After the Rillaboom was pierced through its left shoulder, it woke up. But before it could make a move, the Mizutsune's water gun slid slightly, severing its spine.
Call! The Mizutsune landed steadily, then blew away all the bubbles in a single breath, dispelling the illusion of the night. The battlefield instantly returned to normal. The Rillaboom, its spine severed, could no longer fight. It lay weakly on the ground, unable to move.
"Rillaboom is unable to battle! Mizutsune wins!" Iris announced.
"You worked hard, Rillaboom," Leon sighed softly, recalling his Pokémon. The Mizutsune's trick had been a cheap shot. The bubbles had obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to give orders. He had to rely on his Rillaboom's own judgment. If he had known the move also had a psychedelic effect, he would have found it even more ridiculous.
"Mizutsune, come back," Zhang smiled, recalling his own monster.
Leon didn't speak, but looked at Zhang with a serious face. He now had only two Pokémon left. He was at a major disadvantage. He needed to think more seriously to find a chance to win.
This is awesome! Leon thought. He was not frustrated by his impending loss, but faintly looked forward to it. If he lost, he would have an opponent, someone to chase. It was much better than the loneliness of being invincible.
"Please prepare for the next round. I will start the countdown!" Iris announced. "30! 29..."
"What a beautiful move!"
"The sea rises, the moon ascends, a thousand layers of bubbles... good poetry! What a poem!"
"The Mizutsune is good-looking, and its skills are just as beautiful."
"Beautiful and dangerous, but truly beautiful." The Mizutsune's Kinship Skill, "Bubbles Under the Moon," had surprised all the viewers with its beauty.
"It really is pretty," Bea said, nudging Cynthia. "Cynthia, do you want a Mizutsune?"
"It's good-looking, and I want one, but from what I know of Zhang, these Pokémon of his are basically unique. There isn't a second one in the world," Cynthia replied, shaking her head. "So, if you want a Mizutsune, I'm afraid you can't get one."
"Why are you so sure?" Bea asked, puzzled.
"Because you're stupid!" Cynthia smiled, poking her on the forehead. "Zhang is not an unfeeling person. If he could give us one of his huge monsters, he would have done so long ago. The reason he hasn't is either because they are unique, or because they are too dangerous and cannot be tamed by anyone but him. The ferocity of these Pokémon is obvious. In anyone else's hands, they would be man-eating evil beasts."
"That's a pity," Bea sighed. "I was originally going to discuss with you sacrificing our beauty to get one."
"What on earth is going on in that head of yours?" Cynthia looked at her, speechless.
Many people wanted a Mizutsune. If not for Zhang's extraordinary strength, someone would have tried to take one by unconventional means long ago.
It's a pity. This kid's strength is too great. Even if we wanted to grab it, we'd be looking for death. Many bounty hunters looked at the image of Zhang on their phones and sighed. He was an Elite Four-level trainer, a walking natural disaster. To rob him would be suicide.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Begin!"
"Lunagaron! Roar for them!"
"Inteleon! It's up to you!"
A red light flashed, and a humanoid lizard appeared before Leon. It was his Inteleon, 1.9 meters tall, cool and handsome.
Inteleon
Level: 61 (Elite Four)Ability: SniperItem: Focus Sash
Before Zhang, the ice-blue Lunagaron appeared.
"Roar!" it let out a deafening, extremely fierce roar. Compared to the Mizutsune, the Lunagaron was much more ferocious, reminding many viewers of his Tigrex—the same fierceness, the same violence.
"Another unseen Pokémon has appeared! How many unknown Pokémon does this Zhang Tian have? One is stronger than the next, one more perverse than the last. I don't know how many times I've been shocked."
Lunagaron
Level: 69 (Elite Four)Ability: Breath of the WindItem: Float Stone (Custom effect: also doubles speed)
"Taunt!" Zhang ordered. Inteleon's Special Attack was good, but only good. To defeat the Lunagaron, it would have to rely on status moves. Zhang had to stamp out that possibility from the start.
"Inteleon, Snipe Shot! All your strength!" Leon countered. Inteleon didn't have the move Taunt, so it couldn't counter-taunt. Leon knew this was his only chance.
"Roar!" The Lunagaron raised its huge claws and beckoned to the Inteleon, using Taunt. At the same time, the Inteleon raised its hand like a pistol.
Burn! The fire of emotion ignited on its body. Win or lose! Leon bet everything on this one move. I hope that ice wolf doesn't have a Focus Sash, he thought apprehensively.
Bang!
A finger-thick jet of blue water shot from the Inteleon's fingertip, aimed at the Lunagaron's head. The water jet glowed with an illusory flame—the fire of its emotion. The move was extremely fast, like a laser.
"Protect!" The Lunagaron forcibly interrupted its Taunt and used Protect. The wolf was cunning. It had seen the fire of emotion on the Inteleon and knew it was going all-in. So, it had pretended to use Taunt slowly, preparing to use Protect at any moment.
A translucent barrier rose, easily blocking the extremely dangerous attack.
"Nice job, Lunagaron," Zhang praised with a smile.
"Fooled!" Leon frowned. He hadn't expected the ice wolf to be so cunning.
"Such a clever Pokémon," Iris's eyes lit up. This kind of cunning was something Zhang's other Pokémon didn't seem to possess. The Seregios was arrogant, the Tigrex was ferocious, the Zinogre was confident, and the Mizutsune was aloof. But this Lunagaron... it was clever.
"Roar!" the Lunagaron roared, opening its mouth as a terrifying cold breath swept across the entire battlefield. The grassy terrain was instantly frozen into a sea of ice sculptures. Leon's face was a mask of helplessness. The cold was too much; even Protect wouldn't be enough to hold it back.
But even so, he did not give up. "Inteleon, Sword Dance, then Baton Pass," he ordered.
The Inteleon's eyes showed a look of absolute resolve as it used Sword Dance, its Attack rising by two stages just as the cold air hit. Its Focus Sash saved it from the first wave, giving it a chance to use its second skill.
"Baton Pass!" It vanished in a red light, but even in that state, it was injured by the cold air. It wouldn't be able to fight again, but for Leon, trading it to power up his Charizard was a worthwhile deal.
Bang! The red light flared, and his Charizard appeared, now with a +2 Attack boost. It was his ace, the Pokémon he had used to compete with the legendary Eternatus.
"Roar!" it let out a happy roar. It had been wanting to play for a long time.
Charizard
Level: 63 (Elite Four)Ability: BlazeItem: Charcoal
"Flare Blitz!" Charizard charged towards the Lunagaron, its body wreathed in flames, breaking through layer after layer of the cold air.
Something is wrong with this Charizard's attack power, Zhang thought, his brow furrowed. Even with a +2 boost, its Attack should only be around 168. The Lunagaron's is 190. The power of my cold breath is not weaker than Flare Blitz, and the Lunagaron's ability boosts its power by 100%. Charizard should not be able to charge through the cold air. It's not scientific.
Then he saw it. An illusory flame burning on the Charizard's tail, so much like a real flame that he hadn't noticed it at first. It was the strongest fire of emotion he had ever seen. That's the power of their bond. Worthy of being Leon's ace. But in the face of absolute strength, even bonds must give way.
"Lunagaron, werewolf form, then Sword Dance," he ordered. The cold air couldn't stop the Charizard, but it could delay it long enough for the Lunagaron to use Sword Dance.
"Roar!" The Lunagaron's muscles instantly expanded as it stood up on two legs like a werewolf, its attack doubling. It then began to use Sword Dance.
Seeing this, Leon knew he could no longer let his Charizard advance. "Gigantamax! Let's go!" he yelled, aiming his Poké Ball.
"So decisive. Worthy of being Leon," Zhang nodded, recognizing his opponent's command ability. Just as the Lunagaron completed its Sword Dance, the Charizard also completed its Gigantamax transformation. It was much better than letting the Lunagaron get a free boost.
The full story so far is available on Patreon!: patreon.com/Zefyrus