If a battle were to break out here in the Wandering Mountains, wouldn't that mean they wouldn't even have a place to stay anymore in the future?
Even though Nathan's Pokémon were at the Champion level, the destructive power unleashed in a real battle could be absolutely terrifying.
If things got out of hand, it wouldn't be surprising if an entire mountain was wiped out. And a small place like the Wandering Mountains clearly couldn't withstand such devastation.
"So… should we head to a mystic realm? Or maybe find some kind of desert?"
Nathan asked, fully understanding why the three legendary beasts were unwilling to fight within the Wandering Mountains.
However, the amount of land available within the country was very limited, and there weren't many places suitable for high-level Pokémon to battle.
When powerful Pokémon clashed, the resulting destruction to the surrounding environment was often massive.
"Let's find a desert. I'm afraid even a mystic realm might be destroyed if we fight there,"
Entei suggested, unaware that Nathan had a private mystic realm of his own.
To this idea, Nathan agreed wholeheartedly, raising both hands in approval.
Very soon after, upon receiving Nathan's message, Kelly arrived, piloting a military helicopter—
No, even more than that: a military transport aircraft!
At first, when Kelly received Nathan's call, he hadn't taken it too seriously. After all, every time Nathan reached out, it usually wasn't anything that major.
But this time, things were completely different.
This guy was planning to challenge a legendary Pokémon!
There was no way Kelly could take this lightly. If the current level of technological development allowed for it, he'd have considered launching Nathan to the moon instead—
That's how destructive this guy was, no matter where he went, whether it was tournaments or training.
He was like a walking disaster zone.
Gyms, training facilities, small islands—whatever he stepped into, the destruction he left behind just kept escalating.
"Let's go, time to board the aircraft,"
Nathan said to the three legendary beasts as the helicopter roared in the air above.
Under Nathan's guidance, the trio—Entei, Suicune, and Raikou—boarded the military transport aircraft.
"Nathan, should I start submitting a formal request to assign a dedicated helicopter just for you?"
Kelly said with a pained expression the moment he saw Nathan.
Who knew when this guy might get a wild idea to challenge another legendary Pokémon?
"No need for that. Next time I challenge a legendary, I'll probably be doing it in another country,"
Nathan replied with a chuckle.
But to Kelly, those words carried a very different tone.
So not only do you never sit still, you even want to go abroad to challenge legendaries now?
Well… at least you're not doing it in our country.
If not, I'd be flying you out to the desert every other day—and that's just not sustainable.
Guided by the military transport aircraft, Nathan and the three legendary beasts soon arrived in the desert.
Kelly, on the other hand, stayed back with his team, watching from a safe distance—and preparing to record the battle for documentation.
"Raikou, you go first. I want to challenge you with my Volcarona!"
The moment they arrived, Nathan could barely contain his excitement and blurted out the challenge.
Without hesitation, he released his Volcarona onto the battlefield.
Raikou, not one to be melodramatic, immediately stepped forward to face Volcarona head-on.
"Volcarona, use Heat Wave!"
Seeing that Raikou was ready to fight, Nathan wasted no time issuing his first command.
Volcarona began flapping its wings, generating waves of searing hot air all around.
Here in the desert, the Heat Wave was significantly amplified by the surrounding environment.
The hot sand picked up by the swirling winds began to surge toward Raikou.
In an instant, a violent sandstorm was born, drastically reducing visibility for both humans and Pokémon alike.
Raikou, however, stood his ground unfazed, activating a defensive move and bracing himself like an immovable boulder amid the storm.
Watching from the sidelines, Kelly couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Thank goodness we brought them to the desert.
Otherwise, if this battle had taken place in the Wandering Mountains, the entire region might've been flattened by now.
And this was just the beginning of the battle—the opening exchanges were already this intense.
Once they started going all out, would the sky not darken and the earth not tremble?
"Suicune, do you think Nathan has a real shot at winning?"
Entei asked while watching the battlefield.
Before the fight began, none of them had really taken Nathan's Pokémon too seriously.
After all, the power gap was apparent on paper.
But now that the battle had actually begun, they realized they had been a bit too naive.
Though still officially at the Champion level, Nathan's Pokémon were already on par with the weaker end of legendary-class Pokémon in terms of combat prowess.
"…That's hard to say for sure,"
Suicune replied, still uncertain.
The fight had only just started, so it was still too early to predict an outcome.
But one thing was clear—when it was their turn to battle Nathan, they absolutely couldn't hold back.
Otherwise, they might actually lose.
While Entei and Suicune were still discussing who had the edge, Raikou sprang into action.
Electricity coursed across Raikou's body, and the swirling sandstorm did nothing to hinder him.
As he darted forward, the lightning around him grew even more intense.
As Raikou closed in on Volcarona, bolts of lightning burst from his body.
It was a move as simple as Thunderbolt, yet under Raikou's command, it released a power far beyond the ordinary.
Volcarona hurriedly cast Light Screen in an attempt to block the incoming attack.
While the Light Screen did manage to stop the Thunderbolt, the intense heat it carried began to eat away at the barrier.
Within just two seconds, a huge hole was burned right through the Light Screen.
The residual force of Thunderbolt continued surging toward Volcarona, who desperately tried to dodge midair.
Although the lightning didn't strike directly, one of Volcarona's wings was still grazed by it.
Seeing the scorched tip of its wing, Volcarona's expression turned deadly serious.
This was an opponent the likes of which it had never faced before.
Though this was technically a challenge, when both sides went all out, they were temporarily enemies—nothing less.
"Volcarona, use Fire Spin combined with Hurricane. Create a real sandstorm!"
Sensing the urgency of the situation, Nathan quickly issued a new command.
Volcarona flapped its wings again, releasing a vortex of flames, followed by a powerful Hurricane.
With both moves synergizing, the Fire Spin began spinning faster and faster.
As it accelerated, the surrounding wind currents grew stronger and stronger.
Whereas the earlier Heat Wave could only kick up some dust, this new combination was powerful enough to lift actual sand particles into the air.
Sand grains, unlike dust, were significantly larger and carried real destructive power.
Caught within the storm, a large rock was relentlessly bombarded by the countless sand particles.
Though much larger in size, the rock began to visibly erode under the onslaught.
Within the core of the Fire Spin, the heat had become so intense that reflective glass began to form from the melted sand.
That alone demonstrated just how high the temperature had risen inside that vortex.
Even glass had been forged in the heat.
Under Volcarona's control, the Fire Spin surged toward Raikou.
Its area of effect was so vast that Raikou had no room to dodge.
Yet even in this situation, Raikou responded swiftly.
But when Nathan saw the moves Raikou chose, he was genuinely surprised.
Raikou used Rain Dance followed by Weather Ball.
In competitive battles, these two moves were rarely used, as they didn't offer much of an advantage in most situations.
But here, in this unique environment, they proved to be a perfect counter.
As the Rain Dance took effect, fat raindrops began to fall from the sky, clashing with the Fire Spin and rapidly cooling it down.
Steam rose from the vortex as rain met fire, and though the steam itself was quickly burned away by the heat, the overall power of the Fire Spin was significantly reduced.
By the time the vortex reached Raikou's position, it no longer had the same level of force.
Given Raikou's already high level and exceptional special defense, the weakened vortex barely affected him at all.
"As expected of an old-school legendary Pokémon!"
Nathan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Meanwhile, Kelly, watching and filming the battle from afar, was completely stunned.
This battle was changing moment by moment—unpredictable and mesmerizing.
When he first saw Volcarona unleash the Fire Spin and Hurricane combo, he racked his brain trying to think of a counter-strategy.
He came up with nothing.
And yet Raikou, with just two simple moves, reduced the effectiveness of that attack by 70%.
Area-of-effect moves already lacked direct impact, and after that reduction in power, their effectiveness was almost negligible.
"So, this is what it means to be a legendary Pokémon…
And this is the true power of Nathan…"
Kelly muttered to himself, a mix of awe and excitement in his voice.
But soon after, that awe turned into sheer enthusiasm.
If he could capture this entire battle on camera—from beginning to end—it would become a perfect training video.
Whether it was Nathan's Pokémon or the legendary beasts, each one of them possessed immense combat experience.
Their move coordination and tactical usage were absolutely top-tier.
"This trip was totally worth it!"
he muttered, staring at his camera with sparkling eyes.
He quickly steadied it, fearing the next round of attacks might be so intense they'd knock over his gear.
"Volcarona, use Bug Buzz and Mystical Fire!"
Even though the Flame Vortex hadn't had the desired effect, Nathan was now even more fired up.
This was the kind of battle he lived for.
Only through fights like these could his Pokémon grow rapidly and truly evolve to the next level.
(End of Chapter)