"Bang bang, boom boom, crackle crackle!"
The sounds of impacts, explosions, and the sharp crackling of electricity intertwined across the battlefield.
Luxray, wrapped in raging lightning, rammed into Cyclizar's flank. The surging electricity lashed wildly, like venomous serpents tearing at its body.
However, with its Dragon typing resistance and its natural control over Electric energy, the damage Luxray dealt was fairly average.
On the contrary, Cyclizar's Dragon Tail struck with heavy force. The dragon energy coating it inflicted considerable damage on Luxray and even lowered Luxray's Attack by one stage.
The electricity crackling around Luxray's body dimmed slightly, and the force of its collision against Cyclizar weakened.
Cyclizar tilted its head and shot Luxray a sidelong glance. Its tail whipped out again with fierce force.
Smack!
Luxray staggered backward, its legs trembling unsteadily.
Its Attack fell by another stage, greatly reducing the damage it could deal to Cyclizar.
At that moment, the Trick Room on the field dissipated. The twisted order of speed returned to normal, and Cyclizar's counterattack followed immediately.
Massive Dragon-type energy gathered in Cyclizar's mouth. In the next instant, a deep purple dragon energy beam, baring fangs and claws, tore through the air and roared toward Luxray with the power to annihilate everything in its path.
Because of the speed difference and the drop in Attack, Luxray's reaction lagged by half a beat.
It had just begun gathering Thunderbolt to retaliate, but before it could release the attack, Dragon Pulse exploded solidly against its body.
With a loud boom, Luxray was blasted off its feet and crashed onto the center of the battlefield, pain evident on its face.
If converted into game terms, Luxray's HP bar was flashing red. It was at critical health.
"Cyclizar, use Quick Attack."
Lowering itself onto all fours, Cyclizar shot forward like a bolt of lightning, rapidly closing in on Luxray.
With a slight sway of its body, Cyclizar appeared at Luxray's side, its sharp claws striking down mercilessly.
Bang!
Luxray, which had just struggled back to its feet, collapsed once more. Its limbs lost all strength, the golden light in its eyes faded, and it slumped onto the ground, completely unable to battle.
"Luxray is unable to battle," Rotom announces "Cyclizar wins."
"Since the Gym Leader's Pokémon have all lost their battling capability, Challenger Silas is victorious,"
The Rotom Drone's voice echoed across the arena, declaring the final result.
"Yes! The pretty Pokémon won!"
From the edge of the railing, a little girl cheered excitedly. The next second, she realized something was wrong, quickly covered her mouth, bent down, and slipped away quietly.
"Congratulations, Silas. Your growth is astonishing. I hope you continue to keep it up."
Meyer stepped forward and extended his hand. The two shared a brief handshake.
"This is proof of your successful challenge. The Voltage Badge."
"Thank you."
Silas accepted it with both hands. The center of the special Voltage Badge was an inverted triangle, with electric currents radiating outward around it.
Now he only had two Gyms left to challenge. He still had to keep working hard.
Pulling his thoughts back, Silas handed the badge to Cyclizar and reminded it not to lose it.
Outside the battlefield, a Carbink hurriedly recorded the entire match. As for Diancie's assessment score, it would be determined only after the Carbink Minister and the elder Carbink reviewed the footage.
By the time Silas and Cyclizar exited the Prism Tower, more than two hours had passed. The battle itself had taken just over a third of that time, and the rest had been spent discussing Pokémon training methods with Gym Leader Meyer.
"Cyclizar, is there anywhere you want to visit?"
He turned back to ask.
Cyclizar looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
Glancing at his watch, Silas noted that there was still some time before the concert ended.
So he rode Cyclizar to the department store and headed straight for the Evolution Stone section.
Different Evolution Stones were displayed in separate glass counters. The most common were Fire Stone, Water Stone, and Thunder Stone.
A standard-sized one cost only 3,000 Poké Dollars. Next were Leaf Stone, Ice Stone, Sun Stone, and Moon Stone. These were produced in smaller quantities and were more expensive, priced at 6,000 Poké Dollars each.
The price of Evolution Stones depended on regional supply and demand. For example, in the Kanto region, Fire, Water, Thunder Stones, and Moon Stones were cheaper than the average price.
The Shiny Stone he wanted to prepare for After confirming with the staff that there was still stock available, Silas promptly paid and had one packaged neatly in a gift box.
Meanwhile, inside the concert venue.
Diantha had been discovered.
Minccino and Popplio kept attracting the camera's attention repeatedly.
With so many shots focused on them, it was inevitable that Diantha, as a hugely popular star, would be exposed.
"Min Min!"
Facing the camera, Minccino displayed its so called social anxiety. It waved enthusiastically at the audience and even hummed toward the lens when it got excited. It was practically a social terror.
In contrast, Jigglypuff was much more shy. Its cheeks flushed red as it buried its face in Diantha's chest.
The little one was still not used to the camera, or perhaps it lacked confidence in its singing voice.
Popplio stood obediently to the side and tugged at Minccino.
"Lioo?"
"Min Min!"
(I do not know them, but everyone is praising how cute I am!)
With Minccino acting that smug, it would have been strange if Diantha had not been recognized.
Diantha reached out and rubbed Minccino's head, then waved gently to the surrounding fans holding cameras.
Cheers erupted instantly, a testament to Diantha's immense popularity in Kalos.
With multiple films released consecutively, calling her the hottest star of the moment would not be an exaggeration. Even Roxie on stage joked about it with a smile.
As the performance gradually approached its finale, Diantha left a little early to avoid being surrounded by crowds and causing unnecessary trouble.
"You, honestly…" Diantha flicked Minccino's forehead lightly. The little one hugged her arm and flashed a flattering smile.
That move worked every time. Today was no exception.
The group of one human and three Pokémon hurried back. When they saw Silas, the three Pokémon rushed toward him at full speed, either leaping or clinging onto him.
For a moment, Silas's ears were filled with overlapping chatter.
The three little ones each shared their concert experience from different perspectives.
Minccino focused more on interacting with the audience through the camera. It even stood on the coffee table with its hands on its hips, wearing a proud little expression. It had gained several fans today, and its fluffy tail seemed ready to rise to the sky.
Jigglypuff expressed more envy and a hint of insecurity in its tone.
Holding Jigglypuff in his hands and gently kneading its cheeks, Silas said seriously, "Are you worried right now? Worried that your voice will not be liked?"
"Jiggly…"
Jigglypuff responded in a muffled voice and nodded. Its triangular ears drooped, and its small hands twisted together nervously.
"How about this. Later we can ask Miss Roxie to evaluate your singing. Jigglypuff is absolutely one of a kind in this world."
He believed in Jigglypuff even more than it believed in itself.
Jigglypuff looked up into Silas's eyes and gripped his clothes tightly, silently cheering itself on.
Silas trusted it so much. It could not let him down. Later, it would give one hundred and twenty percent of its ability.
Beside them, Minccino and Popplio also cheered Jigglypuff on, encouraging it.
With its companions' support, Jigglypuff gradually regained its confidence. Its small chest rose and fell gently.
"Jigglypuff!"
(End of Chapter)
TN: League Coins to Poké Dollars from now. Honestly why didn't I change it before.