Except now he was down to four Pokemon.
Greninja was completely incapacitated. Tyranitar had also fallen, despite not being weak to electric attacks and possessing excellent special defense stats at level 78, it couldn’t handle Regieleki’s Thunder Cage. The sheer power gap between a level 85 legendary and even his strongest Pokemon was becoming brutally apparent.
Mega Gardevoir had managed to Teleport John and Mega Blaziken to safety, but the battlefield was rapidly becoming untenable. The Thunder Cage attacks that missed their targets struck the ground, creating crackling Electric Terrain across the entire chamber floor.
Electric Terrain meant his remaining Pokemon couldn’t fall asleep, and worse, it boosted electric-type move power by thirty percent. Regieleki’s attacks were about to become even more devastating.
Before John could formulate a new strategy, the legendary was already moving. It executed Gengar with a blade-like thunderbolt arm, then immediately pivoted to bombard Mega Garchomp with Ancient Power, fighting like a true god of war.
Mega Garchomp’s massive scythes worked desperately to deflect the barrage, but it was being driven back step by step. A counterattack was impossible, it was only a matter of time before even his ground-type ace fell.
"Can you predict its movements?" John gasped, doubled over and struggling to breathe through the phantom pain.
"Garde...voir.." Mega Gardevoir’s response carried the weight of self-recrimination. I can predict it, but I can’t react fast enough.
"It’s not your fault," John assured his partner. "It’s just too fast."
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. Regieleki’s base speed stat in the games was an absurd 200 points, the absolute pinnacle of velocity. While reality didn’t mirror game mechanics exactly, it certainly explained the legendary’s overwhelming speed advantage.
Even with Mega Gardevoir’s precognitive abilities mapping Regieleki’s next move, their bodies and reflexes simply couldn’t keep pace with the electric titan’s attacks.
"This is beyond me right now," John admitted reluctantly.
He signaled for retreat. "Gardevoir, get us out of here."
A flash of psychic energy later, they stood at the chamber’s entrance, safely outside the dungeon.
"Level 85 Regieleki is out of my league," John muttered, slumping against the wall. "Maybe I should target electric legendaries in the early seventies instead."
Each legendary Pokemon had distinct power levels, and attempting to punch fifteen levels above his weight class was clearly premature.
Back in his hidden alcove, John took a long drink and assessed the situation. The numbness and pain from Battle Bond had completely faded upon returning to reality, one small mercy.
"Note to self: know when to quit," he said wryly, though his mind was already racing toward the next attempt.
After a quick Teleport to Mauville City’s Pokemon Center, his team was instantly restored to full health. The game’s miraculous healing mechanics would be absolutely broken in reality, imagine defeating an opponent’s entire team only to have them pull out a Gameboy and restore everyone to perfect condition mid-battle.
As long as his opponent wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger, John was essentially an immortal warrior of attrition.
Back at the power station entrance, the display had reset:
[Current storage progress: 0%]
"Forty runs to reach full charge," John calculated aloud. "Each legendary encounter takes about an hour including prep time. I’ve got six hours before I need to help Scarlett, so... nine attempts maximum."
Time to get grinding.
The underground power station became a blur of repetitive clearing runs. Thirty-three completions brought him face-to-face with a [LV 81] Raikou, immediate retreat. Forty more runs produced a [LV 77] Zapdos that absolutely demolished him despite the lower level.
"All Zapdos are bastards," John grumbled, nursing his wounded pride.
He could only hope the Zapdos in Scarlett’s world wouldn’t be quite so vicious.
The third attempt, after thirty-seven runs, revealed a level 89 Tapu Koko. John took one look at the island guardian’s power level and quit the instance before his character could be obliterated.
By the seventh full charge cycle, something had changed. The office lighting was different, pure white instead of the familiar colored variations. This wasn’t the harsh brightness of Regieleki, but actual white current flowing through the electrical systems.
"A new legendary," John realized, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Let’s see... besides Zapdos, Raikou, Thundurus, and Regieleki, there’s also..."
Tapu Koko, Zekrom, and Zeraora.