The Air Slash of a legendary Pokémon—there was no way Nathan dared let his Frosmoth take that hit head-on.
A single misstep, and it could easily mean a broken wing or a crippled body.
Frosmoth expended a small portion of its own life force to create a Substitute.
That substitute fluttered exactly where Frosmoth had been just a moment earlier, while the real body quickly ascended upward.
The sharp Air Slash cut across the sky, and the substitute was instantly cleaved in two.
Though a Substitute's durability was never as high as the real body's, the fact that it had been split so cleanly into halves said enough—if that attack had struck the real Frosmoth, it would have been severely wounded.
"Frosmoth, Icicle Spear—attack now!"
At this point, Nathan really felt like synchronizing with Frosmoth. A battle of this level was simply too difficult.
But when he remembered there were still three more opponents waiting after this woman, he suppressed the urge.
With his current condition, there was absolutely no way he could maintain Synchronization for an extended period of time.
Around Frosmoth appeared seven or eight icy spears. At its command, the icicles shot forth one after another toward Tornadus.
Even slowed, Tornadus could still dodge such sequential projectiles with relative ease.
But when it came to the final three spears, Frosmoth changed tactics—sending them all out at once, from different angles, converging toward Tornadus's body.
"Tornadus, Aura Sphere and Iron Tail! Knock those icicles away!"
The woman reacted swiftly, giving her orders.
Tornadus swung a hand, releasing an Aura Sphere that smashed precisely into one icicle. The spear lost its force, spinning down toward the earth.
The other two continued forward. Tornadus's massive tail lashed out, striking one of them cleanly aside.
But the last one slipped through!
Perhaps it was because of two consecutive precision hits that its accuracy faltered on the third.
The icicle shot beneath Tornadus's tail, stabbing directly into its body.
Blood welled from a fresh, narrow wound.
Seeing this, Nathan couldn't help but smile—finally, an advantage.
But before he could celebrate for long, the woman's voice cut through the air.
"Nathan, you're indeed strong. Your Mewtwo's evolution just now surprised me. But my Tornadus has a trump card too!"
"Tornadus—reveal your Therian Forme!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd as the woman produced a mirror.
She angled it toward Tornadus. At once, the energy-cloud supporting Tornadus surged, wrapping tightly around its entire body.
Nathan wasn't shocked by the transformation itself—he already knew Tornadus possessed a Therian Forme.
What he hadn't known was whether this woman had the knowledge—or the means—to unlock it.
Clearly, she did.
And not only that, she had managed to obtain the Reveal Glass itself. For her to have such resources… this woman clearly wasn't simple.
When the transformation completed, Tornadus's Therian Forme emerged into view.
Its new shape resembled a bird. The cloud that once surrounded its lower body now shifted to coil around its twin tails.
Its snout extended into a hooked beak, while the horns atop its head grew thinner and longer.
At the center of the purple navel-mark gleamed a crimson jewel.
Its arms had transformed into great wings, each ending in five feathers tipped with violet.
This new form radiated raw, oppressive power.
"Looks like I might really lose this time…"
Nathan gave a bitter smile.
Never had he expected his Frosmoth to encounter such an opponent—Tornadus, and not just any Tornadus, but one capable of taking its Therian Forme.
Compared to its base form, the Therian was at least twenty percent stronger.
The previous battle had already been difficult enough. Now, with this transformation, defeat was becoming a real possibility.
"Tornadus, Air Slash!"
The woman's sharp command rang out.
White light coated Tornadus's wings, and with one tremendous flap, two immense blades of wind cleaved forth.
The snowflakes still lingering in the air were instantly swept apart, split cleanly down the middle, leaving behind a path nearly a hundred feet long and six feet wide.
Nathan knew it then—this attack, Frosmoth could not dodge.
And Substitute had just been used; it couldn't be called upon again so soon.
"Frosmoth, Aurora Veil! Wide Guard! Light Screen—now!"
Even if he couldn't avoid it, Nathan refused to surrender without a fight. He ordered a triple defense in rapid succession.
The shimmering radiance of the Aurora Veil, the faint white glow of a Light Screen, and the dome of Wide Guard—three layers of defense manifested before Frosmoth.
But the Air Slash struck relentlessly.
First Wide Guard—shattered almost instantly.
Then Light Screen—it held for less than a second before splitting in two.
Still, it had at least reduced some of the blow's force.
By the time the Air Slash struck the Aurora Veil, its strength had dropped to seventy percent.
Pop—like a bubble bursting—the final veil broke apart, unable to hold.
The attack carried through, striking Frosmoth squarely.
Its small body was hurled backward through the air before plummeting in a vertical drop.
The three challengers who had yet to fight all lit up with joy at the sight.
So, Nathan wasn't invincible after all. He could be defeated.
Judging from the strength of this Pokémon, perhaps Nathan's arsenal wasn't as deep as they had feared.
They still had three opportunities. As long as one of them faced him while his weaker Pokémon were on the field, victory was entirely possible.
On the other side, Grog and the rest were crestfallen. Could it be that the nearly unstoppable Nathan was truly about to taste defeat today?
That was the one outcome they had never wanted to see.
Time itself seemed to freeze. None of them even dared to blink, terrified that when their eyes opened again, it would be to the sight of Nathan's loss.
Then—movement.
The fallen Frosmoth stirred.
After a few seconds of struggling on the ground, it slowly rose again!
Its wings trembled but flapped, carrying it shakily back into the sky.
The woman's eyes widened in shock.
She knew perfectly well what a Champion-level Pokémon's defenses amounted to. She also knew exactly how powerful Tornadus's attack had been.
That blow should have rendered Frosmoth unconscious.
And yet—it still stood, still flew.
This wasn't defense.
It was willpower.
Without extraordinary tenacity, no Pokémon could rise again after such a strike.
Grog and the others were completely dumbfounded. So, this was one of Nathan's Pokémon?
Even from a distance they could see the terrible injuries on its body.
Any other Pokémon would already have collapsed unconscious.
But Frosmoth showed not the slightest hint of quitting. It even still wanted to fight.
Nathan himself was shaken.
Truthfully, ever since capturing Frosmoth, he hadn't paid it much attention.
At first, his focus had been on the treasure map.
Later, it had shifted entirely to Volcarona's evolution into a Legendary, monopolizing all of his energy.
Only now did he realize just how much he had neglected Frosmoth.
In this moment, all he wanted was to recall it and spare it further pain.
But after seeing such determination, how could he deny its effort by withdrawing it now?
"Frosmoth—Ice Beam!"
Suppressing the ache in his chest, Nathan gave the command.
Frosmoth cried weakly, its blood-flecked mouth opening to unleash a shining white beam straight toward Tornadus.
The woman reacted immediately. "Tornadus, Hurricane!"
Therian Tornadus flapped its wings, conjuring a roaring storm.
The freezing beam clashed with the hurricane midway.
The beam was scattered apart, while the storm itself broke against the icy blast, unable to advance further.
The two attacks neutralized one another.
But in terms of attrition, Frosmoth was at the disadvantage.
It was badly wounded already, while Tornadus bore only a minor cut.
For Frosmoth, the odds looked grim.
"Frosmoth, Bug Buzz! Follow it up with Giga Drain!"
Nathan's voice was cold and firm.
He knew Frosmoth could not endure another direct hit.
If he wanted to swing the battle even slightly, he had to reduce Tornadus's special defense and give Frosmoth a way to heal.
Frosmoth's mouth opened, releasing a harsh, grating hum.
The bug-type resonance filled the air, and at once, a faint grayish sheen settled over Tornadus's body.
Bug Buzz itself dealt little damage, but its secondary effect—the reduction of special defense—was exactly what Frosmoth needed now.
(End of Chapter)