The Isle of Armour: A Pokemon Story

by Mixedfan8643

With the Gym Challenge over, Sapphire has no desire to succeed Ruby as Champion. She instead turns her eye towards the Isle of Armour, an island that has great trials for trainers to try their hand at. But she soon ends up with more than she bargained for when a vengeful Pokemon from Mustard's past comes back with murder on its mind. Can Sapphire defeat this Pokemon...?

15. Chapter 15: The Battle of the Island

Chapter 15: The Battle of the Isle of Armour

Everything was in place.

The Isle of Armour had been safely evacuated already with all students bar Sapphire being flown out by Flying Taxi so they wouldn't be in Zeraora's sights. If anyone was going to die today, it would thankfully be none of the students. Klara had been reluctant to leave, wanting a rematch with Zeraora, but in the end had to accept that it was for her own safety. The Poison Gym Leader promised to take care of Hyde for Mustard and Honey as they left together. She had patted Sapphire on the shoulder and given her some parting words before catching her Flying Taxi off the island:

"Make that evil thing suffer for me!"

Sapphire could only insist that she would try. She was currently stationed by the Tower of Darkness, waiting for Mustard and Honey's signal for her to come in for the finish. They would try and wear the Mythical Pokémon down and then Sapphire would finish the fight by having her team take Zeraora down, and then she would cap it off by sealing him into the Prison Ball. She found herself looking at it again, unable to believe that Zeraora's defeat all hinged on sealing him away in this custom made Pokéball. Sapphire already had the entire team out of their Pokéballs, standing by and awaiting her commands. They'd been given a couple of hours rest and recuperation from the battle with Honey and they were now completely refreshed and ready to battle again. Iron Fist was tense, sharing his trainer's anxiety for the coming battle. This is what he'd been trained for, and now he was going to see if his training would pay off. Did he have the strength to defeat Zeraora? He only hoped that he and his trainer wouldn't fail Master Mustard.

"I wish my sisters were here. They'd be able to help us defeat that thing…" Sapphire said sadly.

A part of her was glad they weren't here as it meant they would be far from danger and wouldn't have to worry about the killer Pokémon that was approaching the island. But suppose she was killed trying to stop Zeraora? Ruby and Emerald would be devastated. It made Sapphire want to cry just thinking about it, but she kept her emotions in check. No, don't go there. She was going to survive this encounter and stop that monster for good!

Meanwhile, Mustard stood outside the Master Dojo, his arms behind his back and a stern look on his aged face. He had removed his jacket and hat once again, his thick upper arms on display to show he was ready to throw down and fight to the death. Honey was beside him, looking more worried than he felt. As a disciplined master of the Isle of Armour, it was easy for Mustard to hide his emotions, but Honey wasn't like that. Her heart was pounding despite there being no obvious danger in sight. Mustard had tried to reassure her the plan would work, but it had ultimately done very little to comfort the poor woman. Emolga was sitting atop the dojo, sharing their worries. She remembered what she had to do. Once things looked like they were about to turn for the worst, she'd glide away and signal Sapphire to come in and finish the battle.

The couple had their eyes fixed at the horizon ahead, waiting for their former ally to come. The sky had turned a dark grey and thunder boomed all around the island. It looked as if it might rain soon. Lightning flashed in the sky. Was that natural or was it Zeraora sending a message? Nobody knew. Mustard could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. It was very humid and sticky, but he knew the temperature outside had nothing to do with him sweating. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, easing his nerves for the showdown to come. He opened them again…and saw him.

Standing before him, yellow eyes burning with hate and anger, was Zeraora. In the blink of an eye, he had made his way to the Dojo's doorstep, coming seemingly from nowhere. His beautiful white fur did little to mask the fact that this was a Pokémon here to kill and he made no attempt to hide that fact. His claws were bared and his face was twisted into a scowl of rage. It was clear to everyone that this was no welcome home for the Mythical Pokémon. Emolga shivered from her perch, still terrified from the last time she'd seen Zeraora. Even though he'd spared her, it did little to change the fact he was still a terrifying force of nature and she was lucky to be alive now. Mustard didn't move whereas Honey stepped back, trembling slightly. She tried to hide it but Zeraora could see she was terrified of him. He relaxed his gaze and gave what was meant to be a friendly smile. He looked more like a serial killer who was looking forward to his next kill rather than someone meeting up with an old friend.

"I have come home, master." he purred.

"This is no longer your home, and I am no longer your master." Mustard said coldly.

Zeraora smiled unpleasantly, flashing his fearsome, white fangs.

"Ah yes…you have a new favourite." he sneered, "So where is this "Sapphire"? Did I scare her off?" he crowed.

"Ultimately, I decided it wasn't worth risking my student's lives to take you out." Mustard lied, "I sent all my students home so they wouldn't suffer your wrath."

"Your battle is with us Zeraora." Honey declared, "You can either return to your prison, or fight."

Mustard smiled briefly at his wife's bravery. Despite not being as courageous as him, she still knew when to stand up to a threat and show strength in his presence. Zeraora frowned, looking more annoyed than anything.

"So that's the way it is?" he muttered.

"That's the way it MUST be." Mustard replied, raising his hands and adopting a battle ready stance. His Pokémon weren't the only ones that would fight this monster. He was perfectly willing to get his own hands dirty to stop Zeraora.

Zeraora turned his back on the couple for a moment, seemingly contemplating on what to do. It didn't take him long though. With a savage roar, he spun around and threw a powerful fist at Mustard's feet. The Dojo Master leapt back as chunks of concrete leapt up from the punch. Honey screamed and staggered backwards into the Dojo. She drew out one of her Ultra Balls and threw it, summoning her first Pokémon into battle.

She had chosen Gallade, deciding to go with a Pokémon that was notable for being able to dish out a lot of damage. He, Volcarona and Kingdra were the only Pokémon she had that would stand any real chance against Zeraora as Blastoise and Togekiss had type-disadvantages and Darmanitan was too slow to keep up with him so he wouldn't get a chance to use Earthquake in time. Zeraora would hopefully struggle to withstand his attacks and would get exhausted. Gallade glared at his opponent as Zeraora kicked up slaps of concrete and threw them towards Mustard and Honey. Honey commanded Gallade to use Psycho Cut to stop the concrete slabs from getting anywhere near. Gallade used his attack to smash the slabs before they could hit anyone. Clouds of dust and smoke obscured everyone's vision for the moment. Out of the smoke and dust emerged Zeraora, moving at the speed of light and thrusting himself straight into his opponent. He delivered a powerful attack to Gallade, striking him full on in and knocking him flying. Play Rough was a super-effective move to use on a Psychic/Fighting type like Gallade, which was weak to Fairy attacks. Honey watched in horror as poor Gallade crashed through the wall at the back of the Dojo. Splinters of wood flew everywhere. She ran over to help him while Mustard stood in front of Zeraora, ready to fight. The Electric Pokémon started ranting at Mustard as he advanced towards him.

"I rotted in that den for twelve years Mustard! Unfortunate for you that that wasn't the last you'd ever see of me!"

"If it's your imprisonment you're so upset about, don't expect me to apologize!" Mustard spat, "You brought this on yourself!"

"I wouldn't have resorted to such drastic measures if you hadn't abandoned me in the first place!" Zeraora snarled, "Do you have any idea how much it hurt when I finally came out of my Pokéball to find that months had passed by and you were nowhere in sight? I thought you'd simply lost me and I came looking for you. But what do I find when I show up here again?"

He paused, his eyes narrowing further as the pain of the past began to consume him all over again. It was plain to anyone that he'd been hurt really badly and instead of seeking help or trying to move on from what had caused him such pain, he was allowing it to drive him on in his bloodthirsty desire for revenge.

"I find you…with a whole new partner!" Zeraora growled, "You abandoned me, just like all my other trainers, and replaced me just as quickly!"

"I never abandoned you Zeraora! I lost you during the rainstorm and assumed you were gone forever!" Mustard protested, "That was not my fault!"

"Not your fault?!" Zeraora roared, sounding outraged that Mustard dared to try and make himself seem innocent in all of this, "Who gave up on me the moment I was gone?"

He swiped at the Dojo Master with his leg, missing Mustard by centimetres as he ducked back.

"Who lost all hope of ever finding me again?"

He slashed at him with his huge claws, missing again as Mustard was only just able to dodge him.

"WHO REPLACED ME THE FIRST CHANCE HE GOT TO RECOVER FROM HIS OWN HEARTBREAK?!"

He used Brick Break again, aiming at Mustard's head. A single strike to the old man's temple would kill him stone-dead if he hit. Mustard raised his own arm and blocked, grimacing as the powerful attack connected. Zeraora was a very powerful Pokémon and a Brick Break to the arm on a human was guaranteed to hurt. It was a miracle that Mustard's arm hadn't broken from the impact. Being an ex-champion and having spent decades training with Pokémon had made him ridiculously resilient so he could take much more punishment than the average person. Even then, it still hurt and Mustard couldn't feel his arm as it went numb from Zeraora's attack. He retaliated with a flat-palmed strike to the chest on his former partner with his good arm. The attack hit like a Machoke using Karate Chop. Zeraora winced and ran a paw over his chest to ease the pain. He was about to strike back before something charged towards him and walloped him in the face with a Psycho Cut attack. The massive blow had come from nowhere and knocked him down onto his back. It had been Honey's Gallade. He hadn't quite managed to take him down like he thought he had. Gallade was a hardy Pokémon and didn't go down easily. Zeraora picked himself up and scampered towards his opponent. Honey ordered Gallade to use Psycho Cut again, hoping she could do serious damage to the ferocious feline with a critical hit. Gallade charged towards his opponent with his arm blades glowing with psychic energy and he sliced towards him. Zeraora merely used Blaze Kick to block the attack, the Fire and Psychic moves coming into contact and creating a dazzling effect as they cancelled each other out. Both opponents skidded back from the attack and Honey decided to try turning the tables by ordering Gallade to use Swords Dance. Gallade twirled around, waving his bladed arms as he did the dance. Now his attack was much higher than before. Then to help out even more, she sent Volcarona and Kingdra out to battle alongside Gallade.

Zeraora and Gallade stared each other down, preparing to lunge towards each other and attack. Gallade made the first move, launching himself towards Zeraora and slicing at him with Leaf Blade. Gallade sliced across Zeraora with a large green blade attack, making him yell out in pain. The boost from Swords Dance had made his attack more powerful so he did more damage than he would've done. Zeraora was surprised that the attack had left him in as much pain as it did. He clutched the cut across his chest as it stung. That was a mistake as Gallade then charged in and sliced at him again with another Leaf Blade. Zeraora screamed and staggered back from the attack. Then Gallade lashed out and kicked him into a nearby post. Zeraora crashed into it and found himself getting pinned to it as Gallade pressed his arm against his throat. Gallade intended to keep him pinned there and garrotte him by pressing hard enough on his throat to make him fall unconscious. Zeraora gagged, fighting for breath as his air supply was slowly starting to deplete. Honey smiled happily. It looked as if she was going to stop the murderous Pokémon! But then everything turned for the worst as Zeraora opened his mouth. Honey shrieked as Gallade was blasted right in the face by a powerful Hyper Beam. She had forgotten that Zeraora could use that move! Gallade wailed in anguish, feeling as if all the power in the universe had concentrated itself into this blast of energy coming from Zeraora and was obliterating him atom by atom. Gallade was thrown back by the attack and he crashed down heavily at Honey's feet. His face was badly burnt by the Hyper Beam and he had fallen unconscious as his health was depleted by the attack. Honey ran over to Gallade, her heart aching for her precious Pokémon.

"Oh my darling, are you OK?" she asked worriedly.

Zeraora turned away from Honey, panting from the energy he'd used up to launch that Hyper Beam. He wasn't interested in her. Honey was an innocent in all this and he wasn't willing to kill anyone and everyone. He looked around for Mustard, only to cry out as he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a Pokémon covered in orange energy. It was Kingdra! Honey had told him to use Outrage on Zeraora while he was worn out from using Hyper Beam. To make things harder for the Legendary Pokémon, she'd also ordered Kingdra and Volcarona to use Dragon Dance and Quiver Dance respectively to boost up their power and make them even stronger. Volcarona was next, using Giga Drain to try and take away some of Zeraora's health. It would be foolish to use Fiery Dance in the dojo as she risked burning it down so she had to rely on her other attacks for now. Zeraora dodged out the way before Volcarona could hit him with Giga Drain and he struck back by using Outrage on the fiery moth Pokémon. He knew Volcarona had weak Physical Defences so even though he didn't know any super-effective attacks, he could still hit hard enough to take Volcarona down. He slammed into the Bug/Fire Pokémon and knocked her down onto the floor. Then he performed a U-turn and charged straight into Kingdra, who was also trying to use Outrage on him again. Unfortunately, as Kingdra was weak to his own type, Zeraora's Outrage did more damage to him than it did to Zeraora. Kingdra was knocked aside and sent hurling into a wall. He hit it and slumped on the floor. Zeraora could tell Kingdra wasn't down yet so he attempted to use another Outrage but Volcarona sneaked up behind him and used Giga Drain on him. Zeraora cried out as his health was slowly being drained by his opponent. Volcarona would replenish some of the health she lost while taking some of Zeraora's to weaken him. But it didn't work out as Zeraora grabbed Kingdra and used him as a shield to protect him from the rest of the attack. Now Volcarona ended up draining Kingdra of his energy instead. Kingdra was low on health already thanks to Zeraora's earlier attack so Volcarona ended up accidentally draining him completely dry. If she hadn't boosted her Special Attack with Quiver Dance earlier, Kingdra might've been able to take it. The seahorse Pokémon slumped onto the floor, unable to battle any longer.

Furious that she'd ended up taking down her own teammate like this, Volcarona launched into a furious Bug Buzz attack. Zeraora winced from the noise but he refused to let it bother him. He launched himself towards Volcarona again in another Outrage attack. He soared like a missile towards his opponent and knocked Volcarona down onto the floor. While she was down, he followed up with his Plasma Fists attack to take the Bug/Fire Pokémon down before it could get up again. He successfully knocked his opponent out and Volcarona was left unconscious on the floor. Honey cried out in horror. Her three best Pokémon hadn't been enough! They may have done some damage but overall, they seemed to have barely slowed Zeraora down! The rest of her team wouldn't fare any better so she didn't even bother to bring them out. They'd only get defeated just as quickly, if not more so.

Zeraora looked around for Mustard, only to hear a bloodcurdling yell as something shot down from the ceiling and dropkicked him in the face. The ex-champion had jumped up to the ceiling and had picked this moment to land a blow on him. Zeraora reeled back and Mustard roundhouse kicked him, knocking him into a nearby wall. With Zeraora still recharging from using Hyper Beam earlier, he felt he'd picked the right time to attack. Unfortunately, the Mythical Pokémon had regained his energy much quicker than he expected and he was back on his feet again. Zeraora growled and raised his tail. It coated itself in iron and he swung it towards his former trainer as he used his Iron Tail attack. Mustard caught it in his hands and tugged on it, pulling Zeraora forwards so he could swing his knee into his nose. His knee connected and Zeraora's head snapped back in pain as he clutched his nose. Then Mustard spun through the air and kick-slammed his former Pokémon in the face, both feet slamming hard at the same time. Zeraora hurled into one of the walls and crashed through it, leaving an enormous hole where he'd hit. Mustard then drew out one of his Ultra Balls and threw it, summoning his current partner to the field.

"OK Urshifu, this is what I trained you for!" he cried.

Urshifu materialized beside his master, the bear-like Pokémon hopping from one foot to the other as he prepared to fight.

"Your terror ends tonight, Zeraora!" he declared.

Urshifu sprinted towards the Mythical Pokémon and drew his arms back. Mustard didn't need to tell him what attack to use, he knew just what to do. Zeraora picked himself up and grunted as his opponent landed a powerful struck to his stomach. He then proceeded to launch a flurry of rapid strikes all over Zeraora's body, moving at such incredible speed that his arms were merely a blur and Zeraora barely had time to register when one blow hit and when another hit. This was the second form of Urshifu, known as the Rapid-Strike Style. When Kubfu was trained in the Tower of Water, he gained this form and his trademark move was Surging Strikes. It was a water attack that hit multiple times in a row and dealt massive damage. But it wasn't enough. Zeraora recovered from the rapid attacks and struck back with his own powerful move. His paws crackled with electricity as he punched at his opponent. His trademark Plasma Fists attack was just the attack he needed for a Water-type opponent. Urshifu was knocked back, crying out in pain from the electricity in Zeraora's punch. He didn't have time to recover as Zeraora retaliated with another Plasma Fists attack. He knocked him back again, sending him staggering and almost falling over. He still had some health left so he wasn't out of the fight yet. Urshifu shot back at Zeraora, his head coated in iron. Zeraora weaved to one side to dodge the Iron Head attack and he swung his leg into Urshifu's side. Urshifu twisted through the air and landed on his feet, ignoring the pain in his side and he launched back with a Poison Jab. He hoped he'd get to poison the murderous Pokémon and whittle his health down as much as possible. He jabbed Zeraora but nothing else happened. He retaliated with another Plasma Fists attack, launching his electrified punch into his opponent's jaw and knocking him back.

Despite the super-effective move, Urshifu still wasn't down yet. He was getting weaker by the minute and Mustard could see he wasn't going last much longer. He had to finish the fight now! Urshifu tried one last attack. He launched himself at Zeraora and threw heavy punches and kicks at him. Zeraora didn't have to know the move himself in order to recognize a Close Combat whenever one hit him. He cried out from every hit he received and as Urshifu finished, he threw one last punch that punted him through another wall, splintering the wood and breaking it. The Close Combat had been a powerful attack that had done the damage, but it had also been a costly mistake for Urshifu as using the attack lowered his defences. He would take more damage than he did already now. Zeraora got back to his feet, seemingly unhurt by the last attack that had hit him. He scampered on all fours and threw himself into Urshifu. He raised his fists and slammed into his opponent. He had used Plasma Fists again, the electric attack sapping away what was left of Urshifu's strength. Zeraora grinned wickedly as the Pokémon that had replaced him staggered back weakly, panting and straining to stay on his feet. He gave up and keeled over sideways, crashing down heavily on the floor. Mustard stared in horror at Urshifu. No…this couldn't be! He'd trained his beloved Pokémon so hard and evolved him for this! How could he have been defeated so easily while his former Pokémon, while looking a little worn, was still standing? Zeraora turned his attention back to Mustard. Nobody else would stand in his way now, it was just him and his former master! He sprinted towards Mustard and pounced, looking like a tiger that was launching itself towards a deer. He landed and started throwing several Plasma Fists at Mustard. The old man feebly tried to block them all but every punch sent a jolt of electricity that numbed his arms and prevented him from protecting himself.

"Everything I did, I did to earn your love! Being your Pokémon meant everything to me!" Zeraora ranted, his voice on the edge of hysteria as he punched at his old trainer, "Tell me how much you love me Mustard! Tell me!"

Another punch landed, sending Mustard reeling to one side and grunting in pain.

"TELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Zeraora screamed.

He then launched one last bone-crunching Plasma Fist that knocked Mustard off his feet and out through the hole that Gallade had left earlier. He rolled to a stop just outside the training arena, wincing in agony as he felt a stabbing pain in his ribs. Zeraora had probably broken one of them. Honey ran outside in horror, throwing herself down by her husband's side. She hugged him tightly, praying to Arceus himself that he was alright. Mustard was hurt but he was very much alive. He coughed heavily, the movement causing him more pain. If he received another blow like that, he would be dead for certain. He looked up weakly as Zeraora approached him, electricity still crackling around his paws. He was panting, showing that their efforts had at least worn him down a little. Honey could swear that the pained Pokémon had a tear in his eye. She could see it glistening just under one of them. It was clear that no matter how vengeful and hurt he'd been in the past, he still loved his former trainer and maybe wished things didn't have to be this way. Maybe it was possible to still reason with him. She clutched her husband tight, the brunette woman refusing to leave his side, even if it meant she would die too.

"I understand that you feel my husband abandoned you, dear." Honey said softly, "But I assure you, Zeraora, he never meant to. You may not believe it, but I swear to you that it's true. Please Zeraora, stop this madness and spare your old master."

Zeraora stopped where he was, frowning at Honey but otherwise displaying no intentions of hurting her. A part of him admired the woman. She looked as weak and frail as any pathetic human out there but here she was, bravely trying to talk him down and protect his old trainer. Such bravery was worth sparing, he believed. He looked at Mustard as if waiting for him to give his side of the story. Mustard looked up sadly at Zeraora as his wife stroked his head gently.

"M-my wife…is telling…the truth Zeraora." the wizened Pokémon Master stammered, his voice hoarse as if talking was a strain for him, "When I lost you…that day…I cannot tell you enough just how much…it broke my heart to think…that I'd lost you forever. I didn't sleep for days…thinking about you. I combed the island tirelessly…desperate to find you…and when my efforts turned up empty-handed…it made me feel as if I'd well and truly…lost you."

He paused to cough. As soon as he regained himself, he continued.

"I admit…it was wrong of me…to replace you with Kubfu, like I did." he said sadly, "Maybe…I did it just to get over…the grief I felt of losing you. But I swear Zeraora…no matter how long I spent training Kubfu…and raising him as my own…I never stopped missing you. There was no Pokémon I loved more than you. You…were more than a Pokémon to me…you were my partner, my closest friend…and I only wish that…I could have you back…as my friend…I'm…I'm so sorry that I gave up on you."

"We're all sorry." Honey insisted, "Please Zeraora, will you come back to us? You can be Mustard's partner again."

Zeraora was still for a moment. His face looked thoughtful as if unsure how to register what he'd heard. His eyes softened, looking as if he was truly touched by what he'd heard and that he may be considering Honey's offer. The couple held their breath, anxious to see what the white-coloured Pokémon would do. Would he abandon his murderous ways and come back to them? Zeraora didn't move or say anything for a solid minute. Honey could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he carefully made his decision. He finally made it…but disastrously for them, he'd chosen the wrong one. His fury returned and he gritted his teeth. He swatted Honey aside, making her cry out and he hoisted the badly injured Mustard off the ground. The elderly master wasn't exactly light but in Zeraora's hands, he was very much deadweight.

"I don't want your apology…I want you dead!" Zeraora snarled, "You may not have abandoned me, but you still discarded me as cruelly as my other trainers! If not even you can fill the hole in my heart, then I'll have no trainer at all!"

He unsheathed his claws, aiming to plunge them into Mustard's chest. Honey got up on her knees and held a hand out pleadingly.

"NO! Please, no!" she whimpered.

But Zeraora was deaf to all reasoning. Nothing was going to change his mind. He took aim, ready to stab his trainer to death.

"HEY!"

The sudden voice stopped Zeraora in his tracks and made him wheel around in confusion. Who was trying to stop him now? To his puzzlement, he saw a black teenage girl with blue hair and purple eyes standing in front of the damaged dojo, her fists clenched and a whole team of Pokémon standing behind her, determination in their eyes as they prepared to fight. Zeraora narrowed his eyes incredulously. Honey smiled, glad to see that Sapphire was here at last. She imagined Emolga had sent the signal to bring her here while she and Mustard tried to reason with Zeraora.

"Who are YOU?" he snorted.

"Mate…I am the Armour Warrior!" Sapphire declared, holding a fist over her heart.

Zeraora was confused. Didn't Mustard say to him that he'd sent her home with all the other students? Then again, why should he be surprised he'd lied to him? It was obvious what he'd been planning. He clearly thought that by keeping Sapphire's presence a secret, she could get the drop on him. He threw Mustard down on the ground, no longer interested in him. He'd come for the Armour Warrior as much as Mustard himself so he could kill two birds with one stone now she was here.

"YOU?" Zeraora sniffed, not even attempting to hide his mockery of the girl before him, "HER?"

He turned to Mustard, sneering at the old man.

"She's a child! You trained a child to fight me? You must be running out of students if this is your "Armour Warrior"!" he jeered, "What are you gonna do, little girl? Throw your dolly at me?" he added, turning back to Sapphire.

"I'm not just any girl, Zeraora." Sapphire muttered, "I'm Sapphire Silverlock, sister of the current champion of Galar! If I'm the Champion's sister, what do you think that says about me?"

"Dead meat by any other name is still dead meat." Zeraora sneered, "So if you're the one Mustard trained to defeat me, I'll happily show him why he shouldn't bring children to fight his battles for him." he said, smiling wickedly as he bared his claws.

"I'm not fighting his battle for him." Sapphire corrected, "I'm fighting on behalf of all the people and Pokémon of the Isle of Armour! For their sake, I'm going to stop you for good! Kagami, use Outrage!" she commanded.

"Gladly, mistress!" Kagami growled.

The mighty Druddigon lashed out at Zeraora slamming into him with enough force to send a Rhydon flying. The powerful Dragon attack whisked Zeraora off his feet and threw him into the training area. He hit the ground hard, leaving a dent in it where he landed. He rolled to a stop and as he picked himself up, he found himself faced off with all six of Sapphire's Pokémon. He knew that he was in for the fight of a lifetime as there were five powerful species to face off with and another form of Urshifu to handle. He was beginning to see why Sapphire was the Armour Warrior. She was going all out with her Pokémon and showing him no mercy! Sapphire stood behind her team, folding her arms.

"Don't await my commands. You'll take him down easier." Sapphire declared, "Use all your attacks and skills we've learnt from our trials and battles here to bring him down!"

"You got it, mate!" Terri cried, "Bloom, you and I are the only ones with attacks that are super-effective against Electric types! We'll lead the attack!"

"Got it!" Bloom replied, "Let's see him handle one of your famous Earthquakes, Terri…"

The battle-hungry Krookodile grinned deviously as she raised her foot and stomped down hard. She was sure that a single Earthquake would take Zeraora down easily. A huge shockwave punched through the ground, ripping its way towards Zeraora. It was like something was trying to break out from underground and throw a punch at the Mythical Pokémon. Zeraora watched the Earthquake approach him, knowing that it would deal serious damage to him if it was to hit. Even a Legendary like himself wouldn't stand up to super-effective blows. He timed his jump perfectly, throwing himself into the air before the Earthquake hit. Terri was speechless. No way, how could she have missed him?! Sapphire's team watched as Zeraora came towards them, fists raised as he prepared to attack. Bloom was the first to react, lashing out with his vines and whipping Zeraora before he could attack. He was sent careening to one side but he managed to twist his body through the air and land safely on his feet. Dal floated in front of him, aiming his magnets at Zeraora.

"ZERA-ORA-WILL-BE-EX-TER-MIN-ATED!" he barked, firing a Flash Cannon attack at the feline-like Pokémon.

The Steel-type move launched towards Zeraora but it never managed to hit him as he rolled aside and dodged. He bounded towards Dal and pounced towards him. He swung his leg, flames coating it as he landed a savage Blaze Kick into the magnet Pokémon. Dal cried out an electronic wail as he was hit by the blazing attack. His half-Steel typing offered little resistance to the Fire attack and he crashed down onto the ground. He wasn't down yet, but he'd been severely weakened by the kick. Terri ran in and stomped the ground again, trying to hit Zeraora with Earthquake once more. Unfortunately, he dodged again and ran on all fours towards her. Terri held out her hands and brought up a bunch of rocks that she used to circle around herself. Zeraora lashed out only to get pummelled by her Stone Edge Counter Shield. As soon as one rock circled around and hit him, they all crashed into him, each blow feeling heavier than the last one. The last rock hit Zeraora in the side of his head and knocked him down onto his side. Now he was stunned, Terri couldn't miss with Earthquake this time. She stomped on the ground and sent him skyrocketing into the air with her strongest attack. Sapphire watched the fight excitedly. So far, things were going well enough. Good thing she'd taught Terri how to use Stone Edge in that way as it helped out brilliantly! She watched as Zeraora fell back down to earth, crying out as he hit the ground hard. Terri grinned, pleased that she'd managed to land a super-effective hit on him. It was so far the most damage he'd received since the fight had started.

"Not so Legendary now, are ya?" she taunted.

But Zeraora wasn't down for long. He picked himself back up but before he could do anything, Terri pounced on him and brought him back down. Then she chomped down on his shoulder and spread herself over the top of Zeraora to pin him to the ground just as she'd practiced with Klara the other day. Her Drapion's pinning tactic was finally coming into play and Terri was proving difficult for Zeraora to shake off. He could hardly move. The Mythical Pokémon tried to get Terri off but her jaws were fixed shut around his shoulder and her legs and tail were keeping his own legs fixed firmly down. The only thing Zeraora could do was karate chop Terri on the head with Brick Break and even then, it took him at least three tries to finally make her let go of him as Terri was tough to hurt. Once she let go, he threw her off his back and jumped back to his feet, lashing out at the crocodile Pokémon. Sapphire screamed in fright as Zeraora sent Terri flying through the air with a powerful Brick Break attack. The huge Krookodile had simply been flung aside as if she was as light as a Jumpluff. Luckily, she missed her trainer as Sapphire jumped out the way and Terri hit the ground harmlessly further away. Sapphire had been warned that Zeraora was powerful due to being a Legendary, but even then his power seemed to be unreal, like nothing this powerful should be allowed to exist. Terri crashed down heavily, hurt but still conscious as her health wasn't down to nothing yet. She tried another Earthquake, pounding against the floor as if trying to tear the whole arena apart. At last, she was successful, the attack punching its way towards Zeraora and catching him just before he could dodge. The force of the Earthquake was what hit him as he had just managed to become airborne seconds before he was hit, but it still did the damage and knocked him aside.

He was thrown into the air and came crashing down at the feet of Kagami. Before Zeraora could get back up, Kagami used Crunch on him to grab hold of him with her powerful jaws and then threw him aside into a nearby cliff face. Zeraora hit the wall and fell to his knees, but got back up again and used Plasma Fists to punch the Druddigon in the face as hard as he could. It was a hard hit, but not hard enough as Dragon types weren't affected much by Electric attacks. Kagami retaliated by clenching her fist and spitting fire onto it. She socked Zeraora in the face with Fire Punch, sending him reeling back. It felt as if he'd been punched by a Groudon rather than a Druddigon. She used Fire Punch again, sending Zeraora in a dizzy spin as his head snapped to one side. While he was stunned, Bloom sprang into action and used Earth Power, keen to finally land a super-effective hit on the evil Pokémon. The ground erupted beneath Zeraora's feet, a fist of energy striking below him and throwing him onto his back. It was the most damage he'd so far received from anyone that had attacked him since the battle had started. Zeraora grunted, sitting up and shaking his head. He panted, starting to feel the weight of this conflict pushing down on him. While he could still fight, he could tell that he was starting to get overwhelmed. Zeraora could see now why Mustard and Honey had started the battle instead of Sapphire despite her being the Armour Warrior. They may have thought they were being so clever trying to wear him down so this puny girl could take him out, but their plan wasn't going to work! He was too powerful for any Pokémon to defeat him, team or not!

Terri lumbered back into the battle. She was keen to land another Earthquake on Zeraora while he was down. She couldn't miss this time! But she never got the chance as Zeraora tripped her up with Grass Knot. Terri crashed down heavily, grunting as she hit the floor. She didn't outweigh Zeraora by much so the attack didn't do too much damage, but it still brought her down so Zeraora temporarily had one opponent less to deal with. He got back to his feet and ran towards Bloom. He signalled the Venusaur out as the next biggest threat due to him having Earth Power and aimed a Blaze Kick at him. Bloom attempted to block the attack with his Counter Shield strategy. He used Sludge Bomb and had it circle around him but it did him no good. Zeraora's attack hit home, scorching Bloom viciously and bringing him down in a single hit. Bloom collapsed onto his stomach, his burns stinging furiously. Sapphire gasped.

"No, Bloom!" she cried.

"You're going to pay for that you scoundrel!" Mysterio snarled.

He aimed his spoons at Zeraora and tried to hit him with Psychic. Zeraora simply grabbed Bloom's unconscious body and threw him at the Alakazam, stopping his attack as the huge Grass/Poison Pokémon slammed into him and knocked him onto his back. Terri stepped in and chomped down on his tail with her powerful jaws. Zeraora roared in pain and yanked on his tail, pulling Terri towards him and then he used Brick Break on her just as she came within striking range. The single chop move threw Terri across the arena and into a cliff face. She crashed into it heavily, leaving some cracks where she landed and she collapsed onto the floor. She didn't get up again. A Pokémon that was half Dark type couldn't handle too many Fighting attacks like Brick Break, especially from a Legendary Pokémon. Now she was down, Zeraora ran towards Mysterio. He knew an Alakazam was going to be a powerful opponent to face and was keen to finish him off before he could become a threat. But Mysterio recovered a fraction too quick and stopped him dead in his tracks with Psychic. He used his telekinetic abilities to hold the Shiny Pokémon in place as Dal used Flash Cannon on him, this time actually hitting him. Then after Dal had hit, Kagami came in and used Outrage on Zeraora. The attack threw him aside and made him crash into a cliff face.

Sapphire punched the air triumphantly. Yes, her Pokémon were starting to make a comeback! This was probably going to go well after all! Iron Fist decided it was his turn to attack now. As Sapphire's strongest Pokémon, he would be the one to defeat Zeraora in the end. He ran towards Zeraora just as he pulled himself free from the wall. The kung-fu panda drew his arm back and lashed out with Wicked Strike. As an attack that ALWAYS landed a critical hit, it would be his most damaging attack to land on Zeraora. He hit him, almost getting him stuck in the wall a second time. Zeraora cried out but quickly retaliated with Close Combat. He knew it was risky using such a move as his defences lowered afterwards but he needed to use his most damaging attacks to win against another Legendary. It was also a super-effective move due to Iron Fist's half Dark typing so it worked for him. Iron Fist was thrown back by Zeraora's Close Combat, crashing down heavily onto his back. He turned to see Kagami lunging towards him with another Outrage. Unfortunately for her, he knew the same attack. He used his own Outrage attack on Kagami and he slammed into her. His attack overpowered hers due to his superior strength and he knocked the Druddigon down onto the ground. Dragon types were weak to their own kind so Zeraora's Outrage had been super-effective…and enough to knock down the powerful Dragon Pokémon. Sapphire's smile faded and she grew worried again. Half her team had been knocked out and Zeraora was still going! This wasn't going to work after all! She watched as Iron Fist got back up and sprinted towards Zeraora. He used Wicked Strike again, knocking Zeraora back and whittling his health down some more. Then he and Zeraora traded blows as both Pokémon karate chopped at each other.

"I already took one Urshifu down, I'll do it again!" Zeraora snarled, "Then when I've taken you and your last remaining teammates out, your trainer is next!"

"I won't let you anywhere near Sapphire!" Iron Fist declared.

He sliced the air with his hand, cutting across Zeraora's chest and making him cry out. He'd hit him with Aerial Ace. While he was stunned, Iron Fist lowered his head and barged him down with Iron Head. Zeraora wasn't down for long though. He got up again, though Iron Fist could see he was starting to get fatigued as he panted after doing so. Just a few more hits and he'd be down! He lashed at him again with Wicked Blow but Zeraora jumped into the air, landed on his shoulders and bounced off of him. Dal flew in to try and hit Zeraora with Flash Cannon a third time but Zeraora grabbed him and held him in front of Iron Fist as he turned to attack. Dal's attack shot straight into Iron Fist, making him stagger back. Flash Cannon wasn't too effective against Urshifus due to their half-Fighting types so it didn't do too much damage. The next attack did. Mysterio aimed at Zeraora and used Dazzling Gleam…only for Zeraora to dodge so he hit Iron Fist instead. Fairy attacks did quadruple damage to Single Strike Urshifu as they were Dark/Fighting types, both weak against Fairy types. Iron Fist cried out as he was hit by his teammate's attack, stumbling backwards and grimacing in pain. Mysterio gasped in horror as Iron Fist fell down on one knee.

"Iron Fist! I am so sorry!" he cried, "I was aiming for Zeraora!"

He was then targeted next by Zeraora as the Electric Pokémon took aim with Throat Chop and scythed his hand through the air towards him. Mysterio reacted just in time and formed a bunch of Shadow Balls that he spun around himself. Zeraora hit one and it exploded into a force of ectoplasmic energy that pushed him back. Sapphire punched the air excitedly. Thank you Klara! Her Counter Shield strategy was once again keeping her Pokémon going just a little longer! Zeraora swung his arm at Mysterio multiple times but he kept spinning the Shadow Balls around himself so Zeraora couldn't land a hit on him. He just kept hitting the Shadow Balls while getting no closer to Mysterio. This gave the Alakazam a chance to fight back by using Psychic to push him away. Zeraora launched backwards and hit one of the nearby walls. He stood back up again and ran back towards Mysterio. The Psychic Pokémon tried to use Psychic to stop him again but Zeraora came in too quickly and was able to successfully hit him with Throat Chop. Mysterio was already weak against Dark attacks but it was worse for him as Alakazam sadly had rather weak defences so he couldn't stand up to Zeraora's deadly attack. He dropped his spoons and collapsed onto the ground. He closed his eyes and drifted into unconsciousness. Only Dal and Iron Fist were left now.

Sapphire grew even more nervous. All of Mustard's training wasn't doing her any good! Zeraora was just too powerful! But then she noticed something. Zeraora was panting heavily and rubbing one of his arms. He looked as if it was taking all his energy just to stay standing. It seemed that all the battling he'd been doing was finally starting to catch up to him. He was growing fatigued and was showing signs of exhaustion. Maybe she could still win this! She reached into her pocket for the Prison Ball, ready to throw it the moment Zeraora went down. Dal took aim with his magnets, ready to launch another attack.

"OUR-COM-RADE'S-EFFORTS-HAVE-FAILED, BUT-WE-STILL-OPER-ATE! WE-WILL-EX-TER-MIN-ATE-ZERA-ORA!" he screeched.

He fired another attack at Zeraora, but it wasn't Flash Cannon this time. A triangle of energy formed in front of Dal and hurled itself towards Zeraora. He had used Tri-Attack and the attack hit Zeraora and made him stagger to one side. At first, it seemed all it did was hit him but then suddenly, flames swept over Zeraora and he grimaced in pain. Dal had managed to burn him with his attack. At least now he could do extra damage thanks to the burn and all his physical attacks would be weaker thanks to the Burn damage cutting his attack in half. He aimed another Tri-Attack at Zeraora but Zeraora reacted too quickly. He pounced towards Dal and swung his leg towards the Magnezone. Dal just simply weaved out the way, remembering one of Klara's dodging tactics that she'd passed on to Sapphire to teach him and the others. Zeraora missed with his attack but he spun around and tried to kick him again. Dal spun around on the spot with electricity circling him. While it wouldn't do any harm to Zeraora as he was immune to other Electric attacks, his Counter Shield still did the job on blocking his Blaze Kick. If Dal kept this up, he could potentially stall Zeraora out until his burn damage finished him off. Zeraora tried repeatedly to kick Dal but his shield kept him at bay. The electricity surrounding him just wouldn't let him get close. Seeing this wasn't going to work, Zeraora tried something else. He jumped over Dal and used Blaze Kick from above. He struck him with his attack, finally taking him out with his last hit. Dal's three eyes closed and he lay still. Sapphire's incredible team had been whittled down to one. Iron Fist was everyone's only hope now. Iron Fist was still weak from Mysterio accidentally hitting him with Dazzling Gleam, but he wasn't down yet.

He ran towards his opponent and used Wicked Strike, hitting him in the small of the back and knocking him down onto his stomach. Zeraora rolled onto his back and sprang back up. He tried to hit Iron Fist with Iron Tail but Iron Fist used Iron Head to block it. Then Zeraora tried to use Brick Break but Iron Fist blocked it again with Iron Head. The Mythical Pokémon used Blaze Kick and lashed out at Iron Fist but he used Close Combat to block it and then hit Zeraora, knocking him down again. He grabbed the cat-like Pokémon by his legs and slammed him onto the ground several times. But before he could use another attack on him, Zeraora used Plasma Fists on his opponent and struck him in the ribs, forcing him to drop him. Now that was done, Zeraora used Play Rough on the Urshifu. A Fairy mist covered him and Zeraora as he attacked. Hitting him with another Fairy Attack was a great way to bring his opponent down, especially as Single Strike Urshifu had a double weakness to Fairy attacks. He struck him over several times and knocked him backwards, leaving him staggering and struggling to stay up. Refusing to go down, Iron Fist struck back with another Aerial Ace. He sliced across Zeraora's chest and made him wince. Then he punched out again with Wicked Strike. The damage done by the critical hit was enough to have Zeraora stumbling and pausing a moment to catch his breath. His health was low, lower than it had ever been in a long time. It got even lower as the Burn damage kicked in again, making Zeraora wince as the flames briefly ate some more of his energy away. Zeraora lashed out with Close Combat but Iron Fist just caught him by the arms and swung him over his shoulder. Honey smiled upon watching that. It was just like what her Darmanitan did in her battle with Sapphire yesterday!

Zeraora grunted as he was slammed onto the floor. He growled angrily. He wasn't going to let himself be defeated, not by a long shot! Zeraora opened his mouth…and Sapphire knew immediately what was going to happen.

"Watch out Iron Fist! He's using Hyper Beam!" she screamed.

She was right. A huge ball of energy was building up in Zeraora's mouth. Sapphire knew all too well how powerful Hyper Beam was and that if Zeraora hit Iron Fist with it, it'd be all over. As it was a special attack, its power wouldn't be halved by his burn damage. Iron Fist could see what was happening and he ran to one side to avoid the Hyper Beam. But Zeraora reacted too quickly for him. He turned his head just as he was about to fire, hitting Iron Fist full on with the Hyper Beam attack. The Urshifu was stricken by the attack and hurled off his feet. It felt as if all the energy of the universe had gathered into one solid blast of power and slammed into him. Sapphire looked away, unable to watch as her Pokémon was hit. A cloud of dust blanketed the arena and nobody could see anything for now. As soon as it cleared, Sapphire, Mustard and Honey were met with a terrible sight. Zeraora was standing there, panting heavily as the Hyper Beam had taken a lot of energy out of him. Iron First…was down on his back and unmoving. Zeraora had taken on Sapphire's entire team and beaten them all! Zeraora did look incredibly tired, but he was still very much active…and very much ready to kill. He turned away from the defeated Urshifu and fixed his eyes on Sapphire. He grinned demonically, eager to kill her now her team was down. Sapphire wasn't sure what to do. Even if she tried to run, it would do her no good as Zeraora would just chase her down and kill her. She was a sitting Psyduck! The Electric Pokemon approached Sapphire, his eyes narrowed into a sneer of triumph. He was the winner of this battle and the Armour Warrior was completely at his mercy.

"You've...been a worthy opponent." Zeraora purred, his voice full of genuine praise, "I think...you're the closest anyone's come to defeating me since that woman in black who...got me locked up 12 years ago. It almost feels wrong...to kill you now. But Mustard needs to be taught a lesson in letting children get involved in his affairs. Any last words?" he said darkly.

Sapphire had nothing to say. Nothing that would save her now. Although she was scared that her life was about to end, she didn't want to show any signs of fear. That would just give Zeraora some sadistic pleasure in seeing her a snivelling wreck. She would face her death with dignity! Sapphire only got down on her knees and closed her eyes, silently daring Zeraora to do his worst. The Legendary Pokemon couldn't help but be impressed. He never thought it was possible to see such bravery from one so young.

"Very well." he said dismissively, "But don't expect me to make it quick for you..."

He then aimed his claws at Sapphire and fired a painful jolt of electricity at the girl. Sapphire screamed in agony, writhing around like an injured snake as she was brutally electrocuted. She collapsed onto her side and wailed in anguish. Her body felt as if it was on fire! She'd never been in so much pain. Mustard and Honey watched with horror as Zeraora began to torture the poor teenager.

"IRON FIST, HELP ME!" Sapphire screamed desperately.

Hearing his trainer scream for help seemed to somehow revive Iron Fist for he raised his head and slowly picked himself up, grunting with effort. He opened his eyes and saw what was happening. He gasped as he saw Zeraora electrocuting his trainer. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, leaving Sapphire to gasp for breath. It wouldn't do her any good for Zeraora wasn't going to let her live. He just wanted to gloat one last time before he tortured her to death.

"Mustard trained you to defeat me, and in the end you fell as easily as he did!" Zeraora crowed, "It is a shame I have to kill a human so young, but Mustard should've known better than to use children as weapons of war…"

He resumed his electrocution. Sapphire howled again as electricity surged through her body. Everywhere she felt agony and she knew it would only stop once she was finally dead.

"ZERAORA, PLEASE! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sapphire begged feebly.

Mustard wanted to cry out to his old friend and beg for him to stop, but he was in too much pain to say anything. All he could do was stare helplessly as his newest student was being tortured mercilessly. In the end, Honey had to speak for him.

"Zeraora, stop! Please, let her live!" Honey wailed, her eyes full of tears, "She's just a child! Leave her alone!"

Zeraora ignored the poor woman's pleas. His face was mask of sadistic delight. He was enjoying this. He was going to relish how much pain this would cause Mustard, knowing that one of his students had just died at his hands. But then something made him stop before he could finally kill Sapphire.

"Leave…her…alone!"

Zeraora stopped electrocuting Sapphire, leaving her panting and whimpering on the floor as something grabbed him from behind and picked him up. It was Iron Fist! To everyone's amazement, he was still able to carry on and was back in the fight! Zeraora squirmed in Iron Fist's grip as he held the electric feline high above his head. Then with all his might, he threw him away from Sapphire and half way across the arena. Zeraora came down with a painful crash and he skidded to a halt. He was amazed his face didn't shatter to pieces after that. He groaned in pain and tried to get back up as Iron Fist knelt down protectively over Sapphire.

"I won't let him…hurt you anymore!" he swore, "I'll protect you…my friend."

Sapphire was too weak to respond for the moment. She just smiled appreciatively at her Pokémon for standing up for her like so. Iron Fist turned back to Zeraora as he forced himself back on to his feet. The Mythical Pokémon looked as if he could barely stand, let alone carry on, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Zeraora growled at Iron Fist.

"You…don't know…when to quit, do you?" he snorted.

"I won't…let you…kill my trainer!" Iron Fist declared, "She's not just my trainer…she's also my friend and if you want her…you have to go through me first!"

"Shouldn't be too hard." Zeraora crowed, "You can…barely stand as it is. I…should take you down in a single hit…no problem!"

He bared his claws and prepared to launch another attack on Iron Fist. However, something happened that made him stop dead in his tracks and grimace in pain. His body was briefly coated in flames and he cried out as they flickered over him. Dal's burn damage from his earlier Tri-Attack was still affecting him. His health was already low and now the burn damage had caused it to drop to critical. Zeraora was not going to last much longer in this battle. While he was distracted by the burn, Sapphire weakly took out Iron Fist's Pokéball and activated her Dynamax Band.

She knew that Iron Fist needed the extra energy to finish the fight and now was the perfect time to debut his Gigantamax form. Grunting heavily, she held up his Pokéball and returned him to his Pokéball. It had always been her plan to fight Zeraora here so she could use Iron Fist's Gigantamax form. It was just lucky that Iron Fist had enough health him in to stay in the fight and use it. Once the Pokéball grew to the right size, she used what was left of her strength to throw it in the air towards Iron Fist. The Pokéball landed on top of him and Iron Fist began to Gigantamax, growing to a towering height and changing in appearance as he did so. Mustard and Honey watched with awe as Iron Fist Gigantamaxed. It was an incredible sight for them to see the Pokémon that they'd entrusted with Sapphire to finally show off his new form. Iron Fist was now enormous, towering over everyone. His appearance had changed too, his body now white and red in colour with glowing white eyes and a much longer bandana. He gave a mighty roar that made the entire arena shake. Despite his low health, the Gigantamax process had made him feel completely refreshed, like he could take on a whole team of Pokémon and win.

Zeraora stared incredulously at his Gigantamaxed opponent. He'd never fought against a Pokémon that had either Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed before. He suddenly felt very small and insignificant compared to his gargantuan opponent. He growled fiercely, refusing to be intimidated.

"So what if you're giant now? You can't defeat me!" he said feebly, "You're already close to fainting! I'll just finish you off!"

He then tried to pounce towards Iron Fist and use Close Combat on him. But too late did he realize that he'd made his biggest and final mistake. He'd used up too much of his energy torturing Sapphire earlier and now he was so exhausted that he could barely even leap. He fell over onto his hands and knees, panting heavily. If he hadn't focused on killing Sapphire earlier, he might've been able to carry on fighting. Iron Fist smirked.

"What's the matter, Zeraora? I thought you were going to finish me off!" he taunted, "Now it's time I finished YOU off! You'll never terrorize this island again!"

He then summoned a huge energy construct in the shape of a fist and brought it crashing down on top of Zeraora. He had chosen to use Max Knuckle to bring the fight to a close. The huge fist crashed down on the worn out Zeraora, making him cry out as he was flattened against the ground. The arena shook wildly from the impact. It was as if a giant hammer had come crashing down on the ground. Zeraora was stuck where he'd been hit but he refused to give up so easily. He pulled himself free, straining heavily from the effort, and tried to run towards Iron Fist. He was intending to use Plasma Fists to try and paralyze him and bring him down. But he just couldn't do it. He was too weak. As he tried to run, he simply collapsed onto the floor and winced. His body ached too much and he just had no energy left. Iron Fist seized his moment and decided to use his signature move to finally bring Zeraora down.

Both versions of Urshifu had a G-Max move exclusive to them in their Gigantamax forms. For Iron Fist, he had G-Max One Blow, a Dark-type move that allowed him to land damaging blows on his opponents, even if they tried using moves like Protect to shield themselves. He summoned a ball of energy to his hand and fired it at Zeraora. A huge beam of yellow and black energy slammed into him, tearing away at him and sapping away the last of his strength. It felt to him as if Arceus himself was passing judgement over him and using all the energy he had to take him down. The energy beam was so bright that Sapphire had to close her eyes and look away to shield them. She could feel the power of Iron Fist's attack due to being rather close. Then everything fell silent as the attack concluded and the light died down. Sapphire opened her eyes again and saw a very sad, ragged and beat up Zeraora lying in a crater where he'd been hit by Iron Fist's G-Max move. The Mythical Pokémon didn't move. His eyes were closed and the only sign that he was even alive was the rise and fall of his breathing. Sapphire was overjoyed, but was too weak to even smile despite herself. She had done it! She'd defeated Zeraora! But it wasn't over yet. She still had one last thing to do.

Reaching into her pocket again, she took out the Prison Ball. Mustard and Honey watched as the electrocuted girl took aim and threw it with whatever strength she had left. Now they would see if their son's creation would work. The ball sailed towards Zeraora and bumped him on the back of his head. It opened up and Zeraora was transformed into energy as he was absorbed inside. The ball closed and pinged immediately, not even shaking. Its locking mechanism locked shut to ensure Zeraora wasn't getting out anytime soon. Hyde had promised the ball would catch anything without fail, just like the Master Ball would, and now Zeraora had been caught, he wouldn't be able to leave unless anyone holding the Prison Ball wanted him to. He was sealed away forever, the Isle of Armour finally free from his terror. Despite being in immense pain, Sapphire forced herself to smile and cry out for joy.

"Ungh…I did it! I…beat Zeraora and c-caught him!" she croaked, "I can't believe it…I actually…beat him!"

"We all beat him." Iron Fist said brightly, "Your training, plus our power and teamwork helped to bring him down. I'd say you exceeded all expectations from the master himself, Sapphire."

"I've exceeded…my own expectations!" Sapphire said with a slight chuckle, "I…never thought…I'd actually…beat Zeraora! But I did! Oh…if only my sisters…could see me now…"

Her voice trailed off as she suddenly slumped to one side and closed her eyes. Zeraora's earlier torture had been too much for her and she'd mercifully passed out as a result. Iron Fist shrank back down to normal size and returned to his natural appearance. He ran over to Sapphire and picked her up, looking worried for his trainer. He looked almost like a father bear looking over his cubs. He carried the unconscious girl over to Honey and Mustard, the two looking just as concerned as he was. Honey felt her pulse to see if she was OK.

"She's alive, Iron Fist." she confirmed, "The poor dear's just passed out, that's all."

"I'm amazed she managed to stay conscious for this long despite being electrocuted by a Zeraora!" Iron Fist exclaimed, "I'd have assumed any human being electrocuted by a Pokémon that powerful would've flat lined within seconds!"

"Sapphire is very lucky to be alive." Honey agreed, "Still, take her into the Dojo. I will provide beds for her and my husband and we'll give them both medical treatment as soon as possible."

"I hope they'll get better soon." Iron Fist said, looking down at Sapphire sadly.

He carried his unconscious trainer into the Dojo while Honey helped Mustard walk back inside. The Dojo was a mess after the fight that had occurred but they would get the two the attention they needed, along with any and all Pokémon that had been taken out by Zeraora. It was a miracle that nobody had been killed by the vengeful Pokémon in the end. Once Sapphire and Mustard were better, the Isle of Armour would hold a celebration in their honour for helping to stop Zeraora and free the island from his monstrous presence. All students at the Master Dojo would be able to train without the threat of Zeraora looming over them now…

---

And so the threat is over! Zeraora is defeated and though Sapphire and Mustard are a bit worse for wear, they'll be alright and will recover in no time. The Isle of Armour is finally safe and Zeraora is locked away forever! Now Sapphire can conclude her term on the island with the final and greatest trial of all. Tune in next time as master faces student in "Sapphire vs. Mustard...

Trivia: This may surprise you all...but I actually wrote this particular chapter MONTHS in advance! No really, I was writing this chapter while Emerald Knights was still being written! I was that excited to write the battle with Zeraora that I had to do it now. I had to re-write the battle since I wrote this before I had any idea of Sapphire's character development and what new moves she learns so I changed things around to have some of the new tactics Sapphire learned over the course of the story be on display. It would've sucked if I kept the chapter as it was originally written and thus make it look as if Sapphire's character development meant nothing in the end by not having her use any of the new moves and strategies she'd learnt during her time on the island.