Chapter 48. Natsume vs. the Giant Dragonite
"Roar?"
The frenzied giant Dragonite quieted down again.
As if she had never seen another Pokémon as large as herself, she curiously sized up the Gigantamax Gengar.
"Geng–ga?"
Gengar also looked herself over, feeling a violently surging energy stored within her body, though it seemed it would dissipate before long.
"Ooh~"
For some reason, the giant Dragonite across from them grew excited again.
This time, there was a look of absolute determination in her eyes when she stared at Natsume.
Raising a hand, she ignored the Gigantamax Gengar and reached for Natsume standing atop Gengar's head.
"Gengar, G-Max Terror!"
Gengar's Special Attack was extremely high, and this one also knew Shadow Ball and had been trained well, so G-Max Terror would hit very hard.
Most crucially, that move applies a Shadow Tag–like effect, making it very hard for the opponent to escape.
"Geng—gaaaa!"
Gengar opened her gaping maw, a bottomless darkness like the road to the underworld.
Countless violet phantoms gathered in her mouth, as if innumerable souls were circling.
In the next second, that vast mass of phantoms surged like a flood and slammed toward the completely unguarded giant Dragonite.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
G-Max Terror collided with the giant Dragonite, yet went straight through her body, with the sound of rushing water.
The giant Dragonite visibly stiffened, her outstretched hand freezing in midair.
She lowered her head, looking at her body in disbelief.
She was hurt?
That purple fatso truly deserved to be the Ghost-type Elite Four's ace; even using Gigantamax for the first time, she intuitively executed G-Max Terror with no teacher.
Natsume looked down at the Gengar under his feet with satisfaction.
If not for his lofty moral standards—and the fact that Agatha's Gengar was just a little too strong—he would have wanted to join Team Rocket by now.
No worries, though; Natsume could trick her into his breeding house.
"Awesome, looks like Natsume's got a real shot."
On the beach, Ash Ketchum looked excitedly at Natsume standing on the Gigantamax Gengar's head.
"At this rate, maybe he can even capture this giant Dragonite!"
Bill's face flushed red and his breathing turned rapid, as if he were the one in the battle.
"Rumble—"
A sudden change.
The Gigantamax Gengar under Natsume's feet trembled, and then her whole body collapsed and shrank, reverting to an ordinary Gengar within seconds.
Across the way, upon seeing this, the giant Dragonite's resolve only deepened.
"Geng–ga?"
Gengar looked at Natsume in dejection.
"It's fine. Watch me."
Natsume rubbed the purple fatso.
Off to the side, Great Ball Rotom fired another blue beam, trying to repeat the trick.
"Roaaar—"
The giant Dragonite threw up a hand to block, and a transparent barrier kept the blue beam out.
"It got blocked by Protect?"
Natsume froze for a second.
Hiss—if that's the case, he felt like the Poké Ball line of Rotom had gone sunny and cheerful again.
"Geng–ga?"
Seeing the empowering beam blocked, Gengar looked to Natsume, asking what to do now.
"It's over. Mr. Natsume's Great Ball Rotom has very limited move uses!"
Honora spoke in deep worry.
As Natsume's assistant, she obviously knew the Poké Ball line of Rotom better than the others.
"Don't worry. Believe in Natsume!"
"Look!"
Brock cried out.
Only then did everyone notice that, at some unknown moment, a barrier had slowly descended, covering the giant Dragonite and Natsume.
[Rules Battle Field has been activated.]
[Detected that the opponent possesses a divine rank. Current mode is a raid battle; multiple Pokémon may be on the field at once.]
[No Pokémon on our side possess a divine rank. Dragonite's universal divine rank effects will apply.]
Hearing the system's voice, Natsume blinked.
A divine rank?
Isn't that something only Legendary Pokémon have?
And not just any Legendary—it has to be the strongest of its species.
On the other side, feeling the voice resound in her mind, the giant Dragonite became even more determined to take Natsume's heart away.
"Go, Gengar. Great Ball Rotom."
With a wave of Natsume's hand, two Pokémon stood before the giant Dragonite.
[Trainer Natsume used a full PP medicine. Great Ball Rotom's PP was restored!]
Sure, PP medicine exists in reality too, but aside from explorers venturing into uninhabited places, almost no one ever uses it.
Because it takes a while to take effect.
But reality is reality—what's it got to do with my game?
Inside the Rules Battle Field, PP medicine takes effect in one second.
Which means that as long as he has enough PP medicine, Great Ball Rotom can keep using Rob-the-Rich-and-Give-to-the-Poor Ball, and Gengar can keep Gigantamaxing.
"Rob-the-Rich-and-Give-to-the-Poor Ball! Gengar, ready!"
[By the effect of the Rob-the-Rich-and-Give-to-the-Poor Ball, Gengar Gigantamaxed!]
As a cold voice rang out, the vanished Gigantamax Gengar reappeared once more by the coast.
Amid the stirring background music, Dragonite's eyes actually showed a hint of excitement, and she stared at Natsume with blazing heat.
What are you doing?
Natsume got goosebumps all over; he kept feeling that this giant Dragonite's gaze was just like the way Honora looked at him.
Only the giant Dragonite was upright about it.
"G-Max Terror!"
Afraid the giant Dragonite would run, Natsume hurriedly gave the order.
At the same time, the HP bar above Dragonite's head came into view, and only a sliver had been shaved off.
Natsume glanced at it and felt something was off.
Even for a Dragonite with maxed-out Special Defense, taking a G-Max Terror before the fight shouldn't have left only that tiny scratch, right?
Before Natsume could puzzle it out, the first G-Max Terror in the Rules Battle Field had already struck Dragonite.
[Because of the divine rank, the damage taken by Dragonite is reduced.]
"Boom—"
About a tenth of the HP bar over the giant Dragonite's head dropped.
[Because of the divine rank, Dragonite's HP was restored.]
The already huge HP bar climbed back up, and in total, two G-Max Terrors only shaved off about one-twentieth of her HP bar!
"What?"
Natsume was dumbfounded.
Where did she get a divine rank?
"Oooo—"
Flames gathered in Dragonite's hand, and she smashed toward Great Ball Rotom.
[Dragonite used Fire Punch!]
[Because of the divine rank, Dragonite's attacks ignore resistances and Abilities.]
"Boom—"
The super-tank Rotom went down in an instant.
Natsume: "???"
Hold on, what even are you?
Before Natsume could react, Gengar's Gigantamax ended.
"Geng–ga!"
Gengar jumped in fright.
[Go, Meowth!]
With Rotom down, Meowth was automatically sent out by the system.
"Don't, meow!"
Meowth was in despair.
He really wanted to run, but a strange power was restraining him.
"Gengar, Destiny Bond!"
[Gengar used Destiny Bond, linking herself tightly with Dragonite.]
Dragonite said nothing, only kept swinging her fists as flames gathered again.
[Dragonite used Fire Punch.]
[Because of the divine rank, Dragonite's attacks ignore resistances and Abilities.]
[Gengar fainted!]
[Affected by Destiny Bond, Dragonite fainted!]
Both HP bars emptied at the same time.
"Wonderful, meow!"
Meowth wept with joy, even happier than Natsume himself.
Behind him, Natsume frowned; something felt wrong.
The giant Dragonite's HP bar had emptied, yet the Rules Battle Field had not ended.
[Because of the divine rank, Dragonite's HP was restored.]
Under Natsume's wide-eyed stare, the giant Dragonite's HP bar returned to full green again.
"???"
How about we just declare her the winner already…
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