"What a massive Beedrill!" Brock wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes wide with shock.
As an experienced Pokémon Breeder, he could immediately tell that Yozora's Beedrill possessed a body far beyond the limits of its species.
He had never seen a Beedrill this powerful.
And yet, he was certain of one thing—Yozora's Beedrill was indeed just a Beedrill, not a Totem Beedrill.
If it were a Totem, its body would have been far larger still.
But it was precisely because this wasn't a Totem Beedrill that it was even more astonishing.
Without any Totem lineage, it had still grown this strong. Simply unbelievable.
"And that red cloak—too cool!" Ash shouted in excitement.
Yozora's Beedrill wore the Cloak of Battle Spirit, exuding the aura of a war god. Its eyes locked onto the Dragonair in the lake, its entire body overflowing with battle intent.
Yozora knew this Beedrill had long been yearning for a true battle.
For years it had grown rapidly, gaining endless experience crushing weaker opponents. But when it came to battling real powerhouses, its record was almost empty—practically nonexistent.
It wasn't Beedrill's fault.
High-level wild Pokémon were exceedingly rare.
And Yozora, always busy with research, rarely had the time to personally train Beedrill. Most of the time, it was left to roam freely.
Beedrill itself was battle-hungry. It often wandered forests, valleys, and wildlands around Pallet Town, seeking opponents. But it dared not stray too far, and at most it might encounter three to five Lord-tier Pokémon in a year.
As time passed, Beedrill's level climbed higher, its strength grew stronger.
Eventually, even Lords became trivial foes. Beedrill was crushing them in seconds—easy prey, not true battles.
And so—
Despite being a peak Elite-level Pokémon, Beedrill had little real combat experience.
Its immense power came from its own incredible potential, enhanced further by the special traits Yozora granted it, and steadily nurtured by Yozora's breeder expertise.
But Beedrill itself had never clashed with true champions.
It had been stuck at this peak for years.
To Yozora, Beedrill had already accumulated enough experience. It only needed one high-quality battle to break through that bottleneck and soar to a higher realm.
"Beedrill, this time you can finally fight to your heart's content." Yozora smiled warmly, happy for his partner.
Beedrill nodded.
Its ruby-like eyes gleamed with sharp brilliance. Battle spirit surged from its entire body, so intense it seemed almost tangible.
On the opposite shore, Dragonair's expression hardened. It could sense Beedrill's aura—it was nearly its equal.
Which meant Beedrill was just one step away from reaching the Elite Four level.
And level wasn't the main point.
Beedrill simultaneously wielded Huge Power, Tinted Lens, and Sniper—three offensive abilities. Its raw strength had already surpassed the boundaries of its level.
In terms of sheer power, it might even outmatch Dragonair itself.
"What a terrifying Beedrill… Who would've thought that kid was just a rookie trainer? To own such a monster of a Pokémon?" Kaiser, the Safari Zone warden, trembled inwardly, utterly stunned.
He wasn't a trainer by profession—once, he had been a free-spirited adventurer, later settling as the caretaker of the Safari Zone.
In thirty years of work, he had captured and raised a fine Rhyhorn, which had since evolved into a Rhydon.
Yet even that Rhydon was only peak Senior level.
Earlier, Kaiser had even considered challenging Yozora with it. The thought now felt utterly ridiculous.
Thank Arceus Dragonair stopped me, he thought. Otherwise, I'd have lost all dignity.
"Fwooo—!"
From the lake, Dragonair lifted its head and unleashed a clear dragon's cry, declaring the start of battle.
Its roar split the skies. Clouds gathered from afar, looming dark above the lake and dimming the light.
This was no ordinary cry—Dragonair had invoked Rain Dance.
But Rain Dance was only a plea. Even at Dragonair's Elite level, it couldn't summon rain instantly.
That was the difference between Rain Dance and the Drizzle ability. Drizzle could call rain with a mere thought.
No matter how strong a Pokémon or even a Legendary beast, when using Rain Dance, they could never rival Drizzle's instant dominion over weather.
"Beedrill, Double Team!" Yozora commanded.
With a buzz, Beedrill's body flickered—and suddenly multiplied.
Eight clones, then dozens more, until the sky was filled with Beedrills.
There weren't just tens—there had to be close to a hundred.
"!!"
Ash, Brock, Misty, even Kaiser—all stared at the red-cloaked swarm overhead, dumbstruck.
What kind of Double Team was this?! That many clones was outrageous.
"Beedrill, charge like this—and use Twinneedle!" Yozora's voice rang as the sky grew darker, though no rain had yet fallen.
The countless Beedrills surged forward in a terrifying wave. True and false indistinguishable, the entire swarm dove at Dragonair.
"Fwooo—!"
Dragonair did not flinch. With a sweep of its long tail, it smacked the lake's surface, raising a towering wall of water.
Then, opening its mouth wide, it condensed a ball of water the size of a basketball—then hurled it at the wall.
BOOM!
The orb struck, and the water curtain detonated. An immense blast sent tidal waves crashing outward in all directions.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Every clone vanished instantly. The true Beedrill was caught in the blast, slammed by the Water Pulse, and sent flying across the shore, crashing down hard.
A one-hit knockout.
"What terrifying Water Pulse…" Yozora muttered in awe.
Dragonair's Water Pulse was small, no bigger than a ball—but upon impact, it exploded with devastating force.
The shockwave of water spread too wide, too fast. Dodging was almost impossible.
But Yozora knew Beedrill wasn't defeated yet.
Through Aura, he sensed it was gravely weakened, nearly knocked out. Yet the Cloak of Battle Spirit preserved a sliver of its stamina.
Though battered, Beedrill's fighting spirit had not dimmed. If anything—it blazed even fiercer.
…
…
(End of Chapter)