"Mega Charizard Y, Moltres, use Blast Burn together!"
As Gu Yuan's command rang out, Mega Charizard Y and Moltres launched their offensive in unison. Thanks to Sylveon's tireless efforts, the Special Attack and Special Defense of both Mega Charizard Y and Moltres had been raised to their limits. Now, using Blast Burn simultaneously created the terrifying sensation of a falling sun. Scalding heatwaves spread frantically, as if seeking to incinerate everything into nothingness.
"Serperior, Leaf Storm!"
Facing the combined assault of Mega Charizard Y and Moltres, Palm was forced to have Serperior retaliate with all its might. The reason he hadn't launched such an offensive earlier was to reserve enough energy to defend against Moltres's attacks. A storm of emerald leaves formed a barrier in front of Serperior, constantly resisting the encroaching flames.
Before the flames could even dissipate, Mega Alakazam appeared behind Serperior. Mega Alakazam, which had refrained from attacking until now, had silently used Calm Mind to maximize its Special Attack and Special Defense. It had also set up Future Sight long ago. Consequently, the moment Mega Alakazam manifested, two orbs of shimmering multi-colored energy shot out, attacking Serperior from both sides. Psychic energy surged, condensing under Mega Alakazam's control into a long spear that whistled toward Serperior.
"Frenzy Plant!"
At Palm's shout, massive plant roots erupted to block Mega Alakazam's assault.
Voom!
The sound of roaring flames erupted as Moltres, having repositioned itself at some unknown point, launched another Blast Burn. It incinerated the Frenzy Plant with incredible speed, forcing Serperior to dash out from the burning vegetation.
The moment Serperior appeared, Mega Charizard Y attacked again, transforming into a massive dragon of fire as it descended. During the previous clashes, Gu Yuan had used Telepathy to continuously instruct Mega Charizard Y to integrate Dragon Dance into its movements, thereby maximizing its Attack and Speed as well. Only now did Gu Yuan have Mega Charizard Y unleash its full speed, catching Serperior completely off guard.
Meanwhile, under Hatterene's direction, Annihilape and the others joined the fray. This forced Palm to command his other Pokémon to counter them, causing his focus to be divided. Another Leaf Storm manifested, and Serperior barely managed to intercept Mega Charizard Y's strike.
"Mega Alakazam, Sky-Piercing Spear!"
A second later, Mega Alakazam appeared behind Serperior following Gu Yuan's order. A spear of near-solid psychic energy shot out once more. This time, Serperior didn't have time to use Frenzy Plant for defense and could only manage a Magical Leaf to form a crude shield.
Scalding heatwaves surged from behind Serperior as Moltres's offensive returned. This relentless sequence of attacks left Serperior with no room to breathe. Serperior combined Magical Leaf with Razor Leaf and finished with an Energy Ball. Relying on its formidable strength, it successfully dismantled Moltres's attack, but that was the extent of its luck.
Mega Charizard Y, its speed boosted to the absolute limit, appeared behind Serperior as silently as a ghost. The moment Serperior felt the heatwave, Mega Charizard Y had already transformed into a dragon to swallow it whole. The super-effective Fire-type move caused Serperior immense pain.
Seeing Serperior falter, Palm couldn't help but panic, though he was immediately distracted by Annihilape charging at the front. Gu Yuan simply had too many Ace Rank Pokémon. Furthermore, the leaders were Roaring Moon and Volcanion, both at the peak of the Ace Rank, who used their raw power to suppress Palm's other Pokémon. The reason a Champion Rank Serperior fell into a disadvantage so quickly—aside from facing a relentless barrage and an "infinite-close-to-Champion" Mega Charizard Y—was that its strength was being suppressed.
As Mega Charizard Y quickly pulled away, Mega Alakazam launched another attack, and Moltres prepared to continue. If this persisted, Serperior's disadvantage would only grow until it was crushed by the trio.
"Gu Yuan! You know exactly who I am, so you should realize I wouldn't attack you without a reason. Someone forced me!"
"If you're willing to let me go, I can tell you who is behind this!"
Seeing that he had no hope of winning and might instead fall at Gu Yuan's hands, Palm abandoned the mission and prepared to surrender.
"I don't need you to tell me. It's Grimsley from the Unova League, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's him!"
"If you let me go, I can testify for you. I have plenty of dirt on Grimsley. I can definitely make him pay a heavy price!"
Hearing this, Palm was initially surprised, but he quickly followed Gu Yuan's lead.
"There's no need for that. No matter what, you are going to die here today!"
Suddenly, Gu Yuan's tone shifted, becoming incredibly cold. As scalding heatwaves expanded, Mega Charizard Y unleashed another fire dragon to swallow Serperior just as the Pokémon had dismantled Moltres's Blast Burn. This time, Mega Charizard Y did not retreat. Instead, it delivered a Blast Burn right in Serperior's face.
The resulting explosion of fire sent Serperior flying back. Waiting for it was another Blast Burn from Moltres and Mega Alakazam's psychic spear.
The situation on Palm's side was also deteriorating rapidly. Volcanion found an opening and unleashed Steam Eruption, causing a massive explosion that swallowed Palm and his Pokémon. Seizing the chance, Roaring Moon transformed into a dragon and crushed Palm's strongest Ace Rank Pokémon the moment the explosion cleared.
Annihilape and a Ditto transformed into Annihilape appeared together, using Rage Fist in unison to defeat their opponents. Ceruledge and Mega Gengar manifested as well, taking down another Ace Rank Pokémon. With the coordination of Haxorus and Dragapult, yet another Ace Rank Pokémon fell.
Over at Serperior's position, after being suppressed by Mega Alakazam's psychic spear, it was swallowed by the combined Blast Burn of Mega Charizard Y and Moltres. Within the expanding flames, even the Champion Rank Serperior could only hatefully collapse, losing consciousness.
"Spare me!"
Seeing Serperior fall, the last bit of hope in Palm's heart vanished. Ignoring the shame of surrendering to an Ace Rank trainer like Gu Yuan, Palm only wanted to live. Unfortunately, Gu Yuan gave him no such chance.
Ceruledge used Phantom Force to appear behind him and decapitated him with a single stroke of its blade. Flames flared up, instantly incinerating the blood from the blade. Along with Palm's fall, all of his Pokémon were defeated.
Unfortunately, in the silence of the forest, Gu Yuan's achievement of slaying a Champion Rank trainer across ranks was destined to remain unknown.