Chapter Thirty-Four: In the Face of a Powerful Foe, the Weak Draw Their Swords and Advance!

"Gyarados! Use Twister!" Zhao Fang issued the command decisively. Gyarados immediately unleashed a Twister at the Mega Altaria, the swirling wind scattering countless ice particles and wreaking havoc on everything nearby.

"Mega Altaria, use Thunder to dispel that Twister," Tie Xuan calmly ordered. A bolt of lightning struck down and successfully dissipated the approaching Twister.

Zhao Fang was unhurried; he was merely testing out an idea. The Dragon-type move Twister could trap an opponent, but due to its limited power, the effect was subtle and it couldn't truly bind or restrain the enemy. Of course, some powerful Dragon-type Pokémon could be caught and lifted by Twister, but Gyarados hadn't reached that level yet. Zhao Fang had been pondering whether Gyarados could lift the enemy with the wind, then follow the airflow upwards—much like in the tower battle—attacking from above using acceleration.

During his time at the Fighting Gym, Zhao Fang had tried a similar tactic, successfully swapping the Shroomish away using the environment, but that had the advantage of a rock wall. Here, there was no such structure, so he needed a new strategy. Fortunately, Gyarados knew Hurricane, so Zhao Fang wanted to see if combining Twister with Hurricane might work.

"Gyarados! Use Twister to trap Mega Altaria!" Zhao Fang quickly ordered.

"Twister isn't very effective," Tie Xuan chuckled. Yet despite her words, she still directed Mega Altaria to dodge Gyarados’s attacks. The Twister’s wide range, however, successfully trapped Mega Altaria in the wind.

"Seize this chance! Use Hurricane!" Zhao Fang’s eyes lit up as he issued the next command swiftly. Half the plan was succeeding!

"Hurricane? You want to lift my Mega Altaria into the air?" Tie Xuan was somewhat surprised. Although she hadn’t seen this combination before, as a Gym Leader with abundant battle experience, she had a keen eye. Mega Altaria, trapped in Twister, was about to use Thunder to disperse the annoying wind when suddenly a strong gust merged with the Twister. The combined force successfully lifted Mega Altaria.

"It’s useless! My Mega Altaria has excellent control over magnetic fields. Even in the air, you can’t hurt it," Tie Xuan said confidently, watching Mega Altaria ascend into the sky.

"Gyarados! Jump up! Use Iron Head to slam it down! Don’t give up!" Zhao Fang clenched his fists and shouted, knowing everything depended on this moment.

Hearing Zhao Fang’s command, Tie Xuan quickly understood his plan and nodded slightly. Coming up with such a tactic on the spot was impressive. No wonder Senri had asked her to keep an extra eye on this kid.

"Mega Altaria, use magnetic field control to counteract the force! Then use Discharge to knock it down!" Although she admired Zhao Fang’s creativity, Tie Xuan was not about to hold back and gave decisive orders based on the situation.

Zhao Fang clenched his fists tightly, nails digging into his palms as he watched Gyarados, smoke billowing from its body, trembling under the onslaught of electricity. As a trainer, all he could do was help his Pokémon assess the battlefield and choose the right moves. Now, it was purely a battle between Pokémon. If Gyarados couldn’t withstand Mega Altaria’s Discharge, Zhao Fang would have to swallow the bitter taste of defeat.

He anxiously watched Gyarados, its body crackling with electricity. As a Dragon-type weak to Electric moves, it looked helpless, like a fragile doll against Mega Altaria. Despite the pain, Gyarados stubbornly pressed on, attempting Iron Head to knock down its powerful foe. But its strength quickly waned under the relentless electric attacks. Zhao Fang felt the pain deeply.

"Gyarados!!" Zhao Fang called out desperately, fearing for his stubborn companion who had journeyed with him from the start.

A furious roar erupted from Gyarados. It sensed Zhao Fang’s worry and the faint thought of giving up, which ignited an intense anger deep within the fierce Pokémon.

The sudden surge of emotion caused its charred scales to glow faintly red, though Zhao Fang was unaware of this transformation.

Suddenly, Zhao Fang felt a jolt in his chest, followed by an overwhelming surge of uncontrollable rage—rage at his own weakness, at his inability to live up to expectations. His heart pounded faster and faster until a brilliant light suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

A miracle in the Pokémon world! The evolution of life—weak Pokémon shedding their forms to evolve into higher stages and gain greater strength. But at this moment, the radiant light shone from two Pokémon who had already reached their final evolutionary forms!

"The Gym Leader Tie Xuan really has no choice but to Mega Evolve her Mega Altaria, huh?" the referee said with a hint of dissatisfaction, casting a glance at Tie Xuan who alone could trigger her Pokémon’s Mega Evolution into Mega Altaria.

But then the referee noticed Tie Xuan’s astonished, incredulous expression. She quickly looked up and saw that the light of evolution was actually coming from the scorched Gyarados.

Zhao Fang clutched his chest as his heart raced wildly, nearly overwhelming him. Then, from the sky came a deafening roar.

He looked up and saw a strangely shaped Gyarados glaring with golden eyes, forcefully butting Mega Altaria, shattering its magnetic field control, and slamming it hard onto the ground, sending up a massive cloud of dust.

"Roar!" The furious cries of Gyarados and the groan of Mega Altaria echoed from the dust cloud. Then, beams of crimson light burst forth from the center, stirring up even more dust.

When the dust finally settled, Mega Altaria lay motionless on the ground. But all eyes were drawn to the resplendent Gyarados, its scales now shimmering in golden-red hues. The three sword-shaped scales on its head had grown larger, and its massive, doubled frame left Zhao Fang frozen in place.

Gyarados... had evolved during the battle!?