Before Gray could even compose himself, the multicolor lightshow dominated the entire field, especially since it came from two sources simultaneously.

  Mega Altaria released a beautiful song as soon as he finished evolving, immediately drawing attention to the beauty and grace that came naturally to him.

  But Gray’s attention was fully focused on Mega Raichu in front of them. Raichu had retained his orange fur, but now had extra horn-like protrusions sticking off the top of his head, right next to his ears. Its tail had elongated, now spurting a wicked lightning in the end that reminded Gray of a Pikachu. With its new horns and longer tail, Mega Raichu looked suspiciously like a ‘Y’ when all stretched.

  Pleased with the shocked look on Gray’s face, Lt. Surge answered the call of his blood and wasted no time. “Anti-Dragon maneuvers!”

  Mega Raichu Y braced himself on the ground on all four paws, an untamed grin on his face as he kept his focus on the dragon flying above.

  “Rai-“ he breathed out, the horns on his head had electricity in between them and the pouches on his cheek glowing neon yellow. “- Chu!”

  A lightning storm is immediately summoned with Raichu as its source. Bolts of electricity erupt all around him, reaching the sky in a blink of an eye. They hone in on Altaria, forcing him to dodge frantically to avoid getting hit.

  Gray kept quiet to allow Altaria to concentrate, his mind racing as he watched Altaria dance in the air like it was his domain, twisting and turning to avoid the massive strikes of lightning hoping to burn him into a crisp.

  Altaria had been dancing in the air for about a minute when Gray had noticed something rather peculiar. He shifted his focus back to Raichu, pondered for a bit, before he was startled into comprehension.

  This stupid rat wasn’t taking breaks between attacks at all! Raichu was still huddled on the ground, head following Altaria’s movements in the sky, but the electricity he was producing remained a continuous output, as if he was an undying battery with an endless amount of power.

  Gray knew there and then that this wasn’t a stalemate they could win. Raichu appeared as fresh as he was from the beginning, whereas Altaria had been frantically dodging this entire time.

  “Honing Swift!” he commanded.

  At the next beat of Altaria’s wings, he produced clusters of pink stars that shot out and collided with the electrical streams chasing after him, producing fireworks that fizzled out beautifully in the sky.

  The crowd murmured in awe at the display, never once taking an eye off of the blue fairy-dragon soaring freely in the sky.

  “Dance, Altaria!”

  When Altaria next made to dodge Raichu’s attacks, he dramatically shifted to the side, twirling and twisting even more to outmaneuver the lightning, occasionally releasing a barrage of pink stars that collided with them to produce even more fireworks.

  Had this been a contest, Raichu would have been bleeding points at how Altaria trivialised his impressive continuous output. In the end, Altaria met the attacks with his own to create a backdrop that perfectly complimented his Dragon Dance.

  Lt. Surge felt a sense of dread as Altaria continued his dance in the sky, already noticing how the dragon’s dodging seemed to be faster than before.

  “Blitz them!”

  Raichu finally moved from his position, dashing forwards. He then leaped into the air, continuing to dash along a current of electricity he created as he ran, effectively allowing him to sprint up the air.

  With a powerful jump, he managed to considerably shorten the distance to Altaria, his cheeks, horns and tail turning neon yellow as he prepared for a devastating electrical attack.

  “Protect!”

  Altaria stared down his opponent, unflinching despite the massive electrical attack Raichu released.

  In a blink of an eye, the entire stadium was reduced to yellow detonation, everything from the battlefield to the seats in the audience was covered in a golden color so intense it was nearly white.

  In spite of it all, Gray remained firmly standing, only covering his eyes to protect them from the glare.

  When the attack finally died down, Raichu was left falling to the ground and panting, finally winded from the increased intensity of his own attack.

  Mega Altaria, however, remained floating in the sky, surrounded by a hexagonal green sphere that had cracks littered around its surface, the Protect barely managed to hold its shape.

  Wasting no time, Altaria dived for his opponent, eager to get back at him finally.

  Altaria smashed into his opponent with a Take Down, his body turning fairy pink due to his Pixilate ability. He repeatedly slammed into his midair opponent, effectively preventing Raichu from landing on the ground and recalibrating.

  “Thunder!” bellowed Lt. Surge when Altaria had moved away from Raichu again.

  “Hyper Voice!”

  Raichu again released a shower of electricity, but before the move could land on Altaria, the dragon shrieked out, his Hyper Voice providing an opposing wall against the attack.

  Pink and Yellow clashed, and the audience muttered at the intense display of power.

  The collision gave enough time for Raichu to land, immediately giving him a sense of safety now that he was back on solid ground.

  But before he could take a deep breath to calm himself, his senses flared in warning.

  As a war veteran himself, Raichu had learnt to listen to his instincts, even if he could never pinpoint the reasons.

  He dashed forward and ran away from the mystery.

  It was fortunate he had done so, for a pink-infused star immediately struck the position he was previously in. It was followed up by even more stars, summoned by Altaria’s Swift as he tried to close the distance.

  Raichu glanced back to find Altaria following him closely like a bird of prey, every flap of his wings summoning another barrage of stars.

  The electric type had to take a gigantic leap of faith to avoid a Swift that had targeted his legs, his body turning in midair so he could finally be face to face with his opponent. He sneered at Altaria before using the power of his legs to spring himself at the flying dragon.

  He slammed into Altaria, the dragon taken aback by Raichu’s reckless decision to close the distance rather than keep running away. The surprise allowed Raichu enough time to charge and release a Thunderbolt from pointblank range.

  Altaria screamed in pain, the sound causing twin sadistic smirks to form on Raichu and Lt. Surge.

  Gray knew from before that without retaliation, Raichu could likely keep up this attack indefinitely until Altaria fainted.

  “Ground yourself and get out, Altaria!”

  Altaria used the last of his coherence to dive downwards, fighting to keep steady despite the pain he was in. He stuck both feet underground, creating a grounding effect that significantly reduced the damage being done onto him. Some of Raichu’s voltage is released into the ground, dissipating neutrally into the earth.

  Able to breathe a bit easier, Altaria summons up energy within him, compounding it with his own instinctive desire to scream in pain to create a Hyper Voice that successfully repelled Raichu’s Thunderbolt.

  He felt himself burn at having to endure such a shock, fuming when he already felt some parts of his usually pristine body blackening thanks to Raichu’s efforts, adding another layer of reason to be irked with his opponent.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Roost!”

  Already landed, it takes no effort at all for Altaria to summon up a healing, Flying type energy around him, restoring his weariness and revitalising the burned parts of his body. He preened when he felt himself regaining his beautiful looks.

  Unable to stop the dragon from healing up, Raichu attempts to rush him with a steel-infused tail. Luckily, Altaria manages to vault himself back into the air just as the Iron Tail slammed into the ground where he was previously Roosting.

  Altaria swirls upwards, gaining distance from Raichu at a rapid pace, attracting the attention of the crowd as he rises higher and higher.

  When he’s at the apex, he sneers down at the rat stuck on the ground with all the pride and disdain of a dragon-fairy type, his higher position a reminder of how lofty his species was in comparison to others more plebian.

  To the audience, he appears like an avenging angel, righteous fury emanating. Altaria looks to his trainer, the last bastion of rationality he could offer before his final move ended this troublesome match.

  Gray says nothing, only giving a firm nod that is captured by the camera feed.

  Like his pokemon, Gray appeared indignant yet calm, as if the battle itself was a rock that disrupted his still waters, and it was below him to have to deal with the nonsensical trouble of everything.

  Raichu attempted to close the distance once more, leaping up and running on a current of electricity.

  Altaria’s glare remains dirty.

  He draws in a breath, an illusory moon appearing behind him before it shoots out to form a gigantic Moonblast nearly occupying a quarter of the designated battlefield. Keeping steady, Altaria prepares another move. Draconic purple surrounds him before he expels a purple ball from his mouth, a faster Draco Meteor headed directly at the moving Moonblast.

  The two moves collide with a boom, both exploding outwards like a blossoming purplish-pink firework. The tail end of each display contains a meteor infused with Fairy and Dragon type energy, the sheer number shooting outwards and plummeting into the ground, creating a meteor shower.

  Raichu stops in his tracks, eyes widened as he takes in the devastation headed his way.

  To his horror, the meteors began to speed up with Altaria’s Tailwind. Raichu turns on his heels, rushing away to try and create more distance between himself and the combination move, a last ditch attempt to dodge.

  The spectators stared up in awe, captivated by the Altaria’s masterful display of combining Fairy and Dragon type energy into a singular move.

  Some paused to wonder at how the pokemon was able to create something so beautiful with two types known for their anti-synergy, while others doubted how much of an impact something so pretty would make, assuming the pokemon went for vanity rather than battle effectiveness.

  As if to answer them, the leading meteors finally struck the earth. Everyone in the stadium had to hold on for dear life as their world shook, rubble and unearthed dirt flying high in the air in front of their very eyes. The barriers separating them from the field cracked before the timely command of the announcer had the employed psychic pokemon hastily repairing them.

  But the worst part was that it did not stop.

  People began to panic as the shaking continued, each meteoric boulder crash restarting the experience. In their worry, some trainers in the crowd released their pokemon to reinforce the barriers, lightening the load for the overstrained gym pokemon. While nothing could get at them thanks to the barriers, nothing was done to stop the sounds.

  Each impact to the ground was deafening, like an angry Tyranitar smashing his fists to the earth in unending fury. Children huddled against their guardians, uncontrollably shaking but still reluctant to take their eyes away from the carnage as they flinched at the particularly louder explosions.

  Some of the audience’s prayers were heard as the attack gradually subsided, letting everyone breathe a bit easier. Though they no longer feared for their safety, no one dared to speak as they stared outwards.

  The battlefield in front of them was unrecognisable. Every parcel of ground was unearthed, rocks and rubble strewn about, leaving nothing untouched. The previously flat battleground was now a rocky outcrop, filled with meteoric boulders still steaming from the intensity of energy they held mere moments ago.

  They glanced up to the air, in awe of how much devastation one mega evolved pokemon could wrought, and couldn’t help but ponder how such a pokemon was capable of both great beauty and destruction at the same time.

  Altaria glided downwards, pleased and smug at how his attack was enough to turn the field desolate. He landed on the largest boulder without a care in the world, confident that he had already proven his prowess to this side of the world.

  “Keep sharp, Altaria,”

  “Al-Al-ta!”

  “Yes, I know you did well. We can all see that. But until you’ve been officially called the winner, you shouldn’t be underestimating your opponent.”

  “Al-ta-ri-a!”

  “… I don’t think he’s conscious either…”

  As if Gray’s words were prophecy speaking things into existence, the ground near Altaria rumbled and Raichu shot out.

  Raichu was spent, not even strong enough to maintain his mega evolved form. His body was littered with bruises and wounds, some bleeding sluggishly and leaving behind a trail of blood suspended in the air. Credit to him, Raichu seemed completely unaware of the state of his own body, his eyes still held the anger and determination of a war veteran. His cheek pouches flashed yellow, a last ditch attempt of an attack against his foe.

  Altaria gave a high-pitched shriek, shocked at his opponent’s sudden reappearance. He subconsciously fired up a Play Rough on one wing, swatting Raichu away before he could release his final move. Raichu smashed against a boulder before falling into a slump, finally fainted.

  Somehow, Raichu had kept close to the ground as devastation fell, allowing him some ability to decide which meteors were survivable and which weren’t. Combined with his quick electrical output, he was able to lessen the damage he obtained by blasting away particularly dangerous boulders.

  He had done everything he could despite being forced back to his base form, even using Dig to set up an ambush, but nothing he could have done would have changed the ending outcome.

  Still, the last exchange tethered people back into reality, some even letting out laughs at the stark contrast between Altaria’s earlier majesty and his current silliness after being startled.

  “Raichu is unable to battle. With that, all of the gym leaders’ pokemon are defeated. The winner of this match is Gray Oak from Pallet Town!”

  Applause mixed with laughter thundered around the stadium, causing Altaria to blush in embarrassment. Gray resisted the urge to face palm at his pokemon’s antics, instead plastering on a smile as he waved at the crowd.

  Altaria flew back to his trainer’s side, hiding a portion of his body behind his trainer, mind still stuck on the undragon-like scream he had subconsciously let out. Gray patted his head in comfort, mirth dancing in his eyes but choosing to hold his tongue.

  Lt. Surge took a deep breath before letting it out smoothly. Feeling more settled, he was thus able to better hide his disappointment and focus back on the present.

  He walked forward, trying to get closer to his partner so he could recall Raichu back properly. The gym leader couldn’t help but ponder the match as he walked through the steaming meteorites, the evidence of power Gray now held. Lt. Surge scrutinised each boulder, mind eye replaying Altaria’s final combined move again and again.

  Over the years, Lt. Surge had come to terms with the idea that once the battle began, there was little he could do on his end to influence the outcome. Sure, he could call out commands as he saw fit, but fighting in war taught him that only pokemon who were trained to fight on their own would survive to see tomorrow. So he did what thought was best for his pokemon as their trainer.

  He had held faith in his starter’s ability to survive Altaria’s deadly combination, was rewarded with Raichu's final attempt when he caught the dragon off guard. But unfortunately, Raichu was outclassed.

  With this battle, Major Sammy’s grandchild just proved he was a serious trainer and contender, that much was obvious. Lt. Surge’s team had thrown everything they could into the match, even managing to catch Gray by surprise a few times. But in the end, it was simply not enough.

  He contented himself with the fact that while the boy was strong, there were still some things the gym leader could impart. It was vital that he do so if he wished for Gray’s continuous rise to prominence.

  His pride may have taken a hit today, but as a proud Kantonian there was much more to gain from this match.

  Ash and Gary couldn’t hold back their joy at seeing their uncle emerge triumphant, screaming incoherently but in unison. They had been confident in his win, but to witness it with their very own eyes was another thing altogether.

  “Did you see that! Uncle Gray is so cool! He beat Lt. Surge!” said Gary.

  “Yeah! He’s so strong! But the mega Raichu wasn’t bad too!”

  Ash was firmly in his uncle’s corner, but during the match he couldn’t take his eyes away from Raichu. His tiny heart beat so quickly when Raichu proved able to blitz towards Altaria even when Ash thought the dragon was safe in the air. The quick bursts of electricity, the sheer power that could be felt even from afar caused a tingle to form on Ash’s fingertips.

  He didn’t know what kind of trainer he would be in the future, but he had decided no matter what that he was getting an electric type pokemon for himself in the future.

  Seeing his best friend and rival distracted, Gary had to poke Ash a few times to bring his head back from the clouds.

  “You liked Raichu more, didn’t you?”

  Ash fumbled his next few words, sputtering without substance with an unconvincing denial in his tone.

  “That’s fine. Mega Raichu is cool too, I guess.” Gary looks around to make sure no one is paying attention to their conversation, before leaning in closer to confess. “I definitely want a dragon type in the future too.”

  “You want an Altaria?”

  “I’m not sure. But any dragon type would be ok as long as it flies!”

  Scandalised, Ash immediately protests. Unfortunately, the noise he made was too loud so Gary had to pinch his best friend to get him to bring down his volume. “But Uncle Gray’s a fairy type trainer! What if he starts hating you when you get a dragon type!” whispers Ash heatedly.

  It wasn’t often that Gary was rendered speechless by his best friend, but he couldn’t exactly dispute him. He loved his uncle dearly, but he didn’t know for sure if his uncle loved him back.

  All his life, Gary had been told how much he looked and acted like his father, Blue Oak. And ever since his uncle returned home, he had never seen his uncle and dad get along properly. Instead, Uncle Gray never shied away from expressing his annoyances and displeasure with his older brother.

  So if Gary was similar to his dad, then uncle probably didn’t like his nephew either.

  A sense of despair threatened to overwhelm the young boy. He couldn’t stomach the idea that his uncle would hate him in the future, just because he wanted a dragon type.

  Maybe his uncle would prove forgiving? Or maybe he could get Grandpa Sammy to intervene. His uncle’s love for his grand-uncle was never in question.

  Speaking of, thinking of Grandpa Sammy brought to light something both he and Ash missed.

  “Maybe he’ll forgive me! Grandpa Sammy has a Dragonite too, but Uncle Gray still likes him right?”

  “Oh yeah! Then you should be fine!” Ash pauses before voicing his own insecurity. “Do you think he’d be mad if I said I think Raichu was cooler than Altaria?”

  “... Honestly, he might be. Even I think it’s a bit dumb you like the pokemon that lost.”

  “Hey!”