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Shards of [Ice Shard] glittered like frozen stars as they shot toward Noivern's back.
The Noivern, as if sensing the threat without looking, whipped its head around.
Its black-violet wings lashed the air—
WHUMP!
A powerful gust scattered the ice before it could land.
Noivern's maw stretched into a cruel grin. Purple light swelled in its throat.
"[Dragon Pulse]!" Noir shouted.
A serpentine beam of draconic energy burst forth, spiraling toward Snorunt.
BOOM!
The impact flung Snorunt to the ground, battered and unconscious just like Trevor's Liepard before it. In mere seconds, both Pokémon were down.
Allen leaned against the cavern wall, meeting Flaaffy's eyes across the battlefield.
'That's all we can do… the rest is up to you.'
BZZZT!
Flaaffy's body crackled with dangerous voltage, a pale yellow storm whirling in the cavern's center.
Thanks to the [Thunder Stone Pendant] around its neck, the few seconds Snorunt and Liepard had bought were enough to charge a massive amount of power.
High-pitched static filled the air, like a thousand birds shrieking at once.
In the magnetic field it controlled, Flaaffy floated upward, light coalescing along its right arm.
The green gem at its chest blazed, sending arcs of current snaking across its wool.
Its eyes snapped open.
"[Thunder Punch]!"
The cavern shook with the sound of a sonic boom as Flaaffy became a streak of yellow lightning, shooting straight for Noivern.
Noir didn't even flinch. "Noivern, [Hurricane]!"
The dragon's wings blurred, whipping up a spiraling vortex of wind. In seconds, a raging storm barreled toward the incoming Thunder Punch.
Flaaffy was swallowed whole. The storm's winds were like countless blades, slashing deep into its skin.
The electric aura around it flickered, torn apart by the gale. Weakness crept in.
From Noir's view, the pure white cyclone turned murky, streaked with arcs of wild electricity until it became a swirling thunderstorm.
Power clashed violently, each burst sending shockwaves laced with static rippling through the cave.
At last, the storm began to fade, breaking apart into thin wisps. Flaaffy crashed to the ground, its body covered in fine, bleeding cuts.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Well now," Noir said, genuine respect in his tone. "I underestimated you."
He stepped forward slightly. "A Flaaffy like you? Never seen one before. But you should give up. Save yourself the pain you can't win."
The words slid into Flaaffy's ears like poison, tempting surrender.
Its head dipped. Doubt crept in.
"No."
Not possible!
The thought exploded like a firecracker in its mind. A fierce will surged, shattering the hesitation.
I refuse.
'Even if I die, I just return to the [Reincarnation Space]. I'll lose some points, but so what? Why not go all in?'
Blood boiled in its veins. Flaaffy forced itself upright, the [Thunder Stone Pendant] blazing once more, feeding waves of raw current into every fiber of its being.
Noir frowned. "Still not giving up? Tch. Noivern, [Air Slash]!"
The Noivern's wings sliced the air, releasing a barrage of razor-sharp blades of wind.
But then the entire magnetic field trembled unnaturally.
Loose electricity in the air rushed toward Flaaffy as if called home.
The current condensed over its wool tighter, denser until it became a sheath of shimmering gold.
A piercing glow cut through the cavern's darkness as pressure rolled off in suffocating waves.
The [Air Slash] blades veered off course, shattering harmlessly against the walls.
Where Flaaffy stood, the ground cracked beneath its hooves. Its wounds were gone, replaced by a skin of molten-gold lightning shaped like armor—
[Thunder Armor]
It flexed its fingers, the air popping like glass under strain. Power roared in its veins, intoxicating.
This was the same brutal technique Flaaffy had once used in the [Shadow Death Arena] a victory bought at the cost of almost killing itself. It had vowed never to use it unless desperate.
This moment was beyond desperate.
Electric pulses rippled with each breath. The sheer voltage pressed down on everyone in the cavern like gravity made of static.
A bead of sweat rolled down Noir's face. His skin tingled. In his gut, instinct screamed.
This is bad.
BOOM!
The stone floor shattered as Flaaffy kicked off, leaving only a crater. Its body blurred, leaving ghostly afterimages as it streaked toward Noivern like a living thunderbolt.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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