"There's such a benefit?" This was the first time Terrance had heard of it.
"Mhm, it's a very rare opportunity." Lorelei nodded.
The two of them began to strategize, preparing to attack this Ten thousand years old Never-Melt Ice. Before that, Terrance had Ninetales test the hardness of the Never-Melt Ice first. An Ice Beam shot at it was like a speck of dust falling into the ocean; there wasn't even the slightest ripple.
"Not only do Ice-type moves have little effect in damaging Never-Melt Ice, try using moves of other types," Lorelei said with a smile.
Terrance was momentarily taken aback, then had Ninetales use Iron Tail. The nine tails, gleaming with metallic light, struck the same spot repeatedly, but the massive Never-Melt Ice still didn't show the slightest mark.
"Interesting," Terrance remarked, then had Ninetales use Moonblast. The result, of course, was the same.
"Its existence over ten thousand years has made it incomparably hard. Even if my entire Pokémon team attacked with all their strength, at most they'd only leave a faint scratch, which would heal completely in just a few seconds," Lorelei shook her head.
"Ice-type moves have the least effect on Never-Melt Ice. That's just how it is," Terrance mused. "Steel, Fighting, Fire, and Rock-type attacks should theoretically be the most effective. Fairy-type isn't really the first choice."
"That's true, but even if you try to break it down with repeated individual attacks, the effect might not be as good as a single, stronger strike. After all, the structure of Never-Melt Ice is special. It's designed to store Ice-type energy and has a unique regeneration system."
"I'll do my best," said Terrance.
What Lorelei valued most was his team battle combo move. With Ninetales and Altaria at the core, they gather Fairy energy to unleash a single strike, something other top-level experts couldn't achieve.
"Arti~cuno!"
At this moment, Articuno let out a cry, indicating it would cover their retreat.
"To be safe, let's move to the back before destroying it. The Ice-type energy that bursts out of Never-Melt Ice can only be withstood by other Ice-type Pokemon. Everyone else would have trouble resisting," Lorelei said after Articuno finished.
"Understood!" Terrance replied. At the same time, two figures emerged from the Poké Balls at his waist, and the Poké Ball hanging from his neck burst open as well. It was Altaria!
Altaria, Carbink, and Kirlia, together with Ninetales at his side, made up all of Terrance's Pokemon who can currently use Fairy-type moves.
"It's a shame. If I had time to prepare, the chances would be much better," Terrance thought to himself. Sixteen Cutiefly together would also be a formidable force. In a team battle system centered on Ninetales and Altaria, the power isn't about individuals, but the total sum; so the more Pokémon, the better.
Of course, strong individual Pokémon aren't a bad thing either. The sheer power of a Dazzling Gleam from a Mega Altaria couldn't be matched even if those sixteen Cutiefly doubled in number.
"Only these few Pokémon…" Lorelei remarked in surprise when she saw Altaria and the other two appear.
Just seeing that Kirlia hadn't evolved was enough to tell her that these were still a developing team for Terrance.
"This time was a bit rushed, so I didn't bring enough Pokémon, but let's give it a try," Terrance said. Though they weren't many, with the boost from Fairy Aura, the Fairy-type moves of Ninetales, Carbink, and Kirlia were all extremely formidable. Terrance was very confident.
However, Terrance also felt that this Fairy Team was a bit underwhelming. If he wanted to challenge for the Elite Four, even counting Carbink and the others, he only had fourteen reliable main Pokémon... not even enough to form two full teams.
In such intense competitions, it was common for main team members to get injured and be unable to participate in the next match in time.
Even tournaments like the Indigo Plateau Conference and the Ever Grande Conference often had cases where serious injuries required long-term treatment, not to mention even higher-level tournaments.
It hadn't been long since Terrance decided to train a Fairy Team, so he ultimately hadn't been able to catch more Pokémon. Still, Terrance wasn't discouraged. For him, catching more Pokémon was just a matter of making up his mind. The real challenge was finding Pokémon that suited his tastes. In any case, Terrance planned to wait until after the Grand Festival to think about capturing new Pokémon.
"Alright, let's give it a try." Lorelei nodded.
Bringing Terrance along had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Not giving him enough time to prepare was her oversight, but because of Articuno and the Never-Melt Ice being exposed, she really didn't have much time left. Lorelei had no other choice.
"Master Lorelei, please step back a bit." Terrance moved in front of Lorelei, extending his arm. "I'll support them first. It should be fine."
"Alright." Lorelei nodded and retreated into the distance.
Next, Terrance looked at the giant Never-Melt Ice, took a deep breath, and communicated clearly with his Pokémon in his heart. They all knew exactly what to do next!
Compared to when it was a Vulpix, Ninetales could now form the Ice Moon with ease.
As Blizzard howled, a moon like an Ice Mirror appeared in front of the Pokémon.
Since the target this time was an inanimate object, there was no need to suspend the Ice Moon in the air. Once the angle was set, the Ice Moon stood directly near the Never-Melt Ice, like the mouth of a cannon aimed straight at it.
"There it is, this Ice Moon."
Lorelei fixed her gaze on the Ice Moon, feeling amazed. She could clearly understand every technique used in shaping the Ice Moon, but, by rights, it shouldn't be this simple.
Because relying solely on this Ice Moon, it shouldn't be able to absorb moves unleashed by multiple Fairy-type Pokémon.
But in the next moment, Lorelei realized. Following Altaria's self-Mega Evolution, her brows furrowed as she looked with surprise at the mysterious aura emanating from Mega Altaria.
"What's going on?" Even as a top-level expert herself, she found both self-Mega Evolution and Fairy Aura to be completely novel.
The aura merged with the Ice Moon, seeming to cause it to undergo a transformation. This aura, similar in color to Fairy energy, left Lorelei puzzled, but she understood. This was the very core of Terrance's team battle combo move.
"A mysterious guy…"
This young Trainer Terrance was starting to intrigue Lorelei.
"It's starting!" At that moment, with a low shout from Terrance, Carbink, Altaria, Kirlia, and Ninetales began to unleash Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam!!
Moonblast struck directly at the giant Ice Moon, making it shine incomparably bright, while Dazzling Gleam seemed to become a continuous source of nourishment, absorbed by the Ice Moon and further enhancing the power of Moonblast.
In that intensely brilliant moment, Terrance and Lorelei both held their breath. The next instant, the Destruction Light, compressed to its absolute limit, transformed into a pillar of light as thick as a water bottle and shot back out from the Ice Moon!!
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