"Sceptile, the Forest Pokémon. The leaves that grow on its body are incredibly sharp, and it can nimbly leap between branches to attack enemies from above or behind!"
Listening to the Pokédex's description, Dawn looked at the green-bodied Sceptile, with its thick tail and arrogant expression, feeling a bit confused. She felt like this Sceptile was different from the one in the Pokédex. After comparing them a few times, she finally figured it out: this Sceptile had a twig in its mouth, which made it look cocky and distinguished. It truly was Ash's Pokémon.
"Sceptile, I'm counting on you!"
"Chaa!" Sceptile turned its head to respond to Ash while still holding the twig in its mouth, then looked at Suicune with a determined expression. Suicune didn't seem to mind. Although it could feel a hint of a threat from Sceptile, it was confident it could win with its superior strength.
"Sceptile, let's try our first evolution together!" Ash raised his right arm, and the multicolored Key Stone on his wrist glowed brilliantly.
"Chaa!" Sceptile raised its right arm to show the armband, which also had a glowing jewel with a spiral pattern.
"May our bond be reflected! Mega Evolve!"
Under Suicune's slightly stunned expression, a rainbow-colored bridge appeared between Ash and Sceptile, and a dazzling light filled the entire cave. Within this light, Sceptile's body began to expand. Suicune could clearly feel Sceptile's power increasing. Its relaxed expression disappeared, and it became cautious, staring at Sceptile's form.
"It evolved again..." Although it wasn't the first time she had seen it, Dawn's blue eyes were still filled with awe.
When the light faded, the green-bodied Sceptile had many new red patterns on its body. Its leaves and tail became sharper, and its overall power was indescribable. Suicune's cautious expression showed that it was feeling a powerful pressure from Sceptile.
"Mega Sceptile, Energy Ball!"
As soon as Ash gave the command, Mega Sceptile quickly gathered a green Energy Ball and fired it.
"Whoo!" A light blue beam of light shot out from Suicune's mouth. The beam, with its type advantage, easily dispersed the Energy Ball.
"Use Detect! Then Leaf Storm!"
A Grass-type Sceptile has a 2x type advantage against Suicune, but after Mega Evolving, Mega Sceptile gains the Dragon-type. This makes it 4x weak to Ice-type moves from Suicune. Ash still chose to send out Sceptile because, of all his Pokémon, Mega Svolving Sceptile was the most powerful and stable. He wanted to use its speed to dodge Suicune's attacks. After all, if a move doesn't hit, there's no type advantage to worry about.
Mega Sceptile's sharp eyes glowed blue, and it easily dodged the Ice Beam. Its tail then glowed green as a storm of leaves formed and blasted towards Suicune. Sensing the power of the attack, Suicune quickly darted away and jumped into the darkness, leaving a strong gust of wind in its place. The leaves, filled with immense power, tore a five-meter-deep hole in the ground.
Taking advantage of this moment, Suicune leaped out again, a light blue ball of energy forming in its mouth. It shot out a terrifying storm towards Mega Sceptile. But in its Detect state, Mega Sceptile was already in action, disappearing in a blur of green and moving with an unparalleled speed.
"Use Leaf Blade!"
Ash used his Aura to pinpoint Suicune's location and relay the next command.
"Chaa!" Mega Sceptile nodded in understanding. The sharp leaf on its right arm glowed crimson. The energy gathered, extending it into a blade nearly a meter long. Before Suicune could react, Mega Sceptile struck, and the powerful attack sent Suicune flying into the wall, which cracked from the impact.
"Yeah! Go, Ash!" Dawn had now become a cheerleader, looking at Ash with adoration. Although she didn't understand why Mega Sceptile was fighting on its own without commands, she could still tell that the situation was looking good.
"Go, let's beat it while it's down!" Ash felt Suicune's Aura weaken by half and quickly used his Aura to urge Mega Sceptile to keep up the pressure.
Mega Sceptile, which had just landed, suddenly burst forward again, charging towards Suicune.
However, at that moment, Ash's Aura sensed a powerful energy gathering. Combined with the rapidly dropping temperature, he realized what was happening and quickly used his Aura to transmit a message.
"Careful, retreat and defend!"
He gave the command to Mega Sceptile and, without a second thought, grabbed the girl who was still cheering next to him. He hugged her tightly, their bodies pressed so close together that there was no space between them.
The next second, a fierce Blizzard erupted from Suicune's location. The entire pool of water instantly froze into ice, and a layer of frost began to form on the walls of the cave. The temperature dropped at a visible rate.
"Ash, it's so cold!" Dawn was no longer worried about being embarrassed. The low temperature made her shiver in Ash's arms.
"Don't worry, I'll help you!" Ash looked at her short skirt and bare legs. He quickly clamped her legs between his own and grabbed her cold hand, transmitting his Aura to her body to create a protective barrier against the cold.
Pikachu also stood in front, using Thunderbolt to defend against the Blizzard.
"Mega Sceptile, Grassy Terrain!"
On the other side of the cave, Mega Sceptile hid behind a thick stone pillar to resist the Blizzard. When it heard Ash's command through the Aura, Mega Sceptile stomped the ground with both hands, injecting its Grass energy into the ground.
Soon, the cave floor began to turn green as grass and trees sprouted from the ground, countering Suicune's ice field.
"Whoo!" Suicune stood on the icy surface and let out a piercing cry, causing the icicles hanging from the cave ceiling to fall.
Mega Sceptile's Grassy Terrain didn't stop. It continued to inject energy into the ground while dodging the falling icicles. The Grassy Terrain slowly spread to cover Suicune's area, and even the frozen ice began to sprout green shoots.
Suicune didn't mind this detail. It began to gather an energy even more terrifying than the Blizzard: Sheer Cold.
"Now! Frenzy Plant!"
Before Suicune could finish gathering its energy, Mega Sceptile quickly switched to another move, injecting all its power into the ground. The plants summoned by Grassy Terrain rapidly grew and became more aggressive, expanding at a visible rate. They broke through all the ice Suicune's Blizzard had created and began to wrap around Suicune, who was preparing Sheer Cold. Suicune tried to use the falling icicles to stab the vines, but this was a full-power attack from Mega Sceptile, with all its Grass energy gathered in one place. The vines were regenerating faster than the icicles could break them.
Soon, with the relentless strikes and insane wrapping of Frenzy Plant, Suicune became a Suicune-brand zongzi.