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"Roar!"
With blood-red wings spread wide, Salamence fiercely lunged at Noivern, its claws enveloped in Dragon-type energy as it swung its powerful talons forward.
Facing Salamence, which was renowned for its incredible strength, and with such a significant gap in raw power, Noivern was absolutely no match for the pseudo-legendary Pokémon in direct combat.
Therefore, Jacob decisively made his tactical choice: "Noivern, don't get close to Salamence! Keep your distance and use continuous Dragon Pulse attacks."
Speed was Noivern's only advantage in this matchup; to have any chance of defeating Salamence, Noivern's speed advantage had to be utilized to its absolute fullest potential.
"Salamence, chase it down! Don't give Noivern any chance to escape." Facing the retreating Noivern, Isaac showed no signs of panic, calmly directing his Salamence to pursue the Sound Wave Pokémon.
Noivern's speed advantage was typically effective when both sides possessed similar overall strength, but Isaac's Salamence had reached Gym Leader level, making it much more powerful than Noivern.
Moreover, Isaac's Salamence was different from ordinary Salamence; his particular Salamence focused more heavily on its Flying-type attributes, having undergone specialized training in speed and aerial maneuverability, making velocity one of its greatest strengths as well.
His Salamence was truly the overlord of the skies!
"Roar!"
Salamence's massive form streaked toward Noivern like a blazing meteor; in terms of pure speed alone, it was not inferior to Noivern, closing the distance between them in mere moments.
"Noivern, use Taunt!"
Seeing the imposing Salamence bearing down on his Pokémon, Jacob had to quickly change his tactics, choosing to have Noivern employ the Taunt move.
He was planning to switch Noivern out of battle, but before doing so, to prevent Salamence from setting up with Dragon Dance, he absolutely had to use the Taunt move first.
"Roar!"
Noivern transmitted Dark-type energy through focused sound waves, successfully sealing away Salamence's status-boosting moves with Taunt, just as Salamence's Dragon Claw connected solidly with Noivern's body.
The razor-sharp Dragon Claw tore through Noivern's protective scales, leaving three long, bloody gashes across its hide.
The Dragon Claw attack, combined with Salamence's terrifying physical attack power and Dragon-type moves' double effectiveness against Noivern, dealt significant damage to the Sound Wave Pokémon.
"Salamence, use Dragon Rush!"
Isaac had also correctly guessed that Jacob had Noivern use Taunt specifically to facilitate switching Pokémon, so he decisively commanded Salamence to unleash the devastating Dragon Rush attack.
Dragon-type energy completely enveloped Salamence's muscular body, followed by a thunderous roar from the pseudo-legendary Pokémon. With a powerful flap of its wings, Salamence launched into a fierce charge toward Noivern, its momentum absolutely terrifying to behold.
"Noivern, use Protect!"
Jacob observed Salamence's approach, recognizing just how exceptionally troublesome this opponent truly was.
This demonstrated the overwhelming power of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon; in battles between trainers of similar skill levels, such Pokémon were almost completely invincible. Without access to Mega Evolution, it would prove extremely difficult for Jacob to defeat Isaac in this match.
A shimmering protective barrier appeared directly in front of Noivern, successfully blocking Salamence's full-power Dragon Rush attack.
"Noivern, use Draco Meteor!" Since he had already decided to switch Noivern out of the battle, Jacob naturally chose to take this opportunity to have his Pokémon unleash its most powerful Draco Meteor attack.
Noivern's entire body erupted with intense Dragon-type energy, which shot upward through the sky, rushed toward the clouds above, and manifested as falling stars.
Burning meteors, trailing long fiery tails behind them, descended from the heavens and crashed down toward Salamence's position.
"Salamence, shatter those meteors with Dragon Claw!"
"Noivern, now! Use U-turn!" Jacob's voice rang out clearly across the battlefield, and Noivern's body became enveloped in Bug-type energy as it flew swiftly toward Salamence, making contact before immediately returning to safety.
Noivern returned to its Poké Ball, instantly replaced by the massive, imposing figure of Sceptile.
As Sceptile made its dramatic appearance on the battlefield, enthusiastic cheers immediately erupted throughout the entire venue. A sparkling Mega Evolution Stone was prominently tied to a necklace around the Forest Pokémon's powerful body.
Looking at the newly appeared Sceptile, a distinct sense of urgency rose within Isaac's heart. Was it finally happening?
The legendary Mega Evolution that everyone had been anticipating?
"Salamence, use Aerial Ace!"
Isaac had thoroughly prepared for facing Jacob in advance. This particular Aerial Ace move had been specifically trained for countering Sceptile. Salamence soared fiercely into the sky, then executed a sharp aerial turn, its body becoming enveloped in Flying-type energy as it accelerated directly toward Sceptile.
Only a blood-red figure could be seen descending rapidly from the sky, resembling crimson lightning as it struck toward Sceptile.
However, Jacob was equally well-prepared at this crucial moment. The reason he had chosen to send out the type-disadvantaged Sceptile instead of his Charizard was because Jacob had discovered that Salamence's move pool contained Rock Slide, an attack that posed a serious threat to his Fire and Flying-type Pokémon.
Although Grass-type Sceptile was naturally weak to Flying-type moves, its additional Dragon typing after Mega Evolution would also provide an effective counter to Salamence!
Jacob's recently published Mega Pokédex had temporarily only released photographs and basic statistical information about Mega Sceptile. Regarding its changed typing and new ability, Jacob had not mentioned a single word publicly.
He wasn't foolish; the changes in type and ability after Mega Evolution represented secret weapons in battle. Except for Charizard Y's extremely obvious Drought ability, which simply couldn't be hidden from observers, Jacob still wanted to keep Mega Sceptile's transformed capabilities secret, at least until after the High School Cup tournament concluded.
"Sceptile, use Dragon Claw!"
Facing the approaching Salamence, Sceptile's body suddenly erupted with fierce Dragon-type energy, and a powerful Dragon Claw attack formed around its appendages!
"Boom!"
With a tremendously loud crash, Sceptile's body was pushed backward several meters, leaving two deep scratches carved into the ground beneath its feet, and Sceptile's body also sustained visible injuries from the impact.
Although it had sustained minor injuries from the exchange, ensuring Sceptile's safe entry onto the battlefield made the trade quite worthwhile.
Jacob looked at Salamence with deeply focused eyes. This truly demonstrated the incredible strength of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon! Without access to Mega Evolution, Jacob's Sceptile would never be able to defeat Salamence by battling above its current level.
Gently stroking the Evolution Keystone embedded in his ring, Jacob and Sceptile's hearts seemed to be perfectly connected. Jacob raised his right hand high, and the Evolution Keystone burst forth with absolutely dazzling light.
"Sceptile, respond to my heart! Mega Evolution!"
The audience held their collective breath as brilliant energy swirled around both trainer and Pokémon. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.
"Here it comes! Jacob's greatest discovery, Mega Evolution - the miracle of Pokémon battles!"
Even the officially designated professional commentators were unstinting in their praise at this incredible moment.
The audience present had been eagerly awaiting this demonstration, holding their breath in anticipation. Most of them were witnessing Mega Evolution for the very first time, and their hearts were filled with tremendous excitement.
Jacob on the battlefield appeared so dazzling and radiant at this moment. Both he and his Sceptile were undoubtedly the protagonists of this entire battle.
A brilliant smile spread across Jacob's face as he basked in the thunderous cheers of the crowd, his eyes filled with unwavering confidence as he gazed directly at Isaac.
The battlefield before Jacob was not merely a battleground; it had transformed into something much more like a grand stage.
A stage where countless people cheered for him, shouted his name, and waved their hands enthusiastically in his support.
He found himself gradually falling in love with this incredible feeling of competitive battling - engaging with powerful opponents one after another, enjoying the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, responding to their energy, and striving with everything he had. This was exactly what passionate youth should embody.
Below in the stands, Nina's eyes, bright as sparkling stars, remained fixed on Jacob, silently gazing at the much-anticipated young trainer.
Love flowed clearly in her eyes; she felt that Jacob at this moment appeared so absolutely dazzling, as brilliant as the stars themselves. Some people truly seemed to be born to be protagonists on life's grand stage.