Umbreon slowly rose to its feet.
Its once somewhat diminutive body now radiated an intimidatingly powerful aura. Its ruby-red eyes no longer held gentleness and dependence; instead, they flickered with fine, crackling sparks, brimming with wildness and power. The golden rings on its body pulsed with light as though life had been breathed into them, and with every breath, black arcs of electricity flashed across its skin and vanished.
Its presence was now every bit a match for the battle-hardened Champion-level Dragonite opposite it.
The composure and calm on Lance's face finally disappeared. In their place was a genuine gravity he rarely showed.
Ye Li rose as well. His face was somewhat pale from the excessive expenditure of mental power, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
Without even looking, he casually tossed the Thunder Stone Ore in his hand to Lance opposite him. It had lost every trace of its luster and now resembled an ordinary gray rock.
"My Pokémon has absorbed the energy, but this stone is still useful for maintaining the balance of this island's ley line energy. Now, it's yours."
Lance instinctively reached out and caught the stone. It felt cold in his hand, and the residual energy fluctuations were barely perceptible. As he looked at Ye Li, his feelings grew increasingly complicated. This young man's way of doing things defied all common sense, straddling good and evil, sometimes as cunning as a fox, yet sometimes seemingly guided by a greater cause. He could not see through him at all.
Ye Li wasted no more time. He gave Apollo beside him a meaningful glance, then leaped out through the enormous blasted opening with Umbreon, whose aura had surged, returning to the familiar canyon.
Inside the canyon, the battle was still raging.
The Electivire, driven into a frenzy