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The wave of pale pink psychic energy rushed toward Matt like a surging tide.
Too fast.
Rhyperior, acting on pure instinct to protect its Trainer, immediately unleashed its ultimate defensive move Protect.
BZZZZZZT!
The shimmering white barrier flared to life, rippling under the relentless impact of psychic force.
The shield trembled violently, faint cracks spidering across its surface before the assault finally subsided.
But it had held.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
Rhyperior threw its arms wide, bellowing in fury at the Meowstic.
It had nearly let its guard down and allowed its Trainer to be harmed an unforgivable lapse. Rage burned in its eyes.
Hidden in the darkness, Meowstic's golden gaze glinted with cunning. It had baited Rhyperior into burning its defensive ace.
The ground trembled.
From the black pits in Rhyperior's palms came a deep suction, pulling dust and gravel into the air.
The debris hung suspended for a heartbeat then, infused with heavy golden energy, it spiraled into a massive vortex.
"Rock Wrecker!"
A storm of boulders and jagged stone roared toward Meowstic, blotting out the sky.
Meow!
Its ears snapped upright. "Light Screen!"
A translucent barrier shimmered into existence before it, warping the air like frosted glass.
Stone after stone slammed into it with deafening thuds, but the psychic wall unnervingly held.
Meowstic smirked.
Then thud-thud-thud heavy, rapid footsteps at its flank.
Its eyes widened. At some point during the barrage, Rhyperior had closed the distance, horn spinning like a silver drill, white light streaming from its tip in ribbons of deadly intent.
"Horn Drill!"
Meowstic's heart jolted. This wasn't the time to hold back.
Its small frame rose into the air on a cushion of psychic force, forearms crossing over its chest. Its golden eyes blazed with pink light.
"Trick Room! Psychic!"
A cube of silver-pink light snapped into existence, instantly expanding to envelop Rhyperior's bulk. Within the altered space, Meowstic's Psychic struck first, even against Rhyperior's charging drill.
The mental onslaught tore through its rocky armor as if it were paper, ripping into the flesh beneath. Blood sprayed, crimson against the night.
"RRAAGHH!!"
Rhyperior staggered, its horn slowing. The coppery tang of blood filled the air. But instead of collapsing, a battle-hungry fire ignited in its chest.
With a roar, it flexed, shattering the Trick Room with brute strength. Its legs slammed into the ground.
"Earthquake!"
The forest floor convulsed. Even with its psychic defenses, Meowstic wavered, stumbling just enough to lose balance.
Rhyperior's eyes flashed. It opened its jaws, light gathering at the back of its throat a blinding, destructive energy ready to fire.
Meowstic's pupils constricted. Death loomed. With no other option, it dumped every ounce of psychic power into a single, desperate move.
The air shimmered pink.
"Teleport!"
The world warped and then… silence. Only a faint, fading meow remained.
BOOOOM!
The pent-up beam fired harmlessly into the forest, shaking the earth.
Thunder rumbled overhead. A heartbeat later, the skies broke open, rain pelting down in sheets.
Matt collapsed, the cold water soaking him through. His last memory before blacking out was the blinding surge of psychic energy and the sensation of being pulled away.
When he came to, he was lying in the mud, disoriented. Rhyperior was gone.
His hand flew to his belt relief washed over him. His other Pokémon were still there.
He'd find Rhyperior. He had to. That bond, forged since it was a Rhyhorn, was unbreakable.
But something else gnawed at him.
The Clara Mountain Range, normally a colossal silhouette on the horizon, was nowhere to be seen.
"That's… not right," he muttered.
Teleporting far enough that even the mountains vanished from view would require absurd amounts of power.
Far more than an average Meowstic could ever muster perhaps even more than a Legendary could easily afford.
Then a chilling thought struck him.
What if Meowstic hadn't teleported them away from the mountains…
…but into them?
If that were true, the reason he couldn't see the mountains… was because he was already standing deep inside them.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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