"Hello everyone, I'm Link, a trainer from Twilight Town.
"The Dream Realm is wondrous and mysterious; the Rainbow Bridge occasionally leads us to incredible labyrinths or even more special places.
"Two days ago, I discovered a strange space where a mysterious voice used clouds to create powerful Pokémon for challengers.
"Mystic calls it the 'Dream Sky Battle,' and it's said that victory grants all sorts of wishes, and a winning streak even offers the chance to meet those great beings who exist only in legends.
"So I'd like to invite you all here: if you want to become stronger, challenge yourself, discover the unknown, explore legends, witness legends, or fulfill your wishes, please join my adventure team!
"Let's form a community of shared destiny and together challenge the incredibly difficult challenges left behind by these mysterious beings!" Seeing their trainer inviting customers to a place called "Dream Sky Challenge" at the coffee shop, the Fennekin and Water Finneon, waiting for their food, were very curious.
What kind of mysterious challenge was this? Weren't the two of them enough?
"Dream Sky Challenge, huh? Finally, someone wants to challenge that again..."
"Since he's a trainer, he should bring his own Pokémon..."
"Even champions who challenged him before were completely defeated. He looks like a rookie; he'd only get beaten up."
"Every opponent there is stronger than a legendary Pokémon. There's no point in us going."
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if Scizor is strong, there's only one. We can just attack together, right?"
"You have no idea how strong the Pokémon there are. Even Ho-Oh would get thrashed like a peacock."
"Is it really that powerful? Well, I'm going to try it anyway!"
Although most elves weren't interested in a place where they'd only get beaten up, many were fearless and wouldn't give up until they hit a wall.
After all, getting injured or even dying in the Dream Realm was just temporary pain. Wasn't the opportunity to witness powerful opponents and strive for the fulfillment of wishes a chance that most of them, confined to their homes in reality, could only dream of?
If they couldn't win and saw no hope, they could simply quit and disband the adventure team.
So, about ten minutes later, Link gathered a massive team of 40 elves at the café. He could have assembled an even larger team, but he instinctively felt that the strength of the Dream Realm's opponents would increase with the number of elves.
What era are we living in? Who still fights one-on-one like Ali? It's all about teamwork!
The humans and elves ate their last meal at the café and followed Link to the place where he had died twice two days earlier.
It was still that misty, empty space, as if it had been specially created for battle.
Upon arriving, Link's Thousand Arms once again shone with light, granting him a temporary treasure.
In the air, the mysterious voice rang out again.
"This is the place for Dream Battles, where you can boost your strength at a cheat-like speed while asleep.
"Here, you... will randomly encounter various Pokémon, engaging in high-intensity battles, and receiving rewards based on the number of wins.
"Then let's begin, Dream Battle!"
As soon as the voice finished speaking, mist gathered, forming a ferocious Pokémon over three meters tall.
The Forest King, Scizor!
Link, arriving for the second time, had anticipated this and immediately threw his treasure just as it was about to take shape.
Having already boosted his stats to 12, he was no longer weak, and the rapidly moving treasure struck precisely the moment Scizor gained momentum after taking shape.
Although it was merely a light, fleeting beam of light, it caused a slight stun upon impact with Scizor.
Seeing this, the other Pokémon immediately seized the opportunity, unleashing their most powerful long-range moves.
Weakening the opponent before they were dragged into close combat was the tactic they had discussed on their way here.
Numerous moves clashed, creating a dense cloud of smoke.
But before the smoke cleared, Link and many of their Pokémon clearly saw that Scizor had regained its mobility before being hit by any moves.
The situation was dire!
"Keep the pressure on the backline!" Link hurriedly ordered.
However, in the next instant, a brown figure charged headlong into the clearly numerically superior group!
Link immediately threw his signature move at it, simultaneously commanding, "Thunder Wave and Rock Tomb."
To deal with an opponent far stronger than themselves, they had to limit its speed and mobility.
But Scizor had already anticipated this tactic.
Neither Thunder Wave nor Rock Tomb, nor any ranged attacks from other Pokémon along its path, had any effect.
This was because what emerged from the smoke was its Shadow Clone.
The real Scizor was still enveloped in the smoke from the clash of moves, using "Agility," "Swords Dance," and "Focus" to maximize its abilities at an astonishing speed!
Realizing this, the Flying-type Pokémon used "Clear Fog."
What came into view were dozens of "Shadow Clones" identical to Scizor, gathered in a small space.
At this moment, they all raised their "Rock Axes," contemptuously pointing them at the different Pokémon in the adventure party.
It was as if they were saying—
I'll take you all on by myself!
Immediately afterward, a large number of shadows charged towards the different Pokémon!
This was troublesome, Link realized, and quickly had his Fennekin activate "Miracle Eye."
A rainbow light appeared in the Fennekin's eyes.
In the end, "Shadow Clones" were not physical entities but afterimages, and from an energy perspective, they differed significantly from real Pokémon.
With just one glance, Fennekin saw that all the Scizor were fake.
"On its head!"
Unbeknownst to them, Scizor had already flown above them, launching a near-invisible sneak attack on Incineroar, who dared to threaten it.
Seeing this, Link, as if gambling, threw his treasure.
The light from Thousand Arms unexpectedly struck, causing the rapidly falling Scizor to freeze.
Incineroar sneered, seizing the opportunity precisely, grabbing the upside-down Scizor and performing a backflip spiral into the air, unleashing a "Hell Roll" that slammed both of them to the ground. As
the other Pokémon rushed to their aid, translucent rocks scattered across the field from Scizor's spinning body.
Any Pokémon that touched these rocks caused violent explosions, being reduced to ashes by the continuous blasts and secondary explosions.
At its highest point, Scizor, with its immense strength, broke free from Incineroar's grasp, slicing him in two with a single "Kleavor."
With Scizor landing, no Pokémon remained standing on the field. Even Link and the Fennekin and Dolphin watching from the back row were unfortunately blasted to pieces by the chain explosion created by "Stealth Rock."
Dream Sky's first challenge in the series failed once again, and Scizor vanished into mist once more.
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(End of Chapter)