◉◉◉◉◉
Dragapult's slender, dark teal body shimmered faintly in the void, its narrow eyes flashing with a dangerous glint.
"Phantom Force!"
Its triangular head gleamed with eerie blue light, crimson edges sharp like blades of steel. In a burst of speed, it darted toward Zeraora like a living fighter jet.
This was Louis's ace. His trump card. The timing was perfect Dragapult struck from Zeraora's blind spot, a lethal ambush meant to turn the tide.
But a Legendary wasn't so easily caught off guard.
Zeraora's eyes narrowed. The silver lightning crawling over his body pulsed once, and suddenly—
A magnetic field burst into existence, warping the air itself.
It was like a colossal unseen hand shoved his body sideways, carrying him just out of Dragapult's strike.
"What?!"
Dragapult's long eyes widened in disbelief as Zeraora slid past, narrowly avoiding its sneak attack.
Zzzrrt!
The crackle of electricity rang in its ears. Dragapult stiffened, a flicker of panic sparking in its gaze.
Zeraora was already counterattacking.
It threw up a shimmering white barrier in desperation.
"Protect!"
BANG!
Zeraora's fist, glowing with blinding lightning, slammed down. The barrier shattered instantly.
The force sent Dragapult spinning backward, arcs of white current trailing behind its body as it tumbled through the air.
But Dragapult was no fragile opponent. A pseudo-legendary Pokémon with tremendous resilience, it twisted midair, ghostly purple-black energy burning across its frame. It steadied itself, blood-red eyes gleaming with fury.
It knew it couldn't win.
But it would fight to the death.
Two sharp sounds clicked from its head. From the holes atop its skull, two tiny Dreepy squirmed free, eyes blazing with reckless excitement as they locked into position.
"Dragon Darts!"
With a sonic crack, Dragapult launched them like missiles.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The Dreepy tore through the air, streaking white trails behind them, moving so fast they blurred beyond human sight.
But Zeraora only smirked.
His magnetic field expanded outward in an instant.
Every movement within range became crystal clear to him.
He shifted slightly head tilting, body swaying.
The "missiles" streaked harmlessly past, grazing nothing but empty air.
Far off, Dragapult's eyes widened in shock.
It had never seen its proudest technique dismissed so easily.
That split-second of stunned hesitation sealed its fate.
A silver flash cut across its vision.
"Thunder Punch."
BOOM!
The canyon erupted with a deafening explosion, lightning swallowing the battlefield.
When the dust settled, Dragapult lay sprawled on the ground, its sleek body dim, ghostly essence flickering weakly as though it could dissolve at any moment.
Zeraora stood tall, casually shaking sparks off his fist. His icy blue eyes slid toward Louis and the rest of the squad.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
In truth, barely ten seconds had passed since Louis had ordered the attack.
And yet in those ten seconds, their ace Pokémon, carefully trained over years of blood, sweat, and battles, had all been crushed in the blink of an eye.
Any ordinary Trainer would have broken by now. They would've despaired, abandoned hope entirely.
But Louis's squad was no ordinary Trainers. They were battle-hardened soldiers of Dark Star.
Though fear choked their throats and dread crawled in their hearts, their hands still moved. One by one, they reached for their belts, pulling out more Poké Balls.
Their commander raised a trembling hand.
"Hold!"
The motion was sharp, commanding. Despite their unwillingness, despite the pounding of their hearts, they froze. Years of discipline bound them to Louis's authority.
His eyes locked onto Zeraora. Sweat dripped down his temple, his hand slowly lowering.
That aura…
The overwhelming, suffocating power radiating from Zeraora he had felt it before.
Long ago, within the Organization, he had witnessed their mysterious leader unleash his ace. A colossal Nidoking.
With a single move, that Nidoking had obliterated the reigning overlord of the Azure Forest a towering Venusaur, cut down in one merciless strike.
Louis had never forgotten it.
That same oppressive, invincible presence now stood before him, in Zeraora's form.
This wasn't power born of numbers, or tricks, or teamwork. This was power forged from raw talent, relentless effort, boundless resources, fortune, and time.
An apex existence.
Charging recklessly would only add bodies to the pile.
So Louis made the call.
His hand moved to his belt, fingers brushing the smooth surface of a black Poké Ball.
Slowly, carefully, he drew it free.
He took a breath and hurled it skyward.
Woooooh!
A resonant cry split the air as the ball burst open, releasing a cascade of crystalline light.
From the brilliance, a breathtakingly elegant figure emerged, its body shimmering in shades of sapphire and white, spiraling upward with majestic grace.
For the first time, Zeraora paused.
His icy gaze flickered. Then, slowly, his lips curled into an amused grin.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!