This sword—
It split the dark clouds, parted the dense rain, sundered the surging sandstorm, and released the bright sunlight.
Golden light shimmered, illuminating the vast, terrifying gash torn into the earth by the lingering force of the blade.
Soil churned, grass clippings flew, and gravel lay scattered messily on both sides.
At a glance, it looked like a hideous scar.
A sight that sent a chill from head to tailbone, leaving one deeply unsettled.
At the point of origin, Aegislash hovered in mid-air, arms clasped behind its back, its single eye flickering with light.
It looked down with a haughty, disdainful gaze at the end of the gash, where a colossal creature lay sprawled on its back.
The massive maw of jagged teeth was topped with a pair of spiraled eyes. Its fierce face still held a trace of confusion, and fine yellow sand trickled slowly from the triangular holes on its body.
By all appearances, it had lost the ability to battle.
Not far away, Duraludon lowered its claws and glanced at the scorch marks on its body, left by the residual force of the Sacred Sword. It shuddered at the thought.
If the explosion's blast hadn't thrown it clear, or if it had been standing closer to Tyranitar—
It would likely have met the same fate.
Behind the two Pokémon, their trainers slowly lowered their arms, which had been shielding their faces from the debris. Their expressions were stoic, seemingly indifferent.
But their stiff postures and trembling hands betrayed a richer inner turmoil.
They simply needed a few seconds to recover from the sheer shock of the spectacle.
Aegislash, taking in the scene, puffed up with even greater pride.
The gentle applause from Clefable beside it, its face full of approving smiles, made the sunlight reflecting off its frosty blade shine all the brighter.
No matter the changes, wasn't it all just a single sword stroke?
As expected of me!
More applause!
Aegislash's body quivered slightly, as if it couldn't suppress a chuckle.
It was as if time had started flowing again.
The low-hanging clouds gathered back, rain poured down in sheets, and the sand from the opposing side once again covered the middle ground.
The crowd's cheers grew louder.
It was well known that Tyranitar had many weaknesses—seven in total, including one quadruple weakness.
But its excellent defensive stats, combined with the Special Defense boost from Sandstorm, gave it considerable bulk.
So Aegislash taking down Tyranitar in a single stroke was both unexpected and surprising.
The referee blew the whistle. The commentators were talking a mile a minute. Spectators were either taking photos or discussing the match, creating a lively scene.
Even though the match wasn't over, it felt like the doubles finals, right down to the final move because for many casual viewers, the reason they watched battles was to see spectacular scenes like that one.
The flashier, the better!
They didn't care about reading moves, counter-reading, or whether Taunt was important.
And Aegislash had only just appeared before unleashing such overwhelming power.
How could anyone not be amazed?
Yes, the lanky trainer's Tyranitar wasn't very well-trained. Its skill and level were only average, and its tactical adaptability was basic.
But how much time had Li Xiang invested in Aegislash?
He was only a first-year student. Where did he find the time to train so many Pokémon so well?
Some might explain it as "inheriting" ready-made Pokémon—a common occurrence in the field, due to the limited energy of any one trainer.
But anyone who truly understood what had just happened would dismiss that idea.
Putting aside Aegislash's bizarre movements and its completely incomprehensible chants—
Its high obedience, its seamless synchronization with Li Xiang, and the absolute trust shown when Li Xiang discarded its shield all proved that Aegislash had been carefully trained by him.
That made it seem especially absurd.
Even geniuses had their limits!
How could this be?
Many trainers, even those who hadn't yet faced Li Xiang, began to feel unsettled.
They put themselves in the lanky trainer's shoes, wondering how they would have performed.
For a moment, a sense of unease spread among many.
At the same time, a small part of them began to accept the title of "Child of the Gods."
So the question arose: What was Li Xiang, currently in the spotlight, actually thinking about?
He was wondering if attacking a staff member would get him disqualified.
Because ever since the chanting began, a Magneton had been hovering just three meters away, shoving its camera lenses in his face.
The recording equipment on it was a brand-new model he had been eyeing for a long time but couldn't bring himself to spend the school's money on, and it was out of stock online anyway.
Its noise-canceling capabilities were top-notch...
—To hell with that!
Li Xiang really wanted to glare at the Magneton, but it just kept filming!
The frustration made his breathing falter for a moment.
Fortunately, his composure was solid now. He could keep his emotions off his face and recover his inner calm quickly.
The priority now was to secure the victory.
From the sword slash and explosion to the clearing of smoke, about ten seconds had passed.
The opponents hadn't attacked, so they would maintain the offensive momentum.
Li Xiang quickly picked up the shield he had dropped at his feet and glanced at Su Qian.
She was exhaling to the side, then quickly nodded and returned his look with her eyes. She had likely swallowed some sand and was spitting it out.
"Go!"
"Push forward!"
They both spoke in unison.
Across the field, the Yuzhou team's second group had recovered their wits after the brief shock of the explosion.
Aegislash's strike had been terrifying, but the next steps were clear.
Tyranitar had been successfully. Li Xiang had deliberately allowed his opponent's Taunt to land a second time.
The cost was steep, but it had left Aegislash in a very precarious position.
No shield and in Blade Forme.
That's practically handing it over on a silver platter.
Both of them thought it was the perfect time to take down Aegislash!
The lanky trainer reluctantly recalled his ace, which hadn't even had a chance to shine. He couldn't believe his Tyranitar, which should have been a star, had met such an end.
Why had it happened?
He couldn't figure it out, and there was no time to dwell on it. He sent out his third Pokémon.
A dark crimson creature with black stripes, a long, powerful lower jaw, and a humanoid crocodilian build.
Krookodile, with the Anger Point ability.
"ROAR!"
The vicious-looking crocodile let out a terrifying roar!
But just as its teammate was about to act, a flash of silver light cut through the air, howling as it hurtled toward them!
Golden light formed into a blade aura around it. Though not as fearsome as the earlier Sacred Sword, it was still razor-sharp!
Its target was Duraludon!
So fast!
"Protect!"
The teammate's heart tightened, and he quickly gave the order.
There was no time for an attacking move. The fastest option was Protect.
Beside him, Krookodile, under its trainer's command, also moved to assist. Its powerful claws glowed with a crimson light.
Sucker Punch!
Whether or not Aegislash broke the shield, one hit from Krookodile would definitely take it down!
But just as Duraludon crouched down, opened its head to reveal its square, cannon-like mouth, and summoned a green shield... its supposedly reliable teammate abandoned Aegislash entirely and ran to the side!
What was happening!?
BANG!
The Sacred Sword struck down!
Protect shattered instantly, scattering like glass. The blade continued its descent, slamming hard into Duraludon!
BANG!
Smoke billowed!
The lanky trainer stood frozen, watching the direction Krookodile had lunged toward.
There, standing like a victory goddess with her right arm raised high and an ecstatic expression, was Clefable.
Her fingertips shimmered with multicolored light, like a candle flame attracting moths, radiating an irresistible allure.
It was Follow Me again!
The lanky trainer's face twisted for a moment.
But there was nothing he could do. The move was already in motion, and Duraludon—who could have ignored Follow Me with Inner Focus—was currently being cut down by Aegislash.
All he could do was watch as Krookodile's claws raked across Clefable.
BANG!
A flash of crimson light!
"Pii~"
Clefable spun and flew back dramatically, like the heroine of a shojo manga getting hit by a car.
It was both infuriatingly cheeky and absurdly funny.
Many in the audience couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hurry back and help me!"
The teammate's urgent shout snapped him back.
He turned to see Duraludon, which had been knocked to the ground by Aegislash, pinned there by the sword blade around its neck!
It could do that!?
"Sucker Punch!"
Still Sucker Punch—it was the only move that could get Krookodile there in time.
Unfortunately, it was still a fraction too slow. Aegislash, having restrained Duraludon, used the sunlight to create a wide area of shadow!
Shadow Sneak!
Shadow blades erupted from the ground!
BANG!
Duraludon, already on its last legs, had no strength to fight back. It could only take the hit passively.
But what it hadn't expected was that Aegislash still wasn't done. Its ribbon-like ghostly claws suddenly tightened!
It pulled Duraludon in front of itself!
Krookodile arrived a step too late and, faced with Duraludon being used as a shield, had no clean way to strike. It had no choice but to try a delayed attack.
And then—
Clefable was back.
It came with Follow Me again!
The colorful light shimmered, like a guiding beacon.
Krookodile caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of its eye, and its body, driven by instinct, uncontrollably turned around.
It looked at Clefable, with its "Come to momma" expression, and could only charge forward with a heart full of frustration and grief!
"ROAR!"
It roared in protest, swinging its claws with all its might!
BANG!
The explosion of flames spread and then dissipated.
Clefable, like a ballet dancer, spun through the air in a 3600-degree twist, let out an "Aiyah," and collapsed to the ground on its knees.
Like a drunk lady of high society.
It gave Krookodile a tender, longing gaze, as if to say, "Oh, you brute, you're so rough."
That hit right where it hurt!
In that moment, amidst the laughter of the audience... the lanky trainer's face turned as purple as a liver.
And Krookodile felt a certain string inside its head, called "reason," snap.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
The massive crocodile let out a hysterical roar.
The lanky trainer's hands trembled like he had Parkinson's. He frantically recalled the unconscious Duraludon and sent out his last Pokémon.
A creature of ice-blue, its back covered in icicle-like spikes, a cross between a hedgehog and a mole.
Alolan Sandslash, with the Slush Rush ability!
Good grief.
Even at this point, they still wanted to keep fighting?
Li Xiang's expression was unreadable. He was glad he hadn't held anything back.
These guys had unbreakable spirits—and incredibly thick skin.