He knows Pokémon better than me.

Chapter 4280: The curtain falls, the badge discs are complete!

Soon, all three Gigantamax Degradation Degradation attacks of Aluminum Steel Dragon were released.

call out--!

The colossal aluminum steel dragon's skyscraper-like body also began to be enveloped in red light, and its size rapidly shrank.

In the blink of an eye, it returned to its original form.

Clang!

The aluminum-steel dragon swayed, and half of its body slammed heavily to the ground, making a dull metallic sound.

Having taken three powerful flying knee kicks in a row, and with its evolution stone destroyed prematurely, even with the boost from Gigantamaxing that doubled its stamina, it now has very little stamina left.

On the other side, the bandana-wearing thug wasn't in much better shape either.

His breathing was heavy, and his white, peeling trousers were covered in dust and scratches.

Even though Mega Evolution significantly boosted its defense, taking three Gigantamax moves left it in a precarious state.

What's even more troublesome is—

The effects of Gigantamax Deterioration have completely shut down its high-powered moves.

Flying knee kick, close combat, and double-edged headbutt are all unusable!

Of course, its only advantage is that it is still in a state of mega evolution.

This is one of the benefits of Mega Evolution: there are no turn restrictions. As long as you don't faint, even if you switch characters and return to the field, you will still be in Mega Evolution form.

At both ends of the field, both Chibana and Marie were staring intently at each other's Pokémon, their expressions more serious than ever before.

The battle has reached its final stage!

Qibana composed himself and shouted loudly:

"A massive impact!!"

Mary spoke almost simultaneously:

"We'll use a flying kick!"

The skill points for Flying Knee Kick have been depleted, and Flying Kick is considered a lower-tier version of Flying Knee Kick.

The aluminum-steel dragon's body began to spin at high speed, its silver-white metal shell leaving sharp afterimages. Its entire body seemed to transform into a giant metal drill bit as it charged straight at the dragon!

"Thug—!"

The mega-banded thug didn't back down; it lowered its body and quickly stepped forward.

Just as the two were about to collide head-on, the hooded thug suddenly leaped high into the air, avoiding the heavy impact!

Then, it bent its knees in mid-air.

A white light enveloped it, and with its last bit of strength, it swooped down!

Under extreme circumstances, the aluminum-steel dragon forcibly adjusted its direction.

His rapidly spinning body tilted upwards, its drill-like sharp tip heading straight for the hooded thug's flying kick!

Clang!

In the center of the arena, a deafening metallic explosion erupted, sending sparks flying.

The impact created a shockwave that spread outwards, cracking the ground and engulfing the two Pokémon in billowing smoke and dust.

The entire room fell silent.

The audience instinctively held their breath, staring intently at the center of the smoke.

Xiao Zhi in the front row even stood up and opened his eyes wide.

"Now the battle should be over, right?"

It's been too long!

It was supposed to be a 3-on-3 gym challenge, but it felt like it lasted for at least a week?

Beside him, Yuji nodded in agreement, wiping the sweat from his brow, feeling even more anxious than his battle with Ash.

Soon, the smoke and dust dissipated.

In the center of the arena, Aluminum Steel Dragon lay on its side on the ground, its silver-white body motionless, its eyes rolling.

Beside it, the hooded thug also collapsed, his hands clutching one knee, his body curled up in the same position he had just been in after the flying kick.

Whoosh!

Its light dissipated, indicating it had exited the Mega Evolution state, and its white molt skin returned to its original earthy yellow color.

Immediately afterwards, the hooded thug's eyes also turned into round eyes, and he completely fainted.

The Rotom drone immediately lowered its altitude, circled both sides to check, and then loudly gave its final judgment:

"Aluminum Steel Dragon and Headband Thug are both incapacitated!"

"Since all three of Raihana's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this Hammerlocke Arena Challenge is Marie!"

On the big screen, the three Poké Balls below the Qibana League Card have all gone dark. Meanwhile, on Marnie's side, the Grimmsnarl icon remains lit.

It was a very tough challenge, but they managed to secure the final victory!

At the same time, the entire audience erupted in exceptionally enthusiastic cheers!

Applause, cheers, and whistles mingled together, especially from Mary's private cheering squad—the Shouting Team—who were particularly enthusiastic.

Inflatable sticks, megaphones, and flags were all used.

"Miss Mary is truly the best!!"

"Gallar's strongest rookie!!"

"You little brat, you wait, I'm coming for you!!"

The shouts grew louder and louder, but the content of the shouts made Xiaozhi chuckle dryly.

Don't these fans realize they're actually doing their idol a disservice by praising him too much?!

On the field, both players recalled their unconscious Pokémon.

Qibana let out a long breath and then walked towards Mary.

His expression was quite cheerful, showing absolutely no trace of the gloom that comes with losing a match.

"I lost~"

Upon reaching him, Cibana rubbed the back of his neck and said with a carefree smile:

"You and your Pokémon did a great job today!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Cibaner!"

Mary responded solemnly, her face still bearing that cold expression, though her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyes were noticeably brighter.

Qibana naturally saw her expectation and didn't keep her in suspense any longer, taking out a small, dark gold plate from his pocket.

"Here, this is proof of your victory in the Quan Guan Arena."

He handed over the badge.

Dragon Emblem!

Mary accepted the badge, her heart pounding with emotion.

Then, she took out her badge disc from her purse, with only one missing corner remaining.

Mary immediately aligned the Dragon Emblem with the empty space and pressed it gently.

click!

The small, dark gold panels were fitted in perfectly, finally completing the whole structure!

She looked down at the complete disc in her hand, her eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.

Eight badges—

I've finally collected them all!

Congratulations, Mary!

At this moment, Ash and Yuuji, who were in the front row of the stands, also came over and smiled as they offered their blessings.

Yuji stepped forward and patted his old friend on the shoulder, offering a simple word of comfort:

"That was a great play, but it was still a little lacking."

After watching the whole game, he couldn't say for sure whether Cibana had actually used his full strength.

At least in terms of command, it should be 100% effective.

"Haha, you two came at the perfect time!"

Qibana showed no sign of disappointment; instead, his eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled the three people to the center.

"Come on, let's commemorate this first!"

He stood on the far left, skillfully pulled out his Rotom phone with his backhand, and held it high.

Before Ash and Marie could react, the camera was already focused on the four of them.

Click!

The image freezes, capturing all four people in the photograph.

The World Championships and Dojo Challenges of the past two days have finally come to an official close! (End of Chapter)