Jacob peered intently into the depths of the mist. As the temperature continued to plummet and the snowstorm grew increasingly violent, he could clearly sense that Gigantamax Lapras was lurking somewhere in the deepest part of that thick fog.
"Woo!"
As if responding directly to Jacob's thoughts, a loud, high-pitched cry echoed from within the endless mist. The sound was clear and resonant, reminiscent of a haunting ocean song.
"Togekiss, use Defog!"
This powerful cry also drew Zion and Raya, who had been lost deep in thought, to turn their attention toward the depths of the mist. Raya quickly grabbed a Luxury Ball from her belt, released a Heavenly King-level Togekiss, and commanded it to use Defog.
Togekiss flapped its wings powerfully, and Flying-type energy surged forth, forming a strong gust of wind that spread outward in an attempt to dispel the surrounding thick mist. However, due to the limited strength of the move, Togekiss's Defog only managed to clear a relatively small area of the fog.
As the nearby mist cleared away, Jacob and his two companions were startled to discover a massive figure floating on the sea surface directly in front of them.
… … … …
A colossal entity, comparable in size to a giant cruise ship, slowly approached the three of them!
On the mist-shrouded ocean, a huge dark shadow continuously drew closer to their position.
Even though Jacob had already made ample mental preparations, he was still startled when he first laid eyes on Gigantamax Lapras in person. This was to say nothing of Zion and Raya, who had absolutely no psychological preparation for what they were about to witness.
Looking at the enormous Gigantamax Lapras that now appeared before their eyes, Raya and Zion finally believed what Jacob had told them earlier.
There really were Gigantamax Pokémon in this world—Pokémon that had been enlarged dozens or even hundreds of times beyond their normal proportions.
[Gigantamax Lapras] (Permanently Gigantamaxed)
Gender: Female
Type: Water/Ice
Tera Type: None (Gigantamax Pokémon cannot use Terastallization, Mega Evolution, or Z-Moves)
Potential: Master Level (Greatly increased due to Eternatus's influence)
Combat Power: Champion Level
Ability: Water Absorb
Item: None
Moves: Growl, Water Gun, Sing, Mist, Life Dew, Ice Shard, Confuse Ray, Water Pulse, Brine, Body Slam, Ice Beam, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Perish Song, Sheer Cold, Hex, Sparkling Aria, Fissure, Freeze-Dry, Ancient Power
(Note: Permanently Gigantamaxed Pokémon can freely choose between using Gigantamax moves or normal moves, but using Gigantamax moves consumes Gigantamax energy. The number of times these moves can be used varies depending on the individual Pokémon's strength.)
The appearance of Gigantamax Lapras resembled that of a giant cruise ship. Its massive body was surrounded by rotating rings of ice shards, and the shell-like armor on its back had completely transformed into the distinctive shape of a giant cruise ship, featuring layer upon layer of tiered, circular structures that resembled multiple floors or decks.
With a professional renovation team and some creative modifications, Gigantamax Lapras could absolutely be transformed into a functional sea fortress, operating just like an actual cruise ship.
"Is this really Gigantamax Lapras?" Raya's face displayed an expression of genuine shock. The overwhelming pressure that this Gigantamax Lapras emanated was even more intense than what she'd felt from ordinary Legendary Pokémon.
Even when facing Darkrai that day, she hadn't experienced this level of pressure.
Similarly, Jacob felt immense pressure weighing down on him. The pressure this Gigantamax Lapras exerted on him was second only to what he'd experienced with Mume Shen.
"Don't hold back at all," Jacob commanded urgently. "Release all your Pokémon and have them attack together."
At this critical point, there could be no talk of a fair one-on-one duel. The only objective now was to find some way to defeat this Gigantamax Lapras.
"Besides the obvious significant increase in size and raw strength, Gigantamax also grants access to powerful Gigantamax moves and exclusive signature Gigantamax moves," Jacob explained quickly. "For example, this Gigantamax Lapras's exclusive Gigantamax move is the Ice-type G-Max Resonance."
"This move doesn't just deal massive damage to enemies—it also places Lapras in an Aurora Veil state. Be extremely careful."
No sooner had Jacob finished speaking than Gigantamax Lapras began spewing forth fierce Ice-type energy that surged dramatically toward the sky above.
What kind of move is this?
Raya and Zion, who had never witnessed Gigantamax moves before, naturally didn't know what move Lapras was preparing to unleash or what devastating effects it might produce.
"Watch out above!" Jacob's voice rang out urgently.
The three of them looked up to see a giant ice sphere falling from the sky like a meteor, aimed directly at their ship.
"Abandon the ship! Get off now!"
Jacob's voice rang out with authority. He immediately released his Charizard to fly up into the air, while leaving the actual battle to Iron Valiant, Alakazam, and Darkrai.
Similarly, Raya and Zion also released their Pokémon in rapid succession: Togekiss, Sylveon, Hydreigon, Gardevoir, Cresselia, and others, quickly mounting the backs of their Flying-type Pokémon.
"Boom!"
Just as Jacob mounted Charizard, Raya climbed onto Hydreigon, and Zion seated himself on Pidgeot's back, they evacuated the cruise ship.
The giant ice sphere struck directly, splitting the cruise ship cleanly in half. Meanwhile, additional giant ice spheres continued raining down from the sky above.
"Dodge them!"
Facing the continuously falling ice spheres from the sky, the group could only keep dodging and weaving. Fortunately, although the ice spheres possessed incredible destructive power, their falling speed was relatively slow and predictable.
After the barrage of ice spheres finally finished falling, a dazzling Aurora Veil materialized in front of Lapras. For an extended period of time, Lapras's defensive capabilities would be significantly increased, and any damage it received would be substantially reduced.
Looking at the colossal entity floating before them, the three trainers' expressions were grim. They clearly understood that an extremely tough battle lay ahead of them.
"Alakazam, Iron Valiant, Darkrai—get in close and attack!"
"Darkrai, use Dark Void!"
Jacob's voice rang out with determination. Although he understood it would be difficult for Darkrai to successfully hypnotize Lapras given the disparity in their strength levels, he still wanted to attempt it.
Dark-type energy gathered and concentrated rapidly. The Dark Void move instantly formed and flew directly toward Lapras, striking its massive body head-on.
Upon being hit by the attack, Lapras's enormous figure clearly paused in its movements. However, it was only a brief pause—a momentary daze—before it recovered its senses, seemingly unaffected by the sleep-inducing move.
"Cresselia, use Light Screen and Reflect!"
"Togekiss, use Air Slash!"
"Hydreigon, use Dark Pulse!"
"Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"
… … … …
Although there were numerous Pokémon participating in the battle, the ones that truly posed a legitimate threat to Lapras were Mega Gardevoir, Hydreigon, Iron Valiant, Cresselia, and Darkrai.
Although Gardevoir was only at King level in its base form, after undergoing Mega Evolution, it gained strength comparable to that of a true Champion-level Pokémon!
And both Hydreigon and Iron Valiant were already Champion-level in their own right, making them naturally suited to serve as the main offensive force in this battle.
The remaining Pokémon, Darkrai and Cresselia, although only at Heavenly King-level in terms of raw strength, were Legendary Pokémon. Their inherent power allowed them to compete effectively against ordinary quasi-Champion level Pokémon, thus enabling them to pose a certain degree of threat to Gigantamax Lapras.
As for the other Heavenly King-level Pokémon on the battlefield, they could only fulfill supporting roles in this intense confrontation.
They couldn't hope to outmatch Gigantamax Lapras in weather manipulation, so they could only focus on setting up terrain effects or continuously using stat-boosting moves on themselves and their allies, waiting patiently for opportunities to launch effective attacks.