Against such an overwhelming attack, [Double Team] was useless.

  As August gave the command, the clones of Gardevoir scattered across the field vanished like popped bubbles, leaving only her true form standing in the center.

  Facing the oncoming tidal wave, Gardevoir lifted both of her blue arms, crossing them in front of her chest.

  [Psychic]!

  A brilliant blue light surged in her eyes as a concentrated burst of psychic energy gathered and shot forward, piercing straight through the massive wave!

  Spsh!

  The tsunami split apart, rushing past Gardevoir's sides without even grazing her.

  Precision over power.

  Gardevoir's raw strength might not match Gyarados, but this was a battle of focused energy versus a widespread attack. The result was inevitable.

  Having watched his two consecutive attacks fail, Lance could now confirm—August's Gardevoir was at least on par with his Gyarados.

  Perhaps she was slightly weaker, but the gap was negligible.

  "…Looks like it's time to get serious. Gyarados, [Crunch]!"

  With a powerful thrust, Gyarados burst out from beneath the swirling water, jaws wide open as it lunged straight at the levitating Gardevoir.

  From a distance, it looked as if Gyarados was about to swallow her whole.

  Gardevoir immediately sensed the danger, but Gyarados was already too close. Given her frail physical defense, getting caught in those crushing jaws would be devastating!

  At the critical moment, August acted fast.

  "[Teleport]!"

  His voice rang clearly in Gardevoir's mind through their telepathic link.

  Whoosh!

  With a ripple of psychic energy, Gardevoir vanished from her spot.

  Snap!

  Gyarados bit down on empty air, its razor-sharp fangs cshing together with the sound of cshing steel.

  Missing its target didn't deter Gyarados in the slightest.

  Its massive head swiveled, instantly locking onto Gardevoir's new position. Without hesitation, it lunged again, forcing Gardevoir to continuously use [Teleport] to evade.

  During this exchange, August considered counterattacking.

  But Gyarados, relying on its tough scales and relentless aggression, completely ignored Gardevoir's hastily fired attacks and single-mindedly pressed forward.

  Back and forth, the battle raged in the air.

  Although Gardevoir managed to leave a few cuts on Gyarados' armored hide, the sea serpent also shattered her psychic barrier at one point, leaving her with minor injuries.

  At a gnce, the fight seemed evenly matched.

  But in reality, those small wounds meant little to Gyarados.

  Meanwhile, August felt a pang of concern seeing Gardevoir hurt.

  Since reaching pseudo-Elite Four level, this was the first time she had suffered an injury. Seeing her get hit hurts more than if I got hit myself.

  As Gyarados' attacks became fiercer, August made his decision.

  "Let's use that." His voice echoed in Gardevoir's mind.

  Gyarados was simply too aggressive—if this dragged on, they would lose.

  Gardevoir turned and met August's gaze, her sapphire eyes fshing with understanding.

  She gave a slight nod before using Teleport once more, putting distance between herself and Gyarados.

  On the sidelines, August reached up and pulled off the Key Stone hanging around his neck.

  On the battlefield, Gardevoir csped her hands over her chest, where a dazzling Mega Stone shimmered with iridescent light.

  Lance's eyes widened.

  "Is that…?"

  Before he could finish, the Key Stone in August's hand and the Mega Stone in Gardevoir's grasp resonated, bursting into radiant energy!

  Mega Evolution!

  A sphere of multicolored light enveloped Gardevoir.

  Seconds ter, the glow faded—

  A figure draped in an elegant bck gown, adorned with long bck gloves, floated gracefully to the ground.

  Mega Gardevoir's face held a serene yet regal expression, exuding both elegance and dominance.

  A reference image is avaible in the updated version.

  As Gyarados charged forward recklessly, Mega Gardevoir simply flicked her wrist.

  An invisible force smmed into Gyarados, knocking it off course and sending it crashing into the ground.

  Lance was stunned.

  "What… is this?"

  August chuckled. "Mega Evolution. A brand-new form of evolution."

  He had done his research—Mega Evolution had already been discovered in the Kalos region, though it hadn't spread to other regions yet.

  There was no need to hide it.

  "Mega Evolution…"

  Lance vaguely recalled reading about it in a research paper from Kalos.

  But he had no time to dwell on it.

  Because in the arena, the tide had completely turned.

  Previously, Gyarados had relied on its endurance and aggression to trade blows with Gardevoir.

  But now, Mega Gardevoir's psychic power had skyrocketed.

  What were once harmless attacks now became a real threat.

  A single [Psychic] attack forced Gyarados to dodge instead of taking the hit.

  In an instant, the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.

  Now it was Lance and Gyarados who were struggling.

  For the next ten minutes, they desperately tried various strategies—barrage attacks, decoys, surprise assaults.

  But nothing worked.

  Mega Gardevoir, with her vastly enhanced psychic abilities, countered every single move effortlessly.

  Finally, after one st [Psychic], Gyarados colpsed to the ground, completely exhausted.

  It had fainted.

  Lance sighed.

  "I lost."

  His expression was complicated.

  He had originally chosen Gyarados to recim his pride after losing with Dragonair, thinking its typing advantage would help control the battle.

  Yet in the end, Gyarados fell as well.

  August, however, didn't let victory get to his head.

  "I only won because of Mega Evolution," he admitted.

  He still remembered how he had been at a disadvantage before Gardevoir evolved. This victory was purely thanks to that power boost.

  Once Lance obtained Mega Evolution for himself, August wouldn't have this edge anymore.

  "Don't make excuses for me," Lance shook his head as he recalled Gyarados. "A loss is a loss."

  Then, after a moment of reflection, he smiled slightly.

  "You've taught me something today—never underestimate a trainer."

  August rubbed the back of his head. "It's nothing…"

  Lance gnced at Gardevoir, who was gently blowing on her own wounds in an attempt to soothe them.

  "I'm heading to the Pokémon Center. Coming with me?"

  August looked at his Gardevoir—her puffing at her injuries was honestly adorable.

  He chuckled. "No need."

  Then, under Lance's surprised gaze, August extended his hand, releasing a soft green aura—the energy of [Viridian Power].

  A warm, green light surrounded his palm as he gently swept his hand over Gardevoir's wounds.

  In an instant, her cuts and bruises vanished, leaving her fwless once more.

  ---

  T/N: is it actually called Viridian Power