It was like staring directly at the blazing sun, tears streamed down their faces from the sheer intensity.
Facing this pure aura, honed countless times through training, they felt as if they were being pierced by thousands of silver needles, unbearably painful.
Beyond stared at Lucario in awe and whispered quietly, "No wonder he's Larry's ace. Just seeing that aura pouring out makes you uncomfortable."
Steelix's massive body was positioned right at the cave entrance, causing many onlookers to turn their backs and focus on the intense battle unfolding behind him.
The fight on Tyranitar's side was so fierce that even Steelix had to take a step back to avoid being caught in the chaos.
The aftermath alone could have been overwhelming.
From atop Steelix's head, Larry observed Tyranitar and Shijin locked in combat, then shifted his gaze to the skirmish involving Gardevoir.
As he had predicted, Gardevoir's battle seemed less frantic and easier to manage compared to the chaos on Tyranitar's side.
The outcome was about to be decided any moment now.
When Lucario appeared, Larry immediately understood how the fight had turned.
After delivering multiple power-boosted punches, Lucario's aura flared intensely, glowing a fierce orange-red that made him look like a wild beast ready to pounce.
With a powerful roar, Lucario charged straight at the stone drill's barrier, determined to show that those shields it had painstakingly crafted were nothing but fragile paper before his strength.
The moment Lucario's body tensed and his breathing peaked, the stone drill beneath the barrier began to tremble.
With a mighty slam, Lucario crashed into the diamond wall, shattering countless diamond fragments into the air and onto the ground.
The diamond barrier, which the stone drill had relied on heavily, collapsed instantly under Lucario's assault.
Moments later, Lucario's eyes caught the shocked and fearful look of the stone drill.
This was close combat now.
Meanwhile, Tyranitar, seething with rage, unleashed a furious Hundred Slash Blades technique, teleporting with a loud roar that echoed through the dim passage.
Diamond dust glittered in the air like lightning, but Lucario's fiery orange aura surged wildly, blocking the flying debris.
His imposing figure seemed to descend like a god from the heavens, and just one clash was enough to bring down the diamond wall.
The stone drill's pupils constricted suddenly, his mind seemingly overwhelmed.
In a reflexive attempt to resist, he raised his arms defensively.
"Bang!"
The impact shook everything around them.
In the next instant, Lucario's body slammed straight into the stone drill, smashing his arms on impact.
The force sent the stone drill flying backward with a loud crash, like a person hit by a speeding truck.
Unable to control its movement, it was flung backward, pain radiating through every inch of its body.
The once proud diamond-like exterior now showed deep cracks spreading rapidly, almost as if the stone drill itself was alive.
Within moments, a massive web of fractures covered its torso.
The stone drill was hurled back, embedding itself into the rock wall and leaving a huge crater.
"Cough, cough!"
The force of the collision hit the stone drill's core hard, causing a sharp pain in its chest.
It coughed violently, spewing out a dark brown mix of solid and liquid.
If it were human, this would be blood and pieces of internal organs.
This level of strength was definitely a serious threat.
The stone drill couldn't afford to waste any more time, another attack like that could be fatal.
When it tried to wipe the blood from the corner of its mouth, it realized its arms were badly damaged.
Both hands were shattered, with only the upper parts of the arms remaining intact.
On top of that, its torso had suffered severe damage, with a large dent pressing into its abdomen.
Countless diamond fragments shattered from the surface of the stone drill's body, scattering like dust.
onto the ground. Even its core was faintly visible through the cracks.
The stone drill's face twisted in pain and fear, not just from the physical damage, but from the uncertainty of what would come next.
'The power behind that attack had to be as strong as its leader's, right?'
Though its body was slowly healing, sealing up the fractures, there was no relief or hope, only overwhelming dread.
It was utterly defeated.
Reluctantly, it had to admit that it couldn't win against this enemy, no matter how hard it tried.
Using its half-intact arm, the stone drill pushed itself up, but the fire to fight was gone.
All it wanted now was to run away, even knowing escape was unlikely.
'Damn it!'
'Why hadn't its leader dealt with that opponent yet?'
The stone drill's survival instinct flared stronger than ever as it cursed silently.
Suddenly, a massive figure appeared before it.
The orange-red aura surrounding Lucario began to fade after prolonged exertion, but it still clung tightly to his body, generating a powerful gust of wind around him.
Lucario crossed his massive arms in front of his chest, forming a "cross" shape, his spirit aura swirling majestically around them.
A cold light flashed in his eyes, and with a swift motion, he unleashed a brilliant burst of aura aimed at the trembling stone drill, which was frozen in place, seemingly "captured."
This was the stone drill's final moment.
The technique was Cross Chop, Lucario's signature move.
A booming impact shattered the air as a glowing slash cut through the stone drill, leaving a massive "cross" shaped scar that pierced from front to back.
To maximize the damage while preserving the core, Lucario deliberately avoided hitting the chest area and focused on other parts.
Without even glancing back, Lucario turned and walked away, leaving behind only the shattered remnants of the stone drill's body and its fading consciousness.
The rich orange-red light gradually faded from the shattered stone diamond, and then the remaining aura exploded outward.
Except for the crucial parts at the center, the rest of the diamond broke into pieces and fell to the ground.
As always, all the fragments were gathered into the spatial channel, waiting to be devoured by the giant steel serpent.
Larry peered deeply into the depths of the channel before turning his gaze back to Tyranitar.
The battle inside was far more intense than what was happening outside.
While Larry remained relatively unfazed by the clash between Lucario and the others, those around him felt its weight keenly.
Beyond stared at the stone diamond, which had been cleaved into a rough "cross" shape, a shiver running down his spine.
He instinctively raised a hand to his face, noticing the "cross"-shaped scar there.
Thankfully, it was just a scar, nothing as devastating as the shattered diamond, which had been torn apart completely.
A sigh escaped Beyond's lips, his tense expression easing as if relieved that at least his face remained intact.
Meanwhile, although the three golden giants had been defeated, Lucario and the others didn't leave. They knew more stone giants were on their way.
Though these giants weren't as valuable in terms of experience points, they still posed a threat that had to be dealt with.