"Incineroar."
After a moment of thought, Dylan decided to send out Incineroar first.
The "Strongest Incineroar in the Universe" made its grand appearance once again, letting out a menacing roar at Hydreigon, whose three heads gave a cold, fierce glare.
Intimidate activated!
Under the invisible pressure, Hydreigon's white glow dimmed, and its physical attack was lowered by one stage.
"Incineroar is really useful!"
Itto couldn't help but exclaim. Throughout this battle, he realized that Incineroar was an exceptionally excellent Pokémon.
The strategy of combining Intimidate, Fake Out, and Parting Shot directly reduces the opponent's physical attack twice and special attack by one stage. It's a combination that fits any team.
Most importantly, although Dylan didn't have Incineroar face opponents directly, Itto knew very well that Incineroar itself is actually quite powerful!
After all, being one of the starter Pokémon of the Alola region, its combat power couldn't possibly be weak.
"Again with this Incineroar." Zinnia's face darkened, and her brows furrowed.
Just the sight of this fierce and muscular Incineroar made her sick! It's such a waste for it to be so big.
It's a pity Hydreigon wouldn't chase after it, otherwise, she'd definitely make it taste defeat!
There wasn't much else to say after that. With Fake Out followed by Parting Shot, under Hydreigon's cold and angry gaze, Incineroar retreated back into Dylan's Poké Ball.
Hydreigon ended up with its physical attack lowered by two stages and special attack by one, significantly reducing its combat power.
Zinnia didn't withdraw Hydreigon. There was no point; as long as Incineroar wasn't dealt with, any Pokémon that came out would have to endure this combo.
Right now, she wanted to see what Pokémon Dylan would use to counter her Hydreigon.
"Meowha!"
Dylan decisively threw out his fifth Poké Ball.
"Meow~"
With a lazy, magnetic purr, a humanoid, light green Pokémon elegantly stood up, arms spread in a haughty pose.
It was Dylan's Meowscarada!
"Oh~ This is Dylan's starter Pokémon."
Itto's eyes lit up as he observed the Meowscarada, whose lazy demeanor masked a deep sense of malice and arrogance.
He knew, of course, that Dylan's starter Pokémon was a Sprigatito, which had clearly evolved into this Meowscarada.
"Eh? Brother's starter Pokémon?"
Lillie's bright eyes also lit up. As everyone knows, for a trainer, the starter Pokémon holds a truly unique significance.
It's the first partner that accompanies you on your journey as a trainer. Regardless of its strength, its existence is extraordinary.
So, for most trainers, the starter Pokémon is either their ace or a key member of their team, or at the very least, their most important friend and partner.
Even if it eventually becomes less powerful than the rest of your team, its significance remains unparalleled.
Beep~ Meowscarada, Grass/Dark type, Magician Pokémon
Ability: Overgrow
Moves: Flower Trick, Leaf Storm, Grassy Terrain, Play Rough, Energy Ball, Knock Off, U-turn, Sucker Punch, Frenzy Plant…
Description: It skillfully distracts its enemies and then detonates a pollen-filled flower bomb it secretly planted.
Amazing!!
Lillie curiously watched the mischievous and arrogant Meowscarada. She wasn't sure how strong it was, but it certainly seemed powerful.
"A Grass/Dark type Meowscarada," Zinnia squinted slightly. "That type combination is four times weak to Bug moves."
However, Hydreigon only knew U-turn as a Bug-type move. Still, that wasn't a big issue.
Even if Hydreigon was weakened, there's no way it would lose to just a Grass-type cat!
"Hydreigon! Use Flamethrower!" Zinnia quickly launched her attack.
Hydreigon growled, and the mouths of its three heads filled with fire.
Indeed, Hydreigon might only have consciousness and a brain in its central head, but its left and right heads can still attack, though they lack the power of the central head. This is one of Hydreigon's natural advantages.
The next moment, Hydreigon flew to the front and above Meowscarada, firing three streams of flames toward the ground.
A Fire-type Flamethrower!
"Sucker Punch," Dylan said with a faint smile.
A sinister black light flickered in Meowscarada's eyes, and before the flames could hit, its light green figure vanished.
A Dark-type priority move, Sucker Punch!
"So fast!" Zinnia's eyes sharpened.
You could faintly see the extremely swift light green figure sprinting, then leaping high behind Hydreigon.
With its superior jumping ability and the acceleration of Sucker Punch, Meowscarada was behind Hydreigon in the blink of an eye.
"Hydreigon, it's behind you, use Flamethrower!"
Zinnia quickly commanded Hydreigon.
Hydreigon's two side heads immediately turned backward, red flames gathering, and it used Flamethrower!
"Meow~!"
But Meowscarada did a backflip, its right foot surrounded by a dark aura, landing a heavy kick on Hydreigon's back.
A Dark-type Sucker Punch!
Hydreigon grunted; the damage from Sucker Punch wasn't much, but the impact knocked it down slightly in altitude.
But that slight drop meant that Hydreigon's double Flamethrower missed Meowscarada, shooting past below it.
Meowscarada landed right on Hydreigon's back.
Hydreigon sensed something on its back, glancing back at Meowscarada with an angry roar.
"Hydreigon! Ascend rapidly!"
Zinnia's expression grew grim. She needed to shake off Meowscarada, or Hydreigon would have trouble attacking.
Hydreigon suddenly shot upwards, trying to use high-speed maneuvers to shake off Meowscarada from its back.
"Play Rough!" Dylan slowly raised a grin.
What?!
Zinnia's pupils contracted. This Grass cat actually knew Play Rough?!
At this moment, Meowscarada clung tightly to the black fur on Hydreigon's neck with one paw, while its other arm glowed with pink energy.
A Fairy-type Play Rough!
And Hydreigon, a Dark/Dragon type, is four times weak to Fairy moves!
"Hydreigon! Dive down!" Zinnia shouted urgently.
Hydreigon quickly spun around and began a high-speed dive.
Hydreigon's speed kept increasing, and Meowscarada found it increasingly difficult to maintain its balance, almost falling off. Fortunately, it managed to grab onto the fur on Hydreigon's neck.
Meanwhile, Meowscarada's left paw kept hammering at Hydreigon.
Play Rough was very painful. Hydreigon roared in agony, its body wobbling and struggling to fly straight!
Even if Meowscarada couldn't attack with full strength in this state, Play Rough was still too much for Hydreigon.
After the fourth hit from Meowscarada, which essentially amounted to a full Play Rough attack, Hydreigon finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell with a wail.
Boom~!
Under Zinnia's grim expression, the Hydreigon crashed heavily to the ground. Dust billowed up, and the ground trembled slightly, showing just how hard it had fallen.
"Play Rough!"
But Dylan didn't wait for the dust to settle before ordering Meowscarada to attack again.
The previous Play Rough had severely injured Hydreigon; another hit would be perfect.
Through the hazy dust, Meowscarada remained on top of Hydreigon, its sharp claws and fangs, glowing with a pink aura, continually striking at Hydreigon.
Hydreigon's pained growls echoed again. When the dust finally began to clear, Meowscarada gracefully stood up and walked back to Dylan with elegant cat-like steps.
At the bottom of the pit, Hydreigon was already unconscious.
Meowscarada's unsuccessful initial surprise attack, the heavy impact from the fall, and two quadruple-effective Play Roughs—Hydreigon simply couldn't withstand it.
Silence! The crowd fell completely silent!
The Draconid people stared at the defeated Hydreigon with strange looks in their eyes. Zinnia's Hydreigon was her strongest Dragon-type after her ace, Salamence!
Yet now it had been defeated without accomplishing anything... well, it did do something: it spewed fire twice.
It was clear that the main reason was that the agile Meowscarada found an opportunity to get on Hydreigon's back, but regardless of the process, the outcome was that Hydreigon was utterly defeated.
Zinnia was also completely silent, staring at Hydreigon, lost in thought.
"Hydreigon is unable to battle. Meowscarada wins."
Itto announced the result of the battle.
"Yay! Meowscarada is amazing!" Lillie cheered, waving her tiny fists. As expected of her brother's first Pokémon! Who cares about Hydreigon, the pseudo-legendary? Haha, we took it down easily!
Zinnia recalled Hydreigon and stared at its Poké Ball for a long time, taking a deep breath to calm her turbulent emotions.
Zinnia's gaze toward Dylan had subtly changed as she took out another Poké Ball and threw it.
"Salamence!"
"Roar~!"
A dragon's roar echoed through the sky as crimson wings spread wide. A fearsome, incredibly fierce dragon looked down at Meowscarada with its savage eyes.
A four-legged dragon Pokémon with striking, blood-red wings, a long tail, and a deep blue body.
It was none other than Salamence, the pseudo-legendary Dragon Pokémon! The aura of dragon's majesty spread, and even Lillie could sense something was off. This Salamence was clearly stronger than Zinnia's previous Pokémon!
"Another pseudo-legendary Dragon-type..."
Lillie took out her Pokédex and pointed it at Salamence.
"Beep~ Salamence, Dragon/Flying type, the Dragon Pokémon.
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Double-Edge, Flamethrower, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, Hyper Beam, Hurricane...
Description: With wings that finally grew, it soars in the vast sky, spewing flames in excitement and turning the ground into a burning field."
No doubt, an extremely powerful Salamence!
But what happened next shocked Lillie and Ilene beyond words.
"Salamence!"
Zinnia raised her arm, and the Mega Bracelet on her leg lit up with a brilliant light. Almost simultaneously, the Mega Evolution Stone on Salamence's neck shone, enveloping it in a thick aura of evolutionary energy.
Mega Evolution, a step beyond evolution!
"Is that an evolution?"
"How? Salamence can evolve further?"
Lillie and Ilene watched in astonishment as Salamence underwent another evolution mid-air. How was this possible?!!
Soon, the light of evolution faded, revealing a completely new form of Salamence to everyone.
The most notable difference from its regular form was the magnificent, blood-red wings. They twisted and merged to form a massive crescent shape, a spectacular and awe-inspiring sight.
Its head, neck, and body were sleeker than before, and its limbs had shortened, but its tail had grown longer and more slender.
This was Mega Salamence!
Meowscarada's beautiful cat-like eyes focused on Mega Salamence, and its expression grew serious. As a Pokémon, it could more directly sense the immense and overwhelming pressure.
This opponent was incredibly strong!
"An impressive Mega Salamence, indeed. But, Zinnia?"
Dylan observed the Mega Salamence for a while before looking toward Zinnia.
"???"
Zinnia returned a puzzled look.
"Could it be that you're getting serious just because Hydreigon got taken down?"
Dylan thought for a moment and chose his words carefully to ask Zinnia. Why else would she suddenly bring out her ace and Mega Evolve without saying a word?
"Of course not." Zinnia's expression stiffened, but then she waved her hand dismissively, pretending to be nonchalant.
"Battles are normal in Pokémon battles. I don't take them to heart. I'm not that kind of person."
A bright smile reappeared on Zinnia's face.
"Well then, Dylan, this Mega Salamence is my strongest ace! Please experience its power to the fullest!"
"I can feel it. To show my respect, I must use my own ace!"
Dylan recalled Meowscarada and smiled as he took out a Premier Ball.
"Oh?" Zinnia was quite curious. Dylan's ace, huh?
Then...
"Yiao~"
A clear, melodious cry rang out, and a legendary ice-blue bird gracefully flapped its wings, floating in front of Mega Salamence. A soft blue light shimmered across its feathers.
The legendary Articuno!
"???"
Zinnia's expression froze, staring at Dylan with a face full of question marks.
It's one thing to have a Sableye on your Dark-type team, but you even added this thing?
(End of chapter)
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