"Clawitzer, use Vice Grip!"
Following Feng Che's command, the Clawitzer used its massive dual claws to scuttle rapidly across the ground. Everywhere its pincers touched, deep gouge marks were left in the floor. It then used its claws to vault itself into the air, slashing down violently at a training target.
Thud!
A hairline fracture appeared on the target, and the digital display flashed a power rating of 1,000. The Clawitzer fell back to the ground, its pincers snapping open and closed rhythmically.
"Phew... finally finished training this one," Feng Che muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
This Clawitzer had consumed a significant amount of Salac Berry extract; its Aqua Jet speed was now blindingly fast. It had reached a point where it could even evade Zeraora's Plasma Fists using pure water propulsion.
Three days had passed. Feng Che and his squad returned to the arena's main stage. Standing in the center was a colossal Avalugg.
"Hello everyone. After three days of training, it is finally time to see the results," Master Sky announced from the podium. "You will battle this Avalugg. The longer your team lasts, the higher your score will be. A word of warning: this Avalugg is part of my second team—it is a Champion-level Pokémon."
"Please attack it with everything you have. Nurse Joy is standing by to heal any injuries immediately."
Avalugg resembled a massive tortoise made of living ice, shaped like a gargantuan iceberg. It had amber pupils and a flat upper body with several deep fissures. Countless icicles hung from its underbelly like stalactites. Its legs were cylindrical, ending in spiked claws.
The frozen body of this Avalugg was as hard as tempered steel, capable of crushing anything in its path simply by moving. Although its fissures grew during the day's activity, they would completely heal overnight. This specimen was exceptionally large, with several Bergmite hopping playfully on its back. The sheer cold radiating from it turned the entire arena into a treacherous, frozen tundra.
Several Elite Four members and trainers slipped on the icy floor, prompting a wave of nervous laughter from the onlookers.
"This Avalugg is incredibly strong... observing it might actually help me break through my own Champion-level bottleneck," Lorelei murmured, her eyes fixed on the beast.
"I'll take the first strike!" Lorelei declared. She threw a Poké Ball, releasing the Lapras she had captured at the lake. "Lapras, let's give it our all! Use Hydro Pump!"
The Lapras was magnificent, with patterns on its shell indicating it was still quite young and vigorous. It unleashed a massive pillar of water. However, before the water could even touch Avalugg, the freezing aura surrounding the iceberg Pokémon turned the spray into a solid pillar of ice.
The ice pillar slammed into Avalugg's body—formed of eternal, unmelting ice—and shattered into a million sparkling shards. A fine mist hung in the air, refracting the sunlight into a brilliant rainbow.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
Lapras exhaled a freezing blue ray. Where the beam passed, jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, racing toward Avalugg's throat. Avalugg opened its massive maw and lunged forward with a single bite.
The razor-sharp ice spikes were instantly crushed. Avalugg chewed loudly, spitting out frozen fragments as if it were snacking on ice cubes. The entire stadium fell silent.
"Mewtwo, did you see that?" Feng Che asked telepathically. "It looked like it only took one bite, but every single spike was leveled. Even with my aura, I couldn't track its head."
"Its movements are preternaturally fluid," Mewtwo replied solemnly. "It appeared to take one bite, but in reality, it struck multiple times in a fraction of a second. My psychic senses barely caught the vibration. This Avalugg is likely at the High-Champion rank. Sky's team is truly terrifying."
Avalugg moved. It lifted its front leg and slammed it into the ground. The earth split into a web of deep fissures. Lorelei's Lapras couldn't evade in time and fell into a crack, instantly incapacitated.
"Lorelei: 9.03 seconds!" the timekeeper shouted.
Lorelei's name appeared on the big screen with her duration next to it.
"Even Lorelei, an Ice specialist, couldn't last ten seconds," the trainers whispered. "This is a monster. I'll be lucky if my Poliwrath lasts five."
Next was Wallace. He had captured two Milotic and was the top scorer of the previous phase. His Milotic lasted barely five seconds before being encased in ice. Chuck lasted four seconds; Clemont lasted 4.05.
Finally, it was Feng Che's turn. He released his Clawitzer.
"Heavens! Look at the pincers—they're the same size!" Misty exclaimed. Genetically, the odds of a Clawitzer having symmetrical cannons were one in a million.
"Those pincers... what a magnificent sight," Wallace added, his eyes sparkling with appreciation for the aesthetic rarity.
"That Clawitzer has awakened its Dragon bloodline," Clair noted with certainty.
The onlookers watched with a mix of envy and curiosity.
"Go, Clawitzer! Aqua Jet!"
A massive torrent of water enveloped the Clawitzer. It rocketed toward Avalugg like a blue missile. However, the freezing aura began to solidify the water mid-flight. Within seconds, the Clawitzer resembled a giant ice-drill, hurtling straight for Avalugg's massive head.
The ice-encased Clawitzer is about to impact Avalugg. Should Feng Che order it to use "Dragon Pulse" from both cannons to shatter its own ice shell and add explosive force to the hit, or should he have it use "Crabhammer" to try and find a weak point in the Avalugg's armor during the impact?