Dragonite: Dragon Rush
Mega Metagross: Steel Beam
Alakazam: Psyshock
As Dragonite broke through Spiritomb's barrier with its Dragon Rush, the moves from Mega Metagross and Alakazam followed closely behind. The attacks from the three Pokémon landed on Spiritomb almost simultaneously.
A blinding light engulfed Spiritomb, its intensity shrinking into a sphere about three meters in diameter after just a few breaths.
The next moment, a massive burst of energy erupted from the sphere.
"BOOOM!!!"
With a deafening sound, the ground cracked open, the world seemed to flip, and a massive mushroom cloud rose skyward. The terrifying shockwave ripped through everything in its path like a hurricane.
Rocks were quickly disintegrated into fine sand within the blast, and trees were uprooted entirely.
Three hundred meters, five hundred meters, one kilometer, two kilometers—the shockwave continued spreading outward. It finally dissipated after reaching approximately five kilometers.
Julian had been whisked into the sky by Celebi at the critical moment—this time, the little creature proved to be reliable.
From above, the devastation below was clear: an area within three kilometers had suffered varying degrees of destruction. At the epicenter, a massive crater had formed, as though struck by a meteorite.
In the middle of the crater stood Dragonite, panting heavily.
Thanks to the sudden burst of dragon energy accumulated from the Dragon Pool within its body, Dragonite's Dragon Rush had reached the terrifying power of an mid-stage pseudo-Champion-level attack.
However, the drawback of this enormous power was the consumption of most of the energy Dragonite had painstakingly stored from its last visit to the Dragon Pool.
Julian's heart ached terribly—this was Dragon Pool's energy, something that couldn't be measured by money.
Mega Metagross appeared beside Dragonite, looking a little displeased.
Metagross: "Are you trying to steal my position?"
That last attack from Dragonite made Metagross feel like its status was being threatened, especially since Dragonite had already become an Elite-tier Pokémon before it did.
And then, Metagross remembered Julian.
Metagross: "So... love really does fade, huh?"
Julian had a petty streak, and it seemed his Metagross wasn't immune to picking up on that trait.
"Is it dead?"
There was no sign of Spiritomb in the crater, but Julian didn't believe the combined attack of the three Pokémon had been enough to kill it.
Given Spiritomb's displayed strength and its weird abilities, it wasn't an opponent that could be defeated so easily.
Celebi shook its head: "Nope, not dead."
As if to confirm Celebi's words, black mist began rising from the crater. Moments later, the Odd Keystone floated upward slowly.
Seeing Spiritomb emerge unscathed, Julian was stunned. But he quickly noticed that the black mist surrounding Spiritomb had thinned compared to before.
About a third of the black mist seemed to have dissipated.
"Does that mean it'll die if all the black mist is gone?" Julian asked.
Celebi: "No, you have to break the Keystone. The Keystone is its true body. As long as it remains intact, Spiritomb can revive by absorbing enough souls."
"However, as the black mist decreases, its strength will also weaken." Celebi added.
Julian noticed this too. Spiritomb's level had dropped from 83 to 81. While still a pseudo-Champion, its threat level had noticeably decreased.
On the other hand, Dragonite, though still standing, was unable to move for the time being.
Had it not been for its strong physique, the earlier pseudo-Champion-level Dragon Rush would have shattered its body.
Julian pulled out a Poké Ball, intending to recall Dragonite, but a wisp of black mist blocked the red beam.
Spiritomb's gaze toward Dragonite was filled with intense hatred. Its form turned into a shadowy streak, darting through Dragonite's chest.
The speed was so fast that neither Mega Metagross nor Alakazam had time to react.
Dragonite felt its strength draining rapidly. Its eyelids grew heavier, and in the distance, it seemed to hear its trainer's voice.
"Dragonite!!"
Julian's eyes widened in despair. He could sense Dragonite's aura weakening rapidly. If its aura disappeared completely, it would mean Dragonite's life had reached its end.
"META!!!"
Seeing Dragonite collapse, Mega Metagross's fury erupted like a volcano. Its eyes turned blood red. Though it had been jealous of Dragonite for becoming an Elite-tier Pokémon first and even felt Julian favored Dragonite more, their bond remained unshaken.
With overwhelming rage, it charged at Spiritomb with a Zen Headbutt as powerful as a speeding train.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In an earth-shattering clash, Mega Metagross slammed Spiritomb forward, crushing everything in its path—trees, rocks, nothing could withstand its onslaught.
"Dragonite!"
Julian rushed to Dragonite's side and immediately administered a Max Revive.
However, the Max Revive, which was usually a miracle cure, had no effect this time. Dragonite's aura continued to weaken.
Panic overtook Julian. He was at a loss for what to do.
Celebi flew out from his clothes and said, "Its soul is being devoured. It won't be long before it dies."
Hearing this, Julian roared, "Shut up! I'll save him!"
He frantically searched the system's shop for a solution. Whether it was labeled as soul, spirit, or essence, it all referred to the same thing.
Finally, he found it: a soul restoration item costing 50,000 points. Julian's current points were just barely over 50,000.
Just as Julian was about to grit his teeth and purchase the item, Celebi spoke up, "I can heal him."
"Then hurry up and do it!!"
Julian shouted. He couldn't believe Celebi was wasting time talking when it could act instead.
Celebi nodded and floated up to Dragonite's forehead, gently pressing its antenna against the center of Dragonite's forehead.
Within moments, Julian noticed that Dragonite's aura had stopped deteriorating. Slowly but steadily, it began to strengthen again.
After about half a minute, Dragonite's aura returned to its normal state. Celebi stopped its healing, but the effort took a toll, and its small body collapsed midair. Julian instinctively caught it.
Celebi: "Don't worry. I won't die. Don't cry."
Julian hadn't even voiced his concern yet, but Celebi's words silenced him—and the emotions welling up in his heart.
Celebi: "But I'm so tired now, I want to sleep."
With that, its head lolled to the side, and it fell fast asleep.
Julian gently placed the unconscious Dragonite back into its Poké Ball and tucked the sleeping Celebi into his backpack.
Hearing the distant sounds of battle, he turned to Alakazam. "Take me over there."
Alakazam, ever vigilant at his side, nodded and used Teleport to bring Julian to the battlefield where Mega Metagross and Spiritomb were fighting.
Fueled by the near-loss of its partner, Mega Metagross had almost completely lost its reason. The fury that consumed it drove its power to terrifying new heights.
For the moment, it was overpowering Spiritomb. A relentless barrage of attacks left Spiritomb with no option but to defend. Even the rare attempts at counterattacks were swiftly neutralized.
*****
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