Volkner vs Azelf

Boom!!

The heavy, oppressive sound gradually settled in the surging electric light as the move's explosion dissipated.

Despite the explosion, the psychic wall still stood tall in place, showing almost no signs of damage.

Seeing this, Volkner's expression remained neutral, but a hint of heaviness crept into his heart.

He had expected that a probing attack like this wouldn't deal much damage, but failing to break through such a basic defense, even with the boost from the Electric Terrain, was still surprising.

But just as he had planned from the start, this was merely a test. The real attack was yet to come.

"Electivire, Thunder Punch!"

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

Using its Quick Attack speed, Electivire had already positioned itself beneath Azelf. Lowering its center of gravity, it pushed off powerfully with its legs, leaping into the air.

Its thick right arm, wrapped in crackling electricity, swung heavily toward Azelf above.

Azelf, with its crimson eyes, sensed the attack through its surrounding psychic field. Its small body displayed remarkable agility, easily dodging the uppercut from below. It then raised its arms, gathering an immense amount of psychic energy.

"I knew you'd do that..." Volkner muttered quietly, without issuing a new command.

Just then, Raichu's Thunderbolt arrived.

A torrent of electric energy surged from above. Azelf dodged swiftly, letting the powerful Thunderbolt pass by and strike Electivire, who was directly below.

Bzzzzt!!!

Electricity surged wildly, enveloping Electivire's entire body, and a harsh crackling sound exploded through the air.

Azelf, now back in the air, began to prepare another attack.

However, the Electivire that had taken the full brunt of the Thunderbolt wasn't injured at all. Instead... its power surged.

Volkner quietly observed the battle.

Attack and counterattack—all of this had been part of his plan, including luring Azelf into dodging the Thunderbolt. It was all to activate Electivire's ability: Motor Drive.

—This ability nullifies damage from Electric-type moves and converts it into a speed boost.

At that moment, Rotom-Fan appeared below Electivire, providing a platform for it to push off from after absorbing the Thunderbolt's power.

Electivire lowered its center of gravity once more, pushed off Rotom with a powerful stomp, and soared into the air toward Azelf again.

This time, with Motor Drive activated, its speed had increased dramatically. In just a moment, it closed the distance between the two.

Volkner's voice rang out at that precise moment.

"Knock Off!"

Dark-type energy surged over Electivire's arm as it swung downward toward Azelf.

Azelf's eyes gleamed with a strange red light as it spread its arms wide.

A green, circular protective shield enveloped its body.

It had used Protect.

Although Electivire's attack didn't break through the shield, the sheer force of the blow sent Azelf crashing to the ground.

The next moment, Electivire's Knock Off struck.

Boom!!!

Another heavy sound echoed.

Raichu, already prepared, wasted no time.

With its Electric Terrain-enhanced Thunderbolt, the electrical current crackled loudly as it collided directly with Azelf's Psychic.

Dust swirled, and the clash raged on.

Thunderous sounds erupted continuously, filling the air with their cacophony.

Raichu and Electivire—one attacking from afar, the other close-up—cooperated flawlessly. By occasionally using missed attacks to activate Motor Drive, they managed to go toe-to-toe with Azelf, and even showed signs of gaining the upper hand.

However, they still couldn't completely break the deadlock.

"No surprise, it's a legendary Pokémon. Its offense, defense, and reactions in battle are far beyond ordinary Pokémon."

"Even now, in its completely berserk state, it's still fighting with this much power..."

Volkner murmured softly to himself.

Even so, he remained calm and composed.

This too was within his expectations.

After all, if a legendary Pokémon could be defeated so easily, it wouldn't be called a legend.

Now, all he needed to do was wait for the right opportunity.

An opportunity where Azelf would be completely unable to respond.

Volkner believed that moment wasn't far off.

While the berserk Psychic-type Pokémon retained its raw combat instincts and overwhelming power, it had lost the most critical element of battle:

Calmness!

This was why Volkner had remained so composed.

A frenzied legendary Pokémon was only a matter of time before it could be controlled.

Before that, all he needed to do was remain calm and avoid mistakes.

Volkner did just that.

Even with Azelf—one of the three Lake Guardians, known for its speed, attack power, and combat prowess—fighting in such a continuous battle, it hadn't been able to land a single effective strike.

Instead, in its increasingly erratic state, especially after repeated failed attacks, it began to let out a series of ear-piercing, sharp cries.

It seemed to have fallen into complete madness, using its moves wildly.

Confusion, Psybeam, Psychic, Ancient Power, Protect, Future Sight...

It no longer cared whether the attacks hit or missed. The red gem on its forehead and tail glowed, recklessly pouring out energy in all directions.

Noticing this, Volkner swiftly judged that the time for the final strike had come.

"Rotom, Thunder Wave!"

Rotom-Fan, who had "disappeared" from the battle after serving as Electivire's launchpad, reappeared like a phantom behind Azelf, using the cover of the dust cloud.

A weak electric current surged and hit Azelf precisely.

Zzzzzt!

The faint sound of electricity crackled, and Azelf's body was enveloped in currents as it became paralyzed.

"End it all, Hex!"

Volkner waved his hand. Ghostly purple energy erupted from Rotom, enveloping Azelf's entire body in an instant.

Then, it exploded!

Hex was unleashed, the violent shockwaves ravaging Azelf's form.

Volkner watched the scene unfold from afar.

Hex deals double damage to a target with a status condition. As a Ghost-type move, it already had a type advantage over Azelf. After the prolonged battle, even a legendary Pokémon would suffer severe damage.

"It's over..."

With a soft whisper, Volkner watched Azelf collapse and prepared to clean up the battlefield.

But just as he took his first step, the psychic energy that had faded suddenly surged again, and Rotom-Fan, the closest, was blasted away.

Before Volkner could react, a Psychic blast pierced through the dust cloud, shooting straight at him!

(T/N: Bro celebrated too early)