Chapter 0836: Darkrai, Use Spacial Rend and Roar of Time!（Three-in-One）

A raging sandstorm tore across the field, and from the swirling maelstrom, a blaze of white—Flygon’s wings beating at high velocity—echoed through the arena.

“Raihan’s Flygon enters the fray!” the commentator called. “Though it’s known as the ‘Desert Dragonfly,’ Flygon is a bona fide Dragon-type with the Levitate ability!”

Flygon’s unique Ground/Dragon typing lets it shrug off Earthquake, and it can even learn Dragon Dance.

Garchomp may get all the fame, but the true desert dragon is Flygon!

The audience watched in awe as Flygon zipped through the sandstorm, circling the battlefield at blinding speed.

Even with the sandstorm hampering visibility, Flygon’s Safety Goggles gave it clear sightlines.

In fact, the sandstorm whipped up by Mega Tyranitar was Flygon’s ideal battlefield!

Mega Tyranitar, armored and menacing, stood atop the sand-blasted arena, scanning for its foe.

Flygon circled relentlessly around Tyranitar, its rapid wingbeats creating interference, its movement nearly impossible to track in the swirling storm.

The two desert titans abandoned the river for the jagged rock field—a forest of stone spires.

The sharp Stealth Rock would slow Tyranitar, but couldn’t touch the airborne Flygon.

“Tyaaaan! (╬￣皿￣)” Tyranitar was clearly annoyed by this flying lizard.

Stupid dragonfly—quit buzzing around!

“Let’s see whose sandstorm reigns supreme! Unleash your dragon’s fury!” Raihan grinned fiercely, clenching his fist.

“Flygon, Dragon Dance!”

The crowd gasped as Flygon’s speed increased, circling Tyranitar faster and faster until it was a blur.

The sandstorm itself roared into a tornado, swallowing both Pokémon.

Tyranitar stood at the eye of the storm, eyes darting as Flygon vanished in the swirling wind!

“Tyranitar.” Natsume looked up, “Rock Tomb!”

More accurate than Rock Slide, Rock Tomb would cut Flygon’s speed and limit its movement.

“Tyaaaan!” Tyranitar stomped the earth, sending shockwaves through the arena.

In an instant, Stealth Rocks and giant boulders launched skyward, pelting the sandstorm from all sides.

Flygon curved its neck and tail, dodging rock after rock with dazzling skill—until a huge boulder smashed against its side, slowing it down just for a moment and exposing its silhouette in the sandstorm!

Natsume and Raihan’s eyes both flashed.

“Now’s your chance!” Natsume shouted, “Tyranitar, Stone Edge!”

BOOM!

As Tyranitar hammered down, Chairman Rose flinched on his observation deck.

“Uh oh…” Rose muttered as he twisted his curls. “I’m billing Raihan for half the repair costs this time.”

Rows of stone pillars erupted like mountains, hurtling toward Flygon. The rock peaks blazed white-hot—if any hit, they’d explode violently!

“Flygon, Dragon Rush!” Raihan yelled.

Flygon, somehow getting even faster, burst with an emerald light and shot up the sandstorm’s wall.

In a wild spin, Flygon flipped and dived, soaring straight over the Stone Edge towers as explosions detonated in its wake. It sliced toward Tyranitar with the speed of a falling sword, eyes blazing, body trailing a dragon-shaped aura.

The crowd held their breath.

Natsume’s focus sharpened, sending a psychic nudge: Catch it, Tyranitar!

BOOM!!!

A mushroom cloud billowed as the devastating twister ground to a halt, leaving a deep layer of dust.

Silence hung heavy. The crowd whispered uneasily.

“That’s the strength of an Eight Master…”

“Flygon’s already at Champion level!”

Piers stood with arms folded, silent until Marnie tugged his sleeve. Both siblings stared at the field.

“T-Tyranitar isn’t down!?” the commentator exclaimed. “It’s grabbed Flygon!!”

“What…” Raihan’s voice cracked.

On the battered field, Tyranitar stood ravaged, armor cracked, its mega form exhausted. Yet its gaze never wavered, as it gripped Flygon’s slender neck, hoisting the struggling dragon into the air—dominating it.

Look at me, you flying pest!

“Slam it down. Ice Punch!” Natsume ordered.

WHAM!!

Tyranitar hurled Flygon to the ground, the impact cracking the earth.

While Flygon reeled, Tyranitar drew back an ice-charged fist, frost snaking across the earth.

“NOW, Boomburst!” Raihan roared.

“Flygon!” Pinned down, Flygon beat its wings, shrieking—sonic blasts exploded all around, engulfing both Pokémon in a storm of sound and fire.

Through the pain, Tyranitar roared and slammed down the Ice Punch.

CRACK!!

The dust cleared. Ice crystals shimmered on spiderwebbed stone, and Flygon lay unconscious in the crater.

“Flygon is unable to battle!” Referee Dengpei waved his flag.

The crowd was shocked by the sheer brutality—drawing sharp breaths.

“Tyranitar just took down two in a row!”

“There’s only one king in the desert—Tyranitar!”

Raihan scratched his head in dismay, withdrawing the fainted Flygon.

He looked up at the man and the monster across the field, eyes glinting with reluctant admiration.

No denying it: in the sandstorm, they ruled supreme.

Even I’m on the ropes now…

Raihan dropped his gaze to the Poké Ball in his palm, squeezing tight.

But I’ve still got my most trusted partner left!

“You’re up next!” Raihan shouted, hurling the Poké Ball, “Duraludon!”

A flash of white—Duraludon emerged, its silver body gleaming like polished aluminum, standing tall and monstrous.

Worth noting: Duraludon rusts easily; only with regular care does its armor keep that satin gloss. The look of this Duraludon said a lot about Raihan’s level of care.

With Duraludon on the field, the crowd went wild, paying their respects to Raihan's ace.

“Let’s light it up!!” Raihan roared, totally absorbed, eyes sharp as steel.

“My best partner! Let’s turn this arena—and our foe—into rubble!”

Duraludon unleashed a deep, rallying roar.

Natsume nodded respectfully, recalled the battered Tyranitar, and tossed a new Poké Ball:

“I’m counting on you—Rotom!”

“Natsume Contestant swaps in Rotom!” the commentator called. “The legendary wash Rotom, a defensive powerhouse!”

Rotom appeared, hovering with buzzing wings made of plasma, grinning mischievously.

Suddenly, it froze—staring at Duraludon.

Something was off about Duraludon!

There—a beam of red light. Raihan returned Duraludon, and his Dynamax Band erupted with energy, his Poké Ball swelling in size.

With a powerful throw, Raihan hurled the giant orb—red Dynamax energy engulfing the arena!

“Go—Gigantamax Duraludon!!”

Boom!

The sky over Wyndon Stadium roiled with blood-red clouds, thunder booming as all eyes turned skyward.

Bathed in red light, Duraludon ballooned up and up, morphing into a skyscraper. Its upper half was an office tower, base massive and secure, windows shining like cut glass. It stood so tall, only the stadium’s big screen could fit it in frame.

“Look! Raihan’s using Gigantamax!!”

Spotlights lit up news helicopters in the sky, the hostess standing by the door, receiver in hand, camera turning to the monstrous giant—

“Wooooaaaah!!!”

The whole stadium exploded in feverish cheers.

Raihan’s supporters thumped rhythmically on glow sticks:

“RAIHAN! RAIHAN!”

Next to Gigantamax Duraludon, Natsume and his tiny Rotom looked utterly dwarfed.

“This is bad, Raihan’s Gigantamax Duraludon beat even Mr. Leon’s Dragapult!”

“He’s got this in the bag.”

John fixed his eyes on Natsume’s silhouette, black coat swirling, seeing a flash of Leon’s sponsor-plastered cape in his mind.

“I believe in Natsume-sensei… He’s going to win!”

“Bring it!”

Normally, Raihan was easygoing, but in battle he became downright ferocious—his savage game face, often shockingly intense.

He bared his teeth now, eyes narrowed: “G-Max Steelspike!!”

Gigantamax Duraludon’s tower-like torso shuddered, shining like a diamond as the base slammed down, sending fractured debris shooting everywhere. The whole stadium barrier flickered madly as a pathway of rebar and concrete surged straight for Rotom.

“Beep… This is trouble!” Rotom shrilled.

Those bulging concrete pillars would skewer anything in their way!

In the nick of time, Natsume barked, “Volt Switch!”

Rotom burst out in dazzling light, electrical currents zigzagging toward the G-Max Steelspike. Twisting between concrete spikes, it dodged most of the damage and zipped right up to Duraludon!

Zap! Minor damage, but Rotom made its escape—

BOOM!!

G-Max Steelspike smashed into Natsume’s side of the field’s barrier, energy flaring.

A returning spark streaked from the wreckage. Natsume caught it, recalling Rotom with a flick.

“You’re up—”

Facing down the skyscraper-like Duraludon, Natsume grabbed the Dream Ball and hurled it:

“Darkrai!!”

Raihan’s face froze.

Did I just hear him right…?

Did he say… Darkrai!?

Raihan’s eyes went wide, snapping to the field—his pupils contracting.

A cloud of utter darkness burst from the Dream Ball, landing with a chill, terrifying aura.

The front row tensed.

“What Pokémon is that?!”

“Nightmare Pokémon?!”

The darkness flared with crimson light, white mist swirling and rising, till a pair of icy blue eyes glowed—a tall, black form emerging.

Darkrai hovered, arms folded, eyes cold, levitating before the gigantic Duraludon—glancing at it almost dismissively.

So this is my opponent for tonight’s battle? Interesting. I’ll handle this, but Natsume’d better pay me overtime.

“Natsume Contestant sends out Darkrai!” the commentator exclaimed. “This is a first for Natsume on the world stage—”

Shuffling through background lore, the commentator added: “Sources say Darkrai was one of Natsume-sensei’s earliest bred Pokémon!”

The stands rippled with understanding.

Now it all made sense.

Gengar, Sylveon—they were newly raised, a baby team.

But for the World Tournament, Natsume called upon Darkrai!

Natsume and Darkrai both twitched at the same time.

Who leaked that…?

If I had to guess… it was probably Gold…

Staring at Darkrai, Raihan was visibly nervous.

No way—

This thing feels even scarier than Leon’s ultra Gigantamax Charizard!

Has to be some ability or item… Raihan clenched his jaw, voice ringing out:

“Duraludon—Max Rockfall!”

Under the stars, Gigantamax Duraludon thundered as it moved. It slammed its enormous foot down, causing the ground to split and a wall of rock ten meters high to burst up, toppling onto Darkrai.

Darkrai’s eyes narrowed.

He could dodge, but there was no need.

In the back of his mind, Natsume’s command echoed; Darkrai flashed back to their first battles together.

Back then… they’d faced Palkia and Dialga head on.

Looking back, they’d met almost every Legendary—but not yet the one in outer space, Eternatus…

“Darkrai, Spacial Rend!”

Levitatig above the arena, Darkrai’s expression went frigid as he raised both hands, gathering energy into a blade of light.

A razor-sharp arc hung in the air, shining with diamond brilliance—space itself seemed to shudder in fear.

In a flash, Darkrai swung—the Spacial Rend’s arc swelled to over ten meters, slicing the Max Rockfall clean in half!

Rubble rained down on the battered field, debris pounding the ground and stirring a choking cloud of dust.

Raihan and his Gigantamax Duraludon’s eyes went wide.

The commentator froze; the viewers everywhere lost it.

Spacial Rend kept going, cutting into Duraludon’s skyscraper midsection and detonating with a massive bang!

“Duraludon!!!”

Gigantamax Duraludon howled, the unbreakable shell gashed deep down the middle!

The Dynamax energy flickered; Duraludon’s aura faded.

Darkrai remained floating, arms folded, in the moonlit sky.

Raihan’s whole body tensed, eyes flashing as he shouted:

“Duraludon—Max Depletion!”

HUMM—

Dark purple energy surged from Duraludon as a crackling purple sphere charged in its jaws, radiating toxic metal energy.

The energy erupted—a devastating purple beam engulfed Darkrai!

Purple light drenched the field, spectators going silent.

The laser hammered at the shield, red crystals shattering.

Even the mighty barrier strained under Duraludon’s furious radiation!

“Darkrai.”

Natsume paused, then called:

“Roar of Time!”

Raihan: ?!?!

Dialga’s signature? I let Spacial Rend go, but now Roar of Time, too!?

Is this Darkrai even legal!?

Within the dazzling purple beam, Darkrai hovered calmly, protected inside a shimmering sphere.

As Duraludon’s attack waned, Darkrai’s forcefield radiated outward, freezing time across the arena—frozen fragments hung suspended.

Darkrai lifted higher in the red moon’s glow, staring down the colossal Duraludon.

“Darkrai—” Natsume barked, “Dark Void!”

A black hole spun into existence in Darkrai’s hand, swelling larger and larger, even drawing the moon’s red light toward it.

Darkrai hurled the growing Dark Void at Duraludon!

Piers and Marnie gaped, Team Yell awestruck and silent.

The black hole swallowed Gigantamax Duraludon—in the depths, a storm of explosions tore through its titanic body from top to bottom.

BOOM!!

The Dynamax power shattered; Duraludon’s form shrank with each blast till it collapsed back to its normal shape and crashed to the floor.

Referee Dengpei stared up at Darkrai silhouetted by the blood moon, momentarily speechless.

“T-this…”

That Darkrai is way overpowered, isn’t it!?

And it can learn Spacial Rend and Roar of Time!?

That’s just not fair!

He glanced at Natsume.

Natsume met the gaze, deadpan:

“They’re moves my friends taught him.”

Your friends… what are you, Arceus’s drinking buddy!?

Suddenly, Dengpei remembered the legends of the City of Wastes. After a long pause, he blew his whistle:

“Duraludon is unable to battle—”

“The winner is Natsume Contestant!!”

The crowd finally snapped out of its Darkrai-induced trance.

No exaggeration, this Darkrai could single-handedly wipe out ten Lily of the Valley Conference Darkrai!

Even a skyscraper-sized Gigantamax Duraludon couldn’t threaten it.

And true power—the kind Galar admires most—was on display!

“That was sick, Darkrai!!”

“Seventh of the Eight Masters? Is that all?”

“Told you, Natsume-sensei would wipe the floor with Raihan!”

Cheers shook the stadium.

Piers shot a glance back at Team Yell, grumbling:

“What are you waiting for…”

“Cheer him on!”

The team hesitated—then the leader nodded.

“Boss, we only cheer for Lady Marnie, usually…”

Marnie’s eyes shone. “Make an exception—cheer for Natsume-sensei. Please.”

Team Yell: “…”

Team Yell: “Natsume-sensei’s the GOAT!!” (voice cracks)

After defeating Raihan, Natsume’s ranking shot up—landing him at 11th place.

He was now eligible for the year-end top-16 elimination tournament.

Just one step away from an Eight Master seat!

As for Raihan, one more loss and he’d be replaced by Blue Oak or Natsume-sensei… Talk about bad luck.

At the center of the arena, Raihan and Natsume shook hands.

“Congrats.” Raihan said, head hanging. “Dammit… I was this close!”

“Yeah… just a teensy bit,” Natsume grinned.

Out in the stands, Chairman Rose eyed the battered arena in his silver suit, wincing:

“What a headache… Wyndon Stadium’ll need to close for repairs again…”

As the crowd cheered the victor—

A crimson beam fell from the sky just outside Wyndon.

BOOM!!

A huge explosion—spectators gasped and looked around.

“What was that!?”

“L-look, over there!!”

A Drednaw had entered Gigantamax form and was rampaging, slamming its massive head into the arena with a crash, then letting out a wild roar!

The stadium shook, the crowd screamed, and Chairman Rose grabbed the host’s receiver:

“Everyone, please remain calm—Mr. Natsume, Raihan, if you can, please…”

“Leave this to me!” Raihan’s eyes blazed.

In the stands, a figure was already sprinting out.

“Everyone, help evacuate the crowd—please!” Marnie’s face was grave as she bowed.

Team Yell hesitated, then brightened. “No problem, leave it to us, Lady!”

With Team Yell’s help, the evacuation proceeded smoothly.

Raihan mounted Flygon, charging off to battle the raging Drednaw.

Natsume stayed behind, frowning—an uneasy feeling creeping in.

The Gigantamax Pokémon rampages had never really disappeared…

Rose and Leon had simply kept it all under wraps.

“Aren’t you forgetting to tell me something, Chairman Rose?” Natsume asked coolly.

Rose folded his arms, twisting his little curl. He replied gently:

“I appreciate your concern, Champion, but I trust Leon can handle it…”

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Rose’s expression changed as he pulled out his Rotom Phone, voice going rough:

“Leon’s signal… we’ve lost contact…”

“Are you sure he’s not just lost again?” Natsume asked.

“No way,” Rose forced a smile, “we agreed to meet in Wyndon once your battle finished, but…”

He gazed into the night outside Wyndon, muttering, “A new monster’s arrived in Galar.”

“Tell me everything, Chairman Rose.” Natsume’s voice went steely. “Give me the full story—and I’ll make sure Galar’s greatest Champion comes back alive!”

Rose stared for a moment, suddenly realizing he wasn’t simply negotiating with a Champion.

He was standing with a Battle Legend.

“Leon… is on the tower in Hammerlocke…”

On the tower’s summit, Leon’s golden eyes burned, his purple hair and cape flickering in the wind.

Before him crouched a colossal legendary Pokémon, its body forged of crimson bone, radiating a blood-red aura as it roared at Leon and Charizard atop Hammerlocke’s highest spire.

“The legendary Pokémon of battle—Eternatus!”