The Indomitable Lucario

Despite Latias showing signs of exhaustion, battling a Legendary Pokémon like her was still an incredibly daunting task for Lucario.

With a resounding "boom," a Dragon Pulse hit Gardenia's Arcanine, causing it to fall. Facing a Legendary Pokémon, even high-level Pokémon like Arcanine struggled to keep up. All it could do was provide some distraction.

Gardenia only had Arcanine and Electivire as her remaining Pokémon. Now that both were incapacitated, she had no way to intervene in the battle.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble for Nurse Joy, Gardenia quickly recalled her Pokémon and moved away from the battlefield.

On the battlefield, only Chimegcho and Florges, who could only assist and not engage directly, remained alongside Lucario to face Latias alone.

"Lucario, engage in close combat!" Nurse Joy commanded.

Upon hearing Nurse Joy's orders, Lucario leaped up from the ground like a missile and landed squarely on Latias's back. It swiftly rotated on her back, alternately pounding her with its two fists and finishing with a powerful kick that sent Latias crashing to the ground.

Although Latias was already in a frenzied state, the pain on her back was excruciatingly clear. After the fall, she let out a deafening roar.

After landing, Latias took off into the air once more, her gaze fixed on Lucario with a menacing glare as she unleashed another Dragon Pulse.

Lucario, with incredible agility, somersaulted in the air, evading the Dragon Pulse's attack effortlessly.

However, Latias was relentless, unleashing wave after wave of Dragon Pulses at Lucario.

"Lucario, run circles around Latias while using Swords Dance!" Nurse Joy ordered.

Lucario's incredible speed allowed it to circle around Latias rapidly, dodging each Dragon Pulse attack with its unique aura power while performing a Swords Dance.

After three consecutive Swords Dances, Nurse Joy shouted, "Lucario, use Ice Punch!"

Upon hearing Nurse Joy's command, Lucario suddenly stopped its circles and, after avoiding another Dragon Pulse attack, swiftly moved beneath Latias. With a leap, it delivered a powerful Ice Punch to Latias's abdomen.

The intense pain prompted Latias to respond instinctively, swatting Lucario, which was still in mid-air, down with a Dragon Claw.

Seeing this Chimecho choose to use a Heal Pulse on Lucario.

Had it not been for the Misty Terrain dampening the Dragon Claw's power, Yuga suspected Lucario might have been down for the count.

Lucario could use Heal Pulse itself, but in this fast-paced battle, it didn't have the time to do so. Stopping to heal itself would have rendered it defenseless. That's why Yuga's Chimegcho was needed.

Initially, Nurse Joy's Blissey had played the role of Chimegcho, but Latias' early battle prowess was too overwhelming, leaving Lucario powerless as it watched Blissey get knocked down.

After three Swords Dances, the damage inflicted by Lucario's Ice Punch had become too severe for Latias. She roared and retaliated with a Draco Meteor.

Seeing this, Yuga quickly released his Vivillon, instructing it to use Protect to shield himself, Chimegcho, and Florges.

Unfortunately, even the so-called impenetrable Protect displayed cracks under the relentless Draco Meteor. Yuga watched in sheer anxiety.

However, the protective shield formed by the Protect move ultimately shattered.

Fortunately, Lucario came to Yuga's rescue, using Bone Rush to deflect each incoming meteor that threatened them.

Gardenia had wisely taken cover behind a giant tree trunk, avoiding the rain of meteors. In front of Nurse Joy, a Cloyster with Protect guarded her. Although this Cloyster wasn't of a high level, not even close to being a pseudo-Elite, it served its purpose well in protecting Nurse Joy.

After this Draco Meteor, the once small island was left pockmarked and ablaze. Countless trees were now engulfed in roaring flames, and it seemed like a disaster was imminent.

As Nurse Joy observed the island, riddled with craters, her heart ached, and she couldn't help but feel intense resentment toward certain individuals.

"Cloyster, use Rain Dance!" Nurse Joy commanded.

The Cloyster by Nurse Joy's side let out a soft cry and released a blue sphere into the sky. In no time, dark clouds gathered, and a light drizzle began to fall. The already chilly autumn air made Yuga shiver as the cold raindrops pelted his face. Even Latias in the air seemed to pause, panting heavily, her crimson eyes reflecting a hint of confusion as she gazed at the forest engulfed in flames.

However, this pause was brief. In the blink of an eye, her confusion turned into madness, and she unleashed a flurry of Dragon Pulses towards Lucario.

At this point, Florges had lost track of how many times she had created the Misty Terrain. She only felt a bit drained, relying on her Level-40-something Pokémon to maintain the Misty Terrain against a Legendary Pokémon was taxing.

Evading the successive waves of Dragon Pulses, Lucario closed in on Latias once again. With a swift jump, Lucario landed on her back, delivering a series of brutal Ice Punches.

The frigid blows stimulated Latias's nerves, and she thrashed in the air, attempting to shake Lucario off her back. But she couldn't succeed.

After enduring countless Ice Punches, Latias finally closed her eyes unwillingly and fell from the sky. Lucario executed a somersault and landed safely on the ground. However, as it landed, its legs nearly buckled, almost causing it to kneel.

Even a Champion-level Pokémon like Lucario found it incredibly challenging to face a Legendary Pokémon on its own. If Latias hadn't lost her sanity, her reasoning, and if there weren't several other Pokémon assisting, Lucario would have had no chance against her.

When Latias fell, Nurse Joy rushed to her side and quickly examined her. The worried expression on her face made it evident that Nurse Joy and Latias shared a close relationship.

"It's finally over!" Gardenia exclaimed, relieved, as she approached from a distance. "I thought we were done for today."