Druddigon, who had been brutally assaulted by the relentless Icy Wind, was now consumed by unbridled fury. A crimson glow ignited in its eyes, radiating pure malice.
Among Dragon-type Pokémon, those with mild temperaments were already a rarity—and Druddigon certainly wasn't counted among them.
In a single instant, dense Dark-type energy coalesced around its form. An earth-shattering roar erupted from deep within its throat.
Rolling sound waves surged directly toward Zorua's position. It was unmistakably the Dark-type move Snarl.
"Agility! Dodge it!"
"Zorua~"
Despite Zorua's impressive speed, the sound wave's area of effect proved far too expansive. Though Zorua managed to create some distance with Agility, it couldn't completely evade the attack's range and was still caught by Snarl's effects.
The damage inflicted wasn't particularly severe, but the move successfully lowered Zorua's Special Attack stat.
This wild Druddigon wasn't merely high-leveled—it also possessed considerable battle experience, making it a genuinely formidable opponent.
"How are you holding up, Zorua?"
"Zorua~ (I'm fine, David.)"
In response to David's concern, the little fox simply shook its head, dispelling the lingering effects of Druddigon's disruptive noise.
Seeing its attack land successfully, Druddigon immediately pressed its advantage. With a slight tremor, its scales instantly bristled, standing up one by one.
In a flash, a devastating storm of scales shot toward the little fox like a torrential downpour.
However, compared to an invisible sound wave attack, such a physical assault was considerably easier to counter.
"Zorua!"
Pink light flared brilliantly in the little fox's eyes as powerful Psychic energy swept forward.
The invisible Psychic force directly intercepted all the scales shot by its opponent, halting them mid-air.
Then, these controlled scales were launched back at Druddigon at an even greater velocity.
Faced with the assault of its own projectiles, Druddigon had no choice but to employ Slash to defend itself.
A dazzling white light enveloped its claws, and in just a few swift swings, it shattered the reflected scales that the little fox had redirected.
Taking advantage of the moment Druddigon was preoccupied with the reflected Scale Shot, the little fox seized the opportunity to use Nasty Plot, re-boosting its previously lowered Special Attack stat.
Black Dark-type energy flashed ominously in its eyes. At this moment, Zorua's Special Attack had surpassed its previous level.
Having witnessed Zorua's formidable Psychic abilities firsthand, Druddigon abandoned any intention of using elaborate long-range attacks. Instead, it charged forward directly, barreling toward Zorua with determined aggression.
Although the previous Scale Shot attack had failed against the little fox, the move's secondary effect—lowering defense while increasing speed—had successfully been applied to Druddigon itself.
The diminutive creature before it clearly specialized in special attacks, so the lowered defense wouldn't pose a significant disadvantage. Moreover, as a Dragon-type Pokémon, it felt no fear about engaging in close-quarters combat with such a small opponent.
Most Dragon-type Pokémon possessed powerful physiques, immense strength, and abundant stamina—traits that granted them considerable advantages in physical confrontations.
With its speed enhanced, Druddigon rapidly closed the distance to Zorua.
Dense Dark-type energy condensed in its mouth as its wide maw opened completely, jaws snapping directly at the little fox positioned before it.
"Clang!"
Druddigon's bite came down with tremendous force, but its teeth found nothing but air. Aside from the harsh sound of teeth clashing together, there was only a gradually dissipating illusion in its place.
"Payback."
Just as Druddigon momentarily lost focus due to its Crunch missing its target, intensely burning flames of resentment struck from behind.
Due to their close proximity, Druddigon had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the purple wave of vengeful flames engulfed it.
"Roar!"
The intense burning sensation drove Druddigon nearly mad with pain.
The little fox's Payback, while manifesting in the form of flames, functioned more as a Psychic-based attack.
This meant it wouldn't be subject to the damage reduction that Dragon-types normally possessed against standard Fire-type moves.
However, the instant Payback connected, Druddigon still managed to endure the searing pain radiating throughout its body and fiercely swiped at the little fox nearby.
Facing the incoming Dragon Claw, the little fox reacted with impressive speed, immediately deploying Protect to block the assault.
A barrier of emerald green light materialized, forming an impenetrable wall that firmly shielded the little fox from harm.
Having failed to land its counterattack, Druddigon could no longer endure the burning sensation coursing through its body.
After the boost from Nasty Plot, this devastating Payback—saturated with negative emotions—rushed straight to its brain.
The overwhelming psychic assault caused the already short-tempered Druddigon to completely lose control and fall into a berserk state.
In its frenzied condition, Druddigon began to attack wildly in all directions, showing no regard for its own safety.
David had no choice but to release Kirlia, having it use Teleport to transport them to a safe location.
Although Druddigon's attack power increased even further after entering its berserk state, David showed no trace of worry on his face. Instead, he displayed a confident, victorious smile.
Even if a Pokémon possesses overwhelming strength, once it loses its sanity in battle, it becomes nothing more than a rampaging target with power but no purpose.
The subsequent events unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.
Facing the crazed Druddigon, Zorua required no commands from David. It utilized a masterful combination of illusions and Double Team to constantly misdirect and confuse Druddigon.
Then, it continuously wore down its opponent with repeated applications of Payback and Icy Wind.
While Druddigon's attack power had significantly increased in its berserk state, its stamina consumption had also escalated dramatically.
As expected, following the little fox's calculated strategy, shortly after unleashing its final Outrage—which nearly leveled the surrounding terrain on the mountaintop—Druddigon, covered in injuries and utterly exhausted, finally collapsed.
The moment Druddigon fell, a sudden surge of intense energy emanated from the little fox standing nearby.
Recognizing what this phenomenon signified, David's face immediately lit up with joy. Kirlia beside him and Riolu, who had just been released from its Pokéball, also turned their attention toward Zorua, whose eyes were tightly closed in concentration.
"Zorua!"
Within a few minutes, the little fox opened its eyes, and intense energy radiated outward in waves around its body.
At this pivotal moment, the little fox completed its breakthrough from level 29 to level 30, officially ascending to become a Superior-level Pokémon.
"That's wonderful, Zorua! You did it!"
"Kirlia!"
"Riolu!"
David immediately stepped forward and scooped up the little fox, who had successfully completed its breakthrough, while its companions also approached to offer their congratulations to the little fox.
For this encounter with the professional-level Druddigon, David had deliberately chosen to have Zorua battle it alone.
The primary reason was Zorua's own earnest request. The little fox had been stationed at the peak of the senior level for quite some time now.
Perhaps motivated by watching Kirlia catch up to its level, the little fox had decided to achieve its breakthrough by confronting a powerful opponent.
And this Druddigon had been its chosen target for this challenge.
Seeing that their objective had been accomplished, David led his three Pokémon in thoroughly searching Druddigon's nest one final time before departing from the area.
As dusk approached, this was decidedly not an ideal place to spend the night.
Today marked the sixth day of the assessment, meaning this evaluation period was rapidly approaching its conclusion.