"What's going on?"
Brandon immediately turned to ask his disciple.
"I'm not sure, but it could be that some powerful Pokémon attacked the Pyramid."
The disciple, who was asked, had a blank look on his face.
"Let's go check outside!"
The Battle Pyramid itself, though sturdy, didn't have any significant defensive measures against attacks, so they had no choice but to head out.
With that, Brandon took the lead, rushing out.
As for Paul and Leanne, they didn't say a word, quickly calling back their Pokémon and running out ahead of Brandon.
Once outside, they quickly looked up at the Pyramid. To their shock, the sturdy outer shell had a massive hole in it.
Inside, a bird Pokémon with sharp beak and wings, surrounded by a violent golden thunder, was ravenously absorbing the Pyramid's energy.
"Is that... Zapdos!?"
Leanne quickly recognized the Pokémon but was immediately puzzled.
"Why would Zapdos attack the Pyramid? And why does it seem so familiar to me?"
"It's running low on energy and is forcibly absorbing the electrical power from the Pyramid to replenish itself."
Paul stared at Zapdos from a distance.
"Ah!!!"
At that moment, Zapdos noticed Paul, Leanne, and Brandon, who had just arrived. It let out a loud cry, and red light flashed in its eyes.
"This Pokémon... It's doing this on purpose! It knows there are people here and still attacks!"
The moment he saw the malice in Zapdos' eyes, Scott knew the Legendary Pokémon's attack was deliberate.
"Troublesome, of all times."
Brandon's expression darkened. If it were any other day, he could easily send out the Three Pillars to lock onto Zapdos and force it away with powerful beams.
But he had just fought Paul, and all three of his Pillars were injured. Only Regirock had regained some strength, while the others were still under emergency treatment.
From the energy readings, Zapdos was at least a strong Champion-level Pokémon, and the only ones Brandon had that were close to Champion rank were his Three Pillars.
He was frustrated, but still prepared to send out a Pokémon to stop Zapdos.
However, Paul acted first and threw a Poké Ball.
"Electivire, prepare for battle!"
"Vireee~"
As soon as Electivire appeared, it felt the overwhelming energy and electric currents in the air, but rather than being serious, it looked excited.
Zapdos... the Legendary Pokémon it knew!
"Go all out, take it down! I'll give you instructions if necessary."
"Vireee~"
Upon hearing Paul's words, Electivire couldn't hold back any longer. It surged with electricity, launching itself into the air to unleash a devastating attack.
Seeing the Electivire charge at it, Zapdos' anger flared up again.
"Ahhhh!"
Zapdos absorbed more electrical energy, flapping its wings as it dived down with a terrifying Beak Drill, its assault seeming capable of tearing through space itself.
Both Pokémon were incredibly fast, and in an instant, they collided.
To Paul's surprise, Electivire was quickly knocked back.
In the blink of an eye, Electivire was sent flying dozens of meters away.
This was something neither Paul nor Electivire had anticipated.
Electivire had never encountered such an overwhelming opponent in battle!
"Viree!"
But this only made Electivire more determined. It clenched its fists and smiled.
Thunderbolt Field, Magnetic Field Enhancement, Thunder Armor.
Activate! Activate! Activate!
In an instant, the entire sky was filled with swirling golden electricity, and the magnetic field began to shift.
Zapdos was momentarily stunned, the strange magnetic field disorienting it, but its anger gave way to a moment of clarity.
Suddenly, a sharp cold wind hit, and Zapdos' wings gleamed with a metallic shine. It shot forward with Steel Wing.
"Boom!"
Electivire's Ice Punch met Zapdos' Steel Wing, but this time, Electivire didn't get knocked away. Instead, it managed to hold its ground, struggling in a fierce standoff.
Electivire's Ice Punch was powerful, but it couldn't penetrate Zapdos' body to freeze it.
As expected, Electivire extended its tail, aiming a surprise attack at Zapdos.
Zapdos reacted instantly, using its wings to break free from Electivire's tail.
Electivire's tail passed through the space where Zapdos had been, only hitting a blur of its afterimage.
Once they gained distance, Zapdos eyed the surrounding Magnetic Field suspiciously. A hint of disdain appeared in its eyes.
It too could control the magnetic field!
"Ahhh!"
With a cry, all the stray electricity in the air flowed into Zapdos' body, absorbed completely.
Its wings, now resembling sharp spikes, flared outward, and the magnetic field was thrown into disarray.
Thunderbolt Field, Magnetic Field Interference, Deactivated!
Magnetic Field Enhancement drastically reduced in efficiency!
Electivire could feel that its control over the electromagnetic forces was severely hindered. Even flying was becoming difficult.
"Vireee~"
Electivire's body wobbled, its form disoriented.
Was this really a Champion-level Zapdos? No Champion-level Pokémon could disrupt its abilities like this!
"Ahhh~"
Zapdos wasted no time, unleashing a powerful Light of Ruin with a swift cry.
The attack came so quickly that Electivire, usually capable of dodging it, couldn't avoid the attack due to its difficulty in controlling its flight.
"Protect!"
In the nick of time, Paul's voice rang out. Electivire immediately abandoned its attempt to dodge, raising its hands to form a protective barrier.
"Boom!"
The Light of Ruin struck, but Electivire barely managed to block it. However, the impact left it shaken.
It thought it could counter Zapdos, but instead, it was countered, and Electivire felt frustrated.
But Zapdos clearly wasn't done. As soon as the protective shield vanished, Zapdos appeared from a different angle, firing off another Light of Ruin.
"Thunder, descend!"
In this situation, staying airborne was suicide.
Electivire raised its hands, summoning numerous bolts of lightning to collide with the Light of Ruin, and then stopped controlling its flight, accelerating toward the ground.
As soon as it landed, Zapdos fired another Light of Ruin, forcing Electivire to defend again.
"Vireee~"
Once it withstood the attack, Electivire regained its posture, ready to trigger its self-boosting Electric Engine for a fight. However, it saw Zapdos once again on top of the Pyramid, absorbing more electrical energy.
"Vireee~"
Electivire's frustration was palpable as it looked at Paul, clenching its teeth.
'Let the little brother out, I'll take it down!'
It wasn't that Electivire didn't want to defeat Zapdos itself, but this bird was too strange, too unsettling.
Which Champion-level Pokémon could cancel out another Champion's primary ability like this? This was like disconnecting someone's internet mid-game!
"This isn't right…"
Since the first encounter between Electivire and Zapdos, Paul had been analyzing the situation. Now, he finally understood what was going on.
"This Zapdos isn't just a Champion-level Pokémon!"
Though it exuded the aura of a Champion, its true power was far beyond that.
A Champion-level Pokémon couldn't disrupt all of Electivire's magnetic abilities, especially when Electivire had devoured Electrum Crystals. In some ways, Electivire could be considered a semi-Legendary Pokémon.
Despite this being Electivire's first time facing this kind of situation, Paul believed that even an Arceus with a Thunder Plate wouldn't be able to push Electivire this far.
"I noticed something…"
Brandon, with his sharp eyes, quickly made a judgment. "This Zapdos isn't fully healed! It's weak."
"I remember now!" Leanne suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Zapdos.
"I've seen this Zapdos before! It's the one from the Orange Islands, the Thunder God! How did it end up here?"
"The Thunder God… So it's really it…"
Paul's eyes widened in realization. Everything clicked into place.
This Zapdos came from Lugia: The Movie and, although its appearance in the film wasn't spectacular, it was one of the strongest Legendary Birds alongside Moltres and Articuno. It was a pureblood Legendary, not just a Mythical Pokémon like the others.
This made sense—its ability to interfere with Electivire's magnetic field was justified.
"Weak… Orange Islands… Attacking the Pyramid… Could someone be trying to capture it?"
Brandon analyzed.
"It doesn't matter. We'll know once we defeat it."
Paul's expression turned cold. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Garchomp, prepare for battle!"
"GAAAAR!"
With a roar, Garchomp appeared on the battlefield.
"Vireee!"
Before Electivire could speak, it immediately tapped Garchomp's shoulder, grinning as it pointed at Zapdos in the sky.
'Take it down! I'll help if necessary!'
"Gaaaar~"
Garchomp's eyes gleamed, filled with determination.
'What if it's the strongest Zapdos? Even a mighty tiger can be bullied when stranded in the plains! Now die!'
"Go! Give it everything you've got—Sandstorm Domain, Dragon Rush!"
Paul nodded slightly as he issued the command.
"GAAAAR!!"
Garchomp let out a sky-shaking roar, its entire body flashing with white light as it instantly Mega Evolved.
Its form transformed—now a robust and battle-hardened Mega Garchomp, cloaked in a swirling cyclone of sand as it launched into the air.
Sandstorm Domain—Activated!
Sand Force—Engaged!
Amid the torrent of flying debris, a pair of crimson, dragon-like eyes suddenly lit up. Their blood-red glow pierced through the raging sandstorm and locked straight onto Zapdos.
Bloodline Mode—Engaged!
Killer Intent Lock-On—Activated!
"GAAAAAR!"
Another ferocious roar echoed across the battlefield as Mega Garchomp, still encased in the storm, launched skyward. Its body pulsed with a rhythmic Dragon Dance, and a deep-blue spectral dragon took form, cloaking Garchomp like armor.
The Dragon of Sand surged forward with overwhelming momentum, charging straight toward Zapdos like an unstoppable force of nature.
"AHHH!"
Zapdos sensed the murderous aura crashing down upon it like a tidal wave. Its eyes narrowed sharply with fury—it was, after all, the Thunder God! And now some ordinary Pokémon dared to direct killing intent at it?
At that moment, Zapdos truly lost its temper.
It ascended into the sky with a beat of its wings. The wind howled violently in its wake, the skies darkened, and storm clouds boiled into existence—clear weather vanishing in an instant, replaced by Heavy Rain and Thunder.
Another wingbeat.
A Hurricane was conjured, spinning into a monstrous tornado like a calamity descending from above. It roared straight toward the sandstorm-shrouded Mega Garchomp.
Though the Sandstorm Domain resisted the effects of rain, it stood no chance against the sheer might of this tornado. In mere seconds, the sand was torn apart, and even the dragon-shaped wind entity was trapped within the storm, battered mercilessly by the howling winds.
"Draco Meteor, then Dragon Claw!"
Paul's voice rang through Garchomp's mind.
Its dual scythe-like claws lit up with a vivid green glow and began slashing wildly at the storm's interior. Then, from its jaws, it expelled a blazing sphere of energy—a Draco Meteor—which detonated mid-tornado.
BOOM!
A colossal explosion bloomed into the shape of a mushroom cloud high in the sky, shattering the storm from within.
"Full-power Swords Dance! Accelerate! Accelerate!"
Zapdos was no slouch in close quarters, but its true advantage lay in ranged combat. Only by forcing it into melee could victory be seized.
"GAAAAR!!"
Mega Garchomp roared and surged forward again, executing a full-power Swords Dance. Its entire body became a living missile, and the ethereal sand dragon around it grew even more solid—an avatar of primal force.
"AAAAHH!!!"
Despite the killer aura still locked on, Zapdos ignored it completely, diving into the storm clouds above like a divine spirit of thunder descending to pass judgment.
Divine Retribution was at hand.
From the heavens, jagged lightning tore downward, striking straight at Mega Garchomp.
But protected by its Ground typing, Garchomp feared no thunder. Instead of retreating, it charged head-on into the oncoming bolt.
The moment the lightning struck, the sky lit up with golden light. The spectral dragon born of its energy dissolved, but Garchomp itself emerged bathed in lightning, still racing toward Zapdos.
This Earth Dragon would tear away the false mask of this so-called Thunder God!
At just under ten meters from impact, Garchomp raised its scythe-like claws, each glowing crimson—a full-powered Dragon Claw—and slashed down from the sky. At the same time, a beam of pure destruction—Hyper Beam—launched from Zapdos' beak.
BOOM!
The explosive clash lit up the dark skies. The shockwave blew away the clouds, and sunlight returned to the earth.
Both sides took heavy damage.
Eyes closed, they plummeted together from the sky, crashing downward like fallen gods.
"Stone Edge!"
Paul's voice echoed in Garchomp's fading consciousness.
"Gaaaar…"
Forcing its eyes open with effort, Garchomp summoned the last of its rage and power. Dozens of razor-sharp stones materialized midair and shot toward the falling Zapdos like javelins.
Across the field, Zapdos also recovered in time. Its eyes flickered with a cold blue glow, it activated Detect.
The stones streaked toward it, but Zapdos twisted and weaved through the air, dodging every shard with unnatural grace. In the next breath, it countered with another Hyper Beam.
THUD!
Garchomp was hit squarely and sent hurtling toward the ground.
"VIREEEE!"
Just then, Electivire dashed forward and leapt into the air, catching Garchomp in its arms and setting it gently on the ground. It was ready—eyes now burning to take the fight to Zapdos and battle another 800 rounds if needed.
But something unexpected was about to happen...
(End of Chapter)
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