"Haha, I was also a bit worried about Slaking's current state. How about I switch to another Pokémon instead?"
"Come forth, Audino!"
With Feng Che's consent, Norman released Audino. The Pokémon had a body of mixed pink and cream-yellow. Pink skin covered the upper half of its head, back, arms, and sides of its waist. Its eyes were sea-blue, and it had wavy ears with sensitive cream-colored feelers hanging from the tips. Standing in a bipedal humanoid stance, it had three fingers, two toes, and a fluffy white tail.
Feng Che noticed that this Audino was wearing an earring made from a Mega Stone. Simultaneously, he saw a Key Stone embedded in a bracer on Norman's left wrist.
It seems this Audino is no pushover, Feng Che thought. Mega Stones are incredibly rare in this world. So far, I only have the ones for Lucario and Venusaur, and I had to use the Garden family's entire network just to find the Venusaurite.
He looked at the Key Stone and Mega Stone, lost in thought for a moment before making his choice.
"In that case, I'll send out this one. Go, Greninja!"
Greninja burst from its Poké Ball, its gaze immediately locking onto Audino.
Greninja: This Audino is far weaker than Regigigas or Primal Dialga.Greninja: Still, I must be careful. I can't afford to get overconfident and mess this up.
Its hands gripped the air, and two Water Shurikens manifested instantly. Audino, for its part, offered a shy, gentle smile.
Greninja hurled a Water Shuriken, but just as it was about to strike Audino, the projectile suddenly plummeted to the ground, shattering into harmless droplets. Feng Che scanned the area with his psychic aura and found the cause.
"I see. This Audino is using Gravity. It has increased the local gravitational pull by a hundredfold. What incredible talent."
"Greninja, use Water Pulse!"
Greninja raised its hands high, condensing a massive sphere of water. It hurled the spiraling orb at Audino.
"Audino, Slash!"
Following Norman's command, Audino's hands glowed with a sharp white light. It trotted forward on its short legs, dancing toward the spiraling sphere. To its surprise, the orb detonated prematurely in mid-air, turning into a localized flood that drenched Audino from head to toe.
Greninja slammed its hands onto the ground. The standing water instantly froze into jagged pillars, encasing Audino in solid ice.
"Audino, Recover, and expand the Gravity field to the entire arena!"
The gravity across the battlefield spiked. Greninja's body felt leaden; its movements became stiff, and even its reaction time for skills slowed significantly.
Greninja: My body is so heavy... even moving is a chore. I need to find a Gravity specialist to train with when I get back. If I ever face a thousandfold gravity field, I'll be crushed into paste.
Golden specks of light appeared around Audino, surging into its body to restore its vitality. Cracks spider-webbed across the ice until Audino burst free, fully healed.
"Audino, Teeter Dance!"
It began a wobbling, rhythmic dance. Greninja, hindered by the intense gravity, struggled to evade.
"Greninja, Lick!"
Greninja's tongue was exceptionally flexible. Despite the hundredfold gravity, it shot out like a pink arrow. The dancing Audino felt a sudden chill as the slippery tongue lashed across its face. It stiffened in horror. Golden sparks crackled across Audino's body—the Lick had paralyzed it, interrupting the dance.
"Feng Che, let me show you the true power of my Audino!" Norman shouted. "Answer my heart! Audino, Mega Evolve!"
Norman pressed the Key Stone on his wrist, and a rainbow light surged forth. The earring on Audino reacted in kind, and the two lights merged in the center of the arena, forming a massive glowing cocoon. The Mega symbol flared brilliantly.
When the light faded, Mega Audino stood before them. Its skin was now snowy white with cream-yellow accents, and its eyes had turned a vibrant garnet red. It featured cream-to-pink gradients on its ears and a tuft of white, cream-like fur on its chest with two curling white ribbons. Its elegance and beauty were at their peak.
"So that's the Mega Evolution for Audino... how beautiful," the spectators whispered. "It's so cute, like a plush doll!" "Its aura went from High-Elite to the peak of the Elite level instantly."
"Greninja, no more holding back. Release your energy!" Feng Che commanded.
The Alpha Pattern manifested on Greninja's skin, and a massive vortex of water swirled around it. When the water dissipated, a transformed Greninja stood there, carrying a gargantuan Water Shuriken on its back.
"A new form for Greninja? That's impossible!" Wallace, the Water-type specialist, exclaimed. He had never seen such a phenomenon.
"And if I'm not mistaken," Steven Stone added, his eyes narrowing, "that was Kyogre's Alpha symbol. This Greninja has inherited the legacy of the Sea God. How fascinating."