Chapter 108
"Suicune! Yveltal!! Nihilego!!"
"Machamp!!"
Qiao Ran and Bea both sent out their Pokémon to try and block some of the attacks, at least to prevent them from affecting the transport vehicles. If these vehicles were destroyed, everything would be over.
"Come forth, Inteleon!!"
Not only did Qiao Ran and Bea send out their Pokémon, but Doctor Sonia also released her main Pokémon as Trainer —a very slender blue lizard Pokémon with a very "gentlemanly" appearance and movements. This is also one of the Galar Starter Pokémon, and compared with the Starter Pokémon of other regions, the Galar Starter Pokémon is quite distinctive.
Of course, it wasn't just Qiao Ran and his group; all the Trainer present released their Pokémon in an attempt to withstand the energy attacks created by the Dynamax Pokémon. The forces of both sides began to collide, but—almost visibly— Qiao Ran's side's attack began to retreat rapidly.
The Ground-type Max Strike swept away all of Qiao Ran's attacks and continued to rush towards the convoy. Compared to Pokémon, their Pokémon were too weak, and even if Qiao Ran activated Gigantamax now, there wouldn't be enough time!
"No...!"
Qiao Ran gripped his Long Sword tightly. He couldn't just watch all hope be destroyed. For some reason, as he thought this, a powerful belief arose in his heart.
Courage exists within everyone, and everyone has the potential to become Hero.
Even without Deity powers, profound meanings, or a special origin, mortals can stand shoulder to shoulder with Deity when wielding Sword and Shield —just like the Hero of a thousand years ago.
The legends of Galar are neither as profound as those of other regions, nor do they possess the arrogant powers of the Deity in other regions, because they represent the legends of mortals, the legends of nameless Hero.
At that moment, Qiao Ran's body moved. As if freed from the weight of the Long Sword, his entire body was filled with power, and he arrived at the front of the convoy in almost no time.
If before it was Qiao Ran who influenced the Long Sword and unleashed its power, then this time it was the power of the Long Sword that strengthened Qiao Ran's resolve.
Looking at the Max Strike surging towards him, Qiao Ran felt a sense of certainty for no reason, and a sharp, blade-like aura gathered around him.
His eyes narrowed—and he raised the Long Sword in his hand.
These things... he can cut them off!
Section 206, Chapter 203 [Sword: Slash]
The Ground-type Max Strike, carrying a vast and overwhelming force, seemed to make the earth tremble and tear open a giant maw, as if it wanted to swallow people whole.
All resistance from humans and Pokémon seemed futile—destined to vanish before this powerful skill. At this moment, doing anything else seemed pointless—but everyone present stared at the figure standing at the forefront, wielding Long Sword.
They had already lost the ability to resist, but—he hadn't.
For the sake of everyone in Hammerlocke, for the future of this world, they must protect these life-saving supplies...
This man is their only hope now, the one they hold dear.
"Qiao Ran!"
Bea called out his name, her expression filled with indescribable excitement. This was the second time she had seen Qiao Ran standing in front of her—even when faced with skills that humans could not resist, he did not back down at all.
This was the figure she longed for; even seeing him a second time would deeply attract her.
"This guy..." Doctor Sonia gripped the strap of her backpack, her expression showing some excitement.
When she first met Qiao Ran, she thought he was just an ordinary-looking boy. However, as their conversation deepened, she saw Qiao Ran decisiveness and resilience. And at this moment—when she saw Qiao Ran suddenly rush to the front of the caravan and raise his Long Sword —she felt her heartstrings were deeply touched.
In Qiao Ran, she seemed to see the phantom of the "Legend of Galar" that she had been exploring, and the "Hero" who stood up for the people. In Qiao Ran, she saw the will passed down by Galar.
She abandoned her identity as Trainer and chose to explore ancient legends, saying, "Isn't this what I'm looking for?"
She saw all of this in this boy.
Not only them, but also the tall man standing on Flygon in the sky was watching this scene. He was Raihan, the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke and Dragon-type expert. He came here to support the battlefield, but he was a step too slow and did not arrive before the Dynamax Pokémon launched their Max Strike.
"It's all over..."
The consequences of failing to withstand Max Strike would be unimaginable; the supplies originally intended to support Hammerlocke would be completely destroyed. Even Raihan, the usually cheerful and optimistic Gym Leader, couldn't help but show a distressed expression at this thought.
Affection.
No matter what, he was the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke, and he couldn't just watch the Hammerlocke sink into a quagmire.
However, just when everything seemed hopeless, he saw—on the ground, a boy moved quickly and stood in front of all the vehicles.
"... Are you crazy?"
Raihan instinctively thought the man must be crazy, but then he noticed that the boy was holding a long, blade-like object in his hand.
"That is...!"
Raihan's pupils contracted. That Long Sword... could it be...?
Meanwhile, on the ground, Qiao Ran had already gripped his weapon with both hands. He took a deep breath and stared at the terrifying Dynamax skill before him.
Crimson and black energy surged on the surface of the sword, while green energy overflowed from his left hand, intertwining with it, as if everything was happening naturally.
"Break it for me!!!!"
Taking a step forward, Qiao Ran mustered all his strength and unleashed a powerful slash with a roar.
"Roar roar roar roar roar roar!!!!"
As Qiao Ran roared, a loud and far-reaching wolf howl rang out simultaneously—in that instant, the previously scarred and tattered blade burst forth with a brilliant light—
The blade began to lengthen and enlarge, and was surrounded by a blue light. This Long Sword, which normally seemed to have no power, was now as if it had been awakened to its original form, returning to its indestructible appearance.
"...!!!"
Gazing at that captivating blue light, everyone and every Pokémon felt a jolt in their hearts.
A blue light flashed out, tracing an arc in the air.
--Then, within that blue sword light, the originally powerful and seemingly unstoppable Max Move was directly divided into two distinct segments.
Like slicing butter—the Gigantamax moves created by the Gigantamax Energy couldn't even offer any resistance under the arc of this sword and were directly disintegrated.
Once the Dynamax Energy was diverted, the attack that was originally aimed at the convoy became ineffective.
"Boom!!"
The powerful energy destroyed all the surrounding land, but everything behind Qiao Ran's location remained exactly as it was.
Everything is safe and sound.
"Good...!"
"Wow... that's amazing!!"
"It worked! It actually worked!!!"
Witnessing all of this, the people in the convoy cheered excitedly. They couldn't believe what they were seeing, but it really had happened!!!
Sonia gasped for breath and collapsed to her knees. The legend she had studied her entire life... was actually unfolding before her eyes. She looked at her hands, which were trembling violently.
Only Qiao Ran, who had sheathed his sword, looked to his side and, whether it was his imagination or not, he actually saw the phantom of a blue wolf-shaped Pokémon.
Unlike the ethereal and agile Suicune, this Pokémon possessed an incredibly weathered and profound aura. She looked at Qiao Ran with a calm and gentle gaze, but Qiao Ran could sense that her heart was as sharp as a drawn sword.
"... Cang... Xiang?"
Qiao Ran called out the other person's name in a daze. This was the first time he had truly seen the other person's appearance, even though he already knew that it was just a phantom.
"Aww--"
The blue wolf-shaped Pokémon let out a long howl and nodded at Qiao Ran, conveying its emotions.
A thousand years ago, she was Hero, the bane of Gigantamax, and saved the continent from peril. But now, due to certain special reasons, she cannot appear here directly.
Therefore, she was very grateful to Qiao Ran and thankful for everything he had done.
"Owner..."
Immediately, her figure was enveloped in a mist and disappeared from the spot.
At the same time, the Long Sword in Qiao Ran's hand lost its dazzling brilliance and returned to its original old appearance.
Everything seemed to have returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. However, Qiao Ran remained standing there, staring blankly at the Long Sword in his hand.
"Wait... what did she call me at the end...?"
Why... did she also utter those two words?
Hatterene
Section 207, Chapter 204 [Sword: Zacian]
Zacian – one of the nameless heroes in the Galar legends, but in fact, they are two wolf-type Pokémon that are blood relatives.
A thousand years ago, it was these sisters who saved Galar from a crisis, destroying a terrifying Pokémon so large it blotted out the entire sky, and restoring peace to Galar.
Therefore, Zacian's Sword —or rather, the sword of the Sword Hero —possesses a power to suppress Gigantamax Energy, making it no exaggeration to call it a nemesis. This is probably why Qiao Ran was able to annihilate Gigantamax moves twice.
"..." Qiao Ran stood still, looking into the distance. Those giant Pokémon still Obstruct to Hammerlocke like small Small Mountain.
They seemed somewhat shocked by Qiao Ran's actions, but they didn't let Qiao Ran and his group go at all.
The idea.
"We're attacking too!"
The terrifying offensive had ceased, and the members of the convoy began their own counterattacks.
The previous Gigantamax Pokémon attacked before anyone could react, which led to this outcome. But now that Qiao Ran has blocked the attack, everything has been reversed.
After witnessing Qiao Ran's feat of cleaving through Max Move with a single sword strike, everyone's morale soared to its peak.
They're not pushovers either!
"Machamp!"
"Inteleon!!"
The first to step forward were Bea and Sonia.
They raised their right hands, and on their wrists wore specially made, Dynamax Band.
As they moved, Gigantamax Energy began to gather around them, continuously flowing into the two Pokémon. In Hammerlocke, a land brimming with Dynamax Energy, the power of Gigantamax could finally unleash its true might.
The plundered Galar finally began their counterattack.
"Bring it on!"
Machamp and Inteleon's forms began to change, but surprisingly, in addition to growing larger, their Pokémon also underwent a dramatic transformation.
--Machamp's muscles became even tighter and more imposing, and her four giant hands were wrapped in lava-like yellow patterns, as if announcing her level of danger. No one could ignore this terrifying-looking creature. With its huge body and taut muscles, Machamp was considered a "terrifying" existence among Gigantamax Pokémon.
The changes to the Inteleon were even more remarkable. Its body size seemed to have remained largely unchanged, but its long tail became extremely long, even supporting its original body and coiling into a "Snipe Shot platform" in the air, allowing its original body to reach a height of tens of meters. Now, it had become a true Sniper.
"It's Gigantamax!"
Gigantamax!
Some members of the team had already recognized the name of this change. Even in Galar, Pokémon capable of Gigantamax are extremely rare. Gym Leader and Champion usually only raise one Gigantamax Pokémon at most, and raising such Pokémon requires many times more effort than Pokémon.
As Gym Leader in the Pokémon League, Bea is already familiar with battling using Gigantamax. In the Galar region, every Gym Battle has a certain theatrical element. When each duel reaches its climax, both the Gym Leader and the challenger will Gigantamax their Pokémon, opening up a new level of battle.
As the two Gigantamax Pokémon clash, the entire Stadium erupts in cheers, their synchronized shouts sending the blood pumping through anyone present.
Sonia —as the granddaughter of the Galar Dynamax Energy expert, whose grandmother made all the Dynamax Band in Galar —couldn't possibly be unaware of these things—it was her family's craft.
"Start the counterattack! Protect the convoy! Protect the convoy!"
The commander roared and dispatched all his Pokémon, for they needed to work together to win this battle.
Of course, besides them, someone in the sky also stepped forward.
"Boom!!!!!"
With a loud bang, a Gigantamax Pokémon that looked like a steel skyscraper and was tens of meters tall appeared before everyone. Its entire body was covered in steel, and just looking at it made people feel quite safe. Or rather, it was Pokémon made of steel.
"It's Gigantamax Duraludon! Gym Leader Raihan is here too!"
A roar erupted from the crowd. The appearance of this Pokémon gave everyone another boost of confidence. Gigantamax Duraludon—this was none other than Raihana, the Gym Leader of Motostoke City, whose signature Pokémon. Duraludon is a unique Pokémon with formidable fighting power, especially with its Steelix-type, earning it the nickname "Little Dialga." After Gigantamaxing, its original abilities were further enhanced, making it a truly deserving ace in the battle.
As the Gigantamax Duraludon landed, Raihan appeared before everyone and joined the battle.
"Sorry everyone, I'm a little late... but I don't think I'm really late."
Raihan scratched the back of his head and grinned broadly. He glanced around at the crowd, and when he saw Qiao Ran, he winked slightly.
"..." Although he was a little unaccustomed to the other party's enthusiasm, Qiao Ran nodded in return. He had no doubt that he recognized the person in front of him.
-- Hammerlocke, the Dragon-type Gym Leader of Raihan.
Raihan was indeed a tall, handsome, and strong man, but when this "handsome man" made such a move on her, Qiao Ran always felt that something was not quite right.
Especially in the game, Raihan's eyes always look strange, and his sexual orientation is uncertain. In fanfiction, he is always paired with the current Champion Leon, which makes Qiao Ran a little uneasy.
No, no, now is not the time to think about such things.