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Articuno is a dual-type Pokémon with both Flying and Ice attributes. For some reason, Ice-type Pokémon are weak against Steel-type attacks.
The Meteor Mash that Mega Lucario used at this moment was a Steel-type move.
Now, Articuno's subconscious reaction had caused it to fly straight into Mega Lucario's attack, essentially getting struck in the face.
"SCREEE—!"
Articuno released a piercing scream. It could no longer maintain flight and plummeted directly downward.
However, it was smarter than Zapdos. When Zapdos had fallen, it simply crashed and did nothing but continue attacking afterward.
But at the moment of falling, Articuno immediately used Roost to recover from its injuries.
Roost: The user lands on the ground, rests its body, and recovers half of its maximum HP.
Note: After using this move, Pokémon with the Flying-type will temporarily lose their Flying-type for that turn, and Pokémon with only the Flying-type will temporarily become Normal-type.
After Articuno used this move, its injuries recovered rapidly. Due to the move's side effect, it temporarily transformed into a single Ice-type Pokémon.
Using this technique not only healed its wounds but also temporarily eliminated Electric-type moves' super-effective advantage against it—a rather clever approach.
However...
"I have to say, Eddie's prediction was incredibly accurate. He really deserves to be our trainer!"
When Mega Lucario saw Articuno use Roost upon landing, it smiled triumphantly and marveled at how amazing their trainer's speculation had been.
"Mega Gardevoir, use Hyper Beam!"
"Dragonite, use Thunder!"
"Finally, Mega Charizard Y, while it can't dodge, hit it hard with Blast Burn!"
Mega Lucario acted decisively, taking advantage of the moment when Articuno landed to launch a fierce assault.
Mega Gardevoir's Ability was Pixilate. When a Pokémon with this Ability uses a Normal-type move, it converts into a Fairy-type move with 1.2 times increased power.
Hyper Beam was a Normal-type move, so its power would be significantly increased based on its already formidable base strength.
The reason Dragonite used Thunder wasn't primarily to deal super-effective damage to Articuno, but rather to prevent Articuno from flying and to block its surroundings.
Although Articuno had cleverly used Roost at the moment of falling, temporarily losing its Flying-type and becoming immune to Electric-type moves' super-effective damage, this didn't mean it couldn't fly. Despite temporarily losing its Flying-type, it could still use its wings to take flight.
Excluding certain flightless legendary Pokémon, many legendary Pokémon without wings or the Flying-type could still fly, so why couldn't Articuno fly when it possessed wings?
Therefore, Dragonite's Thunder was meant to prevent Articuno from taking flight. If it dared fly up to avoid the attack, it would need to be prepared to get struck by lightning.
Although it wasn't currently weak to Electric-type moves, once hit by lightning, it would still become paralyzed, allowing the other Pokémon's attacks to strike it accurately.
Thus, Articuno was trapped. If it tried flying up to evade, it would be attacked. If it tried hiding on the ground, it would still be surrounded by flames.
"SCREEE—!"
Since evasion was impossible, the only option was to fight back.
Facing the Pokémon's coordinated attacks, Articuno gave this answer.
After crying out once, it used Blizzard again, unleashing its full power.
In an instant, the entire floor became covered with ice and snow once more.
As long as it could freeze one or two Pokémon, or neutralize one or two attacks, it wouldn't sustain serious injuries.
This was Articuno's reasoning.
However...
The ice and snow began melting immediately. This time's Blizzard couldn't even freeze Mega Lucario and the others, meaning nothing would be frozen.
"Hahahaha! Has this Articuno lost its mind? The entire floor was frozen before and then thawed. Didn't it ever wonder why it thawed?!"
Gary was still fighting Koga, but he also paid some attention to Articuno's battle. Seeing that Articuno used Blizzard again, Gary rarely laughed mockingly at it.
"Seriously! Without a commander, even if it's a legendary Pokémon, is its battle awareness limited to this level?"
Koga also wore an expression of disbelief. If his Pokémon dared to make such a mistake, he would definitely scold it severely.
When Articuno noticed these two mocking it, it couldn't help but wonder what it had overlooked.
But before it could think clearly, the attacks had already arrived.
Due to its 'heroic' counterattack stance, it remained motionless, completely unable to dodge.
Therefore, all three Pokémon's attacks struck it directly.
The explosive Thunder struck at the fastest speed, essentially delivering "shock therapy" to it, making it cry out in agony.
Before it could escape the Thunder's assault, Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Beam arrived.
The light cannon containing terrifying energy directly blasted Articuno away, sending it flying straight into the flames.
Finally, the flames from the devastating explosion erupted from the ground. At this moment, the entire floor resembled an active volcano, with what erupted from the ground looking more like gushing magma than mere flames.
As Articuno was roasted by the intense flames, it was launched directly from the floor where it stood, and then the explosion struck Articuno mid-flight.
"SCREEE—!"
Articuno released another agonized scream, was blown directly into the air, and then plummeted back down.
Being perfectly struck by powerful moves from three Champion-level Pokémon, it obviously couldn't withstand the assault despite being a legendary Pokémon—especially with its current peak Elite level strength.
However, Eddie's Pokémon's attack sequence hadn't finished yet.
That's right—Mega Lucario still hadn't attacked!
At the moment when Articuno was about to crash into the ground, Mega Lucario had already appeared before it without anyone noticing.
"Oh, you don't have the Flying-type anymore, right? Then my Fighting-type moves won't deal reduced damage anymore."
"Now, try this move of mine. This is currently my strongest technique!"
Mega Lucario had already completed charging up—with a base power of 150, the strongest Fighting-type move!
"Focus Punch!"
In Articuno's eyes, Mega Lucario unleashed its fists radiating with terrifying energy, striking Articuno's abdomen with a devastating flurry of rapid punches!
Articuno was already severely injured, and after being struck continuously on its vulnerable abdomen by Mega Lucario, it nearly lost consciousness.
But no—it held on and didn't faint.
However, whether it was unconscious or not hardly mattered, because it had already been sent flying.
Mega Lucario had already stacked numerous buffs on itself and was now using the strongest Fighting-type move. Although it only struck Articuno without breaking through the wall initially, after Articuno took this attack, its entire body was blown away, smashed through the wall, and was knocked directly out of the Silph Co. building.
After being knocked outside, it used its last bit of strength to stabilize its body.
Before falling, it finally managed to fly again.
It looked at its battered abdomen and its entire body covered in severe injuries, then glanced at Mega Lucario, who stood at the broken wall watching it.
It made an important decision.
That decision was...
Run away. Just run away.
Ignoring Koga's shouts of "Where are you going! Come back!", it flew toward the top floor of the Silph Co. building, just like Zapdos had done.
Damn it, these monsters were too strong—there was nothing wrong with retreating when outmatched!
Note: With Mega Charizard Y present, its Drought Ability was activated. Even though they were fighting inside the Silph Co. building, the sunlight affected by Sunny Day could still shine through the windows.
In Sunny Day weather conditions, all Pokémon cannot be frozen. So what exactly could Articuno freeze when using Blizzard at this time?