Whoooosh!
Escavalier swung its long lances wide, and the rush of air swept away the lingering smoke and dust from the field.
"Escavalier, Drill Run!"
"Tch!"
The tips of Escavalier's two lances met together, and its armored body began to spin rapidly. Like a living drill, it shot straight toward Scizor!
"Quick Attack to dodge, then follow up with Bullet Punch!"
Scizor moved lightly on its feet, its crimson body cutting through the air with surprising agility. It slipped cleanly out of the path of Escavalier's Drill Run.
Bang!
Escavalier's lances drove deep into the arena floor, punching a small crater into the ground. Thick cracks spread outward from the point of impact like a spider's web.
Scizor saw its chance. While Escavalier struggled to pull its lances free, it lunged forward and drove both of its large pincers hard into Escavalier's side. The strike sent Escavalier skidding back several meters across the cracked ground.
Escavalier steadied itself, raised its lances once more, and pressed the attack.
"Fury Cutter!"
Scizor kept retreating, its eyes sharp as it weaved between each slash of Escavalier's lances. But Escavalier gave it no room to breathe. Every step Scizor took back, Escavalier advanced.
"Grab those lances and use Hard Press!"
Scizor's expression hardened. It shot forward and clamped both of its pincers tightly around Escavalier's attacking lances, locking them in place.
Even so, Escavalier's raw strength was immense. It forced Scizor back several steps despite the grip.
Scizor planted its feet and began to push down — bearing all of its weight and strength onto the captured lances. The crushing pressure bore down on Escavalier from above.
"Escavalier, Megahorn!"
Its lances were held fast, completely pinned by Scizor's grip. But the heavy, axe-like helmet on Escavalier's head was still free.
Escavalier threw its head back — and then swung it down with full force at Scizor.
Bang!
A heavy thud rang out across the arena.
"Hah—!"
Scizor had tried to shift away, but it wasn't fast enough. The helmet caught it squarely in the chest. Scizor let out a sharp cry and was flung backward by the blow.
Free at last from Scizor's Hard Press, Escavalier swayed slightly and leaned on its lances, breathing hard.
"Scizor!"
"Escavalier!"
Steven and Alder called out at the same moment — and both gave the same command.
"Swords Dance!"
Both Trainers had chosen to boost at the same time.
Four glowing swords of light began to swirl rapidly around Scizor in a wide circle.
Since Escavalier was also using Swords Dance, there was no need for Scizor to use the Counter Shield variation. A clean, standard Swords Dance was far more efficient in terms of energy.
Both Pokémon finished boosting at almost the exact same moment.
And without a single second of delay, the battle resumed.
"X-Scissor!"
Escavalier crossed its lances into an X and charged hard at Scizor.
"Double Team!"
Steven chose not to meet the charge head-on. In an instant, Scizor split into dozens of identical afterimages. The copies fanned out and surrounded Escavalier on all sides.
Whoosh—
A cold flash of silver swept across the field.
Escavalier swung its lances in a wide horizontal arc — but only a handful of the copies disappeared.
"Aerial Ace!"
The remaining copies vanished all at once. Scizor appeared directly behind Escavalier, one pincer raised high. A faint white light wrapped around it.
"Escavalier, behind you!" Alder called out quickly.
Escavalier spun around on its heels and swept its lances backward in a single sharp motion.
Bang!
It barely managed to catch Scizor's descending pincer. The collision of forces sent several new cracks splitting through the ground beneath Scizor's feet. Escavalier was pushed back a step, and the arm that had taken the block began to tremble faintly.
Had that hit landed cleanly, it would have dealt serious damage.
"Close Combat!" Steven's voice was calm but firm.
Seeing Escavalier's arm still shaking, Steven moved quickly and called for Close Combat.
"We'll meet them in Close Combat too, Escavalier!"
The two Pokémon closed the gap in an instant and threw themselves into a fierce, relentless exchange. Both sides dropped their guard entirely, pouring everything into offense.
Pincer and lance. Lance and pincer. The shadows of their strikes blurred together in a constant stream.
Neither Scizor nor Escavalier held anything back. Every blow landed. Every hit left a mark.
The impact of each strike was powerful enough that the shockwaves could be felt right down through the ground. With every exchange, new cracks split the arena floor beneath their feet. Chunks of broken stone flew in every direction.
The barrier from the field's protection system held firm — without it, the front rows of the audience would have been in real danger.
"The raw power on display here, the sheer intensity of this exchange — only two Champions could put on a battle like this!"
The commentator's voice cracked slightly with excitement. His hand trembled around the microphone.
Bang!
Both Pokémon separated, stumbling back from each other. Each one was breathing hard.
It was not the most graceful style of battle. There was no elegance in abandoning defense entirely. But the deep, solid sound of each hit connecting — the weight behind every blow — was enough to make anyone's blood race.
The damage on both sides looked nearly equal.
The next hit would decide everything.
"Giga Impact!" Alder raised his hand and shouted.
Escavalier's lances thrust straight forward. Golden energy began to swirl around its body, picking up speed as it charged. The energy twisted into a tight spiral, building into a massive force of golden light that crashed toward Scizor like a battering ram.
"Reversal!"
Scizor met Escavalier's charge with steady eyes. Its two pincers began to glow a deep, burning red.
Boom—
The surface of Scizor's body erupted in fiery red light. It launched itself straight into Escavalier's path.
The red flames pulled together, concentrating entirely onto Scizor's right pincer. It swung hard — directly into Escavalier's golden aura.
Bang—
The two collided.
A tremendous shockwave burst outward in every direction. A thick wall of smoke and dust exploded upward from the impact point. The ground between the two Pokémon split instantly, and the cracks tore outward across the entire arena floor in seconds.
Shattered pieces of stone struck the protection barrier and scattered, sending visible ripples shimmering through the field in front of the front-row audience.
"It looks like the battle is over — but who has won?!" the commentator cried.
In all the excitement, he seemed to have forgotten that this was only an exhibition match. A friendly one, at that.
Backstage, a small hand tugged at the sleeve of a light-colored trench coat.
"Cynthia, do you think Steven will lose?"
Diancie looked up with wide, curious eyes.
Cynthia glanced down at her, a small smile on her lips.
"He won't lose."
She paused, then added simply, "As long as the opponent is human, he'll win."
She knew Steven. She understood that, deep down, his desire to win never really faded — no matter the occasion.
Back on the field, both Steven and Alder stood in silence, eyes locked on the cloud of smoke and dust at the center of the arena. Neither moved. Neither spoke.
The crowd had gone still. Not a single person made a sound.
The smoke began to clear.
Slowly, a familiar red silhouette came into view.
Scizor was still standing.
Escavalier lay on the arena floor, its eyes spinning in slow, dizzy circles.
"There it is!"
"The winner of this battle is—"
"Hoenn's Champion — Steven Stone!"
The commentator's voice rang out across the stadium.
The crowd erupted. Applause filled every corner of the arena, rising in wave after wave. It was for Steven — and it was for Alder too. A recognition of the battle both of them had given everything to.
Win or lose, they were both Champions. Both were figures the public admired and looked up to with deep respect.
"Good work, Escavalier. Come back and rest." Alder recalled his Escavalier in a quiet voice, holding the Poké Ball close for a moment.
Then he lifted his gaze across the field — to Scizor, and to Steven.
He smiled. It was wide and genuine.