If you can't land a hit on your opponent, no matter how many advantages you have, it's all useless!
Unaware that Nathan had already seen through him, seeing that Honchkrow had dodged the attack, Moose continued to command:
"Keep up the pressure, Honchkrow! Use Wing Attack!"
Honchkrow let out a loud cry, spreading its sleek black wings and swooping toward Zeraora!
"Tch, this time it's Wing Attack combined with Pursuit, huh?"
"That means I can't let it land a hit."
Seeing through Moose's strategy once again, Nathan smiled even wider and directly ordered Zeraora:
"Take flight, Zeraora!"
Why had Nathan thought of letting Pangoro use an upgraded Moonstep technique?
At the root of it, it was because Zeraora could release a special magnetic field to move at high speeds in the air!
In other words, once Zeraora reached a high enough level,
whether it was the sky or the ground, it would eventually become the divine spear that pierces everything!
Even now, with electricity coursing through its body, Zeraora was sprinting through the sky.
Trying to use flying to gain an advantage against it?
"Zeraora, use Agility, then Quick Attack!"
"Zoar!"
Zeraora let out a loud roar, and its entire body turned into a flash of lightning mid-air.
Golden electricity covered its brilliant body as it easily dodged Honchkrow's attack.
Not only that, Zeraora circled around Honchkrow, making it dizzy!
"It's over. No matter how lucky or fast it is, at this distance, Zeraora can't lose!"
One hand tucked into his pockets, Nathan declared decisively.
Just as he finished speaking, Zeraora somehow had condensed a chidori on her right claw again at some point.
"Chi... chi..."
Amidst the shrill cries of the gathered energy, Honchkrow had no space left to dodge.
Luck was useless, and so was speed.
Thus, Honchkrow was defeated.
It crashed to the ground, its black feathers becoming even darker, and it let out a puff of white smoke.
"Honchkrow is unable to battle. Zeraora wins!"
The referee raised his flag high, and Moose stood there in a daze, silently retrieving Honchkrow back into its Pokéball.
"Why... Why did you lose? You promised to protect me forever!"
"Liar!"
Muttering under his breath like he was crying, it wasn't until the referee urged him again that Moose pulled out another Pokéball and whispered:
"Don't lie to me again... Come out, Venusaur!"
Level 48!
Seeing the Venusaur on the other side, Nathan twitched his mouth.
Was this kid seriously packing another near-Elite Pokémon?
There weren't many Elite-level Pokémon in the entire national tournament — and yet he ran into two in a row?
"Whatever. Zeraora, use Plasma Fists first!"
Nathan calmly ordered, without rushing to use the powerful Thousand Birds move.
After all, using it continuously would overload Zeraora. Plus, the opponent's Pokémon being at such a high level already deserved caution.
"Zoar!"
Zeraora roared lowly and struck Venusaur with a Plasma Fist.
Although it didn't deal much damage, the residual plasma on its claws meant all its normal-type moves would now become electric-type!
At the same time—
"So that's it. A thick-skinned Venusaur to tank Zeraora's hits!"
Seeing that Venusaur only grunted in pain from the Plasma Fist, Nathan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Even if Zeraora could defeat it, it would likely cost a lot of stamina.
What a clever strategy.
Moose, however, didn't realize that Nathan had already seen through him. Seeing Venusaur withstand the attack, he immediately beamed with joy.
"That's right, Venusaur! Use Razor Leaf!"
His big eyes curved into crescent shapes as he ordered, a slight smile on his lips.
If Nathan could see the boy's expression, he might have realized that despite Moose's timid appearance…
That smile could only belong to someone… crazy!
And when a crazy person commands in battle, they often unleash terrifying strength!
"Zeraora, use Fury Swipes · Thousand Birds Blade!"
Still unaware of this, Nathan calmly commanded Zeraora to launch another attack.
As for Razor Leaf?
He completely ignored it!
Before long, under Nathan and Zeraora's ferocious offense, Venusaur couldn't hold on anymore.
Its whole body was battered and bruised.
"Come back... I don't want you to protect me anymore, Venusaur."
Eyes filled with sadness, Moose tried to recall Venusaur.
But he was too late.
"Finish it with one last attack!"
With Nathan's cold command, Zeraora's figure flashed forward.
Venusaur collapsed heavily to the ground, unable to battle anymore!
"Venusaur is unable to battle. Zeraora wins!"
Hearing the referee's voice, Moose quietly put Venusaur back into its ball and pulled his hood low over his face—
so low that no one could see his expression.
"Why... Why... They all promised to protect me... but one after another, they all lied to me!"
"And this Zeraora... if I can't have you, I'll destroy you!"
Muttering endlessly to himself, Moose pulled out his last Pokéball.
"Fulfill my wish! Garchomp!"
"Raaawr!"
As a black Pokémon emerged from the ball, a brutal aura instantly spread across the arena!
Garchomp, level 50!
"An almost Elite-level pseudo-legendary... now that's unexpected."
Rubbing his forehead, Nathan felt a headache coming on.
Unlike Rhydon, Garchomp was Dragon-type.
Combined with its pseudo-legendary stats...
And this Garchomp didn't seem ordinary either!
Before Nathan could react, Moose shouted:
"Garchomp, use Outrage! Shatter them!"
With a roar, Garchomp entered Outrage mode!
In this world, Outrage wasn't just a move — it was a status.
Only a few Pokémon with dragon blood could use it.
According to top Pokémon researchers, many non-Dragon types also carried traces of dragon blood.
The most classic example was Charizard — after Mega Evolution, it could gain the Dragon type.
And here, the principle of Outrage was to fully unleash the power of dragon blood, entering a special state.
It was a bit like Pangoro's Energy Mode, except the Pokémon would lose control—
and relentlessly attack whatever enemy the trainer had designated!
"Zeraora, do you want to switch out? Right now, you might not be a match."
Seeing the berserk Garchomp, Nathan hesitated.
Though Zeraora had Raikou's blessing, it wasn't like Entei's — it didn't fundamentally boost Zeraora's species stats.
Plus, with the level gap and Garchomp's Dragon advantage…
Even with all of Nathan's careful training, Zeraora was clearly at a disadvantage!
"Zoar!"
But Zeraora shook its head, electricity crackling around its body.
With its golden fur, it truly looked like a Super Saiyan!
"Alright, then let's go all out! Zeraora, initiate Synchronization!"
Seeing Zeraora's determination, Nathan didn't hesitate either and immediately activated synchronization.
Under synchronization, Nathan felt a completely different state compared to Pangoro.
If Pangoro was a balanced triangle of speed, strength, and toughness—
then Zeraora was a straight line, all about speed and pure attack power!
Not raw strength, but pure attack force — that was key.
"Since you're a straight line, let's break through the heavens with it!"
"Zeraora, enter Lightning Mode!"
…
"Zoar!"
With Nathan's support, Zeraora let out a low roar, and a portion of the electricity surged into its own body!
"Ugh... so tingly!"
Unlike Pangoro, this was a totally different feeling — a tingling sensation that made Nathan feel like he might lose control at any second.
"Zoar…"
Sensing Nathan's difficulty, Zeraora's intention was clear:
'I can do it alone.'