Chapter 640: The Star of Victory and Rebirth by Fire (6K)

“V-Flame!?”

Ash, who was sitting in the audience, nearly jumped to his feet in shock.

Another move he’d never heard of!

“Even the Navigator couldn’t find any information on it!”

Beside him, Winona was just as excited, but her small size kept her pinned down by May’s hand on her shoulder.

Alistair, whose eyes were locked on the intense battle between the two top Trainers, asked: “Miss Tong, can you find anything?”

In his mind, Tong with her laptop was like an all-knowing encyclopedia—perhaps she’d know or uncover something.

Tong shook her head. “If the Navigator connected to the Devon Database can’t find it, I probably won’t either.”

“But—”

Tong paused, her gaze fixed through her glasses on the laptop screen resting on her lap, its camera active, the analyzed data fluctuating violently.

“Flame temperature rising at an extreme rate—energy concentration is compressing into an unbelievable density!”

As she uttered the words “it’s coming,” her voice cracked with astonishment.

All eyes snapped to the battlefield.

Against the backdrop of the furious clash between Flygon and Ho-Oh, Victini—surrounded by a blazing golden aura called Victory Wave—shot forward like a fiery meteor toward Axew.

The V-mark on its forehead burned hotter than ever.

Its Ability, Victory Star, in the games boosts the accuracy of itself and its allies.

But in this world, Victory Star clearly held far greater power.

It was a Legendary Pokémon that fed on Victory Wave—legend said a Trainer carrying Victini would never lose.

In other words, the stronger the Trainer and the more victories they tasted, the stronger Victini grew from the corresponding Victory Wave.

In the half-year-plus since joining Luo Mu, Victini had tasted more Victory Wave than in a thousand years in Aindook.

This allowed it to gradually master its two signature moves—moves it could only use in moments of intense emotion before.

And V-Flame—a move with a base power of 180 in the games, among the highest of any non-self-destruct move, even rivaling many Z-Moves—

—its true power was incalculable.

Amplified by this overwhelming synergy, the V-mark on Victini’s forehead blazed with blinding light; endless gold-orange flames erupted around its body, searing the air, propelling Victini in a suicidal charge toward Axew.

The roaring flames even disrupted the aerial battle above, forcing Flygon and Ho-Oh to glance over.

With his seasoned experience, Source instantly sensed that this move was beyond normal limits.

But now, changing tactics or dodging was impossible—his instinct told him this attack couldn’t be avoided; Axew had to take it head-on!

“Full-power Dragon Rush!”

Source’s temples bulged with veins; his hoarse, weathered voice echoed through the space like a loudspeaker.

As a captain who had braved the open seas for decades, it was only natural he had such a voice.

“Ooooh!” Axew roared upward, its entire body erupting in terrifying crimson energy waves; its eyes glowed red, its aura surging wild and ferocious!

Under Dragon Rush, Axew’s already formidable physical capabilities nearly doubled.

With powerful strides, Axew charged like a rampaging beast, unafraid, straight toward Victini—now nearly a miniature sun.

BOOM—!

A violent explosion erupted from the point of impact.

The blinding fire and thunderous roar shook the entire Battle Tower; spectators, commentators, Luo Mu, and Source—all stared fixedly into the rising plume of smoke.

—Who had the upper hand?

Moments later, the smoke cleared.

On one side: Axew, its body blackened, kneeling on one knee.

On the other: Victini, gasping heavily, bearing minor wounds and flickering blue status-debuff effects, yet still able to move.

At that moment, amid a chorus of audience gasps—

A figure descended like a sky predator, surging with powerful winds, hurtling straight for Victini!

It was Flygon—using the smoke to conceal its movement, aiming to strike Victini while it was weakened.

Victini’s pupils shrank—but it was unlikely to dodge this well-planned attack now.

Fortunately, another reliable figure also descended from above, blocking the attack in front of Victini!

It was Ho-Oh!

“Timi!”

Victini whispered thanks to Ho-Oh, who merely shook its head, signaling it to focus on the enemy.

Even with Victory Star, everyone on the farm knew Victini wasn’t a fighter.

So from the start, Ho-Oh had kept watch over Victini, ready to use its own durability to shield this fragile little one.

“Releasing such a powerful move must come with a heavy cost and massive energy drain.”

Though Flygon’s attack failed, seeing Victini’s exhausted form behind Ho-Oh, Source felt an unexpected sense of relief.

Good thing this wasn’t an infinitely usable move—if it were, there’d be no point fighting at all.

Axew had been badly hurt, but thanks to decades of enduring the open seas and storm-tossed training alongside Source, it still retained some fighting strength and hadn’t collapsed.

What Source could think of, how could Luo Mu not see it?

Seeing Victini’s drained state, Luo Mu wasn’t surprised.

From the moment he gave the “V-Flame” command, he’d anticipated it as a devastating move—no recoil, but an enormous drain on Victini itself.

Even with theoretical infinite energy, Victini’s stamina had its limits.

With grueling training, that limit might rise, allowing Victini to use V-Flame freely—but that was nearly impossible.

Victini was never Luo Mu’s main battler; he hadn’t brought it out of Aindook to subject it to hellish training—it couldn’t endure that.

Both Luo Mu and Source understood each other perfectly.

Though this was a Double Battle, the exhibition had largely abandoned complex strategy and mind games; both sides chose rosters built for pure visual spectacle and brute force, catering to non-Trainer spectators.

Only intense sound effects and physical collisions could truly excite the crowd.

“Truly, the younger generation is formidable.”

Source gazed at Luo Mu’s face—far younger than his own, or even those of Wallace and Wallace—and a determined glint flashed in his eyes.

“Looks like I won’t gain the upper hand without using it.”

Source’s eyes suddenly blazed with deep intensity as he removed his captain’s hat.

Then—he flipped it over!

There, centered on the underside of the brim, rested a peculiar round stone.

It was a Mega Stone!

“Ride the wind with me, my old companion—Mega Evolution!”

Source lightly touched the Mega Stone; brilliant light erupted from it.

This item was something Source had found by chance on an unnamed island during a recent voyage.

After using his access to Hoenn League archives and through his own research, he’d uncovered this new form of evolution.

Originally, he’d planned to save this trump card for the Champion League after the upcoming Contesta, to face any of the top Champions.

But now he changed his mind—he’d use it here, under the eyes of the world, even if it meant exposing his trump card early.

Too costly?

No!

He believed winning this exhibition would make him stronger!

From Flygon’s body, another identical round stone emerged, releasing chains of light that connected to the Mega Stone in Source’s hand.

Before countless stunned spectators, a radiant light of evolution enveloped Flygon.

“Can Flygon evolve again!?”

Even the composed and calm Tong couldn’t hold back her cry from the audience seats.

Within the light, Flygon’s body rapidly transformed.

Its split wings fused into one massive crescent-shaped dragon wing.

Its head, neck, torso, and tail grew slimmer; the triangular wings on its face extended dramatically; its limbs retracted, making its form far more aerodynamic.

“Roar—!”

Mega Flygon roared to the sky, violent air currents exploding around it.

The blood-stained crescent—the undisputed top-tier Mega form—Mega Flygon, present!

Even Ho-Oh felt its very life tier suppressed by this form of Mega Flygon; its power level, judged by aura alone, was clearly inferior.

From Mega Flygon, it sensed a pressure akin to Dragonite’s.

Honestly, Luo Mu was surprised.

In the current Pokémon world, aside from a few ancient families, those who controlled Mega Evolution were exceedingly rare.

Even Wallace and Wallace hadn’t mastered it yet.

—Source had just given him a major surprise.

“I almost regret not sending Swampert and the others—they’d have loved this fight.”

Luo Mu muttered under his breath, a spark of determination igniting in his eyes.

“You won’t yield in the skies, will you? Then let’s make a spectacle!”

So what if he was outmatched?

Hadn’t he himself once risen from weakness to victory? To give up the moment he sensed inferiority? That was never Luo Mu’s way.

“Brave Bird!”

“Body Slam!”

The divine bird and the giant dragon exchanged a glance, their bodies wreathed in azure flames, then collided without a word.

——Yet even outsiders could see that after its evolution, Dragonite had completely dominated the Flareon, which had previously matched it evenly.

Below, Axew and Victini were also not idle.

They not only launched attacks against their opponents to gain a two-on-one advantage, but also occasionally, under their Trainers’ commands, disrupted the intense aerial battle above.

This had always been a doubles battle; even if the two sides might not achieve any outstanding 1+1>2 synergy, they still couldn’t afford to neglect any possible opportunity.

At this moment, the commentator was already bewildered.

Genji had ordered Dragonite to use the Normal-type “Body Slam”—so why was the energy around it manifesting as violent gusts?

This completely fell outside his area of knowledge.

Luo Mu, however, understood the reason.

After Mega Evolution, Dragonite’s ability had shifted from “Intimidate” or “Overgrow” to “Flying Skin.”

Its effect: Normal-type moves became Flying-type moves, with a noticeable boost in power.

With this ability, Mega Dragonite had become one of the most formidable Pokémon among all Mega Evolutions.

Another fierce collision sent Flareon flying several meters back, its expression grim.

Aside from facing Dragonite, this was the first time it had been outmatched in aerial combat.

Yet compared to that earlier time when it had barely been able to fight back, it was no longer passive—years of stagnant growth had clearly surged forward.

But with its current strength alone, it still lacked the edge needed to defeat Mega Dragonite, whose power had increased nearly as much as Gyarados’.

Previously, Flareon could rely on its longer stamina and HP to trade blows with Dragonite—but now, that was becoming difficult.

Flareon’s HP was not infinite, and Luo Mu, who had knocked it down before, knew this better than anyone.

——So when a Pokémon was at a disadvantage in battle, it was up to its Trainer to carve out a path to victory.

Watching the clash between Flareon and Mega Dragonite, while remotely commanding Victini and Axew to grapple, Luo Mu waited for the perfect moment.

He was searching for an opening—

As an experienced top-tier Trainer, Genji understood this too.

But the alertness rising in his mind did not prepare him for how insane the opening Luo Mu sought appeared to him.

Under Luo Mu’s deliberate maneuvering, the point of collision between Flareon and Mega Dragonite drew closer and closer to the ground.

Until, due to the chaotic side effects after Dragonite’s Outrage, Axew—its stamina fading—was exposed within Flareon’s attack range.

“Victini, use Psychic to lock Axew’s movements! Flareon, Brave Bird!”

Under Luo Mu’s command, Flareon nearly exposed its entire back to Mega Dragonite.

Yet in return, Axew, struggling desperately under Victini’s Psychic, was now completely locked in by Flareon.

Flareon, having taken another direct hit from Mega Dragonite’s claw, was wreathed in brilliant golden flames as it slammed into Axew!

Axew, having endured repeated blows, bit down hard on Flareon—but the accumulated damage left it seeing stars, its massive body tilting sideways before crashing to the ground with a thud, its eyes spiraling into swirls.

“Axew is down! Luo Mu has taken down Genji’s first Pokémon!”

The commentator’s excited voice echoed through the entire Battle Tower via the speakers.

“—But now its back is completely exposed to Dragonite!”

Hearing the commentator’s seemingly regretful tone, Ash could no longer hold back—he shot to his feet, shouting, “Oh no!”

Watching Dragonite appear behind Flareon at blinding speed, his heart dropped.

Even “Quick Dodge Master” Ash judged that Flareon had no time to evade at this distance!

“Dragonite, Max Airstrike!”

Though he didn’t understand why Luo Mu had exposed such a massive opening to eliminate Axew—clearly on the verge of collapsing under Victini’s pressure—

Genji, having seized the chance, would never be foolish enough to let it slip away.

Sensing the danger closing in from behind, Flareon tried to turn and counter—but the distance was too short.

In a violent explosion, Flareon’s body was blasted upward, crashing onto the platform with a dull thud.

Its vitality plummeted rapidly, nearly following Axew into defeat.

“Though Axew has been eliminated, Flareon’s condition has also hit rock bottom, and Victini’s state isn’t much better—while Dragonite is growing stronger with every strike.”

“Is Luo Mu’s run over—!?”

The commentator’s questioning tone, for many of Genji’s supporters, was practically a declaration of victory.

Some were already reaching for champagne.

Ignoring outside noise was a Captain’s basic skill; even as victory seemed near, Genji remained fully focused on every detail on the platform.

——He noticed that under Luo Mu’s command, Victini had moved beside Flareon.

Genji’s mind instantly flashed through several possible reasons for Luo Mu’s action.

Healing? Defensive support? Or preparing for a final all-out push?

Regardless, there was only one thing he needed to do.

As he recalled Axew, Genji shouted: “Finish them—Final Max Airstrike!”

“Roar—!” Mega Dragonite let out a sky-splitting roar, its front body wrapped in spiraling azure winds, its crimson crescent wings slicing through the air as if cleaving space itself in two.

Where it passed, howling gales reduced scattered rubble to dust!

Genji’s trump card, fully unleashed—Flying Skin: Max Airstrike!

This was the very power that gave him the confidence to challenge the Champion League again!

With Flareon and Victini’s current conditions, there was no way they could possibly withstand this move.

——But that was only if they fought separately.

Doubles battles were never about Pokémon fighting alone; between Flareon and Victini, there was still a new possibility.

It was a slightly cheating ability—Luo Mu had never intended to use it.

But since Genji had brought out Mega Evolution, he had no reservations about using it now.

Why had Luo Mu risked severely injuring Flareon just to eliminate Axew first and free Victini?

The answer, revealed now.

“Victini, use Helping Hand on Flareon.”

“Flareon—Sacred Fire!”

Luo Mu’s command rang out like thunder from a clear sky.

Under countless gazes, Victini, perched on Flareon’s back as it barely rose again, placed its small hands upon Flareon’s body.

The dazzling golden aura that had briefly appeared during “V-Heat” surged upward; Victory Fluctuations pulsed around Victini, then poured entirely into Flareon!

“Timi!” (You’re buffed—go now!)

As if it were the Trainer itself, Victini pointed at Mega Dragonite!

Fighting and killing? That wasn’t its style—this was the true way to be the “Victory Star!”

At this moment, the colorful ember inside Flareon, once uncontrollable, was like a traveler long lost in the desert—ravenously absorbing boundless energy to grow stronger.

After months of effort, Flareon had built a rapport with the ember. Though strange to say, under the ember’s “pleased” state, Flareon could now channel it to transform its flames into a higher form.

With a piercing cry, the flames blazing along Flareon’s wings shimmered with iridescent hues, erupting like a volcanic geyser.

The divine flame—purifying wounds, delivering judgment—took the shape of a colossal firebird, swallowing Mega Dragonite whole!

A light that seemed to burn away all things exploded outward; the thunderous roar shook the entire Battle Tower.

The audience stared in awe; Genji’s face showed utter shock.

Where had Flareon, barely clinging to life, drawn such overwhelming power from?!

Moments later.

The iridescent flames vanished, revealing a platform nearly carbonized.

——And the unconscious, de-Mega’d Dragonite.

The accumulated injuries from earlier aerial combat, combined with this supercharged Helping Hand: Sacred Fire “nuclear blast,” were more than even Mega Dragonite could overcome.

Just one second before victory seemed certain, it was defeated—frustratingly, helplessly.

Amid the fading iridescent flames, Flareon—its wounds mostly healed—stood like a phoenix reborn from fire, its sacred form mesmerizing countless spectators.

“This—”

Even Genji, a man unshaken by falling mountains, lifted his captain’s hat, eyes wide as he stared again and again at what lay before him.

Wait, how did you turn around and KO me while healing up?!

The commentator, after a brief stunned silence, immediately grabbed the mic.

“Ohhhhh, an earth-shattering reversal!”

“Victini and Flareon’s combined move has shattered the unstoppable Dragonite!”

“Thus, the winner of this exhibition match is clear.”

“After an intense battle, the victor of this special exhibition match at the Laurus Battle Tower is—”

“Luo Mu & Flareon and Victini!”

After a brief silence, a roar of cheers erupted, nearly lifting the Battle Tower’s roof.

Flareon and Victini raised their heads, savoring this hard-won victory.

Especially Victini—its victory fluctuations surged in, swelling its belly until it puffed out proudly!

(End of Chapter)