Invisible psychic force manifested as twisted tentacles descending from above, lashing at Zeraora with relentless fury. The invisible assault was the deadliest kind, impossible to see coming, impossible to dodge.
But Zeraora wasn’t defenseless. A nearly transparent white lightning barrier materialized around its body, deflecting all of the psychic attacks with crackling energy.
"How is it still moving so fast after taking those hits?" John wondered aloud. Even after the combined assault of Shadow Ball and Aura Sphere, Zeraora maintained its terrifying speed. "Does Zeraora have a second signature move?"
John had never heard of Zeraora possessing any electrical defensive techniques. Could it be some kind of exclusive held item?
With a thunderous crack, John found himself teleported to the ground dozens of meters away.
Zeraora had crushed the floor beneath it and launched a devastating Sky Uppercut, creating a circular crater over ten meters in diameter in the chamber ceiling.
"That speed, even Teleport can barely keep up!" John commented with grudging admiration. He had to respect Zeraora’s combat effectiveness.
Time for reinforcements.
Another Pokeball flew through the air.
"Tyranitar, you’re up!"
Tyranitar materialized and immediately began its Mega Evolution.
"TYRAAA!" With a earth-shaking roar, a Sandstorm began to rise!
There was no dirt or sand in this ethereal lightning chamber, but that didn’t prevent Mega Tyranitar from summoning the weather effect. Sand materialized from pure energy, filling the air with stinging particles.
"Rock Slide!" John commanded.
Simultaneously, Mega Gardevoir teleported him to safety on the opposite side of the battlefield.
A massive dark void opened in the ceiling, large enough to cover the entire chamber. Countless sharp, persistent rocks began raining down like artillery shells.
Zeraora found itself under siege from multiple angles, Aura Spheres and Shadow Balls flying from all directions while dodging the rock barrage from above.
Landing gracefully, it charged through the stone rain, fists once again wreathed in whitethunder, targeting Mega Tyranitar with Thunder Fists.
It was going after the softest target.
Greninja could absorb its electric attacks harmlessly, Gengar was too elusive to pin down, and the trainer with Mega Gardevoir kept teleporting around unpredictably. But Mega Tyranitar’s massive frame made it seem like the perfect stationary target.
However, before Zeraora could land its attack, John had already recalled Mega Tyranitar to its Pokeball.
It wasn’t fear that prompted the recall, if that were the case, he would have been too late. John had predicted Zeraora’s targeting logic perfectly. He’d only needed Tyranitar to establish the Sandstorm weather and deliver the Rock Slide barrage.
"Earthquake!" John threw another Pokeball.
Garchomp appeared, immediately undergoing Mega Evolution.
In the Sandstorm, Mega Garchomp’s combat power surged dramatically. Its ability had changed to "Sand Force" upon Mega Evolution.
[Sand Force: In Sandstorm weather, the Pokemon with this ability takes no damage from the weather effect, and Rock, Steel, and Ground-type moves gain a 30% power boost.]
Mega Garchomp slammed one massive foot into the ground, and violent shockwaves spread in all directions, amplified by both Sand Force and the chamber’s unstable energy field.
The entire floor cracked and shattered instantly, massive fissures spreading like a spider web across the battlefield.
Sensing the devastating area attack, Zeraora immediately leaped into the air to avoid the Earthquake.
Yes, Zeraora could fly.
"Ha! Who can’t fly these days?" John laughed.
Somewhere in the distance, Groudon sneezed.
John studied Zeraora hovering in mid-air, making mental notes for future legendary encounters. He’d need to build a dedicated boss-fighting team with proper debuff moves, Tail Whip, Leer, Growl, and similar status-lowering techniques.
That would make these battles much more manageable. Right now, he only had Trick Room and Gengar’s Scary Face to slow down opponents.
But the continuous assault was clearly taking its toll on Zeraora. The legendary was showing signs of fatigue.
"Time to end this battle," John decided, extending his hand downward in a commanding gesture.
"Gengar, Z-Move: Never-Ending Nightmare!"
"Garchomp, finish this!"
Mega Garchomp triggered another Bulldoze, pulverizing the already-shattered ground further. Its bomber-like body wrapped in khaki energy flows, twin scythe-arms gleaming as it charged forward with unstoppable momentum.
Gengar’s figure materialized in the corner, covering its mouth with a sinister snicker. Receiving Z-power energy from John, it immediately placed both hands on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the entire lightning chamber seemed to fall into a twisted shadow world. Phantom flowers, plants, and trees appeared, all cloaked in darkness that radiated an aura of dread and terror.
The ground transformed from shattered stone into a purple quagmire. Countless arms made of pure Ghost-type energy erupted from the swamp, stretching infinitely upward as they swarmed toward Zeraora, intent on tearing the legendary apart!
"Zera-ora!" Zeraora’s face contorted with feral rage as it released a tiger-like roar.
The white lightning barrier around its body immediately expanded, countless thunderbolts erupting outward in a massive electrical storm that covered the entire chamber.
The electrical assault swept away the ghostly manifestations, countless spectral arms torn apart by the overwhelming thunder.
John was becoming more convinced that Zeraora possessed some kind of exclusive held item. This lightning barrier integrated both offense and defense seamlessly, pretty impressive, actually.
But raw electricity couldn’t stop Mega Garchomp’s advance. As a Ground-type Pokemon, no amount of electric damage could harm it!
Twin scythe-arms empowered by Earth Power slashed through the white lightning barrier, resulting in another massive explosion.
The protective barrier shattered like glass.
"Greninja, Double Ultimate Water Shuriken!" John’s follow-up command rang out.
Two Greninjas appeared, one on the left, one on the right. Each removed the massive shuriken from its back, enlarging and coating them with golden energy while guiding them with spiral aura power.
Lock-On engaged. Both weapons flew toward Zeraora simultaneously.
"GRAAAH!" Zeraora snarled through gritted teeth, its face becoming increasingly feral. White thunder wreathed its arms as it punched out, detonating the first Ultimate Water Shuriken. It spun around and destroyed the second one with another devastating blow.
But in the next instant, two Spiral Aura Spheres pierced through the smoke and struck its chest directly.
"Sizzle..." This time it wasn’t thunder crackling, but the sound of the Aura Spheres continuously grinding against Zeraora’s defenses.
"ZERA!" Without the protection of its lightning barrier, Zeraora took the full brunt of the assault.
But the combo wasn’t over yet.
John extended his hand forward dramatically.
Time for the finishing move!
"Gardevoir, Spacial Rend!"