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Louis shuddered violently, goosebumps crawling across his skin.
He spun around, eyes narrowing.
At the mouth of the canyon, where moments ago there had been nothing, now stood a figure black and yellow, humanoid yet brimming with a savage, natural aura.
Louis froze, his mind racing. The shape felt both unfamiliar and oddly familiar.
His decades of experience as a Trainer churned as he dug through memory. Then, suddenly, an old research report resurfaced in his mind.
The image aligned perfectly with the figure before him.
Louis's pupils shrank. His mouth fell open, whispering the name instinctively:
"Zeraora…"
The Mythical Electric-type Pokémon of Alola.
Rare. Powerful. Legendary.
Louis's heart twisted with conflicting emotions.
Fear because he knew instantly this was the killer. The monster that had annihilated Matt and his entire team. Facing such a cold, merciless predator was like standing before the top of the food chain itself.
No matter how seasoned, no human could stop their body from trembling.
Excitement because their mission had included investigating sightings of Legendary Pokémon. He hadn't dared hope for results. And yet, here stood one of the rarest, deadliest beings alive.
Joy, the pure, childlike thrill of a Trainer seeing a Legendary with their own eyes. After all, who hadn't once dreamed of owning such a powerful, magnificent Pokémon?
Louis's eyes flicked to his men. They were all veteran elites. If they struck together, if they used their numbers and his hidden weapon… maybe, just maybe, they could bring Zeraora down.
His resolve hardened. He raised his hand and roared:
"Attack!!"
Poké Balls burst open with sharp cracks, one after another. Powerful Pokémon leapt onto the battlefield, radiating killing intent.
"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
"Gengar, use Hex!"
"Dragapult, Phantom Force!"
The squad reacted instantly, their years of practice shining through.
Louis himself hurled his ace into the fight Dragapult.
Together, they launched a perfectly timed assault: Gengar locked Zeraora down with its sinister energy, Houndoom unleashed waves of blazing fire, and Dragapult lurked unseen, ready to strike from the shadows.
It was a textbook combination. Their teamwork was flawless.
Zeraora didn't move. He simply stood there, ice-blue eyes flickering with faint amusement.
How long had it been since anyone dared attack him first?
A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"So be it… Don't blame me for what happens next."
The air twisted. A chaotic, suffocating magnetic field erupted around him, silver lightning crawling up his body like veins of molten metal.
The first to reach him was Houndoom's Flamethrower. The jet of crimson fire tore the air apart, searing hot enough to ripple the atmosphere.
Houndoom was strong its jet-black fur gleamed, its ivory horns curved like a demon's crown. The flames it spewed were solid, violent, condensed into a fiery column that raged like a living inferno.
But Zeraora only clenched his fist. Lightning surged.
He stepped forward and punched straight into the wall of fire.
Boom!
A thunderous impact echoed. Silver lightning split the flames apart, scattering them into a rain of sparks.
"Is that it?" Zeraora sneered.
His muscles surged. Energy flooded his arm. With a sharp sweep, he unleashed a crescent blade of lightning.
It cleaved through the firestorm as if slicing through paper then slammed into Houndoom.
Crack!
Its proud horn snapped clean. The beast howled in agony as it was hurled across the battlefield, its black hide scorched and blood spraying.
One strike, and Houndoom was finished.
At that same moment, Gengar's attack struck. From Zeraora's shadow rose two baleful crimson eyes, a wave of black malice surging upward.
The Hex engulfed him, forcing his body to freeze for the briefest instant.
"Yes!" Gengar hissed, grinning wide. Its victory smile barely formed before it froze in horror.
Zeraora's skin erupted with electricity. The sinister aura sizzled like snow under a summer sun, disintegrating instantly.
He glanced down at the shadow with contempt.
"Disgusting pest."
Scarlet energy gathered at his foot.
"High Horsepower!"
He stomped the ground.
BOOM!
The canyon floor ruptured, collapsing into a crater beneath him. Shockwaves ripped outward, cracks spiderwebbing across the stone.
"Gah!"
Gengar spat blood as it was blasted from the shadows, its body tumbling through the air like a broken toy.
It tried to flee—
"Going somewhere?"
Zeraora's eyes hardened.
Energy blazed across his palm, a flame-shaped aura crackling with lightning.
"Brick Break."
With a swift downward strike, he hammered Gengar like a basketball, slamming it into the ground. Dust and silence followed.
In seconds, two powerful Pokémon lay broken.
And just then—
From the warped air at Zeraora's side, a streamlined shadow flickered into being.
Dragapult.
Striking from the void itself.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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