elegant Psychic/Fairy-type materialized, her eyes calm but alert.
"Gary has chosen Gardevoir! A solid counter to Altaria in terms of typing — Fairy moves are extremely dangerous to Dragon-types!" the announcer called out.
Tyson did not hesitate. "Altaria, return!" He quickly swapped Pokémon again.
"Tyson is recalling Altaria. Given Gardevoir's reputation and strength in Gary's previous matches, it's no surprise — Tyson knows Altaria would stand little chance!" the announcer continued.
"Metagross, go!" Tyson hurled his third Poké Ball.
"Meeeetaaagroosss!" The massive Steel/Psychic Pokémon landed with a metallic thud, its four legs slamming into the grassy battlefield.
Gary narrowed his eyes. Metagross's typing gave it a natural resistance to both Psychic and Fairy moves — and with its high defense, this would be a tougher fight.
"Gardevoir, use Psychic!" Gary ordered, deciding to test the waters rather than switch.
Gardevoir's eyes glowed a brilliant blue, releasing a concentrated wave of psychic force toward Metagross.
"Metagross, counter with Psychic!" Tyson shouted.
Metagross's eyes gleamed with psychic light as it launched its own wave of mental energy.
BANG! The two Psychic attacks collided in midair, exploding in a shockwave of force. Metagross's heavy body was pushed backward by the impact and crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
"Grrhh..." Metagross grunted in pain. The fall itself had dealt extra damage — the heavier the Pokémon, the more it suffered upon impact.
Tyson's brow furrowed. "No way... Is the gap really this big?" He had known Gardevoir was strong, but the difference in power was greater than he expected.
What Tyson didn't realize was that Gary's Gardevoir was holding a Twisted Spoon, boosting the power of its Psychic-type moves by 50%. Against a physical attacker like Metagross, this made all the difference.
"Gravity!" Gary commanded.
Gardevoir raised her arms, and a wave of psychic energy pulsed through the battlefield. Metagross suddenly found itself weighed down, its ability to hover completely nullified.
"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" Tyson called. Metagross's right arm ignited with a metallic glow, its fist surrounded by blazing silver energy as it charged forward like a comet. Read full story at 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
"Dodge it, then use Mystical Fire!" Gary countered.
In an instant, Gardevoir vanished — teleporting behind Metagross. She traced a circle in the air with her hand, forming a blazing ring of flames that erupted outward.
"Light Screen!" Tyson reacted quickly.
Metagross slammed its Meteor Mash attack into the ground to halt its momentum, spun around, and generated a transparent wall of psychic light in front of itself. The Mystical Fire slammed against the barrier, but the Light Screen absorbed half the damage.
Tyson's strategy was clear — if he couldn't pin down Gardevoir, he would try to force her to burn through mental stamina until her Teleport and high-powered moves became harder to sustain.
But Gary wasn't worried.
"Double Team, then Mystical Fire!" Gary ordered.
"Gaaardevooiirrr!" Gardevoir's form blurred, splitting into over twenty identical copies that spread out across half the battlefield. All of them raised their hands, and a volley of Mystical Fires lit up the arena.
Even with Metagross's supercomputer-like mind, it was impossible to tell the real Gardevoir from the illusions. It targeted one with Psychic, but the flames passed right through — a clone.
The remaining fireballs struck true, engulfing Metagross in a blazing inferno.