"Bang!"
A figure shot out of the dust and landed in front of Cynthia.
It was Garchomp.
The menace radiating from Garchomp vanished completely in Cynthia's presence, and even its expression became calm again.
Cynthia smiled faintly.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Garchomp! Thank you for giving it your all!"
"Gah!"
Without turning around, Garchomp merely gave a small wave and let out a cool, low growl.
Cynthia couldn't help smiling.
This one... could it be deliberately playing it cool because Giga Impact's side effects had kicked in and its body was starting to stiffen?
At last, the dust cleared, revealing the entire battlefield.
A massive crater lay exposed!
The cracks in the shattered ground around it stretched all the way to the edges and corners of the field.
The impact had scattered fragments of stone everywhere, even beyond the battlefield.
At the bottom of the crater, Yanmega lay motionless, half its body buried beneath the rubble.
Aaron stared blankly at his partner.
The partner that had always stayed beside him as he grew, traveled, and battled...
Only after a long while did he press his lips together in a bitter smile and say,
"You gave it everything you had, Yanmega! I'm sure this was a battle you were satisfied with, wasn't it?"
Taking out a Pokémon Ball, Aaron recalled Yanmega.
With a smile, he said,
"Get some good rest now! Once you've recovered... we won't keep searching for some so-called 'Secret Treasure' that can extend your life anymore... for the time we have left, let's just travel around with the hearts of wanderers!"
The referee raised the red flag.
"Yanmega is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!"
By now, Aaron had lost three Pokémon: Scizor, Drapion, and his ace... Yanmega!
Cynthia, meanwhile, had sent out three Pokémon, but only