Damon stared at the transformed Greninja in stunned silence.
’Why are all of John’s Pokemon so... unusual?’
First an Aggron that mastered Wonder Room, now a Greninja capable of some form of Mega Evolution. None of this information had appeared in any intelligence reports. Was this the reality of facing a trainer in their period of explosive growth? Someone developing so rapidly that information updates couldn’t keep pace?
Or was he the one being left behind by the changing times?
Damon had never slacked off since becoming a trainer, constantly pushing himself to improve. So why did he feel like he was standing still while the world moved past him?
"Pidgeot, Tailwind!" Damon commanded, his Elite Four pride refusing to let him hesitate any longer.
"Pid!" Under Mega Evolution, Pidgeot could sense its trainer’s desperate hunger for victory. The magnificent bird felt power surge through its enhanced form.
With a mighty flap of its wings, hurricane-force winds erupted across the battlefield!
Two massive twisters rose from the ground, their snow-white forms gleaming like knife blades cutting through the air. They rushed forward with deadly precision, carrying an icy sharpness that could slice through steel.
Tailwind typically increased the speed of all Pokemon on the user’s side while reducing opponents’ mobility. But this enhanced version would do more than slow Greninja down, if the ninja didn’t defend itself, those razor-sharp wind funnels would cut it to ribbons on contact.
"Tailwind plus Hurricane plus Air Slash..." John analyzed the combination with practiced ease.
This wasn’t mere guesswork, he’d studied footage of Damon’s previous battles and the expert analyses posted online. Multi-move combinations were Damon’s signature strategy, and this particular three-skill fusion was considered his masterpiece.
Simple combinations like John’s own Force Palm and chain kicks were manageable, but integrating three techniques simultaneously was exponentially more difficult. The power output far exceeded simple addition, it was geometric progression at its finest.
John possessed his own triple combination: Machamp plus contact moves plus Force Palm
But Damon’s mastery went even deeper. As John watched the twisters intersect while advancing, creating a cutting pattern that resembled an enormous slash, he realized this wasn’t just three moves combined, it was four.
The intersecting wind patterns created an X-Scissor-like effect, though John suspected it wasn’t actually the Bug-type move. The approaching "storm" looked capable of devastating anything in its path.
So the real battle begins now, John thought. And Damon’s going all-out from the start.
After Mega Evolution, Pidgeot’s ability had changed to No Guard, a double-edged sword that guaranteed all attacks would connect, both incoming and outgoing. Pokemon with this ability had only one viable strategy: abandon defense and focus entirely on overwhelming offense. Discover more novels at nοvelfire.net
It was pure aggression. When opponents met on a narrow path, only the boldest would emerge victorious.
Coincidentally, ever since mastering its transformation, Ash-Greninja had also specialized in high-risk, high-reward combat.
"Greninja, Aura Sphere: Ultimate Water Shuriken!" John commanded with theatrical flair.
Greninja reached out with both hands, the right grasping the Ultimate Water Shuriken! from its back, while the left began forming a Substitute that immediately assisted in condensing a massive Aura Sphere. The visual effect was remarkably similar to a certain ninja’s signature technique.
When the millstone-sized Aura Sphere reached completion, the Ultimate Water Shuriken!had been coated in brilliant golden energy. Under countless amazed stares, Greninja leaped high and embedded the enormous Aura Sphere directly into the center of the spinning shuriken.
Locking onto its target, the ninja Pokemon hurled its creation forward!
Ultimate Spiral Water Shuriken!!
The golden shuriken spun at incredible velocity with the energy sphere at its core. It looked like a golden disc had been inserted through the middle of a swirling vortex of power.
The two ultimate techniques collided at the battlefield’s center.
Like crossed blades slowly grinding against each other, the sound of metal tearing filled the air, an uncomfortable screech that made spectators want to cover their ears in irritation.
The blade collision was merely the opening act. The golden shuriken was gradually worn down by the endless wind cutters, dissolving into barely visible water vapor.
But within the Ultimate Spiral Water Shuriken!, the spiral Aura Sphere was the true core of destruction.
When the Great Rasengan Aura Sphere pressed into the center of the wind slash, explosion was inevitable.
Unlike ordinary blasts, this detonation sent twisted waveguide energy entangling with countless Air Cutters, creating a chaotic spray of attacks flying in all directions. The collision didn’t just destabilize John’s technique, it completely disrupted Pidgeot’s "Tailwind" combination as well.
Two similarly chaotic attacks merging together created a fireworks display of destruction, with cutting winds and energy blasts ricocheting off the arena’s protective barriers, even splitting hairline cracks in the reinforced shields.
Greninja was forced to have its Substitute activate Protect as a defensive barrier.
"Increase shield strength!" the head referee suddenly shouted.
Elite-level battles required not just a standard referee but a chief overseer who monitored the overall situation. When encountering power that might exceed the protective barriers’ upper limits, they needed to immediately activate higher-intensity shields.
If the initial energy barriers could block attacks from Champion-level Pokemon, the enhanced version now activating could withstand assaults from even Pokemon Champion-tier combatants. Such high-strength energy shields typically only appeared during Elite Four championship challenges or international Champion battles.
Now, facing the aftermath of these flying Air Cutters, the National Pokemon Arena had to deploy its maximum defensive measures.
John remained motionless, his concentration reaching its peak.
Both he and Damon understood perfectly: when energies collided and move aftermaths spread while black smoke rose to block sight and sound, this was when the next confrontation would begin.
Simultaneously, both trainers issued their next commands through the chaos.
"Pidgeot, Brave Bird!"