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"Kid! The battle has just begun! Don't get carried away!"
"Hmph! You used every despicable trick in the book to deal with me from the start. I really can't imagine how you think you can defeat me now!"
Gary and Koga had already begun fighting—finally, it had become a proper Pokémon battle.
On the other side, a different battle commenced—one where trainers were absent and Pokémon fought independently.
Actually, that wasn't quite accurate. Although no trainer was present, Eddie's Pokémon had a temporary commander.
"Everyone, Eddie instructed beforehand that I would lead this battle temporarily. Now that we're all ready, let's begin."
Mega Lucario served as the temporary commander. In truth, both Mega Lucario and Dragonite possessed the capability to lead. After all, both had the ability to transmit messages.
Mega Lucario could relay commands through the power of Aura, while Dragonite naturally possessed telepathy to communicate orders.
However, their personalities differed significantly. Dragonite was too gentle-natured, making it unsuitable for a commanding role.
Furthermore, Dragonite had joined the team relatively recently. The other Pokémon hadn't spent much time with it yet. They weren't familiar with Dragonite, and Dragonite wasn't familiar with them. In such circumstances, having it as commander would be problematic.
That's why Eddie had chosen Mega Lucario as the battle commander, providing it with several tactical strategies to counter Articuno, allowing it to employ them during combat.
Without a commander, the Pokémon's cooperative battle efficiency would be drastically reduced.
Now, facing Mega Lucario's declaration of war, the other three Pokémon all nodded, indicating they were prepared to engage at any moment.
"Alright! Now, Mega Charizard Y, surround Articuno with Fire Spin!"
"Mega Gardevoir, use Calm Mind first, then follow with Thunderbolt!"
"Dragonite, start with Confuse Ray, and when the opportunity presents itself, hit it with Thunderbolt!"
Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, and Dragonite all sprang into action after receiving Mega Lucario's commands.
"ROAR!"
Mega Charizard Y took the initiative, unleashing raging flames directly at Articuno. The scorching inferno surrounded the legendary bird like a prison of fire.
Upon witnessing this, Articuno recognized it needed to escape immediately. It cried out, flapped its wings powerfully, and used Gust in an attempt to disperse the encircling flames.
Despite Articuno using a Flying-type move, the powerful wind generated by its wings carried a slight chill. Such frigid wind could actually extinguish and blow away flames.
However, it didn't realize the flames weren't intended to cause damage—they were merely a tactic to pin it in position.
While Articuno focused on extinguishing the flames, Mega Gardevoir and Dragonite launched their attacks simultaneously.
Violent electric shocks and eerie lights assaulted Articuno from both left and right.
Articuno could dodge these attacks, but if it made any drastic evasive maneuvers while the flames remained active, it would most likely be burned.
If it only dodged within a small area, it could avoid the flames, but would certainly be struck by at least one attack.
At this critical juncture, Articuno chose to fly left, evading the Confuse Ray.
It preferred taking a hit from Thunderbolt rather than being confused by Confuse Ray.
Getting hit would result in some injuries. Getting confused would likely mean getting beaten senseless until it fainted.
"As expected! It chose to avoid the Confuse Ray! Dragonite, quickly use Thunderbolt again!"
"Mega Charizard Y, keep using Fire Spin! Continue trapping it and observe how it responds!"
Seeing this unfold, Mega Lucario immediately pressed the advantage.
After issuing instructions to the other Pokémon, it took action as well.
First, it used Swords Dance, greatly boosting its attack power. Then it used Focus Energy, which would sharpen its concentration, ensuring its next attack would strike a critical point.
"It's not finished yet! Now take this Metal Sound!"
After buffing itself, Mega Lucario proceeded to debuff Articuno, unleashing a piercing cry at the legendary bird. This move would severely lower Articuno's defense.
Articuno was currently caught between flames and electric shocks, with no opportunity to dodge Mega Lucario's sonic attack, taking the hit directly.
Although it appeared to be dodging and getting attacked repeatedly, aside from initially being struck by Mega Gardevoir's Thunderbolt, Articuno chose the right moments to avoid subsequent flames and electric shocks.
After all, it wasn't foolish. After taking that first hit, it naturally sought other methods to evade attacks.
It dodged when possible. When dodging proved impossible, it used Ice Beam to neutralize incoming attacks.
Though the situation appeared chaotic, Articuno had sustained minimal actual damage.
"That's right, just keep slowly dodging their attacks like that."
Mega Lucario smiled, then assumed a battle stance.
Yes, all of this was Eddie's tactic. They'd used a minor trick to land an initial hit on Articuno, then continued harassing and restraining it, allowing Articuno to easily dodge attacks while fostering the illusion that "this is all they've got."
But these were all feints, designed to deceive Articuno.
Since the battle's beginning, the first true killing move had been building up with Mega Lucario!
"Let me show you what Extreme Speed truly is!"
The instant those words left its mouth, Mega Lucario vanished with a sharp sound and crashed into Articuno at a velocity the legendary bird couldn't even perceive.
After receiving such a devastating blow, Articuno shrieked in agony and was sent flying backward several meters.
Although Extreme Speed was merely a Normal-type move, Mega Lucario had already used Swords Dance and Metal Sound beforehand.
Using its dramatically enhanced attack power, it struck Articuno, whose defense had been severely reduced. Since Focus Energy also ensured a critical hit, the damage dealt at this moment was substantial.
However, Articuno was still surrounded by flames produced by Mega Charizard Y. It instinctively retreated and was immediately scorched by the inferno.
Whether human or Pokémon, bodily instincts sometimes override conscious thought.
Articuno had been struck in a vital spot by Extreme Speed and experienced significant pain, causing it to reflexively fly backward. Then, burned by the flames again, its body instinctively lurched forward.
That's when tragedy struck.
Because after getting burned, it flew forward on pure instinct.
What entered its vision was a cluster of meteors rapidly approaching.
This was Mega Lucario's Meteor Mash—as if it had predicted Articuno would fly forward, perfectly timing the attack.