"He has better control now than before," she continued in a low voice.
The difference was evident. There was no need to explain it further.
"Both have improved… but not at the same level," she concluded.
Gary had changed. So had Ash. But not to the same degree.
The broadcast returned to the field. Dragonite appeared on screen, imposing its presence even through the image.
"That Dragonite is his last chance," she said in a neutral tone.
It was strong. Experienced. Capable of turning the battle around if used well. But it was also a limit.
"If he doesn't take the initiative from the start… it won't be enough," she added without looking away.
The silence in the room grew heavier than before. On the screen, Gary held his last Poké Ball.
A faint smile appeared on the figure's face.
"Now yes… this is getting interesting," she said quietly.
The final battle was about to begin.
…
On the field.
The stadium was in absolute silence as Dragonite and Floette stared at each other. Dragonite looked at Floette with a serious expression on its face, while Floette floated calmly with a small smile, as if the battle didn't matter much to her.
Gary decided not to waste time.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Dance!" Gary ordered firmly.
"Floette, use Moonblast!" Ash responded instantly.
The attack shot forward, but Dragonite spun around while its energy increased, dodging it by a hair and completing the boost, its speed rising noticeably.
"Floette, don't chase it… anticipate it," Ash said calmly.
"Dragonite, use Aerial Ace!" Gary ordered.
The dragon disappeared from sight and reappeared, striking from an impossible angle and pushing Floette back through the air.
"Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!" Gary continued.
The blow came chained, maintaining constant pressure and forcing Floette to retreat again.
"Floette, use Energy Ball!" Ash ordered.
The sphere hit Dragonite directly. The damage was low, but enough to achieve its goal, since Ash knew that first reduced impact was necessary to eliminate its initial resistance — in other words, to nullify its Multiscale ability, making it easier to take it down.
"Good…" Ash murmured.
Gary observed the result without changing his expression. He knew perfectly well what that impact meant. Dragonite's resistance advantage was no longer in play, but the type disadvantage remained clear, and dragging out the battle would only benefit Ash. He knew Dragonite's ability made it take the first hit much better, but Ash seemed to have realized that. So… it was time to take the next step.
"Dragonite…" he said with a firm voice.
He brought his hand to his pendant and gripped the activation stone.
"Let's end this! Unleash all your power and let's finish it! Mega Evolution!" he added decisively.
The stone began to shine intensely as soon as he touched it, and at the same time Dragonite's Mega Stone responded, releasing energy that connected in the air with the pendant, forming several beams of light that spun around the dragon.
The energy completely enveloped Dragonite and its body began to change little by little while a light, similar to that of ordinary evolution, surrounded its body. When the light disappeared, Dragonite had completely changed.
Its body showed more stylized and elegant features, with details reminiscent of Dragonair, including small additional wings on the sides of its head and a glowing orb at the tip of its tail, while its aura was much more intense and refined, conveying a clear sense of superior power.
"DRAGONITE HAS MEGA EVOLVED, DRAMATICALLY INCREASING ITS POWER!" Bob shouted.
"THIS CHANGES THE BATTLE! WHAT WILL PARTICIPANT ASH DO NOW?" Carl added in a professional tone.
Ash looked at it with genuine surprise, not having anticipated it.
"Mega Evolution…?" he murmured.
"…I was so focused on the battle that I didn't even notice… he didn't use Mega with Blastoise…" he added quietly.
"Mega Dragonite is undoubtedly quite dangerous. This is going to be tough," he continued, realizing too late what had happened.
When he used to play competitively just for fun and occasionally in his previous life, Mega Dragonite was always a very used and problematic Pokémon. Its power was terrifying and its resistance too.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed!" Gary ordered.
Gary didn't want to waste time. If he gave Ash time to react, he would definitely lose, so it was better to take the initiative.
Dragonite disappeared in an instant, its speed surpassing normal perception, while Floette remained firm in the air with a completely different stability after the Mega Evolution. Her aura was denser and more controlled, making it clear she was no longer the same as before.
"Floette, use Moonblast!" Ash ordered.
The energy concentrated in the flower and shot out at the exact moment Dragonite reappeared, forcing it to swerve at the last second to avoid the direct impact.
"Dragonite, use Aerial Ace!" Gary ordered.
The dragon spun in the air and attacked from a side angle, seeking to break the new rhythm Ash had imposed.
"Floette, use Protect!" Ash responded.
The barrier appeared just in time and blocked the impact without barely yielding, showing much greater resistance than before while Floette remained practically motionless after the clash, as if the power difference was no longer against her.
The air between both Pokémon tensed, but it was no longer the same battle. Now there was a clear difference.
"Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!" Gary ordered.
The dragon launched again using its speed to close the distance, but Floette didn't react late. She moved with precision, dodging the blow with the minimum necessary distance and maintaining absolute control of the space.
"Floette, use Energy Ball!" Ash responded.
The sphere formed and shot out at close range, hitting Dragonite directly before it could complete its offense and forcing it to stop cold once again, completely losing its momentum.
Floette had clearly shown that she was now on another level. She dodged Dragonite's attacks as if they were nothing, won all the attack exchanges, and not even a direct confrontation could make her retreat.
"Then I can't beat you by following the rhythm…" Gary murmured.
"…I'll have to break it," he added.
His gaze hardened.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed!" he ordered with determination.
Dragonite disappeared again, gathering everything it had left in that final attempt to force a real opening in the battle, but Floette didn't move immediately. She remained firm in the air, completely stable, waiting for the exact moment.
"Dragonite, use Aerial Ace!" Gary ordered.
The dragon reappeared from a side angle seeking a clean hit, but Floette anticipated the movement, shifting with precision before the blow arrived and letting the attack pass without finding its target while maintaining her dominant position.
"Floette, use Moonblast!" Ash ordered.
The energy shot out immediately and forced Dragonite to brake hard to avoid the full impact, once again breaking its attempt to regain the rhythm and making it clear there was no longer any margin to drag out the battle.
Gary saw it and accepted it in that same instant, understanding that the next exchange would be the last.
Ash took a step forward and looked directly at Floette, and Floette returned the look, nodding softly, perfectly understanding what was coming next.
"Floette, use Light of Ruin and let's end this battle already!" Ash ordered.
The beam of light charged quickly and then shot out immediately, brutal, direct, advancing toward Dragonite with overwhelming pressure that forced Gary to react instantly.
"Dragonite, use Hyper Beam!" he ordered forcefully.
Dragonite responded at once, releasing its own energy beam that collided head-on with Light of Ruin in the center of the field. Both attacks clashed violently, generating a shockwave that swept through the entire stadium while the energy pushed against each other in a brutal pulse, holding for a brief instant in apparent balance before Floette's light began to prevail, advancing little by little until it completely broke through the Hyper Beam and pierced it, hitting Dragonite squarely in a final explosion that sealed the battle.
When the light dissipated, Dragonite fell without control, its body descending until it impacted the ground while the energy surrounding it dissolved and the Mega Evolution reverted, returning it to its normal state with no ability to continue. It had been a brutal clash of attacks, maintaining the excitement until the very end, but in the end, Dragonite could no longer hold on. Floette was clearly superior.
The referee raised the flag firmly.
"Dragonite is unable to continue!" he declared.
Then he looked forward.
"Participant Gary has no Pokémon left, therefore the winner is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!" the referee said.
The stadium erupted in applause.
"WHAT A FINISH, WHAT A WAY TO CLOSE IT!" Bob commented.
"AN IMPRESSIVE BATTLE FROM START TO FINISH. BOTH WERE AT THEIR LIMIT THE ENTIRE TIME!" Carl added.
"IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST BATTLES I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME, CARL, AND IT WILL BE HARD TO FORGET!" Bob said.
While Bob and Carl continued commenting on how incredible the battle had been and while the spectators enthusiastically commented on what they thought as they stood up from their seats to leave the stadium…
Gary remained silent for a few seconds, looking at Dragonite before taking out his Poké Ball and recalling it calmly.
"Rest. You did great…" he murmured.
He stayed for a few moments observing the Poké Ball in his hand, assimilating what had happened, understanding without excuses that he had been surpassed, but also recognizing that it had been one of the most intense battles he had ever fought. He was sad, yes, but satisfied.
He raised his gaze.
"…I lost," he said calmly.
He paused briefly.
"But it was an incredible battle," he added.
Ash approached him accompanied by Pikachu, who remained on his shoulder observing everything attentively, and Floette, who descended softly beside him after the battle.
"It was a great battle!" Ash said as he extended his hand.
Gary looked at him for a moment, and without looking away, accepted the gesture and returned the handshake firmly. He had to acknowledge it. Ash had beaten him. He had been better than him, but…
"It was an impressive battle and maybe this time you beat me, but… the next time we meet, I will definitely be the winner, so don't be too proud of this victory!" Gary said with a challenging smile.
Ash smiled. It seemed this battle had made Gary mature a bit, giving him a reality check that had considerably reduced his arrogance.
"Don't think I'll lose next time," Ash said with a smile.
Both shook hands, demonstrating that even if one had won and the other had lost, sportsmanship prevailed above all and that their friendship had reached a new level.
And so, the battle had finally ended.