Chapter 0827: Mega Evolution, Latias!（Three-in-One）

The cheers in Hammerlocke Arena were deafening, echoing with the commentator’s passionate shouts.

“As soon as the match begins, Contestant Flint’s Infernape immediately enters Calm Mind mode!”

Calm Mind boosts its mental focus and, more importantly, raises its Special Defense, which is a direct counter to Wash Rotom's offense.

Natsume remembered: Flint’s Infernape’s Ability was "Blaze," not "Iron Fist."

So, balancing both ranged and melee fighting styles, he favored a mixed-attacker set.

Calm Mind also fires up Infernape’s flames—raising the power of his attacks, igniting his fighting spirit!

“Infernape!”

Infernape crouched low, a blue glow in its eyes, the blaze on its head surging, flames along its golden-scaled armor blazing ever hotter.

Even in the stands, the audience could feel the wave of heat.

Golden-orange flames—just like Flint and Infernape’s burning determination.

This was Sinnoh’s Fire-type Elite Four, Flint’s ace, Infernape!

“Rotom.” Natsume raised an arm, “Thunder Wave!”

Thunder Wave has a very high chance to inflict “Paralysis” status.

For a Speed-dependent Pokémon like Infernape, being paralyzed is basically a death sentence!

Flint figured Natsume would go for the Hydro Pump beatdown, but he watched a streak of static zip like an arrow toward Infernape.

Not fast enough to react.

Zzap!

Standing there, Calm Mind charging up, Infernape grimaced as weak sparks surged across its scales—paralysis status, just like that!

“Got him!”

Both Flint and Natsume were startled.

Whoa, it actually hit!

Viewers were still caught up in the heat of Infernape’s battle aura, so this little Thunder Wave didn’t get much reaction.

Korrina and Bea, sitting side by side, both flashed wide-eyed looks of surprise.

As martial artists, they knew: for a Fighting-type, losing that high mobility means losing the initiative—a fatal weakness!

Things were off to a bad start for Flint. If he didn’t fix it fast, Infernape was toast!

“Natsume-sensei’s as sneaky as ever with status moves…” Korrina muttered.

Bea set her jaw, nodding seriously. “Maybe not much for spectacle, but that’s what makes Master’s style so strong—using status moves to torture his opponents.”

Flint should’ve gone for Taunt—his biggest blunder was not doing so.

Catching a glimpse of Flint scratching his head in frustration, Natsume didn’t give him time to recover and called out:

“Rotom, Hex!”

Wash Rotom fluttered its tiny, plasma-sparking wings, levitating above the field, grinning as a haze of chilling purple mist gathered behind it.

That creeping mist spread, finally manifesting as a grinning, skull-like face—mouth open wide, diving for Infernape!

The commentator’s eyes went wide:

“When Hex hits a Pokémon hit by status, its power skyrockets! Infernape’s in real danger now!”

Hearing this command, Raihan’s face twitched from the front row of the crowd.

He looked over at the purple-haired man beside him. “Natsume-sensei’s strategy… is ridiculously solid.”

“He’s actually called ‘the Strategist’ by Professor Oak,” said Leon, crossing his arms, eyes serious. “At least in Trainer skill, he has the edge on Flint.”

Still... Leon watched the purple mist swallowing Infernape, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.

Like my Charizard, “Blaze” is an Ability that can work miracles!

“Infernape!!”

Infernape, overwhelmed by the purple haze, roared and arched its arms skyward, the flame on its head exploding higher.

“Hang in there, Infernape!” Flint clenched his fists. “Fire Blast!!”

Infernape didn’t have much that could actually threaten Wash Rotom.

But Blaze was raging, Infernape’s eyes flashed with gold, his armor ablaze, the fire on his head soaring to new heights!

He took a deep breath, forced his paralyzed muscles to respond—a massive kanji-shaped blast roared from his mouth!

A wave of heat rolled across the arena, the crowd’s eyes wide as the sky filled with fire!

A burning meteor hurtled toward him. Natsume’s coat flared in the breeze, his expression unflinching:

“Rotom—Hydro Pump!”

Hydro Pump is what Rotom learns in Wash form. “Fridge” has Blizzard, “Lawn Mower” has Leaf Storm—only in the correct form can those moves be used.

“Beep... full power output, Hydro Pump! Rotom!”

Rotom squealed, opening the round hatch on its belly; out gushed a massive, roaring jet of water that slammed into Fire Blast.

BOOOOM!!

A steam explosion rattled the entire arena; through the mist, Infernape hunched low, eyes sharp. He leapt like a black shadow for Rotom, fists igniting into blinding Close Combat light!

Yet, under the effect of paralysis, Infernape’s Speed was still half-capped. In his ear, Natsume’s calm command:

“Volt Switch!”

Flint’s pupils shrank as Wash Rotom grinned and transformed into a gleaming current—WHAM!—slammed into Infernape’s chest, bouncing him back a step, arcing back toward Natsume’s palm in a streak of electricity.

A Poké Ball appeared in Natsume’s hand, a red beam recalling Rotom. Natsume gave a friendly smile.

Boom!!

Infernape’s punch, undampened, slammed into empty air, whipping up a gust that set Natsume’s coat flapping.

Close Combat—completely evaded!

The arena was dead silent. Korrina and Bea’s jaws dropped in sync. A glint flickered in Leon’s eyes.

“Rotom’s Volt Switch dodged Infernape’s attack and saved Natsume precious switch time!” the commentator shouted. “He’s sending out his next Pokémon!”

Infernape panted, glancing back at his trainer.

Slumping his shoulders, Flint caught his gaze and forced a weak smile.

Natsume’s commands were just TOO solid.

Control, synergy, switching—he never gives you an opening. All that “Blaze” with nowhere to go!

Guess that’s what makes his style stand out.

“Blaze is the best for a last-stand comeback, but against a Blaze master like this, you don’t want a head-on slugfest.”

Natsume thought for a split second. “Latias double-resists Fighting and Fire, plus can use Tailwind to boost teammates...”

“I choose you!”

Natsume threw a Poké Ball—wham, the lid snapped open, a red beam shot out, drawing every eye.

“Latias!!”

“She’s here—the legendary Pokémon, Latias!!”

The commentator, tipped off ahead of time, was on fire: “This is the first legendary Pokémon to appear at this year’s World Tournament—Latias, the so-called ‘Infinite Pokémon,’ famed for her heart-sensing powers!”

The crowd roared, everyone pulling out their phones to snap pics.

“She’s adorable!”

“He really is a Divine Beast trainer, Natsume-sensei…”

“Using a legendary in ranked... have a heart, man!”

“Latias and Latios,” Leon said with a smile. “They say only truly kind and determined Trainers can earn their trust.”

Raihan’s jaw dropped. He flashed on memories of Natsume-sensei shouting “Thunder Wave!” and “Hex!” and nodded awkwardly.

Definitely “kind.” At least Natsume-sensei was using a team on par with Flint’s, not his main squad!

Latias hovered on streamlined scarlet-and-white wings, glasslike feathers glinting, golden-amber eyes full of resolve:

“La-ti~”

I’ll give it my all this match!

While Natsume flashed in his switch, Flint recalled Infernape and tossed his Poké Ball:

“Let’s go, Drifblim!”

A purple hot air balloon Pokémon floated onto the field, a yellow bandage on its nose, four ribbons waving in the breeze.

“Drifblim—Ghost and Flying type, great for travel but prone to exploding, so don’t get too close!” said the commentator.

“Huh?” Korrina blinked, turning to Bea. “Flint isn’t using a Fire type? Isn’t he the Fire-type Elite Four?”

“Mm...” Bea folded her arms, nodding thoughtfully. “It does make you wonder.”

“Guy’s supposed to be Fire-specialist, but he’s got a Steelix, a Drifblim… He’s not the Fire Elite Four, he’s the ‘Self-Destruct King’!”

Natsume recalled the Diamond & Pearl Elite Four runs—man, Drifblim’s always been a pain.

Drifblim can use a bunch of strats: Weakness Policy + Unburden, Minimize Baton Pass, Tailwind speed control, even Flame Orb shenanigans...

Flint seems hot-blooded, but with Drifblim, he’s sly as a fox!

Natsume-sensei, showing no self-awareness about being “Dirty Tricks Guy” or “Divine Beast Man,” called out:

“Latias, Thunderbolt!”

A flicker of terror crossed both Flint and Drifblim’s faces.

Team Rocket and Meowth could tell you: hot air balloons do NOT resist Electric-type moves!

“La-ti~!”

Latias squealed, eyes squeezing shut, red-and-white form flaring with energy.

An instant later, a thick thunderbolt surged out—a bolt as thick as a bowl, arcing straight into Drifblim!

Zzzzap!!

The crowd swallowed in unison.

“Not only Divine Beast Man, but a strategy pro too!”

“That’s a quality moveset—Leon’s Charizard’s Thunder Punch is no better!”

“Great type coverage!”

The thunder faded. Drifblim, smoking, just managed to hang on with its crazy bulk.

Latias used her immense mobility to create space—giving Drifblim no room to retaliate.

Face grim, Flint called out, “Drifblim, Minimize!”

Purple light flashed—Drifblim actually shrunk, becoming even harder to hit.

Unless Latias used a multi-strike or got up close, with Minimize maxed out, Thunderbolt would hardly land again!

The stands buzzed.

“I know this strat, Natsume-sensei taught it!”

“Minimize, Minimize, and more Minimize!”

“The king of hard-hitters becomes a camper, I’m crying!”

Got to admit, Minimize is a pain—especially with Natsume’s historically bad luck.

Natsume frowned a bit, but Flint finally got a breather, relaxing.

“Drifblim, use Tailwind!”

“Latias, Psychic—hold it still!”

Latias hovered in the air, eyes flashing blue. A net of pink psychic energy spread downward, contracting to enfold Drifblim.

But Drifblim summoned a powerful gust, floating with the wind, swerving to escape the psychic net.

Drifblim caught the wind, rising up to Latias’s level. At its yellow bandaged nose, a Shadow Ball gathered, black as ink!

“Drifblim—” Flint clenched a fist. “Shadow Ball!!”

The shot popped off!

“La-ti!”

Latias grimaced as the Shadow Ball slammed into her, leaving spots of gray on her snowy feathers.

Black smoke billowed. Latias tumbled several meters, shook her head, eyes flashing with irritation.

“La-ti! (〃＞皿＜)”

I’m actually mad now!

“Latias, Calm Mind!” Natsume called.

Stay cool—even with six Minimize boosts, a hit always lands eventually.

Stack up Special Attack—even if Flint swaps Drifblim out, whoever comes in is toast!

The wind shrieked as Drifblim drifted on its gust, facing down the Calm Mind-empowered Latias.

Flint snuck a look at Latias, tongue in cheek.

So tanky… Drifblim can barely scratch her.

Legendary Pokémon, after all.

If it was Tobias commanding, maybe he could hang—against the Divine Beast Man, forget about it.

Natsume’s mastery of legendary strategy was like a chef with their recipe book!

Still, Drifblim managed to lock down Minimize and Tailwind.

Flint’s gaze sharpened. “Drifblim, get ready for that strat!”

Drifblim’s eyes blazed red, its ribbons whipping around, charging up for something big.

Most trainers wouldn’t risk attacking without knowing what’s coming, but you can’t just let them power up either. The hesitation made this moment key.

“Latias,” Natsume called coolly, “keep Calm Minding!”

Flint was definitely going for Minimize + Baton Pass.

He’d already dodged one Infernape beatdown with Rotom’s Volt Switch.

No way he’d fall for the same trick twice.

Latias spiraled overhead, voice bright and confident, pressure mounting.

Meanwhile, Drifblim became a red beam, returning to Flint’s Poké Ball, and a new Poké Ball flew out!

“Flint’s third Pokémon takes the field!”

Commentator: “It’s… the Fire-type hellhound, Houndoom!!”

Red light splashed, and a black-furred Houndoom landed, long horns arched back, face twisted in a snarl.

“Houndoom!!”

It howled, crimson eyes blazing; it may have shrunk thanks to Minimize, but it moved more nimbly than ever.

Natsume was surprised.

No Rapidash? Looks like Flint’s banking on Mega Evolution—Houndoom.

Houndoom, staring Flint down with its fierce gaze, crossed his arms, cocky and proud:

“Let’s finish this, Natsume-sensei!”

In the audience—

A blond man in blue workwear sat quietly, his hands on his knees.

All the cheers and noise washed past him as he kept his eyes on Flint, quietly clenching a fist.

Volkner and Flint were always seen as Sinnoh’s strongest partners.

One was the Fire-type Elite Four, the other Sinnoh’s toughest Gym Leader.

But in the Trainer community, Volkner’s reputation was mixed. He avoided challenges, dismissing them as too easy.

Only Volkner himself knew…

His dream wasn’t to be the “strongest Gym Leader” or Flint’s “best partner.”

He wanted to go to the Pokémon League, beat tough rivals, and make it to the Elite Four.

Every day, he’d stand atop Sunyshore’s lighthouse, watching the League cross the sea with his binoculars.

But talk of “brothers at odds” and “jostling for Elite Four” made him lose heart, turning away from Victory Road.

He was a tech geek; conflict shook him. Hiding behind Flint didn’t seem so bad after all…

Until one day, a Trainer named Ash reawakened his passion for battle.

Now, watching Flint and Natsume-sensei shine under the Ultra Ball tier spotlight, Volkner gripped his fist.

“When this match ends…”

Volkner’s gaze hardened. “I’ll blaze in Ultra Ball myself. I have the strength—my own right to shine!”

“Houndoom!!”

Houndoom threw back its head and howled, the Mega Stone on its collar bursting with rainbow light—stunning the whole crowd.

Flint popped up his orange collar, grinning, hands in his pockets, pendant shining, eyes fierce:

“Houndoom—mega evolve!!”

A flood of white light engulfed Houndoom, his body morphing, then—flash!—his true form appeared.

Mega Evolution Houndoom grew taller, horns curving sharply toward the sky. Bone-like armor shielded his chest, his tail dripping with trident forks—now a true hellhound.

Dark-type easily counters Latias, and Mega Houndoom’s “Solar Beam” can shatter Rotom’s defensive core!

“Let’s go, Natsume-sensei!”

Flint’s eyes burned.

In the name of Sinnoh, Fire-type Elite Four!

The Galar crowd, not used to seeing anything except Dynamax, erupted as Mega Evolution roared on stage.

With the battle music booming, Natsume’s mouth curled into a smile. He reached into his pocket, slipped on a pair of fingerless gloves, locked in.

The Key Stone glittered on the back of his glove.

“Latias—”

Natsume thrust a fist skyward, calling out:

“Mega evolve!!”

“Natsume is also going Mega!” the commentator shouted. “Unbelievable—aren’t legendary Pokémon above Mega Evolution!?”

Very few people know the details of legendary Pokémon; let alone Mewtwo, Rayquaza, or Latias…

Leon glanced at Raihan, the Dragon master only shrugged.

“Don’t look at me—I had no idea Latias could mega evolve either.”

The stands exploded—everyone chattering in disbelief.

“Whoa, Natsume-sensei has a Bond with a legendary!”

“Tobias is just a cardholder—this is real Divine Beast Man!”

“Have mercy! Using Mega Latias at Ultra Ball? Flint, we feel your pain!”

“La-ti!!”

The Mega Stone glowed around Latias’s neck, bathing her in light.

Glowing rainbows wreathed her as her body turned from red to light purple. Her arms grew broader, sporting wide, upturned wings at their edges.

This upturned wing design could even boost Latias’s aerial speed!

Natsume’s eyes went wide, mumbling.

Wait, is that…

He was suddenly moved to tears.

Turns out the railgun-style flying Pokémon he’d been looking for had been right at his side all along!

<La-ti...> Mega Latias replied in his head with mild annoyance.

Maybe agreeing to Mega was a mistake...

“Man, this is gonna be tough.”

Flint looked up at Mega Latias, one hand in his pocket, scratching his afro—but his eyes danced with fighting spirit.

Getting to battle a legendary is enough for a lifetime!

“Give it your all—Houndoom, use Dark Pulse!!”

“Houndoom!!”

Mega Houndoom threw back its head and let out a piercing howl, its body surrounded by a chilling black aura. That darkness spread and condensed into a ring that swept outward with a “whoosh,” kicking up dust and rattling against the stadium’s barrier so hard that cracks formed in the solid shield!

Audience members in the front rows shuddered—the pressure from Dark Pulse was nothing to joke about.

Fwoosh!!

Dark Pulse wrapped around Latias’s body, the cold, savage energy rampaging, trying to consume her whole. She winced, narrowing her eyes, but in her ear, Natsume’s command rang out.

“Hang in there, Latias!”

Latias opened those golden amber eyes, and reflected in them was the racing form of Houndoom.

Flint grinned grimly, “Faster, Houndoom!”

“Houndoom!” Mega Houndoom darted back and forth, closing on Latias with deadly speed, fangs bared.

“Read its movement pattern.”

Their bond bridged the gap—Natsume and Latias’s minds were synchronized, sharing their Spirit Vision as one.

Blue aura rippled, mapping out Houndoom’s path even before it moved, pinpointing exactly where it would strike!

“La-ti~!” Latias gasped in surprise.

I see it—I can see everything clearly now!

“Use—!”

Natsume’s gaze sharpened. “Draco Meteor!!”

“La-ti!!!”

Mega Latias arched skyward, releasing a beam of deep red energy from her mouth. The beam shot upward and burst into four or five shards—scarlet clusters hanging in the sky like threatening stars.

Viewers all looked up, and the host shouted,

“It’s the ultimate Dragon-type move—Draco Meteor!!”

Leon, Raihan, and even Flint could only stare skyward, Houndoom pausing mid-attack, looking up in horror.

In the next second, Houndoom’s pupils shrank, eyes going wide!

A deluge of blazing meteors hurtled down, like intercontinental missiles locking on to every possible escape. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!

Flint clutched his afro in mock despair. “Aw, man, this is game over!”

Draco Meteor came crashing down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions erupted again and again, meteor after meteor pounding the stadium, overwhelming firepower covering Houndoom and the area around him.

Rumble—!!!

For a long moment, the bombardment didn’t stop.

When it finally faded, the arena was dead silent. Everyone’s ears rang. Bea and Korrina stared wide-eyed at the battered battlefield.

It was cratered beyond recognition, full of blackened meteoric pits. Houndoom, no longer in Mega form, lay knocked out at the intersection of several craters, swirls in his eyes.

A hovering Rotom-cam zipped over to check:

“Houndoom is unable to battle!”

The crowd gaped, jaws slack.

Then, suddenly, thunderous applause and cheers broke out.

“Yo, a one-shot-KO in a single turn!”

“Latias stacked buffs for two turns—even Leon couldn’t survive that.”

“She’s crazy strong—and so dang cute, too!”

Gazing at the field, Raihan and Leon fell silent.

Raihan didn’t even look at Leon—just scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Um... so, about Hammerlocke’s repair fund, I—”

“Uh...” Leon sighed, “I’ll find some more endorsement deals.”

Raihan paused, then nodded solemnly, “Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

Ace Houndoom had gone down in a single round.

Flint’s battered Infernape and Drifblim hadn’t fared any better against Mega Latias.

As the final whistle sounded, Latias released her Mega form, happily circling back to Natsume’s side:

“La-ti~!”

I did it—we totally swept all three! Did you see?

“I saw—great job.” Natsume praised her with a smile.

“La-ti” (Hee hee) Latias blushed shyly.

“Agh, lost again…”

Flint slumped his shoulders, then perked up, popping his yellow collar as he strode over and offered his hand:

“If I don’t lose to you, it’s Cynthia. I’m used to it by now.”

Natsume shook Flint’s hand. “Let’s battle again next time… I’ve always wanted to take on that Steelix of yours.”

“Spare me, please.”

Flint laughed it off, took out his phone, and scratched his red hair. “Ah, figures—dropped in the rankings.”

Natsume pulled out his own phone and checked.

After this battle, his ranking had soared—from 94th up to 57th.

That was partly because Flint’s own rank was high—and the higher up you go, the harder it is to make those jumps.

From now on, his likely matches would be with fellow Elite Four standouts like Caitlin and Lorelei.

For a moment, Natsume was swept back to his old days climbing the ranks in Pokémon Battle competitions—he remembered making Caitlin cry back in the day.

I wonder about this year…

The Ultra Ball open tournament at Hammerlocke Arena came to a close.

Viewers filed out, excitedly chattering about how Latias single-handedly swept all three opponents.

And on the official forums, someone had already uploaded the Natsume-sensei vs. Flint battle video, setting off a storm of discussion.

“So dirty!”

“I’m worried little Latias will pick up bad habits from Natsume-sensei!”

“She could’ve swept easy, but Natsume-sensei’s playstyle is just so calculated!”

“He always picks the most chatty, play-by-play strategy!”