Chapter 87

Is this... a scene from Ultraman vs. monster movie? Why is a 30-meter-tall Machamp running wildly in the wild?

Compared to this incredibly terrifying behemoth, the "Giant Beast Battle" that Qiao Ran had seen in Longjiang City was child's play. If it were a matter of size, this Machamp was more than ten times larger than Long Xiangdong's Dragonite.

Even the Alola native Exeggutor is like a child in front of Gigantamax Machamp. Even if it tilts its Exeggcute back with all its might, it can't even reach the height of someone else's athletic shorts.

"Lord Qiao Ran, this is the situation we're facing now... Gigantamax... has gotten out of control."

Marnie's voice was filled with immense grief, and her whole body began to tremble slightly. The past events seemed to be still vivid in her mind, but the world was no longer the same.

Everywhere you look, there is devastation; giant beasts and evil spirits roam the world, and humans and ordinary Pokémon can only survive in the cracks.

"It started about a few months ago... Some Pokémon began to Gigantamax uncontrollably. At first, this phenomenon only occurred in the Wild Area, and because it was far from cities, it didn't attract much attention. Even when it got close to cities, it could be quickly suppressed. However... as time went on, everything changed, and Pokémon began to Gigantamax in the cities as well..."

"These Pokémon are ferocious... and they frantically plunder Gigantamax Energy, a power hidden underground that was used in previous Gigantamax Hilbert. However... it has become food for these out-of- Pokémon, and many cities have been severely damaged by their attacks... The Gym Leader have done their best to resist, but it's all in vain. Even my Older Brother... the Gym Leader of Spikemuth, went to Hammerlocke, the heart of Galar, to help the Champion protect the most severely affected city."

"As for Spikemuth... it only escaped disaster because there's no Gigantamax Energy underground. And because of that, many homeless people from the surrounding area come here to settle. I couldn't provide them with shelter or food... so they pitched tents and slept by the roadside..."

Even as she talked about these things, Marnie's mood gradually declined. The Galar was once incredibly prosperous, its battle prowess through Gigantamax, with few rivals worldwide. However... this prosperity was shattered in a very short time. The contrast between then and now was like falling from heaven to hell, and she could hardly bear it all alone.

Not only that, she also had to bear the expectations of the residents of Spikemuth; if she hadn't been so determined, she probably would have really collapsed.

"Next, we need to lure that Pokémon away. Please... Lord Qiao Ran, help us!"

Marnie placed her hand on Qiao Ran's hand. In this chaotic world, only by joining hands could they overcome this most difficult hurdle. Ordinary Pokémon have a hard time Defeat Gigantamax Pokémon, so in this situation, Marnie's first thought was not how to Defeat, but how to lure them away.

If we successfully lure the enemy away, then the people in Spikemuth won't be affected!

"Hmm... Of course, I'll definitely help you."

Qiao Ran agreed to the request almost without hesitation—he even saw a resemblance to Lillie in this girl; they were both equally strong and equally vulnerable.

Qiao Ran had no reason not to help her. Besides, protecting the Pokémon World and making it a better Pokémon World was something he had always wanted to do.

Whether it's the Unova Region where Mei lives, the Alola Region where Lillie lives, or Galar where he is now, everyone is essentially the same.

"That's... good. Qiao Ran... I knew the legendary Hero would agree..."

Marnie squinted, tears welling in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, her expression gradually hardening.

Let's fight together!

"Reinforcements... when will reinforcements arrive...!"

Off-road vehicle, a short-haired girl wearing a green hat was frantically pressing the accelerator while glancing in the rearview mirror.

She couldn't even imagine what would happen if she were caught by the Machamp. Besides, she hadn't seen Marnie yet today, and she couldn't afford to collapse here.

Originally, she was just an ordinary trainer, an unremarkable adventurer who overcame all obstacles and Defeat seven Gym Leader.

Some say that the Gym in Galar are very strong, and even if Defeat a few of them, you'll need to...

It would have required countless efforts, but for her, it wasn't like that. She simply embarked on an ordinary adventure, then casually shopped for new clothes while doing so, and effortlessly Defeat her opponent.

Sometimes, the girl even wondered if she was really the protagonist of this world.

Although the outcome of victory was rather tedious, the process was still very interesting. During her adventurous journey, she met many companions, the most important of whom was Marnie —her best friend.

So, now that the disaster has struck Galar, she came to Spikemuth without hesitation, even infiltrating the Team Yell and becoming their "Special Attack Captain," responsible for searching outside Spikemuth for any usable supplies.

Spikemuth is a town without industry, so it needs to come up with more ways to survive. Looking elsewhere is a good option.

"So, who can help me get rid of this Machamp?! Aaaaaaah!"

The girl in the green hat was driven to the brink of a mental breakdown by the chase. All she had done was take a few cans of gasoline from an abandoned gas station, but this Machamp chased her for dozens of miles like a pervert. Heaven knows what got into him.

Just as she shouted, an Off-road vehicle that was already parked on the side of the road appeared in front of her.

A man and a woman got out of the car.

The girl had a high hairline, wore Black Twin-Tailed Girl, and had two small topknots sticking up in the air; the other was a man she had never seen before, who was holding a Long Sword.

"Little Marnie... with a man?"

This strange combination made the Green-Hatted Girl blink in confusion. She clearly hadn't seen this man when she went out today.

However, just as she was filled with doubts, what happened next ignited her anger even more—because she clearly saw that when the man got out of the car, he was unwilling to let go of the sword in his hand, and instead had to be helped down by Little Marnie with great effort.

"This... their bodies are completely pressed together!!"

The Green-Hatted Girl's lips twitched. Completely immersed in the Team Yell, she now only wanted to rush over and punish that man. She had even forgotten that she was being chased by Machamp.

What does this guy think little Marnie is?! His own Maid?!

Chapter 166, page 163 [Max Gladiator: Fist Fight]

The Green-Hatted Girl's first impression of Qiao Ran was full of prejudice, but even Qiao Ran himself had his own grievances he couldn't express.

He didn't understand what was going on either. His left hand was completely bound to this wretched Long Sword, making everything he did extremely inconvenient. He even needed Marnie was sitting next to him, to help him get out of the car.

If this continues, he'll probably need someone to take care of him for everything.

"Why..."

Qiao Ran even felt that the reason he came to this world must be related to this sword, otherwise the Singularity would not have opened automatically, forcing him to enter here.

However, he had no time to think about these things now, because—the enormous creature in front of him was already charging towards them at an extremely fast speed.

"Liepard!"

Marnie released her Pokémon —a Liepard trapped in Dusk Ball. This Pokémon has a long, lithe body and purple fur with yellow stripes. Its long tail is held high behind it to maintain its balance.

Marnie's idea remained unchanged; she simply wanted to use her agile Pokémon to distract her opponent this time—the Gigantamax Machamp.

"Qiao Ran, come with me—!"

Marnie is a Dark type specialist trainer; all her Pokémon are Dark type.

However, the Dark type is doubly Machamp against the Fighting type Machamp, making this battle very disadvantageous for her, so she never intended to engage in a direct confrontation from the start.

"Good."

Qiao Ran took out Poké Ball and released Dianxi and Suicune. They are Qiao Ran's most frequently used battle force. Although they are not at the level of Nihilego and the Type: Null, they are much more obedient than those idiots.

"Ti..."

"Aww!"

When Qiao Ran released them from the ball, Dianxi and Suicune were able to see the scene outside, and they couldn't help but stare in astonishment.

What... what is that?

The immense, Machamp standing before them was an overwhelming presence, reminding them of a special Legendary Pokémon — Regi.

Legend has it that Regigigas, the Regigigas, pulled the continent apart, splitting the land into different shapes, and created Giant Pokémon similar to itself from various magical substances. That era was the Age of the Regi. In the end, Arceus defeated the Regi, extracting the energy of all types of Regi to create 18 Type Plates, thus maintaining his status as the creator god.

The Regigigas who pulled the continent apart must have been a Giant with his feet firmly planted on the ground and his head reaching for the sky.

"Qiao Ran, let's use our skills to distract it, then head into the Forest!"

Marnie thought Qiao Ran had understood her meaning, but the next moment—two violent...

The energy surge erupted from her side and flew directly towards the body of the Gigantamax Machamp.

"Varied..."

Marnie looked in surprise in Qiao Ran's direction. The man beside her, after launching his attack, was actually commanding two more Pokémon to charge forward, seemingly with no intention of backing down. And... if she wasn't Pokémon...

Wait a minute??? That's Suicune???

Suicune???

"Sorry, Marnie, I want to try out this kind of combat first."

Qiao Ran stood still, leaning on his sword. Because of the sword, he couldn't move quickly. Besides, he really wanted to see what the characteristics of this Gigantamax Pokémon were.

To prevent the battle from affecting the Trainer, Qiao Ran had Suicune and Dianxi rush in first, while he could command them remotely. Normally, Trainer command by shouting, but Qiao Ran could skip this step.

"Roar roar roar roar roar roar!!"

Struck by the attacks of the two tiny creatures, the enormous Machamp roared with its sausage-like mouth agape. The sound was as terrifying as a Fissure, and could be heard for miles around. Not only that, but it also mobilized all the muscles in its body with its four fists, and a solidified energy fist descended from the sky, smashing towards Dianxi and Suicune's location like a meteor.

Gigantamax moves differ from regular moves, yet they are surprisingly unified—regardless of the type, they transform into ranged energy attacks the moment they are used. Even physical Fighting-type moves become giant fists falling from the sky to blast the opponent to pieces.

"...!"

The fists landed quickly, but Suicune and Dianxi were even faster. Qiao Ran also helped them pinpoint the attack location from a distance. Because of the greater distance, Qiao Ran was actually able to observe the battlefield situation better.

Everything was under his control.

"Boom!!"

The massive, powerful fist blasted a huge hole in the road, sending rocks flying everywhere. Trees planted along the roadside were uprooted and snapped in two. It's hard to believe that this was just a normal move from Gigantamax Pokémon, yet such a simple move was enough to cause such devastating damage to the environment.

"He's Monster..."

Witnessing this scene, Qiao Ran couldn't help but exhale a sigh of relief. Compared to Mega Evolution and Z-Move, Galar's Gigantamax was practically an ability from another dimension in reality.

"Whoosh--"

At the same time, another Off-road vehicle coming from the opposite direction stopped in front of Qiao Ran and Marnie. A girl wearing a green hat got out of the car, her face full of anxiety.

She had short hair and her appearance was somewhat similar to Mei's, except that Mei had black hair while hers was dark brown. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the green hat she was wearing.

"What are you doing? Fighting Pokémon like that is completely unnecessary!"

She yelled anxiously at the two people standing in the middle of the road. In fact, Marnie was still completely confused. Her idea had been to distract them, but the man in front of her was completely different from what she had imagined.

Why did war suddenly break out?

Also, why is there suddenly an extra Suicune??

"Don't rush."

Qiao Ran gripped the hilt of his sword and braced it against the ground. After the brief struggle, he had a basic understanding of the situation with these Gigantamax Pokémon.

The attacks after Gigantamax powerful, capable of Pokémon with a single blow. Although there is room for them to react, once a hit lands, it's the end of the battle.

However... the Pokémon that has become one with Qiao Ran is different.

Qiao Ran's eyes flickered slightly.

"I feel... I can beat it."

"Gigantamax can be Defeat!"

Section 167, Chapter 164 [Max Raid: Raid Battle]

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's words, the girl wearing the green hat was stunned for a moment, then grabbed his shoulder and shook him frantically.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We don't have the ability to Gigantamax Pokémon right now. It's impossible to fight Gigantamax Pokémon with a regular Pokémon!"

Although she disliked the man, she didn't want to see him go to his death. Even as a trainer who had defeated seven Gym, she had no desire to battle when faced with Gigantamax Pokémon.

Unless she can Gigantamax her Pokémon —only Gigantamax can counter Gigantamax!

However, in this remote and desolate place, no Trainer could do that.

Gigantamax requires very specific conditions. Trainer need to stand near an energy point, extract the "Dynamax Energy" from it, and then transfer the energy to their Pokémon through the "Dynamax Band" on their wrist. Only in this way can the Pokémon Gigantamax be triggered. Therefore, this ability cannot be used at will; it can only be used in places where energy is abundant.

As for why that Machamp was able to last so long... it's very likely that it had already stored up a Dynamax Energy within its body.

The Green-Hatted Girl wanted

Qiao Ran about to leave when Marnie stopped the girl in the green hat, telling her not to bother Qiao Ran.

"Gloria, first... don't say that. Maybe... we really can win."

"Huh?"

The Green-Hatted Girl blinked. Why was Little Marnie suddenly taking sides with outsiders?

After just one day apart, I was surprised to find...

"It's true, look over there if you don't believe me."

Marnie's expression remained unchanged, but she pointed to the battlefield in the distance. Only then did the Green-Hatted Girl finally see clearly what the two Machamp fighting Pokémon were.

"Wait... Entei... and Dianxi?"

"Damn it, Entei Yan..." Qiao Ran's lips twitched, but he didn't bother to correct the other person's thinking.

"It's a legendary Pokémon... Are you kidding me?"

Only then did the Green-Hatted Girl seem to understand the significance of Marnie's sudden stop. It wasn't just because they were two Legendary Pokémon, but also... the performance of those two Pokémon was simply beyond their imagination.

It's like Trainer is directing... no, the rhythm of this battle is even better than Trainer's command...