Hachiman and Haruno stared at each other intently, their appearances reflected only in each other's eyes in the clarity of the subway light. Haruno, who previously exhibited an upper-class personality and attitude, had now completely let loose, revealing her hidden excitement. Her desire for battle made her dress, once an epitome of elegance, now an invitation to savagery.
A savagery accompanied by her Hydreigon, a Pokémon once recognized as an embodiment of evil on earth until it was embraced by religion to represent the submission of evil to good. It's no surprise that the strongest Hydreigon is said to belong to the Pope.
Such a display of brutality only caused Hachiman to smile. The exhaustion from his previous battle had vanished with the excitement of being able to fight against another pseudo-legendary. His eagerness to face another pseudo-legendary was so great that he had to clench his arm to resist immediately accepting Haruno's offer, something his boss calls "playing hard to get."
What Hachiman didn't know was that this action was noticed by Haruno, who saw it as an opportunity to exploit this weakness with such a tempting prize. Hachiman was unaware, but he had tasted the devil's snare for the first time.
He might have been nervous about Haruno's appearance, but just by shifting his gaze, he could see his Garchomp, who gave him a look of confidence and calm, waiting for instructions. The trust his Pokémon gave him was reason enough not to fear the opponent.
"Ha, I was expecting to face a Gabite, but instead, there's a Garchomp in front of me. I'm so excited I forgot all my anger about you not using him in the battle," Haruno expressed with an excited voice while her Hydreigon floated in front of her.
"One must always keep some energy for when an attractive fan wants your attention," Hachiman replied, trying to stay in character while feeling his hands sweat.
"Respecting the rules of the Kengan Association, the local Duke Dragon will not be required to use the name of his Garchomp while fighting. The challenger can also take advantage of the same benefit," the referee said, looking at both trainers.
"It's not necessary on my part. Ghidora doesn't like being called by such a common name," Haruno responded as Hydreigon let out a roar.
"My Garchomp has no such issue. He's been accustomed to Kengan rules since he was a Gabite, but that doesn't negate that our bond is something that should not be threatened," Hachiman replied. His words exemplified a popular belief that trainers who fought while saying their companions' names were stronger than those who didn't, that the bonds of those who had names were stronger than those who did not.
But the Kengan tournaments were proof that this wasn't the reality, that the bonds between trainer and Pokémon were much greater through the experience of battles rather than the hopeful message of the strong bond of a name. Despite this belief, due to the training and battles he had in the underworld, Hachiman still appreciated the concept of a name, and that's why everyone on his team had a name outside of the underworld.
Destroyah (Drapion), Hachi (Tentacruel), and Ragnarok (Garchomp).
"Well, since there's nothing more to say, let the battle begin," the referee declared, and then silence invaded the battlefield until Haruno spoke.
"Ghidorah, let's give them a greeting with all our strength... Dragon Pulse!"
Hydreigon opened its main mouth and began to charge a crystalline energy, then fired it, and the crystalline energy started to take the shape of a dragon heading straight for Garchomp.
"(It's too fast, Garchomp won't be able to dodge it)," thought Hachiman before ordering, "Garchomp, counter the Dragon Pulse with Dragon Claw."
Hachiman's quick response was for Garchomp to counter the dragon attack with a dragon attack, and Garchomp obeyed. It launched itself at full speed, conjuring a powerful green energy in its blades, and struck a powerful blow against Hydreigon's Dragon Pulse.
Garchomp's blow connected with the Dragon Pulse first, but it wasn't weak and began to generate force against Garchomp while the ground started to shake from the power of the collision of both attacks.
"Garch!" Garchomp exclaimed as it began to push back the energy of the Dragon Pulse until it shattered it, releasing another great shockwave. This was much stronger than the previous ones, proving the sheer strength of Hydreigon.
"(Professionals aren't to be taken lightly; it was naive of me to believe that what was shown on television would be easy to face)," Hachiman thought as he noticed the slight heavy breathing of his Garchomp from destroying Hydreigon's attack.
"That was impressive, I didn't expect you to go straight into the confrontation and end up destroying Ghidorah's Dragon Pulse, which is famous in the tournaments for ending battles with a single strike," Haruno expressed with satisfaction as her Hydreigon continued to hover, showing no signs of fatigue from the powerful attack it had just launched.
"Even my dear dragons have been taken down with a single attack from my daughter's Hydreigon. That shows that this Garchomp is not only a pseudo-legendary but also strong," expressed Kaede Yukinoshita, while her husband Kaiji Yukinoshita, another dragon trainer, nodded in agreement.
"So many of those who fell to that Hydreigon weren't weak; it's just that Hydreigon was too strong," Gojo responded, though his thoughts were entirely different.
"(I never asked, but it seems this couple is not only excited about the battle but also keen on showcasing their daughter)," Gojo thought as he turned his gaze back to the battlefield, worried about how Hachiman could close the distance with that Hydreigon.
"It looks like we need more power, Garchomp. Use Swords Dance," Hachiman shouted as Garchomp began to summon blades of light around itself, which started to dance around it. As the blades danced, a light covered Garchomp's body, increasing its energy sharply when they disappeared.
"Let's follow their example. Ghidorah, use Nasty Plot," Haruno responded, while Hydreigon summoned a ball of dark energy above its head, which then descended to cover it completely. When the darkness vanished, Hydreigon's special power had increased dramatically.
"Its darkness might have increased, but our strength is superior. Let's show them, Garchomp, use Scale Shot."
Garchomp's body was surrounded by purple, scale-shaped figures, which it released powerfully toward Hydreigon.
"Destroy them with Dragon Pulse."
Hydreigon raised its mouth and began gathering the same purple crystalline energy, which it quickly launched at Garchomp's attack. The dragon formed by the pulse tried to advance through the rain of scales, but the force was equalized as long as Garchomp kept launching scales.
This lasted a few seconds, but as soon as the scales ran out, the Dragon Pulse hadn't lost its strength and began heading towards Garchomp.
But this time, there was no concern on Hachiman's face, who quickly gave the next order.
"Dodge it and get close to Hydreigon."
Garchomp then disappeared from Haruno's view, causing her powerful attack to hit the ground. Before Haruno could give any order, Garchomp, as if it had broken the sound barrier, appeared in front of a surprised Hydreigon.
"Dragon Claw, Garchomp!"
Hachiman, accustomed to the speed of his Pokémon, gave the order as quickly as possible while Garchomp's arms were enveloped in green energy. Haruno couldn't even shout "dodge" before her Hydreigon took a direct hit from Garchomp.
"Hydra!" Hydreigon cried out in pain as it was violently forced to retreat.
Haruno knew about Garchomp's speed, but her confidence made her forget the secondary effect of Scale Shot, combined with Garchomp's immense speed. It completely caught her by surprise.
"Ghidorah, can you stand?" Haruno asked worriedly. Hydreigon hadn't just taken an effective hit from a Dragon-type; it was also a point-blank blow from a pseudo-legendary boosted by Swords Dance.
Hydreigon tried to stand but the force of the blow was too much, and it fell to the ground, completely defeated.
"Hydreigon is unable to battle. The winner is Duke Dragon!" declared the referee as both Garchomp and Hachiman sweated, having used a lot of energy to finish the duel as quickly as possible.
"That was brilliant. He knew how to exploit the strengths of physical over special attacks and prioritized speed over endurance. If he didn't have such confidence in his Garchomp's strength, this battle would have been my daughter's," expressed Kaiji, astonished by the display of power from both pseudo-legendaries. Although the battle wasn't as long as Drapion vs. Scyther, every hit was powerful enough to take down any ordinary Pokémon. It was won by the one who struck first—a common outcome among the strong.
"We witnessed Garchomp's abilities that are rarely seen in the wild. My daughter also learned a valuable lesson: never waste a move, even as a professional. And, above all, we saw the greatest demonstration of strength between two pseudo-legendaries," Kaede expressed as she stood up with her husband and approached their butler, who carried the briefcase with the egg.
"For the egg of a Dragon Pokémon, it's a fair price," she said, taking the briefcase and heading toward her daughter to give it to her—a tradition in the Kengan tournaments where the challenger had to hand over their offered prize in unofficial duels to the winner.
Haruno, having already returned her Hydreigon to its Pokéball and congratulated it for its effort, took the briefcase from her mother and walked toward Hachiman. He was sitting, exhausted from the battle, while gently stroking the head of his Dragon Pokémon.
"I didn't expect to lose, but don't worry, I won't hold a grudge. I know how to accept defeat, especially when I was clearly outmatched. My confidence and excitement about facing another pseudo-legendary blinded me to victory," Haruno said calmly, which reassured Hachiman. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if someone of such high status held a grudge against him. Fortunately, his depressive mind didn't dwell on those thoughts.
"You know, I wouldn't mind if you visited one day for a rematch," Hachiman said, not thinking much about what he was saying due to his fatigue.
"Oh, could I consider this flirting? Are you perhaps seeking an extra reward?" Haruno said with a serious but teasing tone, which Hachiman couldn't comprehend, causing all his confidence to evaporate instantly.
"Eh-No, of course, I'm not trying to flirt. I just meant to propose a personal duel. I mean, not a personal duel like a date, but like a battle between two... I mean, I'm not looking for a date," Hachiman stammered nervously.
"Haha, it seems that only in Pokémon battles are you a monster of logic. Maybe behind the mask is a sweet treat ready to be enjoyed," Haruno said, her cheerful laugh shifting to a coquettish tone as she leaned closer to Hachiman, touching his mask.
"But I like mysteries, so just be content with this, little dragon..." Haruno said as she pulled her hand away from Hachiman's mask and kissed him on the cheek.
"Maybe next time you'll have more luck, but I assure you it won't be as easy as today..." Haruno continued as she placed the briefcase on Hachiman's lap and stood up to leave with her parents, not before blowing a kiss to a stunned Hachiman.
In his 17 years of life, after so many romantic rejections, countless victories, and the arrival of a nihilistic mindset, for the first time in his life, Hachiman was completely paralyzed, with nothing to say.