"What the hell?" John muttered, confusion evident in his voice.
The bond between himself and Mega Garchomp had just vanished without warning. One moment he could feel his partner’s location and intent, the next... nothing. By all rights, the Mega Evolution should have automatically ended when their connection severed.
The bond between trainer and Pokemon was supposedly unbreakable. Distance meant nothing, as long as the connection existed, even the faintest thread could be felt across continents.
The bond was still there, John realized, but something was actively blocking it. Not only that, but Gardevoir, who he’d released earlier in the battle, was telepathically warning him that this same interference was dampening her psychic abilities.
"This Mist... interesting," John mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Hurricane!" he called out.
Gyarados had already taken to the skies, its thunderous roar echoing across the island. Multiple twisters erupted from the ground, marching forward like a small army intent on dispersing every trace of the obscuring fog.
But before the Hurricane could clear the battlefield, a swift figure burst from the white veil.
Lucario moved like lightning given form, its lean frame cutting through the air with predatory grace. A gleaming silver Bone Rush appeared in its grasp, and with surgical precision, it struck left, deflected right, and shattered one of the advancing twisters with a casual backhand.
As it descended from mid-air, Lucario conjured two Aura Spheres, one in each palm. With fluid motion, it pressed them together, creating a massive wave of aura energy that launched directly at John himself.
"Kamehameha much?" John couldn’t help but grin. "Combining Aura Spheres, that’s actually a smart technique."
He had his own experience with aura manipulation, and he recognized masterful execution when he saw it.
John’s response was immediate. A Pokeball flew from his hand.
"Greninja, you’re up!"
The moment Greninja materialized, water erupted around the battlefield in spectacular fashion. Multiple Water Shuriken condensed behind its back as it seamlessly shifted from its ordinary form into its distinctive Battle Bond appearance, the form that perfectly mirrored its trainer’s features.
Greninja’s own Aura Spheres formed in its hands, each one dwarfing Lucario’s combined attack.
Thanks to countless hours training in the mysterious Avian Sanctuary, Greninja had achieved what could only be called mastery of the ancient art.Originally, John had brought Togepi and Mew there during the school term when they’d been stuck at the academy over winter break. Greninja had tagged along and become completely obsessed with the training.
The attacks collided in a brilliant explosion of blue energy. But Greninja wasn’t finished, a second spiral orb chased the first into the mist while Greninja itself launched forward, a blazing light blade extending from its arm as it moved to create a pincer attack.
Whether Lucario survived that combination or not, John couldn’t spare the attention to find out.
Through the Mist, a massive dark shape was becoming clearer by the second. The next moment, what looked like a small mountain was bearing down on him.
Mamoswine’s Take Down felt like watching a runaway freight train accelerate directly toward his face.
Gardevoir moved to Teleport John to safety, but before she could raise her hand, a Mega Gallade materialized with a dramatic cape billowing behind it. Psycho Cut energies danced around the blade-armed Pokemon, interfering with Gardevoir’s spatial manipulation.
Gardevoir could only divert her Psychic to defend, telepathically informing John that Gallade was actively distorting the future probabilities around them. While not completely scrambling precognition, it was making accurate predictions significantly more difficult.
"Well, well. Seems the old guard still has some serious tricks up their sleeves," John said, his grin widening.
For Victor’s Pokemon to temporarily contain and resist his own legendary-enhanced team meant they were either incredibly high-level, pushing level 90 or beyond, or they’d been augmented with legendary-tier items and artifacts.
Which made perfect sense, really. Victor had been an Elite Four member for decades. If John could acquire legendary-grade equipment in the modern era, what kind of resources and connections had someone like Victor accumulated over thirty to forty years at the top?
Facing the Mamoswine that was about to flatten him, John grabbed two Pokeballs simultaneously.
"Zeraora, Plasma Fists!"
"Wobbuffet!" The blue punching bag Pokemon appeared with its characteristic salute, positioning its body directly in Mamoswine’s path.
The collision sounded like a freight train hitting a mountain. Despite Mamoswine’s massive bulk and momentum, Wobbuffet didn’t budge an inch, maintaining its polite bow with eyes squinted in satisfaction.
But John had caught sight of another shadow moving through the mist, something even larger than Mamoswine. The silhouette rose like a peak shrouded in clouds, and when it emerged from the fog, John felt like he was standing at the base of a legendary mountain.
Pure Z-Crystal energy erupted from the figure as it stepped into view.
Victor had just activated a Z-Move.
A Totem-sized Machamp emerged, its four arms blazing with fighting-type energy. "All-Out Pummeling!" echoed across the battlefield.
John’s response was immediate. While his eyes couldn’t penetrate the strange Mist completely, he could track the approaching shadow’s movement. Besides releasing Zeraora to intercept, John pressed his own Z-Crystal into his power bracelet.
"All-Out Pummeling!" he called back.
Zeraora’s base move was Dynamic Punch. Whatever Totem Machamp was using as its foundation remained a mystery.
Fist met fist in a collision that shook the entire island. The explosion of force compressed between the two fighters created shockwaves that rippled outward in all directions.
Not even the Totem-enhanced Machamp could overpower Zeraora in a direct strength contest.
"Your timing’s a bit slow there, old man," John called out casually, his attention shifting back to the mist.
Within the white veil, a dark silhouette gradually took shape, solidifying as Victor Stone stepped forward step by measured step, still calmly puffing on his ornate pipe.
"You knew I’d eventually join the fray personally?" Victor asked in his gravelly voice, taking another leisurely draw from his pipe.
"You deployed all six Pokemon to pin down my team so quickly, it was pretty obvious you wanted them occupied so we could have our one-on-one moment," John replied with an easy smile. He’d deliberately allowed Victor’s Pokemon to engage his own team, giving the old master exactly the opening he’d been angling for.
"Gutsy! Knowing my intentions and still walking right into them. You must be remarkably confident in your hand-to-hand skills." Victor’s face split into what might have been a grin, though the weathered, wrinkled skin made it look more like a grimace. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Victor carefully stowed his pipe, then clenched both hands into fists. Aura energy began radiating from his frame in visible waves. This was his combat stance, a form honed by decades of battles.
John, by contrast, remained relaxed and loose, adopting no particular stance at all.
"It’s not really about confidence," John said with a laugh that carried across the chaotic battlefield. "It’s just that when it comes to human versus human combat, there’s nobody in this world who can match me!"