The energy torrent of [Dragon Pulse] surged forward, roaring toward its target.
Taking it head-on was out of the question—unless Aegislash switched to Shield Form. But doing so would nullify the threat of [Shadow Sneak] against Garchomp.
Leon made his decision in an instant.
“Aegislash, dodge!”
The moment the command rang out, Aegislash, still mid-attack, reacted immediately. It abandoned its assault without hesitation and veered sharply to the side.
Whoosh—
The gleaming wave of draconic energy brushed past Aegislash by a hair’s breadth, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
[Dragon Pulse] crashed into the ground where Aegislash had stood, blasting open a gaping crater.
Leon’s eyes narrowed as he took in the destruction. So it’s just as I thought… Luo Yuan is a formidable opponent.
And yet, the thrill only fueled Leon’s excitement.
It had been a long time since anyone in Galar had truly challenged him—this was the exhilaration of meeting a worthy rival in battle.
“Let’s go, Aegislash! Give it two hundred percent! Use [Autotomize]!”
A flash of silvery light shimmered over Aegislash’s form as it dramatically shed weight, trading mass for speed.
Suspended midair, Aegislash shot upward, its figure suddenly blurred as it became a silver streak hurtling toward Garchomp.
“Leon’s striking back!” the crowd roared from the sidelines, faces alight with anticipation.
The broadcast director, a veteran of many matches, swiftly cut the feed to a close-up of Luo Yuan.
Viewers across the stadium leaned forward, searching his expression for any flicker of unease. But to their dismay, Luo Yuan wore the same serene smile as always.
Was Luo Yuan nervous?
Not at all.
He knew Aegislash’s base Speed stat was a pitiful 60—even with [Autotomize] boosting it, it still wasn’t enough to warrant his concern.
To him, it was like watching a snail pick up the pace to turtle-speed.
“Garchomp.”
Luo Yuan called out calmly.
He didn’t issue a specific command, but Garchomp instantly understood, reading the psychic signal that pulsed through their bond.
Its eyes sharpened.
With a thunderous stomp, Garchomp lowered its center of gravity, coiling like a spring.
Then it swung its arm—right at the incoming Aegislash.
Clang!
Aegislash collided with Garchomp’s claw in a metallic crash.
The impact gouged deep furrows into the ground as Garchomp was pushed back. Aegislash, too, was nearly knocked off course, but it stabbed itself into the earth to regain balance.
Slight advantage: Aegislash.
“He landed the hit!”
“But it still didn’t break through!”
Spectators shouted in every direction.
Leon, however, wasn’t surprised that Luo Yuan’s Garchomp had endured the blow.
If he couldn’t block that, I’d be disappointed.
These thoughts barely flickered through Leon’s mind before he issued his next command.
“Aegislash, [Flash Cannon]!”
Still anchored in the ground, Aegislash raised its arms. Streams of silvery energy began to gather, converging rapidly at the tip of its blade.
Leon glanced across the field at Luo Yuan.
Let’s see if you can block this one.
He’d chosen the perfect moment. With Garchomp still recovering from the clash, its posture slightly stiff, Aegislash had all the time it needed to charge [Flash Cannon]. By the time Garchomp could respond, the move would already be fully powered.
Leon’s plan: force Garchomp onto the defensive, and seize control of the match.
But… would Luo Yuan really allow such an opening?
Just as Leon was contemplating his next steps, he noticed Luo Yuan smiling again.
What’s he smiling at?
That question hadn’t even fully formed when Luo Yuan spoke:
“Activate it.”
At his command, the ground beneath Aegislash—where Garchomp had just been—suddenly collapsed.
The once-solid floor crumbled into a churning, sand-filled pit.
“[Sand Tomb]!”
Swirling quicksand erupted from the ground, clinging to Aegislash like living tendrils, dragging it downward.
“When did he—?!”
Leon hadn’t seen Garchomp use [Sand Tomb] at all.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Aegislash was trapped—its lower body already halfway consumed by the sand. It struggled fiercely, trying to break free.
Had this happened at the start of the match, Aegislash might’ve had a chance by using [Gyro Ball] to power through the trap.
But after using [Autotomize], it had sacrificed weight for speed—leaving it with no strength to resist the pull of the sand.
Unable to break free, Aegislash began switching to Shield Form, hoping to defend itself until it could escape.
But Luo Yuan gave no such chance.
“It’s time to end this. Garchomp—[Earthquake]!”
Normally, Garchomp’s [Earthquake] wouldn’t affect Aegislash while it was hovering.
But now…
Garchomp glanced at its opponent, half-buried in the sand, and slammed its foot into the ground.
A brutal pulse of force tore through the stadium floor, radiating outward in jagged cracks.
Seismic energy surged, splitting the battlefield open—unstoppable, unrelenting.
In the heart of the sand trap, Aegislash, now a mere leaf adrift in a sandstorm, was swallowed whole.
The sand roared skyward.
Then—silence.
The battlefield stilled.
Garchomp remained standing alone. Aegislash had vanished beneath the sea of sand.
What happened?
The audience held their breath, eyes locked on the field.
Even the referee hesitated. No one knew for certain what state Aegislash was in—had it fainted, or could it still mount a comeback?
Everyone stared in stunned silence at the swirling sands.
Finally, Luo Yuan, ever thoughtful, had Garchomp use [Dig] to unearth Aegislash—now clearly unconscious and unable to battle.
Crisis resolved.
Really, though, it wasn’t a surprise.
Aegislash’s fragile offensive form couldn’t possibly withstand the double Ground-type damage from [Sand Tomb] and [Earthquake].
—
T/N: i just want charizard vs charizard
This is a fan translation of 我，火箭队二把手！ by 落唯 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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