"Ray~"
Luxray looked up and let out a mocking cry at Moltres.
"Your aim is really pathetic—maybe I should just stand still and let you hit me."
Moltres was already displeased that its Flamethrower hadn't landed, and now being directly taunted by its opponent only fueled its anger.
Usually, it could tolerate that stupid dog mocking it, but now even a cat was ridiculing it? 'You really don't know the meaning of the word "death."'
The rage in Moltres's heart turned into a blazing vortex of fire. The vortex swept across more than half of the battlefield enclosed by the Light Screen, and the air itself grew oppressively hot.
Luxray could even smell the faint scent of its fur singeing under the heat.
With the Fire Spin closing in, it no longer had any room to dodge.
It shot a hateful glance at the Light Screen—without this barrier, its speed would have allowed it to dodge effortlessly.
Of course, the Light Screen didn't just restrict Luxray—it constrained the Flying-type Moltres even more.
The Fire Spin descended like a great red storm.
Since it could no longer avoid it, Luxray could only take the hit head-on.
Arm-thick bolts of lightning erupted from Luxray's body.
Flames and lightning clashed once again.
Under the effect of Wild Charge, Luxray transformed into a living generator, relentlessly hurling thick bolts of electricity into the Fire Spin, filling the air with sparks.
The forces of both sides continuously collided, erupted, and collided again.
After a stalemate of about ten seconds, the frequency of Luxray's Wild Charge began to decline, while Moltres's Fire Spin maintained its high intensity.
As the Fire Spin completely overwhelmed Wild Charge, flames engulfed Luxray in the next moment.
"Ray!!!"
Luxray let out agonized cries from within the flames.
The searing fire burned its fur and flesh.
In its agony, its electric power erupted once again, blasting away the flames surrounding its body.
But when it raised its head to look toward the sky, Moltres was nowhere to be seen. Simultaneously, a sense of crisis emerged from behind, causing its muscles to tense instinctively.
Almost reflexively, Luxray used Protect.
The next moment, a fiery-red Brave Bird slammed heavily into the barrier, the sheer force of the impact pushing Luxray backward even as it held up Protect.
"Looks like its battle instincts are still there," Julian muttered, a bit surprised.
Pokémon like Luxray—after its trainer's death, staying in the family for decades, revered by the descendants—usually lived quite a comfortable life.
And after lying idle for years, their combat awareness would naturally dull over time.
Of course, it was also possible that this Pokémon was a true workaholic—even after its Trainer's death, it continued to train on its own. In that case, its combat instincts, stamina, speed, and other base stats would have remained at a certain level.
From that last exchange, it seemed this Luxray really was the diligent, self-training type.
Otherwise, its reaction speed wouldn't have been this fast.
Protect ultimately managed to block Moltres' Brave Bird, though the barrier was already on the verge of shattering—but it held.
Crack!
With the barrier gone Luxray opened its jaws, instantly materializing Thunder Fang.
A seven- to eight-meter-long Thunder Fang clamped down on Moltres, the powerful surge of lightning and the piercing bite instantly tore through Moltres's skin.
Electricity rampaged through its body, and blood barely had time to flow before being vaporized by the current.
Under the electrocution, Moltres let out a pained screech, a fierce glint flashing in its eyes.
Enduring the pain, it drove its long, sharp beak directly into Luxray's side. With a sickening clench, half its beak pierced into Luxray's body, only stopping when it hit a bone.
"Ray!!"
Luxray cried out in pain but refused to let go. If anything, the pain made it bite down even harder.
This was one ruthless cat—and Moltres was no less a ruthless bird.
Now it was a contest of sheer willpower—a standoff where whoever let go first would be the loser.
Moltres: 'I'll peck you to death.'
Luxray: 'I'll bite you to death.'
A Legendary Pokémon and a peak Pseudo-Champion Pokémon—and yet, the fight looked more like two thugs brawling in a back alley.
Even the Turner family members were left dumbfounded at the scene.
Julian covered his face, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
But secretly, he sent Moltres a telepathic message: "Don't you dare let go. If you let go first, I'll tell Arcanine and let it laugh at you for a whole year."
With so many people watching, Moltres couldn't afford to lose face. And spurred by Julian's words—especially the thought of that stupid dog finding out it was the first to give up—it really would be mocked for an entire year.
At that thought, Moltres erupted in a surge of flames, overwhelming the electric current of Thunder Fang. Under the scorching blaze, Luxray finally couldn't hold on and released its bite.
"Tress!"
Moltres let out a triumphant cry.
Luxray immediately fired off a Thunderbolt in retaliation, trying to at least take Moltres down with it.
But the powerful current was instantly dispersed under Moltres's Flamethrower.
"RAY!!"
The next second, Luxray was struck by the Flamethrower head-on.
Strengthened by the Blaze Stone, the Flamethrower's power was immense—as the flames hit Luxray, it felt as if its very bones were melting.
The intense burning sensation made it cry out in agony.
Seeing this, Moltres increased its output, narrowing the Flamethrower's width so that it became thinner but hotter, its color deepening as it burned even more fiercely.
"RAY!!!"
The ground beneath Luxray had completely turned into molten, glowing magma. Its body gradually sank into the molten pool, and its screams, which started sharp and piercing, grew weaker and weaker until finally, they fell completely silent.
Only then did Moltres end its Flamethrower.
Below was now a lava pool roughly a hundred meters wide, its depth unknown, with bubbles rising and bursting one after another.
Luxray could no longer be seen.
Most likely, it had been burned to ashes by Moltres.
Harold: "That wasteful brat! A peak Pseudo-Champion—its body would've been a treasure! Whether for medicine or for making Pokéblocks, that would've been top-grade material."
He spoke with visible pained expression on his face.
Theo, however, shook his head. "Grandpa, think bigger. With Cousin's strength, what's just one peak Pseudo-Champion Pokémon?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Harold smacked him hard on the head.
"What right do you have to say that? You're not even a Pseudo-Champion yourself. Your Pokémon aren't even qualified to be used in medicine!"
'Ouch, Grandpa—that hurt.'
Theo clutched his chest in mock pain.
He was, after all, an Elite Trainer—how could his Pokémon not be "qualified" for medicinal use?
Then again, that wasn't exactly a qualification he wanted.
With its opponent dealt with, Moltres strutted over proudly to Julian.
Honestly, when the bird was flying it looked quite majestic—but when it walked, it wobbled back and forth like a hen, looking downright comical.
*****
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