Blastoise, the final evolution of the Kanto Region's Water-type starter, had two massive cannons on its back capable of almost 270° wide-angle coverage, making it a true mobile artillery platform!
As Siebold's ace Pokémon, this Blastoise unsurprisingly possessed Peak Ace level combat power.
Meanwhile, Sato's sharp eyesight allowed him to clearly see Siebold's movements from over a hundred meters away!
At that moment, Siebold removed the Z-Crystal from his Z-Ring and replaced it with an orange Key Stone.
The next second, Siebold's voice echoed across the entire field!
"Blastoise, Mega Evolve!"
A burst of multicolored light enveloped both Trainer and Pokémon, with energy chains interlinking them in the center.
As the light exploded outward, Mega Blastoise appeared before everyone in a completely new form.
The two cannons on its back had merged into one.
…Thicker, longer, and far more intimidating!
On the backs of its hands, two smaller cannons had also emerged. Though smaller, they were much more flexible, allowing Blastoise to fire even when opponents were up close.
Once Mega Blastoise appeared, Sato wasted no time using his right to switch Pokémon. He recalled Gengar and sent out Hydreigon.
This wasn't because Gengar lacked the strength to fight, Sato could have even let it Mega Evolve as well. But barring unexpected outcomes, the League Headquarters side was bound to win this match. Even if Sato lost, Fitzwilliam was still waiting as the final safety net.
So right now, Siebold was nothing more than a massive pile of experience points in Sato's eyes.
And since experience was meant to be shared equally among teammates…
Hydreigon entered the field!
"Now, the battle continues!"
As the referee swung down the flag, both Sato and Siebold issued their commands simultaneously!
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump and Water Pulse!"
"Hydreigon, Dark Pulse."
Mega Blastoise's back cannon expanded and contracted, firing off a Water Pulse in an instant. With the Mega Launcher ability boosting it, its single-target power rivaled that of Hydro Pump!
But that wasn't all.
Right after the Water Pulse shot forth, Mega Blastoise's smaller arm cannons also unleashed two Hydro Pump attacks, following right behind, ready to strike!
On the other side, Lefty, Righty, and Middy simultaneously fired off three Dark Pulses. The moment they launched, the beams twisted together, merging into one massive attack comparable to Hyper Beam, and it collided head-on with Blastoise's Water Pulse!
BOOOOOM…
RUMBLEEEEEEE!
What did it feel like when two high Special Attackers clashed from afar? Even though the center of the battlefield had collapsed into rubble, neither Blastoise nor Hydreigon suffered any real damage.
It was the definition of "lots of noise, little effect."
Mega Blastoise's attack pattern was quite clever. The Water Pulse in front acted as a shield-breaker, while the Hydro Pumps behind provided sustained follow-up, greatly improving the chances of a successful hit.
It was like two people fighting: your hands block mine, but then you somehow grow two extra arms from behind and start slapping me silly.
¦⚈Yeah, that's you, Machamp!⚈¦
Unfortunately for Mega Blastoise, its opponent was Hydreigon; a Pokémon with three separate consciousnesses!
¦⚈ So even if you grew two extra hands, I just brought along two extra brothers. ⚈¦
Three against one…
Let's see you try that again!
The combined Dark Pulses were far from a simple 1+1+1 sum. Even when composed of equal energy, their merged explosion unleashed power that Water Pulse couldn't possibly break through.
Breaking through Water Pulse and suppressing the twin Hydro Pumps, the fused Dark Pulse still wasn't fully blocked; eventually pushing the Hydro Pumps aside and landing a direct hit on Mega Blastoise!
…But Blastoise was, after all, a turtle. Retreating into its shell had long become instinct.
In the end, the fused Dark Pulse only struck its thick shell, dealing moderate damage.
Even so, this was enough to shock Siebold and the surrounding spectators. That was a Mega Evolved Blastoise with a massive Special Attack boost and temporary access to Mega Launcher…
And it still got overwhelmed by Hydreigon?
What was going on with this Hydreigon. Was it spamming Dark Pulse for free!?
Three at once, and they could even merge into a single beam!
At the same time, Sato had already begun pressing the advantage, once again commanding Lefty, Righty, and Middy to use the same move.
Tri Attack!
Since even the fused Dark Pulse couldn't break through Blastoise's thick shell, inflicting some status conditions was clearly a solid strategy.
Hydreigon's three heads simultaneously opened wide once more, firing off three Tri Attacks that spiraled together toward Mega Blastoise.
Seeing this, Siebold could only shout at full volume to dodge!
Mega Blastoise instinctively launched a Rapid Spin, but the Tri Attack had already reached it!
There was no helping it; Blastoise's only obvious weakness was its speed.
Fire, lightning, ice… fire, lightning, ice…
Nine consecutive energy strikes hammered into Mega Blastoise in rapid succession. Although Rapid Spin deflected most of the attacks, the added effects could not be shaken off!
"BLAAAAAS!" Mega Blastoise let out a painful cry as flames suddenly burst across its body.
Burned!
Hydreigon might look dark and edgy… but clearly wasn't cursed with bad luck. Out of nine hits, one had landed a Burn.
But soon after, several clear streams of water began to swirl around Blastoise out of thin air.
Without even waiting for Siebold's command, Blastoise had already used Aqua Ring on its own, perfectly countering the Burn's health drain.
When it came to endurance, Blastoise was in no way inferior. The appearance of Aqua Ring even made Sato purse his lips slightly.
"Blastoise, use Aura Sphere just like that!"
"BLAAAAAS…"
Having endured for so long, Blastoise let out a muffled roar. Still spinning at high speed, it extended its back cannon and began blindly firing deep blue Aura Spheres!
Fss! Fsss! Fsss! Fsss…!
Each Aura Sphere, propelled by centrifugal force, launched at Hydreigon from bizarre and unpredictable angles.
And the fire rate… wasn't that basically a machine gun?
Sato's heart tensed. This was likely Mega Blastoise's true strength.
Endless bombardment, incredible sustainability; it could wear down countless opponents through sheer attrition!
…But if it was only Aura Sphere, it wasn't enough to make Sato or Hydreigon flinch.
"Round, full coverage!"
Hydreigon quickly landed on the ground, eliminating any attacks coming from below. Each of its three heads turned in a different direction.
Then…
"DREEEEEEI ♪"
"HYYY~"
"GON!"
Middy took the lead with a uniquely pitched roar, followed by Lefty and Righty.
When the three voices fused together, the power of Round doubled instantly, becoming an overwhelming attack not inferior to Outrage!
The key was its broader coverage.
And all three attacks hit at once!
Tribute to the fallen… fuel for my strength!
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150 PS - CH