During the brief pause while Su Feng tended to Greninja, Dragonite remained motionless, adhering to battle fairness. Despite the Burn halving its attack power, it still posed a lethal threat—what was once a one-hit KO on the frail Greninja now required two strikes.
Dragonite knew Greninja would use Ice Beam, a quadruple-effective move. Though unsure of Greninja's Ability, its left claw brimmed with Fire Punch and right with Thunder Punch. Whatever the frog's trick, Dragonite vowed to end this in two rounds.
"ROAR! (Begin!)" Kommo-o declared.
Dragonite lunged with Extreme Speed, while Su Feng shouted, "Ice Beam, now!"
As the icy blast shot toward it, Dragonite noticed a blue-white flash around Greninja—Protean. The Ice Beam struck its wings, freezing scales crackling. Dragonite roared in pain but powered through, slamming a Fire Punch into Greninja's face.
Even weakened by Burn, the hit sent Greninja skidding. The frog clung to consciousness, channeling every ounce of energy into prolonging the Ice Beam. It knew speed was its downfall—once closed in, there'd be no second chance.
True to form, Dragonite's follow-up Fire Punch knocked Greninja out cold.
[Even the frog couldn't last…]
[My bets are ashes now…]
[Dragonite, just pretend to lose! You want peace too!]
[Checked the dex—Gengar has no super-effective moves. GG.]
Su Feng carried Greninja to Blissey, then faced the battlefield. Dragonite flexed its frost-numbed wings. The cumulative damage from two Ice Beams was no joke—prolonging this fight risked disaster.
"Draah. (Not bad, kid.)" Dragonite muttered begrudgingly. It hated using Roost under scrutiny but had no choice—the elders' eyes burned into its back.
Now, only Gengar remained.
"Gengar… it's your turn."
The ghost emerged from Su Feng's shadow, materializing mid-arena with a mischievous grin. "Gengaa~"
Kommo-o signaled the start. Dragonite immediately Roosted, golden light healing its wounds. Yet Su Feng stood motionless, eyes closed, as if communing with the air.
[Is he giving up?]
[Bro, at least throw a Shadow Ball!]
Suddenly, Su Feng's eyes snapped open. "Gengar! Let's end this—Mega Evolution!"
The Key Stone on his wristguard erupted in prismatic light, syncing with Gengar's hidden Mega Stone. The ghost's form warped—spikes replaced its round body, fur turned ghostly white, and clawed hands fused with the ground like ink spreading. Its eyes darkened into voids, wisps of black mist curling from its new crown-like protrusion.
[WTF ANOTHER EVOLUTION!?]
[Fourth stage!?]
[Mega Gengar! So edgy! So cool!]
[Its stare's creeping me out…]
"This is Mega Evolution—a temporary bond-powered form," Su Feng explained hastily. "It'll revert post-battle."
The elder dragons stirred. Haxorus gaped. "ROAR!? (Fourth evolution!?)"
Altaria, stroking its own Mega Stone necklace, sighed. "Chirp. (Only those sharing profound bonds with humans achieve this.)"
Haxorus and Hydreigon exchanged glances, reassessing the human before them.
Mega Gengar's shadow pooled across the arena, tendrils of darkness licking at Dragonite's feet. The dragon growled, Fire Punch igniting—but its flames flickered weakly against the creeping void.
Su Feng smirked. "Let's show them true despair. Shadow Tag."
The arena plunged into darkness.