Gallade

This was the second time Zeno had seen this Gallade. Last time, it had seemed like an elegant swordsman; this time, its gaze had become incredibly sharp, like a battle-hardened warrior.

Brawly immediately recognized that this Gallade was extraordinary. He realized Hariyama would not have an easy fight, and in terms of type alone, it was at a disadvantage against its opponent.

"Hariyama, this isn't a simple opponent. Let's give it everything we've got!"

"Gall! Gall!"

Gallade suddenly looked toward its trainer, seeming to discuss something with him. Upon hearing it, Gu Yan understood. Gallade was proud by nature and unwilling to take advantage of Hariyama. It intended to have a pure fighting match with it.

"No problem. Go all out!"

Gu Yan was not particularly obsessed with winning or losing. He respected his Pokémon's wishes more, and besides, he had faith in Gallade.

"Gallade, Swords Dance."

"Stop it! Fake Out."

Gu Yan had initially intended to let Gallade power itself up first, giving it more of an advantage in the coming close-quarters battle. He had not expected Hariyama to know that move, which directly disrupted his plan. Still, it was not entirely bad—at the very least, Gallade had become even faster.

"Gallade, Brick Break."

Gallade quickly snapped out of its flinch. The blades on its arms gleamed sharply as it chopped straight at Hariyama.

"That speed isn't normal. Was it from just now? So it's Steadfast. Hariyama, hold your ground and use Force Palm to meet it head-on!"

Brawly was not afraid of him. So what if it had gotten faster? Hariyama had always been slower than Gallade. What they excelled at was waiting calmly for the opponent to make a move.

Gallade's blade struck Hariyama's massive palm. The two Pokémon strained against each other with all their strength, neither willing to yield. But Gallade was still weaker than Hariyama. After holding out for a moment, it was pushed back.

Gallade was nimble and quickly regained control, landing steadily. Looking at Hariyama, which stood immovable as a mountain, Gallade's expression turned grave. This big fellow was far too strong.

"Hariyama, use Force Palm continuously."

As soon as Brawly finished speaking, Hariyama's enormous hands began thrusting forward rhythmically. Wave after wave of energy shot toward Gallade.

"Use Teleport to evade."

Though Hariyama's attack was fierce, Gallade's reactions were swift. Its practiced Teleport let it dodge without any difficulty. More than that, it was gradually looking for chances to close in on Hariyama.

Gu Yan and Gallade were in perfect sync. Just by watching its teleportation route, he knew what it was planning.

"Gallade, Drain Punch." Before the words had even faded, Gallade had already appeared behind Hariyama.

"That was close. What a shame, just a little short. Hariyama, Protect."

Brawly was, after all, a battle-tested Gym Leader, and his reaction was incredibly fast. Hariyama spread its hands apart, and a green energy shield enclosed its body.

"Hariyama, seize this chance! Grab it and use Vital Throw!"

"Double Team."

Hariyama had just grabbed Gallade and was about to throw it over its shoulder when it lifted with force, only to discover that it was merely an afterimage.

The two Pokémon fought back and forth, and everyone outside the field watched with rapt attention, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. Zeno now understood the deeper meaning behind his senior brother using Vibrava to battle him back then. If it had been Gallade instead, Carvanha probably would not have survived three moves.

"Gallade, use Close Combat!"

"Hariyama, we'll use Close Combat too."

Both Pokémon were pleased with their trainers' commands. They had been looking forward to this close-range contest for a long time. One threw punches while the other answered with kicks, trading blows without regard for the pain across their bodies, as if they had gone blood-red with fury.

When that exchange ended, both Pokémon were covered in injuries. Hariyama was in slightly better shape than Gallade. Its stamina was greater, allowing it to withstand such repeated attrition.

Gu Yan saw Gallade beginning to pant and knew it was likely running low on stamina. This Hariyama was truly too steady. It was simply too difficult to break through at close range. Using Gallade's Psychic-type moves would make things much easier, but Gu Yan could not ignore its feelings.

"Go all out! Hariyama has already had a very satisfying battle."

Brawly greatly admired Gallade's fighting spirit. It had been unwilling to exploit Hariyama's type disadvantage. Though they had ways to deal with Psychic-type Pokémon, Gallade had truly won them both over.

"Gall! Gall!"

Gallade adjusted itself slightly and quickly regained its fighting spirit. Its eyes shone as it looked toward its trainer, awaiting his next command.

Gu Yan understood its gaze. He knew that by now, winning or losing was no longer the most important thing to Gallade. Yet as Gallade's trainer, he especially wanted it to win.

Gu Yan had never been calmer. He looked at the still-composed Hariyama, his eyes rapidly sweeping over its entire body. A bold idea emerged in his mind, and the more he considered it, the more feasible it seemed.

"Gallade, Teleport. Approach from the front."

"Again? What a pity, that won't work. Hariyama, watch its movements."

"Gallade, use Brick Break!"

"Your Gallade may be fast, but that won't work. Force Palm."

Brawly did not understand why Gu Yan would repeat the same move, but he knew very well that it could not hurt Hariyama.

When Gu Yan saw Brawly lower his guard, smiles appeared on both his and Gallade's faces. This time, Gallade did not clash with Hariyama. Having struck empty air, Hariyama's body stiffened for an instant.

"Now, Low Sweep."

"Hariyama, block it quickly!"

This was where the advantage of speed showed itself. Hariyama's reaction was too slow, and with its trainer distracted, Gallade's kick landed heavily against its knee.

"Hari..."

Hariyama clutched its knee, unable to bear the pain as it let out a pained cry.

"Hariyama, are you alright?" Brawly felt somewhat guilty. He had been too careless.

"Hari!"

Hariyama slowly rose to its feet and called out to comfort its self-reproachful trainer. Brawly saw that the injury to its knee was severe and knew it would be difficult for it to remain steady. Fortunately, Gallade had almost no stamina left. The winner could only be decided in a single move.

"Gallade, use Close Combat with all your strength!"

"Hariyama, Focus Punch! Maximum power!"

The final clash kicked up an enormous cloud of dust, blurring the entire battlefield. When the dust settled, only Gallade remained standing, trembling unsteadily. The injury to Hariyama's knee had affected it too greatly.

"Hariyama is unable to battle. I declare Gu Yan the winner!"

As soon as Zeno finished speaking, Gallade collapsed. Fortunately, Gu Yan reacted quickly and caught it.