Drakloak, hovering in the air, became anxious and immediately fired another Shadow Ball.
Bang!
The moment the Shadow Ball struck Bronzong, the area it touched turned back into gray-white liquid.
Ditto's original body was Normal type, which was immune to Ghost-type attacks.
Drakloak grew even more frantic, yet it had no idea what to do.
Shiro noticed this as well and quickly began thinking.
If this Champion-level Ditto could seamlessly switch between its Bronzong form and original form… then it essentially possessed an extra independent type.
In other words, the Bronzong transformed by Ditto actually had three types: Psychic, Steel, and Normal.
The Fighting type countered Normal. Fighting was weak against Psychic and strong against Steel… Combined together, Fighting-type attacks would not be weakened or nullified and would even become super effective.
The same applied to Fire-type attacks.
If he attacked with Fighting or Fire...
Shiro's hand touched Growlithe's Poké Ball, but he hesitated.
Growlithe was only at Gym-level. Would its damage even be enough? Its stamina and defense were also relatively weak. If it got hit by Ground or Rock-type attacks that countered it, it would either die or suffer severe injuries.
In the end, the problem was that this Ditto's level was simply too high. Its strength was overwhelming, and with such skilled control over its abilities, it was incredibly troublesome.
Shiro could only grit his teeth and shout, "Drakloak, use Dragon Pulse to wear it down!"
Although Dragon-type attacks would have their damage halved by Bronzong, it was still better than nothing. At the very least, it could keep pressuring the enemy.
Besides, Bronzong's speed was too slow. It was difficult for it to catch Drakloak. As long as they slowly wore it down through hit-and-run tactics, they could still defeat it and claim victory…
Screeeech!
Another Psycho Cut slashed through the air.
Shiro quickly rolled and jumped aside once again.
For a moment, he felt like he was playing one of those brutal souls-like games from his previous life where he had to constantly dodge every incoming attack.
This thing was way too difficult to deal with.
'Watch out!' Unown A's anxious warning suddenly rang out from above.
The instant he heard the voice, Shiro felt a cold gust sweep across his back. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Bronzong's worn blue-green body along with the violently surging psychic power around it.
Then came the sensation of his limbs being tightly restrained. No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.
Teleport plus Psychic!
Cold sweat instantly soaked Shiro's back.
Logically speaking, Hunter A was still protected beneath Bronzong's body. During such an intense battle, Bronzong should have been forced to devote most of its psychic power toward protecting the fragile human inside.
Yet even under those conditions, this Bronzong had still managed to use Teleport while carrying Hunter A within its body.
In that brief moment suspended in midair, countless countermeasures flashed through Shiro's mind, only to be rejected one after another.
Under the current circumstances, the only hope was for Unown A or Unown G in the sky to gain enough advantage to free themselves and help him. Otherwise, he could only pray that the Mesprit crystal in his pocket would activate on its own…
But Unown A and Unown G were already fully occupied, and there was no way the crystal would suddenly shatter by itself.
Bronzong's hate-filled roar sounded like the trembling ring of a giant bell.
"Die!"
Its psychic power suspended Shiro in the air while another Psycho Cut formed beside him and slashed toward his left leg.
Shiro immediately understood what Bronzong intended to do.
It wanted him to suffer the same injuries as Hunter A.
But right now, he had no way to dodge.
Boom!
The ground suddenly trembled as a gigantic cone-shaped rock tore through the air like a missile.
Shiro caught sight of it and frowned in confusion.
Was that Drakloak?
But even if Drakloak used all of its strength, it could not possibly create a Rock-type attack with this level of power. The sheer momentum behind it surpassed most Elite-level Rock Pokémon.
Who was it?
Shiro could not think of anyone.
Boom!
The giant rock shattered apart, and Bronzong's Psycho Cut only managed to slice through the stone.
"Rampardos, use Rock Blast!"
An elderly voice echoed from above, growing closer and closer.
Immediately afterward, a gray bipedal dragon with powerful legs charged downward at high speed. The dark blue skull on its head was especially eye-catching.
Around Rampardos' body and above its head, countless dense rocks rapidly formed before firing out one after another, leaving behind streaking afterimages.
Bronzong endured every single rock attack head-on. Dust and dirt covered its body while its eyes, which looked as though they had been painted on with red dye, suddenly widened as an eerie crimson glow burst forth.
"Trash!"
It still did not release Shiro. Instead, it fired a Psychic attack at the incoming Rampardos.
"Rampardos, Head Smash!"
Head Smash was an incredibly powerful advanced move. Like Hyper Beam and similar techniques, it carried severe recoil damage for the user. Using the move would inflict considerable harm on the Pokémon itself.
"Rampa!"
Rampardos showed no fear toward Bronzong's attack. A layer of earthy yellow light covered its body as it charged forward at full speed. The wild grass beneath its feet was crushed deeply into the ground, and cracks spread across the earth behind it.
The Psychic attack struck directly.
Rampardos bared its fangs as pain surged through its body, yet its charging speed only increased further.
Boom!
The two stone axe-like horns formed by Head Smash slammed heavily into Bronzong's side.
Even Bronzong's heavy body tilted violently from the impact, nearly toppling over. At that moment, worried about Hunter A's safety, it no longer had the spare focus to care about Shiro suspended in the air. Pink light flashed across its body as it instantly disappeared.
Shiro fell from the air and, after adjusting his posture, landed in a half-crouch on the grassy slope. The little girl in his arms remained unharmed.
He looked up and finally saw the newcomer clearly.
"Drak! Drak!"
Drakloak quickly descended in front of him. Its face was full of anxiety, and tears shimmered in its usually lazy eyes.
On its back, the elderly man clutching Drakloak's arrow-shaped head also lifted his white-haired head and revealed a firm smile. He flipped down from its back, his gray cloth clothes stretching tightly over his knotted muscles as his booming voice rang out.
"Former Sinnoh Champion, Jan, has arrived to assist!"
Shiro opened his mouth speechlessly. Several seconds later, he finally said, "Current Galar Champion Shiro, carrying out headquarters' emergency mission to capture Hunter A. Requesting support!"
"Hahahahaha... Why didn't you say so earlier? So you really were searching for that hunter back at the restaurant?" Jan crossed his arms with raised brows. Despite the wrinkles covering his face, traces of his former glory could still be seen.
Shiro had never been so happy to see an old man before.
He completely discarded his previous stereotypes about him. At this time, he finally saw what a true champion looked like.
This old man had arrived at the perfect time.
And thanks to Drakloak too, for thinking of him and successfully bringing him here.
Shiro gently rubbed Drakloak's head while cautiously observing the surroundings.
Higher up within the forest, the sounds of trees collapsing and splitting echoed continuously alongside flashes of pale pink light.
"That Bronzong went up the mountain!" Shiro said urgently. "Jan, that Bronzong is actually a Champion-level Ditto in disguise, and it's carrying Hunter A, one of the League's top wanted criminals!"
"They're still extremely strong and fully capable of fighting. They might still have hidden tricks left. Please pursue them immediately!"
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