"My choice is…"
Hayato Sora's expression turned serious, his gaze sharpening as he entered battle mode. A Poké Ball flew toward the battlefield.
"Noivern, I'm counting on you."
"Vrrraaa!"
With a flash of white light, the massive Noivern appeared on one side of the battlefield.
Its batlike wings spread wide, releasing an intimidating aura. An invisible pressure swept across the field.
"S-so… so huge!"
Ilima stared in shock, blurting out in disbelief.
Noivern hovered in the air, its wings casting such a massive shadow that even the sunlight seemed blocked out.
Just moments ago, Ilima had accidentally met the gaze of those amber, slit-shaped dragon eyes.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
It felt as if a pressure from a higher level of life itself had crushed down on him.
The feeling lasted only a moment, but it still left the talented student drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked.
Are Trainers from the Kalos region all this terrifying?
Ilima secretly decided that after graduating, he would definitely travel to Kalos.
But for now—
He would watch the battle about to begin.
Professor Kukui, wearing only his white lab coat on his upper body, looked up at Noivern with a wide grin.
Now this was interesting.
"Lycanroc, I'm counting on you."
A wolf-like Pokémon with light brown fur leapt out of its Poké Ball and landed opposite Noivern.
Facing Noivern's oppressive aura—similar to the pressure of Intimidate—Lycanroc showed no fear.
It threw its head back and let out a challenging howl.
Steadfast Ability? Hayato Sora thought to himself.
Among Midday Form Lycanroc's three Abilities, only Steadfast would activate when intimidated, boosting its Speed.
"Snap."
Hayato Sora confidently snapped his fingers and raised his hand to command.
"Dragon Pulse. Let's start with a greeting."
Kukui's command followed immediately.
"Accelerock—interrupt it!"
Both commands were issued almost simultaneously.
On the battlefield, both Pokémon moved instantly, demonstrating complete trust in their Trainers.
Accelerock, the signature move of Midday and Dusk Form Lycanroc, struck with incredible speed—making it difficult for opponents to react.
Lycanroc curled its body slightly as Rock-type energy covered its form.
Then it burst forward at high speed toward Noivern, its mane slicing through the air with sharp whooshing sounds.
In the blink of an eye, Lycanroc reached directly beneath Noivern.
It launched upward like a rocket blasting off, slamming toward its airborne opponent.
At such short range, most Pokémon wouldn't have time to react.
Noivern was no exception.
Or so it seemed.
In reality—
Noivern didn't even try to dodge.
It welcomed the clash head-on.
In close combat, the battle-hardened Noivern believed it would not lose to any Pokémon.
Even if Garchomp showed up, it wouldn't matter.
Any Pokémon that could use Dragon Dance had the advantage.
Boom!
Flesh collided with flesh.
The two Pokémon crashed into each other in midair, neither giving an inch.
After a brief stalemate, they both recoiled.
Noivern flapped its wings twice to absorb the recoil force.
At the same time, Dragon-type energy gathered within its jaws before bursting outward as a shockwave.
The attack twisted through the air like a roaring dragon.
Blue and purple energies intertwined, forming a dragon-shaped blast that chased after Lycanroc and slammed into it.
In an instant—
A small mushroom cloud erupted on the battlefield, accompanied by rippling shockwaves visible to the naked eye.
The impact forced Lycanroc backward.
Its hind legs dug into the ground, carving two deep claw marks across the battlefield.
Its light brown fur stood on end under the surging energy.
"Grrr…"
A low growl forced its way out of Lycanroc's throat.
Its body slid several more meters before it finally stabilized.
The rocky mane on its chest had shattered under the impact.
Yet—
After taking a full-force Dragon Pulse from Noivern head-on, Lycanroc was still standing.
"Lycanroc, can you still battle?" Kukui asked.
"Awooo!"
Lycanroc shook its head and responded firmly.
"Good. Stone Edge! Bring Noivern down!"
Lycanroc threw back its head and howled.
Its paws kicked against the scattered stones on the battlefield as it charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Several boulder-sized rocks formed in the air.
They launched forward before Lycanroc even reached its target.
Hovering in the sky, Noivern gently flapped its wings.
A glimmer of approval flashed through its amber dragon eyes.
This kind of opponent was worthy of its full strength.
With a powerful roar, the dragon blood within Noivern began to boil.
The incoming rocks—
Noivern completely ignored them.
After spending so much time together, Hayato Sora naturally understood Noivern's thoughts.
Perhaps due to its battle-hardened nature, Noivern preferred brutal close combat over ranged attacks.
It enjoyed the raw sensation of trading blows.
Of course, it also had a mischievous side.
When facing weaker opponents, Noivern preferred to toy with them using its speed and flight advantage.
"Super Fang!"
Hayato Sora waved his hand forward.
"Vrrraaa!"
Noivern responded with an excited roar.
It folded its wings and began diving like a high-speed fighter jet.
The incoming rocks were either smashed apart—or shattered against its body.
The pain did not slow it down.
Instead, it only fueled its ferocity.
Its movements grew even more savage.
A faint red gleam covered its pupils.
Noivern's dive was so fast that it left behind afterimages.
The air itself tore apart, producing a sharp buzzing roar.
The audience watched nervously.
Cinccino covered its eyes with its paws—but peeked through the gaps between its fingers.
The final massive rock thrown by Lycanroc struck Noivern directly.
Noivern let out a muffled grunt—
But its speed only increased.
"Lycanroc, watch out!" Kukui shouted immediately after the attack.
Unfortunately—
It was too late.
A massive shadow descended like a falling mountain.
Noivern opened its jaws wide, its sharp fangs flashing with cold light as it bit down with savage ferocity at one of Lycanroc's vulnerable points.
"Raaagh!"
Lycanroc's pupils shrank as it instinctively rolled sideways to avoid a fatal hit.
But Noivern seemed prepared.
Its battle-hardened instincts, forged through countless fights, guided its movements like muscle memory.
Its fangs sank deeply into Lycanroc's body.
The light brown fur was instantly stained red.
With a powerful shake of its head, Noivern flung Lycanroc away.
Lycanroc crashed onto the ground, staggering as it struggled back to its feet.
The intense pain forced a suppressed growl from its throat.
Noivern beat its wings and returned to the sky.
Its body became enveloped in swirling Dragon-type energy, its killing intent firmly locked onto Lycanroc.
It was preparing to finish the battle.
With Noivern, this had practically become a habit—
Ending fights with a Dragon Rush.
Dragon energy warped the air around its body.
Noivern transformed into something like a falling meteor.
The attack descended with even greater momentum than the earlier Dragon Pulse.
It looked as if the strike might pierce straight through the entire battlefield.
…
The battle ended.
High above on the rooftop, a Pokémon quickly disappeared.
It vanished back into the forest.
Still, no one noticed it.
But Cinccino tilted its head in confusion.
Its tail swished unconsciously.
It kept feeling like something was watching it.
Yet whenever it turned around—
There was no Pokémon there.
Was it just its imagination?
Cinccino shook away the thought and excitedly ran toward the victorious Noivern.
So amazing!
Noivern was so amazing!
As always, it delivered maximum emotional support.
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