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Facing the two attacks plummeting toward him like meteors, Giovanni simply sneered.
"Both moves are physical attacks, Eddie. Are you underestimating me?"
This man, known as "Giovanni of the Earth," had never feared an enemy's assault.
His battle strategy had always been the same: employ an impenetrable defense to absorb attacks, identify the opponent's weakness, then launch a devastating counterattack!
Therefore, even facing the potentially fatal attacks from Eddie's Charizard and Garchomp, Giovanni didn't dodge. He stood perfectly still, like a statue rooted to the earth itself, presenting no openings whatsoever.
"Aggron! Rhyperior! Use Iron Defense and stop them!"
"ROOOAR!"
Iron Defense was a move that dramatically boosted a Pokémon's defensive capabilities. And the users were none other than Aggron and Rhyperior—species already renowned for their incredible defenses. Enhanced by this technique, their defensive power instantly reached astonishing levels.
At that moment, Charizard and Garchomp's attacks connected.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As thunderous impacts echoed through the area, the surrounding buildings were caught in the shockwaves and instantly blown apart. Some nearby structures even collapsed entirely.
"Is this really just a Pokémon battle? The aftershocks alone can cause this much destruction?!"
"Damn, I need to back up a bit more. This distance is getting dangerous."
"Everyone fall back! Good thing I brought binoculars—we can watch from farther away."
Many players who'd been spectating from what they thought was a safe distance expressed their alarm at this moment, then retreated to find more secure vantage points.
They weren't stupid. The idiots who'd been killed instantly by aerial aftershocks earlier had already served as a cautionary example. Now, witnessing the explosive clash between Eddie and Giovanni, they knew better than to stay close and risk being eliminated by the residual damage.
"They actually blocked it completely?! What kind of defense is that?!"
Eddie had been standing on Garchomp's back. At the last moment before impact, he'd used his psychic powers to levitate himself, preventing injury from the recoil.
Although the smoke hadn't yet cleared, Eddie could already see through it—Aggron and Rhyperior had taken the full force of Garchomp and Charizard's attacks respectively, and appeared virtually unharmed.
Faced with this reality, how could Eddie not be shocked?
"Giovanni of the Earth truly lives up to his reputation. It looks like I'll have to target you directly instead! Change of tactics!"
"Greninja! Sceptile! Use Aerial Ace!"
Eddie made a split-second decision and released two more Pokémon, immediately ordering them to attack Giovanni directly.
Don't call him ruthless or dishonorable—in a life-or-death battle like this, the winner was whoever survived!
Besides, Eddie wasn't the only one attempting this strategy. Giovanni wanted to eliminate Eddie directly as well.
For instance, right now—Eddie had initially thought that he'd be the one to decisively target Giovanni himself first, but it seemed Giovanni had the exact same idea.
"Hahaha! Your thinking matches mine perfectly. I like you more and more with each passing moment. It's such a shame you won't join Team Rocket!"
Giovanni's voice rang out. Through his aura sensing, Eddie could see that two Pokémon now stood before Giovanni—he'd released Nidoking and Nidoqueen at some point without Eddie noticing.
"Nidoking! Nidoqueen! Use Bulldoze!"
Facing the incoming attacks from Greninja and Sceptile, Giovanni remained completely motionless, demonstrating to Eddie what it truly meant to be as immovable as a mountain.
Upon receiving the command, Nidoking and Nidoqueen stomped the ground with all their might, causing the surrounding area to shake violently.
This attack could damage enemies or force them to retreat.
Seeing this, Greninja and Sceptile relied on their exceptional speed to halt their assault at the critical moment and quickly leaped backward.
"Level 87 Nidoking and Nidoqueen? These two are among Giovanni's main team. He's really going all-out now—he won't stop until he's finished me off here."
Eddie glanced at his Pokédex data and spoke gravely.
This outcome had been within his expectations. However, now that he was actually facing Giovanni head-on, the pressure felt overwhelming. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"No—Giovanni's already given it everything he's got. I can't hold back anymore either!"
Eddie realized he'd reached the point of no return. After exhausting all his underhanded tactics, there was nothing left but a direct confrontation with Giovanni!
He immediately pulled out the Poké Balls containing his first and second teams and released them all at once.
Then Eddie extended his right hand—specifically, the hand wearing his Mega Glove.
"Charizard! Greninja! Garchomp! Sceptile! Tyranitar! Lucario! Gengar! Gardevoir! Mega Evolve together!"
As his words echoed across the battlefield, all eight Pokémon began glowing with dazzling light.
"Hmph! You've got some nerve, actually daring to Mega Evolve right in front of me?"
"Everyone—use Earthquake!"
Seeing Eddie perform a mass Mega Evolution directly before his eyes, Giovanni scoffed coldly. He released his sixth Pokémon—Salamence—then immediately commanded all his Pokémon to attack.
Earthquake, executed simultaneously by five Champion-level Pokémon, possessed unimaginable destructive power.
This wasn't merely a localized tremor. The Earthquake Giovanni unleashed affected all of Saffron City!
The earth convulsed wildly as if a dragon were thrashing beneath it. The ground that people had trusted to support them began developing terrible fissures. It felt as though the entire world had been turned upside down—the vibrations caused nearby skyscrapers to sway precariously.
In this moment, within a radius of several kilometers, Giovanni had created a disaster comparable to a natural catastrophe through his own power alone!
Naturally, Team Rocket members, Alliance forces, and players within that several-kilometer radius were all affected by this catastrophic Earthquake.
This move made no distinction between ally and enemy. Whether Team Rocket operatives, Alliance soldiers, or players—countless individuals were knocked down and injured by the Earthquake.
"What the hell?! Is this guy even human?! We're standing this far away and still getting hit!"
"So this is what a top-tier trainer can do—it's beyond imagination!"
"Just the aftershocks from their battle could cause effects this horrifying. If they specifically targeted the city itself, it probably wouldn't take long to level it completely."
"Forget about that NPC Giovanni—if I'm not mistaken, the other guy is Boss Eddie, right? He's already this powerful?!"
"Stop standing around talking and get airborne! It's dangerous to spectate from the ground. We can only watch safely from the air now, and we need to stay far away from those two terrifying Pokémon fighting in the sky. Damn it, with our current strength, all we can do is watch from a distance. It's so frustrating!"
Team Rocket and the Alliance army continued their fierce battle, but many players had already abandoned the fighting to become spectators.
Although watching carried risks and required Flying-type Pokémon to maintain distance, this didn't diminish everyone's enthusiasm for witnessing the spectacle unfold.