"HSSSS!"
The white flaming cobra let out a sharp hiss.
BOOOOM!
It slammed straight into Zeraora's crossed arms with violent force.
"Zera..."
Zeraora frowned and let out a muffled growl as the impact surged through its body. Its feet were forced backward, carving two deep tracks into the ground before it finally stopped.
Even so, it had taken Snorlax's full-power Conqueror's Snakeman strike head-on.
There was only a shallow injury on its arm.
Zeraora was a Mythical Pokémon, and a true Champion at that. After using Bulk Up once, its Defense had risen even further. An attack like this was painful, but not enough to truly threaten it.
But Snorlax was not the only opponent here.
"GRAAAH!"
High in the sky, Charizard, wrapped in Thunderflame Dragon Form, let out a thunderous roar.
Dark red flames mixed with violent lightning poured from its mouth, blasting straight toward Zeraora.
On the other side, the massive golden Great Ape threw its head back and roared.
"ROOOAR!"
Red energy instantly gathered around its enormous fist. The force erupted outward, crackling with crimson lightning.
KRAK! KRAK!
Kaio-ken.
The golden Great Ape roared and drove its right fist, wrapped in Kaio-ken, straight at Zeraora.
The punch tore through the air with explosive pressure.
A blow like that could annihilate a peak Champion-class opponent.
"Gren!"
At the same time, Greninja had already summoned fifty shadow clones.
Some of them immediately used Work Up, pushing Greninja's Attack and Special Attack to their absolute limit. The rest scattered across the battlefield and hurled Water Shuriken toward Zeraora from every direction.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
In an instant, countless Water Shuriken marked with black frog seals shot through the air, forming a net around Zeraora.
Zeraora looked at the attacks rushing in from all sides.
Its eyes sharpened.
Violent yellow lightning erupted from its body.
KRAK! KRAK!
"Zera..."
It gave a low growl, and the electricity around it grew stronger and stronger until its entire body was wrapped in blazing yellow light.
Then its eyes flashed.
Countless bolts of lightning surged outward in every direction like roaring electric dragons.
Enhanced Wild Charge.
Greninja's Water Shuriken were swept away almost instantly, vaporized by the terrifying electricity. Only the black frog seals remained, drifting through the air.
BOOOOM!
Charizard's Thunderflame Dragon's Roar collided with the lightning head-on, triggering a violent explosion.
Flames and electricity tore into each other in midair before scattering into countless sparks.
On the other side, Zeraora's lightning condensed into a massive thunder dragon and charged straight into the Great Ape's fist.
Kaio-ken clashed with the thunder dragon.
For one instant, two overwhelming forces collided head-on.
BOOOOM!
A deafening crash shook the battlefield. Lightning scattered wildly, and the ground beneath them split apart.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The next moment, an enormous crater collapsed into the ground. Terrifying energy rolled outward like towering waves, surging in every direction.
The nearby earth shattered. Broken stones were ground into dust. Thick smoke billowed up as a violent gale swept across several hundred meters.
A flicker of shock passed through Aaron's eyes in his Super Saiyan Great Ape form.
Zeraora's control over its moves had reached an astonishing level.
With only a Perfect Wild Charge, it had blocked the combined attacks of three Pokémon at once.
The Great Ape's Kaio-ken was an Apotheosis move.
And yet, Zeraora had still held it back with overwhelming lightning.
Aaron could hardly believe it.
"ROOOAR!"
The golden Great Ape let out a furious roar, scattering the surrounding smoke. Its blood-red eyes glared at Zeraora across the battlefield.
"Zera..."
The lightning around Zeraora slowly faded as it returned to its normal stance. Its gaze remained locked on the Great Ape, sharp and focused.
Then—
Whoosh!
Above one of the black frog seals near Zeraora, a red figure appeared without warning.
In its hand was a spiraling mass of energy shaped like a deadly windmill. The force radiating from it was so sharp that the surrounding air seemed to be sliced into threads.
Greninja.
A cold gleam flashed through its cross-shaped pupils.
The mark was still some distance away from Zeraora, so Greninja activated Quick Attack in the same instant it appeared.
Its body became a streak of red lightning.
In a blink, it was at Zeraora's side.
The spiraling sphere of cutting wind slammed viciously toward Zeraora's body.
"Zera...!"
Zeraora's pupils shrank.
Greninja had appeared too suddenly. It had no time to wonder how this strange cloaked Pokémon had gotten there.
Yellow lightning gathered around its right fist.
KRAK! KRAK!
In less than half a second, Zeraora reacted.
Thunder Punch.
Its fist blasted straight toward Greninja's Rasenshuriken.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunder Punch collided head-on with the razor-sharp Rasenshuriken.
A violent roar exploded through the air as the two attacks tore into each other, releasing a burst of terrifying energy.
Zeraora's pupils tightened.
A sharp sting shot through its fist, as if countless needles were drilling into its skin. Thin streaks of blood appeared across its knuckles.
It immediately used Quick Attack to pull away from the center of the cutting explosion.
Only then did Zeraora frown and look at Greninja seriously.
This strange cloaked Pokémon...
It could actually hurt me?
Zeraora glanced at the blood on its right fist.
For the first time, its expression turned truly serious.