Chapter 75: Saffron Gym Battle (Part 2)

Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy

---------------------------------

"Psycho Cut!" Ander shouted in a low voice.

"Ha!!"

Gallade let out a deep cry as the blade on its arm swung fiercely. A massive, purplish-red slash tore through the air, forcefully splitting the swirling Sand Tomb in two.

Even after cutting through the attack, the slash continued its trajectory, flying straight toward Garchomp.

Seeing its Sand Tomb get shattered so easily, Garchomp was momentarily shocked, but it quickly crossed its fins, a stubborn glint flashing in its eyes, and stepped forward to take the Psycho Cut head-on.

Clang!!

A sharp, ringing sound echoed through the air. Garchomp exerted its full strength to block the Psycho Cut.

As it pushed back, its feet sank into the floor, carving two deep cracks into the ground under the force of the attack.

"Roar!"

Just as Garchomp was about to be pushed out of the battle arena, its eyes flashed coldly.

Planting its feet firmly, it let out a powerful roar and forcefully crossed its fins like a pair of scissors. A surge of raw strength exploded outward, shattering the Psycho Cut into pieces.

"This... Oh, I see now. No wonder the Saffron Gym allows two-on-one battles. So this is the trick Ander has up his sleeve—Psychic enhancement? Combining his own psychic powers with his Pokémon to strengthen their battle capabilities? That's quite impressive."

Liam observed the sudden surge in Gallade's power and recalled that Sabrina had used a similar method in the anime to enhance her Kadabra.

Seeing it firsthand, he could tell how truly formidable it was.

"Hahaha! Liam, you're quite knowledgeable! You figured it out at a glance. So, how about it? With my psychic-enhanced Gallade, its strength has increased by more than just one level. Do you understand how powerful we are now? Hahaha!" Ander laughed smugly, seeing himself gaining the upper hand.

Liam merely smiled, glancing over at Garchomp. (After the intense exchanges, Garchomp and Gallade had switched positions on the battlefield.)

He gave a slight nod, signaling with his eyes.

Garchomp immediately understood. Spreading its arms, it stretched its body, causing its bones to crack audibly.

Its already towering form seemed to grow even taller, and the aura around it sharpened.

"Gallade is finally strong enough to be worth fighting seriously. Now that Garchomp's warm-up is over, it's time for the real battle to begin," Liam said with a grin.

"Hmm? I admit that this differently colored Garchomp is quite strong, but if you're saying that was just a warm—Wait… What!?"

Before Ander could finish speaking, his vision blurred.

The next moment, the Garchomp that had been standing right in front of him had completely disappeared. Before he could react, the sound of blades clashing rang out from behind him, followed by a familiar cry of pain.

In the next second, a white-and-green figure was sent flying and slammed hard into the ground.

"What!? Gallade! This—how is this possible!?"

Ander was utterly shocked as he watched Gallade struggle to get up. When he lifted his head, he saw Garchomp standing before Liam, its expression calm and unreadable.

Ander's face was filled with disbelief.

"Gym Leader Ander, do you still think I was bluffing? Or… did you just not see clearly? That's fine. Garchomp! Shadow Claw!"

Liam smiled slightly, raising his hand and pointing forward to give his command.

"Chomp!"

Garchomp spread its fins wide, gathering dark energy that formed into massive, clawed appendages. With a quick movement, its figure disappeared again.

Seeing Garchomp vanish, Ander panicked and shouted, "Protect!"

Gallade, just barely getting back on its feet, immediately raised a defensive stance without hesitation.

A green protective barrier formed around it—just in time for the twin Shadow Claws to crash against the shield. The impact caused both the shield and the attack to shatter instantly.

Garchomp leaped back, landing smoothly, while Gallade staggered backward. Already lacking high stamina, Gallade was beginning to show clear signs of fatigue.

Ander knew he couldn't afford to drag this battle out any longer. Pouring even more of his psychic energy into Gallade, he boosted its condition significantly.

"Gallade! We need to end this quickly! First, use Magical Leaf to disrupt it!"

"Ha!!"

Gallade flicked its arm, sending two shimmering green leaves flying toward Garchomp.

"Then, Swords Dance!"

"Ha!"

Right after launching Magical Leaf, Ander issued another command. Gallade quickly spun around, raising its attack power significantly.

Garchomp eyed the approaching leaves with a smirk, clearly unimpressed by their speed. Now that it had fully unleashed its speed, there was no way something so slow could hit it.

"Garchomp! Don't underestimate your opponent. Use Dual Chop!"

Hearing Liam's warning, Garchomp, though confused by his cautiousness, still obeyed. Its fins glowed as it slashed through the air twice, instantly cutting the incoming leaves into pieces.

Seeing its attack cut down so easily, Garchomp felt a sense of triumph and was about to let out a roar. But before it could, the shredded leaf fragments suddenly became coated in a blue energy and shot forward, striking its chest.

"Roar!!"

Caught off guard, Garchomp took minor damage, small scratches appearing on its chest. Though the injury was insignificant, it enraged the proud dragon.

"I told you not to let your guard down. Now you see the cost of underestimating your opponent. This is a Gym battle—take it seriously. Those Magical Leaf attacks must have been infused with psychic energy. What a troublesome opponent," Liam sighed.

"Garr…"

Garchomp looked back at Liam, feeling a bit wronged, before turning back toward Gallade with a cold glare, already plotting its revenge.

"We can't drag this out! Charge in—Shadow Claw!"

"Ka!!"

Fueled by frustration, Garchomp didn't hesitate. Dark energy surged around its fins as it lunged at Gallade.

"Heh! You fell for it! Gallade, Teleport! Then, Leaf Blade!"

Ander smirked, immediately countering.

"Ha!"

In an instant, Gallade disappeared. Garchomp was momentarily stunned, then heard a sharp "whoosh" behind it—followed by the sound of a blade slicing through the air.

"Garchomp! Counterattack with Dragon Rush!"

Liam had already anticipated this and reacted swiftly.

"Garr!!"

Sensing the incoming attack, Garchomp lunged forward, spreading its fins like wings as it shot into the air, narrowly avoiding Leaf Blade.

Twisting its streamlined body midair, it circled around before diving straight down.

"Gallade, Double Team!"

Ander, realizing his tactic had failed, immediately called for a defensive maneuver.

Gallade leaped back, creating numerous illusionary copies of itself, quickly filling the battlefield with clones.

Seeing this, Garchomp hesitated slightly and halted its descent, hovering in the air as it analyzed the situation.

"Garchomp! Sandstorm! Then, Dragon Rush!"

Nodding, Garchomp let out a deep growl.

A violent sandstorm erupted, sweeping across the battlefield. The illusions wavered under the onslaught of sand and vanished one by one, leaving only the real Gallade standing in the center.

"Roar!!"

Seizing the opportunity, Garchomp enveloped itself in raging draconic energy and dived straight down.

"Gallade, Protect!"

Ander panicked, but he had forgotten—Gallade was still inside the sandstorm. As it tried to raise its shield, the raging winds threw it off balance, preventing the move from being executed timely.

Boom!!

With an earth-shattering impact, the sandstorm dispersed, revealing Gallade lying unconscious in the center of the battlefield.

Garchomp stood tall, raising its fins in victory.