After returning to Veilstone City, Paul told Reggie on what had happened, advising him to prepare accordingly.
Reggie's reaction was a mix of excitement and distress. Paul, who had originally been planning to leave home and set off on another journey, was temporarily staying due to the discovery of a Dynamax energy spot. Still, his attitude remain reserved—he stayed to train his Pokémon, but remained emotionally distant, as if the whole matter didn't concern him too deeply.
Dynamaxing, for all its battlefield advantages, came with one inconvenient drawback.
To use Dynamax in battle, a Wishing Star embedded in a Dynamax Band needed to absorb sufficient energy from a nearby energy point. Only then could a Pokémon be Dynamaxed.
This meant it wasn't like Mega Evolution, where a Pokémon could rest briefly between battles and still use it again. Once used, it required a full recharge period.
So, Paul simply relocated his training grounds from the Pokémon Day Care to a spot near the energy site. There, he allowed the Dynamax Band to recharge while rotating his Pokémon through the area, having them each experience the sensation of Dynamaxing firsthand.
Electivire, Hisuian Samurott, and Ninetales… One by one, each of his Pokémon underwent Dynamax, and the results surprised Paul more than he expected.
Nearly every fast Pokémon showed resistance toward Dynamaxing.
Sure, Dynamaxing made them larger, stronger, and able to endure more damage—but was it truly useful?
From their perspective, the signature Max Moves were too slow to unleash. The additional effects were underwhelming at best.
By the time they executed one Max Move, they could have landed multiple hits using their normal moves.
Of course, not every Pokémon rejected Dynamaxing.
Ursaluna and Aggron, seemed to enjoy the transformation. For heavyweight Pokémon like them, speed wasn't their strong suit to begin with, so the drawbacks didn't matter.
After all, unlike in games, slow Pokémon in real-world battles suffered from a painful disadvantage—if an opponent was intent on dodging, it was extremely difficult for slower Pokémon to land a hit.
But Dynamax offered a major upgrade—it dramatically expanded attack range, which in turn raised accuracy. A significant bonus.
What struck Paul as particularly interesting was—once Dynamaxed, his Pokémon instinctively tried to use their own signature moves to see if they were still functional.
And in a few cases, they discovered that when scaled up in size, those regular moves were actually more effective than Max Moves.
Eventually, the day before his planned departure, Paul's Dynamax testing reached its final phase.
The last Pokémon to be tested—his ace: Torterra.
Torterra was already massive by default, and Paul was curious: would it grow even larger than a typical Dynamaxed Pokémon?
Unlikely—but the curiosity lingered.
"Are you ready?" Paul asked, aiming his Poké Ball at Torterra.
"Raaa…" Torterra responded, its tone serious and eyes sharp with focus.
Seeing it was prepared, Paul returned it to the ball, then activated the power of his Dynamax Band. The Poké Ball enlarged with a flash of red light.
He hurled it.
The ground shook slightly as the ball landed and burst open. Torterra's colossal form emerged once more in a flash of swirling crimson energy.
"…What is this?!"
Paul's expression turned sharp. His gaze locked onto Torterra.
Around him, every one of his Pokémon turned to stare as well. Their eyes all widened, filled with surprise and awe—
Something was different.
Something no one expected…
"…Its shell… did it change shape?!"
Torterra's reappearance was more than just size—it was form. The shell on its back, once a singular landform with a tree, had improved. Now, it bore a colossal plateau-like terrain, jagged rock formations sprouting upward, and the lone tree in the center had expanded into an ancient, towering forest canopy. This wasn't just Dynamax.
This… was Gigantamax.
Paul narrowed his eyes, disbelief flickering across his otherwise emotionless face.
"Impossible…" he muttered. "Torterra… you've Gigantamaxed?"
As if responding, the Gigantamax Torterra let out a deep, rumbling cry—"RAAAAH"—that echoed like tectonic plates shifting. The tremor in its voice rippled through the field.
Even Electivire, usually calm, was stunned. His tail sparks stilled mid-flicker, his eyes wide as he stared at his longtime comrade.
"A Gigantamax form… without any known catalyst?" Paul's mind raced.
He knew the mechanics well. Gigantamax was rarer than standard Dynamax—only a select few species, and even then, only rare individuals among them, could undergo such a transformation. And Torterra… was not on that list. Not officially.
Unless… this was a unique mutation. A result of long-term exposure to the Galar region's energy or a latent trait awakened by intensive training.
As Paul considered the implications, the other Pokémon surrounded Torterra, curiosity overcoming their earlier shock. Aggron stomped forward, sniffing at the shifting terrain on Torterra's back; Ursaluna pawed at the air, sensing the weight of the aura; even the swift Ninetales sat still, her crimson gaze fixated in awe.
"Give it a try—unleash Frenzy Plant with that new power inside you."
Paul gave the command.
"RAAAA~"
Torterra closed its eyes, feeling the surge of power coursing through its body.
When it opened them again, the ground before it trembled violently. Brilliant green light burst forth, and from the earth, towering trees erupted, stretching skyward in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the forest had grown to dozens—hundreds—of meters tall. The trunks and branches whipped about like massive vines, striking out with terrifying force. Green leaves surged like a storm, swirling into a cyclone that resembled a leafy meat grinder.
When the move subsided, the area within several hundred meters had descended into utter chaos.
"Not clear enough. Use it again—target Electivire this time."
Paul glanced sideways at Electivire as he spoke.
"Viree?"
Electivire narrowed its eyes, confused as to why it was once again being volunteered as a target practice.
Still, it didn't flinch. Know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. If it could experience Torterra's power firsthand, it'd be easier to deal with later.
Without hesitation, Electivire flew to the front lines, ready to take the full impact of the fearsome attack.
"RAAA~"
A subtle smile flickered in Torterra's eyes before vanishing. Then, just like before, a sprawling forest of colossal trees burst from the ground, their branches lashing toward Electivire to bind and crush it.
Within the forest, the storm of green leaves whipped into a frenzy once again.
Electivire tried to rely on its speed to evade the attack.
But after only a few seconds of weaving through the chaos, the relentless storm disrupted its rhythm. The tightening grip of the trees quickly stole its space to maneuver.
Left with no other option, it raised a glowing barrier—Protect—to weather the incoming storm.
Tendrils of tree limbs wrapped around Electivire and its protective shield like vines, slamming down hard. The leaf storm, still raging like a verdant shredder, tore into the barrier, slicing at it with relentless force.
Time passed. Eventually, Protect shattered, unable to hold back the attack any longer, leaving Electivire fully exposed to the remaining barrage.
When the attack finally ended, the forest faded—but the storm remained. Electivire was still caught inside, struggling to break free.
"Vireee~…"
After some effort, Electivire finally managed to escape, but it was clear—it had been slowed down.
"So the side effect is storm-based entrapment and speed reduction, huh?"
Paul gave a slight nod, then turned toward Electivire, who looked thoroughly confused.
"One more time!"
"Vireee?!"
Before Electivire could even react, its partner-in-crime Torterra was already launching a final G-Max Move right at it.
Same process, same outcome—except this time, before Electivire could break free from the leafy cyclone, Paul reached for its Poké Ball, attempting to recall it.
But unexpectedly, the red beam of the Poké Ball couldn't penetrate the seemingly harmless storm of leaves to reach Electivire.
Just then, Torterra began to shrink, its Gigantamax energy fading and calmly walked back to Paul's side.
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