"You are indeed a decent trainer. You're both talented and skilled," the Masked Man said as he emerged from the swirling white mist, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Dragonite, Mimikyu and Lucario before continuing, "But this is where it ends."
Caleb couldn't be bothered with him. While observing the battlefield situation, he rapidly strategized in his mind, allocating tactics for his three Pokémon...
Rather than wasting time on threats, it was better to encourage his Pokémon before battle to boost morale.
Phrases like 'Get up', 'Don't give up' and 'Dodge quickly' were god-tier battle techniques even more formidable than Groudon's Precipice Blades.
"Hmph!" The Masked Man's eyes turned cold as he directly commanded, "Ho-Oh, Delibird, attack!"
"Screech!"
Ho-Oh let out a piercing cry to the heavens, opening its beak where the colorful mouthparts emitted an eerie glow. Blazing flames condensed within before surging toward the three Pokémon on the ground the next instant.
Meanwhile, the Delibird flew to the center of the battlefield, using its ice-control ability to condense hailstones into sharp icicles before directing them at the larger Dragonite.
"Mimikyu!" Caleb calmly ordered, "Delibird is yours! Take it down as quickly as possible!"
Mimikyu nodded firmly.
*Swish!*
Countless nanomachines emerged from the core on its chest, assembling into armor matching Iron Man's signature color scheme in under a second.
The jet propulsion engines on its back suddenly accelerated, launching its small body like a cannonball into the sky with tremendous force.
*Clang clang clang clang clang!*
Mimikyu moved at top speed, Shadow Claw forming before it as it deftly maneuvered through the barrage of icicles, shattering each one to prevent them from affecting Caleb below.
"That's..." The Masked Man clearly hadn't anticipated this situation, staring at Mimikyu in disbelief with tightly furrowed brows.
"Dragonite! Dragon Rush, flank attack!" Caleb immediately followed up.
"Wuuu!"
Since Ho-Oh's attack was aimed at Lucario and Caleb, Dragonite could attack from the air unimpeded.
An oppressive blood-red aura erupted from Dragonite's body as it slammed into Ho-Oh's flank.
Ho-Oh was much larger than Dragonite, so Dragonite's attack power received a boost from Caleb's Gigantamax Slayer title. Combined with Dragonite's Dragon Fang, the Dragon Rush striking Ho-Oh was a full 30% more powerful than normal.
"Roar!"
On the ground, Entei saw the Fire Blast approaching and rushed to Caleb in a few steps, crouching to let him mount its back before grabbing Lucario by the scruff and dashing to safety.
The Fire Blast missed its mark just as Dragonite's Dragon Rush collided with Ho-Oh.
Ho-Oh shrieked in pain, its focus instantly shifting to Dragonite...
Caleb clung to Entei while dodging waves of searing heat, keeping his eyes locked on the battle above.
The intensity of the Pokémon's fighting had already blown the entire roof off the Mahogany Gym, exposing the battle to the outside air and quickly drawing attention.
Seeing this, the Masked Man's gaze turned cold, his eyes revealing intense killing intent. He pulled several more Poké Balls from his pocket, and with flashes of white light, Dewgong, Abomasnow, Froslass and Glalie appeared on the battlefield.
"You brought this upon yourself," the Masked Man said.
Seeing his opponent finally go all out, Caleb grinned. He glanced up at Dragonite barely dodging Ho-Oh's attacks, then at Mimikyu tangled with Delibird, before asking Lucario from Entei's back, "Afraid?"
Lucario shook its head, stepping forward with determination.
"Then lure them onto the ice battlefield." Caleb instructed.
Lucario nodded, forming an Aura Sphere in its hands and hurling it at the four opposing Pokémon.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself!" The Masked Man sneered, commanding, "All of you, take it down!"
Dewgong, Abomasnow, Glalie and Froslass surged forward, targeting Lucario.
Lucario remained expressionless, enduring an Ice Beam strike to its back as it sprinted toward the frozen arena.
"Dragonite!" Caleb shouted.
"Wuuu!"
Though battered, Dragonite responded during a brief lull in Ho-Oh's attacks.
"Fly toward Lucario!" Caleb commanded.
Hearing this, the Masked Man looked confused.
He glanced between his four Pokémon, then up at Ho-Oh, before his pupils contracted as if realizing something. He shouted, "Don't chase! Get away from there!"
"Too late!" Caleb's grin widened as he declared, "Now!"
With that, he pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled Lucario with a precise beam of red light.
The four Ice-types lunged at empty air, stumbling onto the frozen battlefield. The next instant, Dragonite plunged from the sky, followed closely by a terrifying blast of Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire.
At the last possible moment, Caleb recalled Dragonite, leaving the four Ice-types no time to escape as they were engulfed in the scorching flames.
A blistering shockwave rolled outward, giving Caleb's hair a free perm as the heat curled the ends.
Ice-types were doubly weak to Fire, let alone Ho-Oh's signature Sacred Fire. The four Ice Pokémon were instantly incinerated and knocked out on the spot.
The frozen battlefield melted into a pool of boiling water.
"Damn you!" The Masked Man completely lost his composure, roaring, "Ho-Oh, destroy them!"
"Dragonite!" Caleb sent Dragonite back out, commanding, "Use Twister to whip up that water!"
"Wuu!"
Understanding instantly, Dragonite soared skyward, its wings beating furiously to conjure a raging whirlwind. The Twister absorbed the boiling water, transforming into a massive waterspout.
"Screech!"
Ho-Oh cried out, forming a blazing 大-shaped inferno before it.
Water Twister vs. Inferno Overdrive!
Dragonite vs. Ho-Oh!
Pseudo-Legendary vs. True Legendary!
Outside the Gym, Officer Jenny's hands trembled as she looked up.
Spectators drawn by the commotion, along with hidden Team Rocket members in the crowd, all froze in place, their eyes locked on the sky.
A deafening explosion erupted from the Mahogany Gym...