On the other side of the battlefield, a searing blast of flame roared toward Aaron's Charizard.
The heat hit first, making the air ripple as the temperature around them spiked.
High above, Charizard hovered in the air, crimson dragon scales gleaming across its massive body. A flicker of fire flashed through its eyes as the incoming Flamethrower closed in.
Then it opened its jaws and swallowed the attack whole.
That was the passive ability of Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
Enemy flames were not just useless against Charizard. They became fuel, restoring its stamina and healing its wounds.
To Charizard, that attack was basically a meal delivered straight to its mouth.
"GRAAAH!"
Charizard threw its head back and roared. Its dragon scales shimmered with a faint red glow as dark-red flames gathered in its mouth, crackling with violent arcs of lightning.
The flames compressed tighter and tighter until they became a massive sphere of thunder and fire.
Thunder-Fire Dragon's Roar.
The attack blasted straight toward the other Charizard.
BOOOOM!
The explosion shook the sixth floor.
Flames roared outward, lightning tore through the air, and the other Charizard stiffened as electricity ripped across its body.
Lightning Flame Dragon Mode allowed Charizard to shift freely between Fire and Electric energy. This move looked like a Fire-type attack, but the real damage came from the lightning hidden inside it.
Against another Charizard, that was brutal.
The other Charizard let out a strained, fading growl before crashing hard into the ground, smashing open a deep crater and going still.
...
Greninja had already entered its long-unused Tailed Beast Sage Mode.
Its cross-shaped pupils returned, cold and focused, while a dark red Tailed Beast Cloak wrapped around its body.
"Grenin!"
Several Water Shuriken flew from its hands, slicing through the air toward the other Greninja. At the same time, a massive sphere of energy formed in its palm, surrounded by windmill-shaped blades spinning at terrifying speed.
The other Greninja moved quickly, dodging the Water Shuriken with nimble steps. A flash of smugness crossed its eyes.
At that speed, you hardly deserve to be called a ninja.
Then it heard something.
VMMMM—
A sharp, spinning hum brushed past its ears.
In the next instant, a dark-red figure appeared silently in front of it.
Their eyes met.
Greninja's cross-shaped pupils glimmered with icy light, emotionless and terrifying.
Fear flashed across the other Greninja's face.
When did it get in front of me?
The thought had barely formed before the answer arrived.
BOOOOM!
Rasenshuriken struck head-on, swallowing it in a storm of cutting wind. The other Greninja was blasted dozens of meters away, already unable to battle before it even hit the ground.
Another one down.
...
Snorlax's side of the battlefield had turned into a contest of raw power.
The enemy Snorlax was late Champion-Class level, and its aura was heavy. Gray energy surged around its massive body as it charged forward with Double-Edge, each step shaking the ground beneath it.
"SNOOOR!"
Aaron's Snorlax narrowed its eyes.
In Nika Form, its right fist suddenly expanded, swelling into a huge rubbery fist. Dark-red energy wrapped around it, and black lightning crawled across the surface with a low rumble of thunder.
Conqueror's Coating.
At the same time, an overwhelming pressure burst from Snorlax's body. It was heavy, savage, and impossible to ignore, like a true conqueror staring down its opponent.
Conqueror's Aura activated.
Fear flashed through the other Snorlax's eyes, and its attacking momentum dropped sharply.
"SNOOORLAX!"
Nika Snorlax drove its giant fist forward like a cannonball.
BOOOOM!
The two massive bodies collided, but only one of them held its ground.
Black lightning shot into the air as Aaron's Snorlax smashed the other one backward, sending it flying across the battlefield before it crashed down and stopped moving.
One punch ended the fight.
...
Sceptile had already activated Sage Mode.
Mysterious markings framed its eyes, and its cross-shaped pupils carried a calm, almost otherworldly focus.
"Scep-tile!"
Green energy surged from its body as it pressed both palms against the ground.
The earth trembled.
Cracks split open beneath the battlefield, and an enormous Wood Dragon burst out from underground. Emerald light flowed across its body, giving it the presence of a living dragon rising from the earth.
The other Sceptile barely had time to react.
Its eyes widened in shock as the Wood Dragon opened its massive jaws and swallowed it whole.
...
Golden aura erupted around Infernape, while crimson flames burned fiercely over its fist.
The other Infernape came in with Fire Punch, flames roaring around its own arm.
"Infer-nape!"
Aaron's Infernape met it head-on.
BOOOOM!
Their fists collided, and the explosion shook the entire space. Smoke billowed outward, sparks scattered everywhere, and the ground cracked beneath the impact.
A red figure was thrown backward through the smoke.
It was the other Infernape.
It hit the ground hard, rolled several times, and did not get back up.
...
As for Beedrill's fight, that was the most unfair one of all.
The other Beedrill kept attacking, its stingers cutting through the air again and again, but Shinigami Bee was never where the strike landed.
One Flash Step.
Then another.
It vanished, reappeared, slipped past the next attack, and vanished again, moving with such clean precision that it barely looked like dodging anymore.
It looked like art.
Even Yoruichi might have nodded in approval if she had seen it.
"Bzzz!"
The other Beedrill screeched in frustration, its attacks growing more frantic with every miss. But the more impatient it became, the easier it was to read.
Then, for one brief instant, an opening appeared.
Shinigami Bee moved.
One sting.
Suzumebachi activated.
The other Beedrill stiffened, its eyes filling with resentment as if cursing the unfairness of the match.
Then it collapsed.
...