Haxorus had fallen. The crowd of Pokémon watg from the sidelines let out collective gasps.

  Leon stared at the defeated Pokémon, then back at Gogoat, his expression a mix of astonishment aement.

  "Did it lose just from a few moves?" Leon muttered under his breath. The strength of Gogoat's Vine Whip and the precision of its Leaf Bde were on a pletely different level.

  "That's no ordinary Gogoat," Leon said aloud, his grin widening. His blood umping now, the thrill of fag such a strong oppo igniting his petitive spirit.

  Without hesitation, Leorieved Haxorus' Poké Ball and called it back. "You did great, Haxorus. Rest now."

  Then, with practiced ease, he plucked another Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it forward. "The battle's far from over! Dragapult, let's show them our fire!"

  A fsh of white light erupted, revealing a sleek, dragon-shaped Pokémon h mid-air. Dragapult's triangur head gleamed uhe sunlight, its missile-like horending outwards.

  "Dragapult, huh?" Naoki mused as he examined Leon's choice. "I was expeg Charizard."

  Leon ughed. "Charizard's my ace, and it deserves to e out st. Let's see if you get that far!"

  Naoki gave a small nod. It was typical for traio hold their trump card for the finale. "Well then," he said, "let's get this round started."

  The whistle blew again, signaling the start of the seatbsp;

  Leon wasted no time. "Dragapult, Dragon Darts, followed by Phantom Force!"

  "Draaah!"

  Dragapult cried, narrowing its eyes as it locked onto Gogoat. With a sudden burst of energy, it fired its signature Dragon Darts—the two Dreepy living in its head were unched like missiles, streaking through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

  The Dreepy zigzagged uably, smming into Gogoat from two different angles. A faint burn mark appeared on its fur where the darts had strubsp;

  Before Naoki could respond, Dragapult vanished into the shadows, blending seamlessly into its surroundings with Phantom Forbsp;

  Naoki observed silently, his calm demeanor masking the gears turning in his head. Gogoat stood firm, unshaken by the hit, its sharp gaze sing the battlefield. The scars left by Dragon Darts glowed faintly, already healing as the energy from the Grassy Terrain poured over it like a soothing wave.

  Leon blinked in disbelief. "It's healing again? That fast?!"

  Naoki allowed himself a slight smile. "Grassy Terraiores their vitality every moment it's active. You'll have to do better than that to keep them down."

  Dragapult remained hidden in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Its invisibility lent it a distinct advantage, but Gogoat was ner to such tactibsp;

  Naoki gave his and with quiet authority. "Gogoat, use Vine Whip—sweep the field!"

  "Meaaaah!"

  Two thick vines shot out from Gogoat's sides with a crag sound. With remarkable speed, Gogoat began spinning ihe extended Vine Whip turning into a deadly green blur. It swept across the battlefield like a rotating fan, sshing through every shadow and er.

  One sed, two seds, three seds...

  As Naoki silently ted in his mind, the tense energy of the battlefield crackled in the air.

  By the time he reached seven, Gogoat's Vine Whip finally shed out, striking Dragapult's ethereal form as it emerged from the shadows.

  "Drraahh!"

  Dragapult cried in pain. It struggled to steady itself mid-air, but another vine was already coiling toward it with uing forbsp;

  "Fly, Dragapult!" Leon anded, his voice sharp.

  With a deep intake of breath, Dragapult shot skyward like a fighter jet, its sleek body cutting through the air. The two vine whips followed closely behind, reag toward the dragon's retreating form.

  Naoki watched the aerial chase with calm detat. His sharp eyes remained locked apult, every movement.

  Meanwhile, Leon's mind raced.

  "We 't drag this out," he thought, his eyes narrowing. "That Gogoat's healing from the Grassy Terrain is absurd… but wait..."

  His thoughts shifted to the earlier battle with Haxorus. For some reason, the Grassy Terrain hadn't seemed to affect his Pokémon. The realization hung in his mind for a fleeting sed before he shook it away.

  "Focus, Leon. There's no time to think about that now."

  Above the battlefield, Dragapult reached the apex of its ast, the vines chasing it stretg to their full length before falling away, uo follow further. Dragapult exhaled in relief, cirg back to assess the situation.

  On the ground, Leon's mind clicked into gear.

  "The healing from the terrain isn't instantaneous," he mused. "There's a window—a three-sed dey before it starts taking effect. That's my ce."

  Leon ched his fist. "If I d a powerful, fast attack, I end this befogoat recovers!"

  Leon's voice rang out, clear aermined: "Dragapult, Dragon Darts!"

  "Drraah!"

  Dragapult dove sharply, ung two glowing purple Dragon Darts from the Dreepy resting in its horns. The projectiles streaked through the air with a sharp whistle, splitting apart to strike Gogoat from different angles.

  Naoki's eyes flicked upward. Leon to something.

  "Gogoat, Razor Leaf!"

  "Meaaah!"

  Gogoat's body shimmered with green energy, releasing a barrage of sharp-edged leaves that spiraled upward like a glowing green snowstorm. The flurry of Razor Leaf cshed with the ining Dragon Darts, creating bursts of energy as some of the leaves were shredded, while others tiheir ast toward Dragapult.

  The Dragon Darts, though slowed by the leaves, broke through the defense and smmed into Gogoat. The impact sent it skidding backward, leaving visible marks on its fur.

  Naoki's lips tightened, but he remained calm. The regeive power of the Grassy Terrain had already begun to work, the green glow surrounding Gogoat as its injuries began to heal.

  Leon's eyes lit up. "Now! Fmethrower, Dragapult!"

  "Draaah!"

  Dragapult opes mouth wide, fmes swirling inside before erupting into a r inferno. The sea of fire ed the ining Razor Leaf, turning the sharp-edged projectiles into harmless ash.

  As the fmes roared, burning embers rained down from the sky like a fiery storm.

  Dragapult increased its speed, diving sharply through the firestorm it had created. Its sleek body cut through the air, the fmes trailing behind it adding a dramatic fre. The Fmethrower, bined with the Dragon Darts it had unched earlier, nded a devastating bo on Gogoat.

  The fmes engulfed Gogoat entirely.

  Naoki watched as Gogoat's figure disappeared in the fiery bze. The Pokémon gritted its teeth against the onsught, enduring the pain but uo terattabsp;

  Leon stood on the edge, watg ily. His mind was calg every sed.

  "Three…"

  "Two.."

  "One.."

  "Now!" Leon shouted. "Dragapult, finish it! U-Turn*"

  "Draahh!"

  Dragapult stopped its Fmethrower and instantly cloaked itself in shimmering light. With blinding speed, it turned into a glowing missile, charging straight at Gogoat.

  The green glow of the Grassy Terrain flickered but couldn't keep up with the rapid succession of hits. The force apult's attack caused Gogoat to crumple to the ground.

  Dragapult hovered above the battlefield, its chest heaving as it caught its breath. After nding the decisive hit, its body glimmered auro Leon in a safe retreat, allowing the dragon Pokémon a brief moment of respite.

  Leohed a sigh of relief. "One down, two to go…"

  But before he could fully rex, the battlefield shimmered with a brilliant green light.

  "What the—?!" Leon's voice cut off as his eyes widened.

  From the fallen Gogoat, aronger wave of grass energy surged forth. The light enveloped the fainted Pokémon, and its wounds began to heal at a miraculous speed.

  Gogoat, which had been rendered unscious just moments before, slowly opes eyes and stood back up, looking as if it hadn't taken any damage at all.

  Leon: "..."?

  Dragapult: Drahh??"

  "What?! How?!" Leon excimed, his jaw practically hitting the ground.

  Even Dragapult hovered in stunned siles usual cool demeanor momentarily repced by pure shobsp;

  Naoki blinked, momentarily caught off guard himself. His eyes turoward the World Tree in the distance, whose luminous leaves glowed brighter than ever. Realization dawned on him.

  "So that's what happened…" he murmured under his breath.

  Naoki smiled, recalling Gogoat back. "That's enough for now. You've done well."

  He turo Leouring toward the battlefield. "This round is yours. You're the winner."

  Leon blinked, still processing what had just transpired. "Wait, really? But I—what just happened?"

  Naoki chuckled, sensing Leon's curiosity. "It's the Grassy Terrain," he expined. "It's not an ordinary version of the move. The field created by Gogoat is us effect sts longer, and Gogoat draw directly from its energy reserves to heal even faster than usual."

  Leon's fusion gave way to amazement. "So that's how it stood back up so quickly… Its trol rass-type energy is incredible!"

  Naoki shrugged modestly, his smile warm. "Maybe they're just naturally gifted. Blessed by nature, you could say."

  "Let's tinue!"

  As the whistle blew, signaling the start of the match, Leon gave his first and without hesitation.

  "Fly high, Dragapult!" he called, setting his Pokémon into motion.

  Dragapult uself skyward, using its speed and agility to gain the advantage of height.

  Naoki, watg closely, wasn't about to let the same tactic succeed twice.

  "Gogoat, Energy Ball!" he instructed, pointing to the sky.

  "Mehhh!"

  Gogoat responded with determination. It locked its gaze ontapult and began to gather a brilliant sphere of green energy in front of it. With a swift motion, it fired the Energy Ball, sending it hurtling toward the airborne Dragapult.

  Leon smirked, his voice calm yet fident.

  "Dodge it, Dragapult!"

  Dragapult gracefully veered to the side, the Energy Ball flying harmlessly past. Naoki, however, wasn't deterred.

  "Again!" he called.

  Another Energy Ball formed and uoward Dragapult, only for it to dodge once more.

  "Keep going!" Naoki shouted.

  Gogoat tis relentless assault, one Energy Ball after areaking toward the evasive Dragapult. The green orbs streaked across the sky like a meteor shower, lighting up the battlefield with their brilliance.

  By now, Leon's expression had shifted. He hadn't anticipated this level of sustained pressure. "tinuous Energy Balls? Impressive…" he muttered. He g Dragapult, notig its movements being slightly less fluid. The prolonged dodging was taking its toll.

  Reizing the danger, Leon made a quick adjustment. "Dragapult, Phantom Force! Get behind it!"

  Dragapult vanished into the shadows, disappearing from view. Naoki narrowed his eyes, anticipating the move. "Gogoat, Razor Leaf!" he anded sharply.

  "Mehhh!" Gogoat's hlowed with green energy as it whipped its head, releasing a flurry of sharp leaves in every dire. The leaves spun and scattered across the battlefield, creating a defensive perimeter.

  "Be ready for the move," Naoki added.

  "Sor Beam!"

  Leon's expressioehe battlefield was scattered with Gogoat's razor-sharp Razor Leaves, and its charged Sor Beam loomed below, ready to strike. If Dragapult made any misstep, it would fall into a precarious trap.

  He ched his fist, deep in thought. 'How do I ter this setup?'

  Meanwhile, Gogoat stood steady in the grassy terrain, its body glowing faintly as it absorbed sunlight. Its sharp eyes sed the battlefield, watg for any sign apult.

  Suddenly, something odd happened. A cluster of Razor Leaves in the northeast er of the field seemed to collide with an invisible force, falling harmlessly to the ground.

  "There!" Naoki called.

  Gogoat shifted its weight, gathering all the sunlight it had absorbed. With precision, it unleashed a bzing Sor Beam directly at the spot.

  The radiaore across the battlefield, revealing Dragapult, whose cloaking teique had been disrupted. The impact sent the Pokémon crashing to the ground.

  "Dragapult, Dodge!" Leon shouted urgently.

  But Gogoat was already prepared. It lowered its head slightly, fog its energy. A massive Sor Beam formed, glowing with an intense light as it moved toward Dragapult.

  The strike hit its mark. Dragapult, uo recover in time, fell with a heavy thud onto the grassy field, unscious.

  Leon recalled Dragapult into its Poké Ball, his expression shifting from surprise to admiration. "That's incredible! The e between you and your Pokémon is truly something special."

  Naoki nodded but remained focused. "You've been a strong oppooo."

  Leon's lips curved into a determined grin as he reached for another Poké Ball. "But this battle isn't over yet. Now, it's time to show you the boween me and my stro partner. Let's go, Charizard!"

  A fsh of white light revealed Leon's aon: a powerful Charizard. Its fme-red body radiated strength, and the fire on its tail bzed fiercely, refleg its fiery spirit. The sharp glint in its eyes revealed its fidend readiness for battle.

  The surrounding Pokémon watg from the sidelines murmured excitedly at Charizard's dramatitrance.

  Naoki studied his oppo carefully, recalling all he knew about Leon's Charizard. It was no ordinary Pokémon. With an arsenal of powerful moves like Fire Bst, Hurrie, Fmethrower, and Air Ssh, coupled with its Bze ability that powered up Fire-type moves when its health was low, this Charizard was a force to be reed with.

  Naoki's heart sank slightly as he realized the disadvantage. Gogoat, being a Grass-type, was heavily tered by Charizard's dual Fire/Flying typing. Charizard's resistao Grass moves would make Gogoat's attacks almost negligible.

  Even so, Gogoat didn't flinch. Its eyes locked onto Charizard with unwaveriermination.

  Naoki took a deep breath, steeling himself. "If Gogoat isn't giving up, theher am I."