For a moment, the Silver Conference stadium fell into a silence so deep that a pin dropping would have sounded deafening.
Everyone stared at the two Pokémon on the battlefield, eyes filled with anticipation and hope—
praying that they would stand up once more, continue fighting, and finally decide the winner.
Lance looked at Dragonite anxiously, clenching his fists.
"Don't give up, Dragonite—get up!"
Suddenly, Dragonite let out a furious roar. Bracing itself with one arm, it staggered upright, breathing heavily.
Its body was covered in dense, crisscrossing wounds.
After enduring Metagross, Florges, and Dragapult in succession, the fact that this Dragonite could still stand was nothing short of terrifying.
Just as the crowd was about to erupt into cheers—
A powerful wave of psychic energy exploded outward, instantly flooding the entire Silver Conference arena.
And the source of that power—
Was the black-haired少年 standing on the battlefield.
"Dragapult—get up!!!"
Before anyone could even turn their heads, a roar detonated across the stadium, echoing in every ear.
Dragapult forced its eyes open and struggled to lift itself into the air.
In that pitch-black inner world, when Chen Shi embraced Dragapult and felt its pain, the power hidden deep within his mind—what Mew had once called psychic power born of the heart—burst forth.
It became a bridge, linking him directly to Dragapult.
Between one man and one dragon, every shared moment began to replay like a film—
Battles they'd fought together.
Laughter.
Tears.
Memories more precious than anything else.
At that instant, their heartbeats seemed to fall into perfect sync, resonating at the same frequency.
A realization surged through Chen Shi.
He had touched a deeper bond—
a higher form of power.
Without hesitation, he roared:
"Dragapult—let them see our true power!!!"
"Pult…!"
Dragapult answered weakly.
Chen Shi raised one hand and slowly drew it across his body. A pink glow shimmered at his fingertips before his fingers clenched into a fist.
Almost simultaneously, Dragapult mirrored the motion.
Then—
Like a volcanic eruption, violent Dragon-type energy burst forth.
A massive cyan dragon-shaped vortex shot skyward, roaring with unstoppable force as it engulfed the entire Silver Conference arena.
Everyone was stunned, instinctively turning toward the battlefield, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
On the field, both Lance and Dragonite could barely keep their eyes open under the gale.
Gradually, the dragon tornado subsided, its energy converging—
and flowing into the silhouette standing opposite Dragonite.
"Th-this is… Dragapult?"
When Lance finally saw it clearly, he couldn't stop himself from exclaiming in shock.
The Dragapult before him was completely different from before.
Its flattened head was shorter now.
The four launch ports had reduced to two.
Its front claws—once smaller than its hind claws—were now perfectly balanced.
The markings on its abdomen had vanished, replaced by overlapping cyan scales.
Its once-narrow eyes had become slightly rounder, radiating overwhelming pressure.
Its previously semi-transparent tail had turned solid—and at its tip burned a cyan flame.
And its aura—
It had reached quasi-Elite Four… no—its peak.
Chen Shi's face was deathly pale, his stamina nearly exhausted.
Yet he was smiling.
Because standing before them now was—
Bond Dragapult.
A form just like the one Ash once achieved with Greninja in his previous life.
Pokémon: Dragapult (Shiny Bond Form)
Level: 64 + 5 (Quasi-Elite Four — Peak)
Potential: Pseudo-Legendary Tier
Ability: Infiltrator (Bond Evolution)
Gender: Male
Moves:
Bite, Quick Attack, Astonish, Protect, Sucker Punch, Confuse Ray, Infestation, Assurance, Hex, Agility, Shadow Ball, U-turn, Dragon Dance, Shadow Sneak, Dragon Rush, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dragon Darts, Double-Edge, Acrobatics, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Outrage
The crowd froze for a second—
then thunderous applause erupted.
They didn't understand Bond Evolution.
To them, this looked just like another Mega Evolution—just like before with Charizard.
Chen Shi took a deep breath and shouted:
"Dragapult—final attack! Outrage!"
"PULT—!"
Dragapult's already ferocious eyes instantly turned blood-red, burning with madness and fury.
Its scales flashed with intense cyan light as it launched forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
A cyan arc streaked across the sky—
like a blazing comet carrying overwhelming power.
Lance laughed wildly.
"Dragonite—let's go too! Outrage!"
"Draaagon!"
Dragonite held nothing back, draining every last ounce of strength and charging forward as a golden meteor.
The two Pokémon collided midair—
"BOOM—!"
A deafening explosion tore through the sky, splitting it in two—
one half cyan, one half gold.
They didn't separate.
Locked together, head against head, both Pokémon pushed with everything they had.
Madness burned in their eyes.
Neither was willing to yield.
The Silver Conference fell silent once more.
Everyone waited.
"Dragapult—go!!!"
Dragapult roared, the savagery in its eyes surging even higher. Its aura and power climbed again—just a little more.
Finally—
Dragonite's strength gave out.
Dragged along by Dragapult, it was slammed violently into the battlefield, losing all ability to fight.
The referee glanced at Dragonite and raised his flag.
"Dragonite has lost its ability to battle. Since all six of Lance's Pokémon are unable to continue—"
"The winner of this match is—Chen Shi!"
For a heartbeat, the stadium was silent.
Then—
Cheers exploded skyward, as if they might tear the clouds apart.
In the stands, Ash and Gary jumped up in excitement.
Behind his mask, Professor Oak's lips curved upward.
"That brat…"
In the lounge, Cynthia wasn't celebrating like Steven and Phoebe.
Staring at Chen Shi's pale face, she seemed to realize something—
and immediately rushed out.
…
On the battlefield.
"PULT!"
Dragapult roared, declaring its victory.
Then, swaying unsteadily, it flew over to Chen Shi, eyes filled with quiet expectation.
As the person who understood Dragapult best, Chen Shi knew exactly what it wanted.
His eyes reddened as he said, slowly and clearly:
"I'm proud of you, Dragapult."
"Puult~"
Satisfaction flickered in Dragapult's eyes. It let out a soft cry—
and then could no longer hold on.
It collapsed to the ground, reverting to its original form.
What did Dragapult want, after all?
Nothing more—
than a single word of praise from its Trainer.
…
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