Pokémon Name: Hydreigon
Gender: Male
Aptitude: Legendary Blue
Ability: Hustle
Level: 45
Type: Dark + Dragon
Moves: Assurance, Hone Claws, Sucker Punch, Nasty Plot, Night Slash, Thief, Snarl, Throat Chop, Tackle, Focus Energy, Dragon Breath, Bite, Double Hit, Head Smash, Dragon Dance, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse.
Status: Having received the inheritance of the Tao Trio, its evolved morphology differs significantly from a standard Hydreigon.
Evaluation: A Hydreigon bearing the legacy of the Tao Trio. This enables Hydreigon to utilize the god-level moves Blue Flare, Bolt Strike, and Glaciate. However, due to the immense energy consumption of these three divine techniques, Hydreigon can only use each once per battle; otherwise, it will place a catastrophic physical burden on its own body.
"Splendid work, Hydreigon. You have truly grown into a far more formidable Dragon-type Pokémon," Feng Che said, his voice filled with deep satisfaction.
He gently patted Hydreigon's main head. Under ordinary circumstances, this Hydreigon was already vastly superior to standard specimens of its kind. But the moment it transitioned into its specialized Tao Hydreigon state, it would become a walking long-range artillery platform, capable of continuously channeling the primordial forces of frost, lightning, and flame.
"Clan Leader Feng Che, Champion Alder has repeatedly barked insults, calling you a cowardly turtle hiding in its shell," Drayden said, forcing himself to speak despite the tense atmosphere. "May I ask if you intend to face him now?"
"Of course. I will go challenge Alder right away," Feng Che replied with a genial chuckle. "Since Champion Alder is so desperate to put on a show, I'll gladly strip him of his Champion title, and then I'll turn my attention to dismantling Team Plasma."
Drayden swiftly guided Feng Che to the absolute outskirts of Opelucid City, where the Dragon Clan had already set up a crude battlefield arena.
"Apologies for the delay, Champion Alder," Feng Che called out smoothly. He observed Alder pacing back and forth across the dirt, surrounded by a small mountain of discarded cigarette butts, clearly having lost every shred of his patience.
"Elite Four Feng Che truly puts on massive airs, making me wait out here for so long," Alder sneered, his tone dripping with theatrical sarcasm. "I certainly hope your actual combat prowess matches the grand scale of your reputation."
A sinister dark shadow flickered deep within the Champion's eyes. "Go, Volcarona!"
Alder deployed his partner. Volcarona was a massive, moth-like Pokémon with striking blue eyes and a pair of prominent red antennae framing its face. Its robust, segmented torso was ringed by a thick mane of fluffy white fur, supported by four small, dark limbs. Its abdomen was black at the core and pale cyan along the exterior.
Sprouting from its back were three pairs of brilliant orange-red wings that symbolized the sun, its edges dotted with black patches representing sunspots. When entering combat, a Volcarona would fly erratically across the skies while scattering a dense cloud of burning scales, effortlessly converting its immediate environment into a raging sea of fire.
"Volcarona, unleash the infinite, suffocating heat of your flames!" Alder bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Feng Che's eyes narrowed as he detected faint wisps of pitch-black miasma bleeding out from the Sun Pokémon's frame—a corrupt energy heavily resembling the dark aura of the Sky Fiend.
"Come on out, Greninja!" Feng Che countered, releasing his partner.
"Elite Four Feng Che, you intend to utilize a Water-type to suppress my flames?" Alder observed, catching the mid-tier Champion parameters radiating from Feng Che's Greninja. He let out a thoroughly condescending, mocking laugh. "But you see, when the absolute intensity of a flame completely overrides the cooling property of water, deploying a Water-type ceases to be a brilliant tactical decision."
"Volcarona, use Flamethrower! Scorch this solid earth to cinders!"
Volcarona beat its massive wings violently, sending an countless blizzard of burning scales cascading onto the battlefield. Instantly, its flames ignited with a terrifying ferocity.
Massive columns of fire erupted aggressively from the earth, forcing Greninja to launch itself high into the air, its body wreathed in a protective shroud of rushing torrents. Greninja looked down to find that the solid bedrock had already been burned to a brilliant crimson by Volcarona's scales, before rapidly liquefying into a flowing river of liquid magma.
"Hahaha! Your Greninja looks completely paralyzed with shock! Saturated in a volcanic hellscape like this, how exactly does your Greninja intend to maneuver?" Alder crowed triumphantly, putting on a grand display of feigned concern. "If I were you, I'd have Greninja throw in the towel early to spare it the absolute agony of severe thermal burns."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Champion Alder, but you need not trouble yourself," Feng Che replied coldly. "My partner possesses immense strength; subduing a Volcarona is well within its capacity."
Hmph! A stubborn mouth even on the brink of disaster. Just wait until my Volcarona slams that Greninja flat into the liquid magma—let's see if this fancy Elite Four member can maintain his cool composure then, Alder thought viciously.
Greninja descended from the upper reaches, its webbed feet touching down onto the molten battlefield. Yet, to everyone's absolute astonishment, it glided effortlessly across the churning surface of the liquid lava as if it were running on solid, level ground.
"How is this possible?! A Greninja dynamically skating across open magma? Am I seeing things?!"
"What in the world... What kind of specialized training protocols did Elite Four Feng Che use to raise a Greninja like that?"
"Even a fantasy novel wouldn't dare stretch reality this far, yet the physical truth is slapping me right across the face!"
The gathered League investigators erupted into a frenzy of hushed, animated murmurs. They were consumed by absolute curiosity, unable to comprehend how Feng Che had conditioned a Water-type to execute high-speed maneuvers directly atop a molten volcanic field.
"Volcarona, maintain the offensive! Use Flamethrower!" Alder barked, thoroughly irritated by how cleanly Greninja had stolen his spotlight.
Volcarona expelled a tremendous torrent of fire from its maw, triggering a succession of violent fire pillars that erupted straight out from the liquid magma. Greninja, however, remained entirely fluid, dodging and banking away from the incoming trajectories with seamless precision.
"Greninja, use Rain Dance," Feng Che commanded calmly, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the churning lava field.
"Attempting to utilize Rain Dance to flash-cool the molten terrain? It seems your Greninja is finally reaching its physical limits within this heat," Alder boasted smugly.
"Noisy," Feng Che snapped back, the sharp retort instantly cutting the Champion's words short.
A torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens within moments. The exact millisecond the heavy rain collided with the boiling river of magma, a massive, deafening hiss echoed across the arena, venting an immense cloud of dense white steam.
Look at that. Even though I wanted to warn you, this volume of superheated steam is more than enough to boil that Greninja alive inside its skin, Alder thought, his eyes flashing with pure malice.
"Look closer! Even though the downpour is growing increasingly severe, the immediate space surrounding Volcarona is completely clear of rain, and the liquid magma beneath its wings hasn't been extinguished at all!"
"True, but have you noticed something else? The white mist is multiplying at an uncontrollable rate. Our lines of sight are becoming completely obscured!"
"Could this be Elite Four Feng Che's true objective? To systematically blind Volcarona so it cannot pinpoint Greninja's actual coordinates?!"
The League investigators quickly parsed Feng Che's underlying strategy.
"Hmph! Volcarona, clear the field with Hurricane!" Alder commanded.
Volcarona beat its wings with frantic power, whipping up a violent gale that tore across the arena to disperse the white mist. Yet, no matter how fiercely the cyclic winds howled, the dense white steam showed zero signs of dissipating; in fact, it only grew increasingly thick and impenetrable.
Within moments, the entire battlefield was plunged into an absolute blackout where one could not even see their own outstretched hand.
How bizarre... Why on earth can't these winds scatter a simple cloud of steam? Alder thought, deeply perplexed. Furthermore, through the blinding fog, the vague, overlapping silhouettes of countless dark phantoms began to manifest.