"Another new Pokemon? It's so cool! I want to catch one too!" Harrison stared at Zoroark with gleaming eyes.
"Look around later and see if there are any more nearby," Damian said. He could sense the Ghost-type aura radiating from Zoroark, and as a Ghost-type Elite Four, he naturally coveted it.
But this was John's discovery, so John naturally had first rights to capture it. Damian could only hope there were others of the same species in the area.
Against the cave wall, Zoroark's white fur was disheveled from the impact, flowing with the turbulent air currents. The blood-red tips fluttered like scattered maple leaves, creating an strangely beautiful sight.
A sharp claw tore through the residual energy waves, it was done playing games.
Golden eyes flashed as Agility activated. Wind gathered beneath its feet as the white form shot forward.
In just two steps, Zoroark's body split from one to two, then from two to four.
Four Zoroarks rushed toward Mega Tyranitar from four different angles.
"Double Team?" John frowned slightly. His ordinary vision couldn't distinguish which was the real Zoroark.
Beyond John's limited training with aura sight, this was also related to Zoroark's masterful illusion abilities, not as easy to see through as with ordinary Pokemon.
After all, this was a Zoroark that had been imprisoned for at least two thousand years.
How could an ordinary person compare with a fox that had been practicing for two millennia?
"Snarl!" John commanded.
ROOOAAR!
Mega Tyranitar bellowed, gray Dark-type energy spreading in all directions along with the sound waves.
One Zoroark was instantly dispersed, disappearing like smoke, a Double Team copy.
Another Zoroark became translucent, turning into Ghost-type energy while maintaining its appearance, shrieking as it charged forward. This had to be some kind of attacking illusion move.
The other two Zoroarks pushed through the Snarl, one left and one right, their claws glowing white as they unleashed the Fighting-type move Brick Break!
CRACK! CRACK!
Two Zoroarks crossed paths on Mega Tyranitar's chest, their sharp claws forming an "X" pattern.
POOF!
One Zoroark shattered after completing its attack, clearly a Substitute.
Meanwhile, the Ghost-type energy Zoroark, whose illusion had been broken by Snarl, arrived fashionably late and struck directly.
Mega Tyranitar tried to endure the severe pain and block with its arms, but before it could raise them, two black claws suddenly emerged from the shadows behind it, firmly grasping its hands and preventing any movement.
Shadow Sneak!
BOOM!
The energy attack connected, and the jet-black armor on Mega Tyranitar's body immediately shattered outward from the "X" center, forcing it out of MEGA evolution instantly.
The quadruple-effective Brick Break combined with two other moves meant it had effectively been hit eight times simultaneously! The final Ghost-type impact was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Tyranitar was defeated in a single exchange and lost its ability to battle on the spot.
"Incredible!" John couldn't help but praise. As expected of a two-thousand-year-old fox, powerful, intelligent, and with ruthless tactical prowess. He estimated its strength at Champion level, minimum.
"Thanks for the hard work," John quickly pulled out a Pokeball to recall Tyranitar. Its strength was still far from Zoroark's level, but it had done well enough.
The fact that Zoroark had taken two Snarls, a Dark-type Z-Move Black Hole Eclipse, used a Substitute, and was still standing was remarkable.
After all, in John's memory, Hisuian Zoroark had lower base stats than ordinary Zoroark and was typically a fragile speedster focused on special attacks.
John pulled out another Pokeball and released it.
Silver light flickered alongside azure torrents. John decided this battle would end with Greninja, who also possessed the Dark typing.
The moment it appeared, surging light-blue water rushed up from beneath its feet as Greninja completed its transformation.
John-Greninja appeared with swirling water and a massive shuriken on its back.
Seeing Greninja, Zoroark's gaze suddenly sharpened, its golden eyes blazing like searchlights.
It sensed the presence of a worthy opponent!
In an instant, with Zoroark as the epicenter, gentle air currents swept outward in all directions. The airflow moved like waves, like brushstrokes, painting over the Ghost-type energy.
In the blink of an eye, the cave transformed into a mountain altar, with white clouds floating in the distance and the setting sun gradually disappearing. In the altar's depths stood a magnificent statue of Arceus.
Zoroark positioned itself before Arceus, staring intensely! On its left and right, two portal-like black holes appeared, and suddenly two figures broke through space itself.
One was Palkia, but it had lost both arms and grown hooves instead, wearing a knight's helmet like some kind of centaur.
The other Pokemon had a shortened, more compact body with an azure gem on its chest, Dialga, also wearing a knight's helmet!
"Why do these two Pokemon look so similar to the Palkia and Dialga I saw in the Pokedex?" Harrison asked in amazement. "Could they also have special forms like that Typhlosion?"
Damian shook his head slightly. He wasn't a researcher specializing in legendary Pokemon and had no expertise regarding Palkia and Dialga. He'd probably have to ask his mentor Saul about this when they returned.
"These are their Origin Formes," John said with a sharp intake of breath, recognizing them immediately.
But he wasn't overly concerned.
He didn't believe Zoroark could actually summon these two legendary Pokemon. Otherwise, who could have used a seal stone to imprison it here for two thousand years?
Opening his Gameboy, John found a condition he'd never seen before in Greninja's status column.
[Phantom King Field: Caught in Illusion]
He was certain that the Origin Forme Palkia and Dialga before them were indeed illusions.
However, John was intrigued by the phrase "King Field" in the Phantom King Field designation.
Could this Zoroark be an ancient king, like his own Gengar?
It was quite possible. Illusions were constructed based on things actually witnessed. Ordinary Pokemon would never have such opportunities, but if it was an ancient king, a powerful being who had received power from Arceus, it could indeed have encountered Palkia and Dialga.
If that was the case, this Zoroark would be even more valuable to capture and train.