When Selena heard Aaron agree to her challenge, joy instantly surged through her.
She laughed wildly to herself.
"Hahaha... what an idiot!"
"You never would've guessed that my precious Gardevoir has already mastered an Apotheosis-level Moonblast, would you!?"
"What a fool... took the bait so easily."
Selena was so pleased with herself that she was already imagining Gardevoir one-shotting that annoying Sceptile.
She could practically see Aaron crying in despair.
"Then let's settle this in one move!"
"Whoever dodges admits they're a coward!"
Selena put on a stern face and spoke calmly to Aaron.
What a shameless poser.
Aaron's smile widened slightly. He glanced at Selena and said slowly,
"Then make your move..."
A flash of excitement lit Selena's eyes. She looked like she had been injected with adrenaline as she shouted at Gardevoir,
"Gardevoir! Strike with everything you've got!"
"Super Moonblast!"
"Crush him!"
Her voice was full of pride and confidence, as if victory were already hers.
"Gar...devoir!"
Gardevoir let out a sharp cry as dazzling pink light erupted from its body.
The radiance was so intense it was hard to look at directly.
Energy from all over its body rapidly gathered in front of it.
Moments later, a gigantic sphere of energy formed before Gardevoir.
Its terrifying aura cracked the ground apart.
Countless stones rose into the air.
Even some poor dead man's coffin lid would probably be rattling at this anti-gravity scene, trying to burst open just to complain.
BZZZZZZ...
The enormous energy sphere released wave after wave of terrifying shockwaves that rolled through the air like tides.
Nearby trees swayed violently, and leaves were blasted away.
The power of this Moonblast...
was terrifying beyond belief!
This was no longer the kind of strength an Elite-level Pokémon should possess.
The surrounding spectators' pupils shrank as they stared at Gardevoir's horrifying move in shock.
Cries of disbelief rang out everywhere.
"What the hell kind of move is that!?"
"It looks like Moonblast..."
"Why is my Moonblast only basketball-sized, while hers is over three meters wide!?"
"How should I know!? This battle has completely opened my eyes!"
"It's rewritten my understanding of the world!"
"No kidding... I suddenly feel like my top ten exam ranking means nothing."
"While we were still in the stone age, they were already launching spaceships... Waaaah, this is too brutal!"
"Aaron's finished this time. That's not power an Elite-tier Pokémon can resist."
"Yeah... what a pity. Sceptile almost pulled off a one-versus-three."
...
The boys and girls watching were truly stunned by the terrifying strength of Selena's Gardevoir.
None of them had expected her to still have such a monstrous trump card.
At that moment, everyone believed the match between Gardevoir and Sceptile was already decided.
Gardevoir had won.
Even Lilith and the others showed traces of surprise.
A gleam flashed through Lilith's eyes as she said softly,
"It seems this trip to the zone really benefited these youngsters."
With one glance, Lilith could tell Gardevoir's Moonblast had already reached the Apotheosis level.
"Aaron... how will you answer this?"
Expectation flickered in her eyes as she looked toward Aaron, whose expression remained calm in the distance.
"Hm!?"
"Lilith... aren't you expecting too much from that brat?"
"With a move like that, you think he can block it?"
Hearing Lilith's words, Sylka frowned and questioned her.
"Some people simply can't be judged by ordinary standards."
Lilith smiled faintly, carrying an almost irrational confidence in Aaron.
In her mind appeared the scene from the Tidecrest examination grounds, where Aaron summoned Darkrai and instantly defeated Dr. Dov in one strike.
"Hmph... you're hopeless."
Sylka rolled her eyes speechlessly and stopped paying attention to lovestruck Lilith.
Lilith only smiled and said nothing.
...
On the battlefield, Aaron's clothes snapped loudly in the violent wind.
Yet not a trace of fear appeared on his face.
He calmly looked at the massive energy sphere in the distance.
The gale swept aside his bangs, revealing a pair of bright eyes.
Aaron exchanged a glance with Sceptile.
Then he said slowly,
"Sceptile... it's time to show your true power."
"Sage Mode... activate!"
"Sage Art: Wood Release — Wood Human Technique..."
Aaron's voice was not loud, yet it carried absolute confidence.
"SKRAAAH!"
Sceptile nodded and let out a low growl.
Brilliant light burst from its body.
Its single vertical pupil suddenly transformed into a cross-shaped eye.
Mysterious black markings appeared at the corners of its eyes.
Its whole body shone with astonishing white light.
Sage Mode activated!
"SKRAAAH!"
Sage Sceptile suddenly opened its eyes wide and pressed its palms together.
It let out a deep roar as endless white-green light surged from its body.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The ground shook violently.
The entire mountain trembled as if some colossal being were about to burst from beneath the earth.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden upheaval and desperately clung to nearby trees to keep from being thrown down.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The earth continued to rumble.
Then they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
A vision burned deep into every soul present.
The mountains shook.
The earth split apart.
ROOOOOAR!!
A monstrous roar rose from below, like an Asura climbing out of hell itself.
BOOOOOM!
A gigantic wooden arm burst out from the cracked earth, shattering the ground even further.
A terrifying aura surged outward in every direction like a raging flood.
Many years later, Selena still remembered it.
The fear of being dominated by that giant on that day.
It had arrived!!
...