In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
BZZZMMM!
The sharp hum rang out so fiercely it felt like it could rupture everyone's eardrums.
Then an unbelievable scene unfolded.
People's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
That meteor-like energy sphere was split cleanly in half by the giant blade of the Wooden Arhat, like an egg meeting a razor-sharp knife.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The two halves of the energy sphere exploded violently in midair.
Terrifying shockwaves spread outward like a missile detonation, unleashing torrents of energy across the sky like a raging flood.
They swept in every direction.
The resulting gale and energy waves tore through the entire forest. Smaller trees were uprooted instantly.
Every tree was stripped bare.
Terrifying beyond words.
But the Wooden Arhat's attack was not over.
After cleaving through Gardevoir's giant energy sphere, the Arhat Leaf Blade still carried overwhelming force as it came crashing down toward Gardevoir, whose eyes were filled with fear.
BOOOOOM!
A massive explosion thundered into the heavens.
The giant blade struck the earth.
The ground split.
The mountain shook.
Boundless shockwaves and residual energy erupted outward.
CRAAACK!
The sound of the earth tearing apart rang out.
One-third of the entire mountain peak was shattered by that heaven-rending slash.
Broken stone cascaded into the abyss below.
The land trembled as if a meteor had struck it.
The aftershocks continued for a long time.
Smoke billowed endlessly through the air.
This slash split mountains and shattered earth.
This slash stood unmatched.
This slash was like the strike of a god, severing everything before it.
…
"ROOOOOAR!"
The energy blade slowly faded.
The Wooden Arhat threw back its head and roared into the clouds.
Then it dissolved into emerald light and gradually scattered away.
Sceptile's slightly weary figure quietly appeared before Aaron.
Even for Sceptile, this move had consumed an enormous amount of power.
…
Cough... cough...
The spectators crawled out from piles of shattered rock and debris.
When they saw the apocalyptic scene before them, their eyes were filled with shock.
No one could say a word.
It was as if something had lodged itself in their throats.
More than ten seconds passed before the boys and girls finally swallowed hard and stammered out:
"Can someone explain what happened to this world?"
"Am I dreaming?"
"Don't ask me. I'm asking myself if I'm complete trash."
"Bro, stop doubting yourself. We're all trash."
"If Aaron exists, why were we even born? Living in the same era as him means we'll never stand out."
"From today onward, Aaron is my god. Don't ask why. I just love him."
"Bro... did you turn gay?"
"No. I'm just fired up!"
"..."
This terrifying scene once again rewrote everyone's understanding of the world.
So an Elite-tier Pokémon could unleash power like this.
Absolutely insane.
Some were envious.
Some were jealous.
Some were speechless.
Lilith's eyes brimmed with tears, her cheeks flushed red as she gazed at the figure still standing tall amid the dust.
She said to her best friend Sylka:
"Sylka... see? This little man really is that extraordinary."
Sylka was so stunned she could not speak for a long while.
Her mind buzzed as she recalled everything that had happened earlier.
Then overwhelming shame rose in her heart.
When had she become so unreasonable?
It seemed she had been the one giving Aaron attitude the whole time.
But for what?
Just because Aaron ignored her?
How laughable.
No wonder even Champion Drake had said Aaron surpassing him was only a matter of time.
With talent this monstrous...
just how high would Aaron rise in the future?
Sylka could not imagine it.
And yet she had treated him coldly over something so trivial.
Even so, Aaron had still smiled at her and never held it against her.
The clown had been herself all along.
How ridiculous.
Sylka's heart filled with regret as she stared at Aaron's handsome face, lost in thought.
…
At that moment, the dust on the battlefield was slowly blown away by the fierce wind, revealing the scene inside.
Within the giant fissure, Gardevoir lay gravely injured and completely unable to continue fighting.
If Aaron had not ordered Sceptile to shift the angle of its strike at the last moment, Gardevoir might have been annihilated completely.
Nothing would have remained.
After all, this was only a Pokémon battle.
There was no need to turn it into a fight to the death.
Selena trembled all over, shock still lingering in her eyes.
But when she saw Gardevoir lying in the crater, she let out a deep sigh of relief and quickly jumped down.
"Gardevoir..."
She gathered Gardevoir into her arms, full of worry.
"He'll be fine. Just get him treated."
Aaron's calm voice rang out as he recalled Sceptile into its Poké Ball for rest.
"Th-Thank you..."
Selena parted her lips slightly as she looked at Aaron.
She knew he had shown mercy.
Otherwise, with the power of that slash, Gardevoir could never have survived.
At that moment, Selena fully understood the chasm-like gap between herself and Aaron.
She no longer had even the slightest thought of comparing herself to him.
Simply put...
she had been beaten into fear.
Aaron paused for a moment, then waved a hand and turned to leave.
"No need to thank me."
"We're trainers. I'd never harm a fellow trainer from Hualis without reason."
His calm voice drifted back on the wind.
Selena froze for a moment, then her cheeks slowly flushed red.
Looking at Aaron's departing back, she murmured softly:
"In strength... and in character... I'm inferior to you."
"Aaron..."