Veins bulged at Dr. Dov's temples as his face flushed crimson and he roared in fury. Brutus and Lilith were both stunned by his words.
Neither of them had expected Dr. Dov to have endured such a tragic past.
Brutus opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But when the words reached his throat, nothing came out.
If he had gone through something like that himself… perhaps he might have become even more extreme.
Anyone who has never endured another person's suffering has no right to lecture them about virtue.
"Words are useless…"
Dr. Dov fixed Brutus with a cold, emotionless gaze.
"Let me see just how capable the Champion, Brutus truly is."
As soon as he finished speaking, a crushing aura erupted from his body. It surged forward like a raging tide, crashing toward Brutus.
Brutus instantly felt his entire body grow unbearably heavy.
So this was the pressure of a Champion—one who stood at the brink of Master level, and a Pokémon Hybrid.
It was no weaker than Drake's.
This battle was dangerous.
Brutus's expression turned grim. His heart sank, yet he forced himself to endure the crushing pressure.
Right now, his most important task was to stall until Drake arrived.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted to his Pokémon,
"Everyone… we're going all out this time…"
His Pokémon looked at him and nodded, as if saying:
Leave it to us.
Brutus shouted, his eyes burning with fierce resolve.
"Alright… Even if we die today, we die on our feet!!"
"Machamp, use Dynamic Punch!"
"Heracross, use Megahorn!"
"Pangoro, use Sky Uppercut!"
"Hariyama, use Focus Punch!"
...
Because as he felt Dr. Dov's aura pressing closer, Brutus realized something—this wasn't merely the power of a peak Champion anymore. It had already stepped into the realm of a Master.
If he didn't fight with everything he had, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"ROOOAR!"
The Pokémon roared as overwhelming energy surged from their bodies.
Machamp's fist blazed with dazzling light, shining like a miniature sun. The air around it crackled with explosive force.
Dynamic Punch.
Heracross's long horn gathered immense energy, blazing with blinding brilliance. The aura surrounding it pulsed with destructive power.
Megahorn.
Hariyama's entire body surged with energy as power condensed into his fist. A massive sphere of energy rapidly formed.
Crack… crack… crack…
The surrounding air fractured under the pressure of the gathering power.
This was the immensely powerful Fighting-type move, Focus Punch.
Its base power was 150.
...
The rest of the Pokémon had also finished charging their attacks.
"Go, everyone!"
Brutus roared as the assault began.
Six Pokémon unleashed their attacks at once, blasting toward Dr. Dov in midair with overwhelming power.
Dr. Dov watched the six Pokémon charging toward him.
His expression didn't change.
To him, they were nothing more than insects.
A deep gray light surged from his body.
He casually raised his right hand.
An energy barrier instantly formed in front of him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
All six attacks slammed into the barrier at once.
Thunderous explosions echoed through the sky.
Violent waves of energy burst from the point of impact.
Gale-force winds howled as thick smoke billowed outward. Waves of force blasted in every direction.
Below, members of the Symbiosis Society and soldiers of the Four Defense Corps struggled just to stay on their feet.
They raised their arms to shield their eyes as they fought against the violent shockwaves.
All of them stared toward the center of the battle in stunned disbelief.
Was this what happened when two Champions fought?
No… this felt like something far beyond that.
It was like a natural disaster had erupted.
Even the aftershocks of the battle were nearly too much for them to endure.
The gap in power was simply too great.
After a moment, the smoke slowly began to clear.
Through the fading dust, a figure gradually came into view.
It was Dr. Dov.
His true form had been revealed.
His black robe had been completely destroyed.
His body was covered in hard silver armor. His arms had transformed into thick, muscular, gorilla-like limbs, and a pair of red, fleshy wings extended from his back.
His body looked as though it had been stitched together from several different Pokémon.
The sight was grotesque.
Brutus stared at Dr. Dov.
His pupils shrank as shock flashed across his eyes.
"Dr. Dov… you…"
The words caught in his throat.
But when he saw that Dr. Dov had emerged completely unharmed from the combined assault of six Pokémon…
Brutus's heart sank once again.
Too strong.
"Well?"
Dr. Dov proudly raised his massive, fur-covered, ape-like arm and said with manic excitement,
"Isn't my body perfect now?!"
"It's the perfect fusion of Salamence's speed, Steelix's defense, and Slaking's strength!"
"I now possess the genetic power of Salamence, Steelix, and Slaking. As I continue to grow stronger, I'll even be able to use their genetic abilities."
"In other words, I now possess the Flying, Dragon, Steel, Ground, and Normal types—and I can wield their abilities!"
"And I've removed Slaking's lazy genes while retaining the Ability genes of Salamence and Steelix!"
"This…"
"Is the ultimate fusion of humans and Pokémon!"
"This power… it feels incredible!"
"No one can resist this kind of power!"
Dr. Dov clenched his enormous palm in midair.
BOOM
The air itself burst apart under the sheer force of his grip.
Monstrous.
Brutus sucked in a sharp breath.
If what Dr. Dov said it was true…then this was truly monstrous.
Five different types.
The ability to use their moves.
And most frightening of all—their Abilities as well.
Dr. Dov's research into Pokémon genetics had already reached an unimaginable level.
If he were allowed to continue…
He might eventually create a monstrous existence that possessed all eighteen types, eighteen Abilities, and eighteen Pokémon moves.
A godlike creation?
The thought suddenly surfaced in Brutus's mind.
His pupils shrank as deep shock filled his eyes.
...