"Salamence, Dragon Rush! Drapion, Cross Poison! Ariados, Venoshock!"
Pokémon Hunter J barked out commands to her three Pokémon in one breath, and they immediately sprang into action.
"Roar~" The leading Salamence flew high into the sky, and with a roar, a powerful blue energy erupted from its body, covering it completely. It then transformed into a deep blue phantom dragon in mid-air, its immense presence bearing down on Pidgeot. Meanwhile, Drapion's two powerful claws began to glow with a purple poisonous light, and it rushed forward with the Ariados using Venoshock. Their targets were Pikachu and Scizor, respectively. J's orders were simple: stall Pikachu and Scizor, giving Salamence enough time to take down Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, Brave Bird!" Ash had no intention of having Pidgeot flee, because it was impossible. Dragon Rush has a strong deterrent effect on Pokémon, and it would put immense pressure on the targeted Pokémon. All he could do was have Pidgeot use its strongest Flying-type move, Brave Bird, to meet Salamence head-on.
"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot's sharp eyes were fixed on Salamence. It let out a defiant cry, and a powerful golden energy ignited around its body. It charged forward and collided with Salamence.
Pikachu and Scizor wanted to use their moves to help Pidgeot in the sky, but they were constantly harassed by Drapion and Ariados. There was no opening for them to use any long-range attacks.
BOOM!
With a massive explosion, the two powerful moves, Dragon Rush and Brave Bird, collided. A huge wave of energy spread out from the center of Pidgeot and Salamence, creating a violent gust of wind. Both Hunter J and Ash immediately focused on the result. After Pidgeot and Salamence separated, both Pokémon were left with significant injuries, but Pidgeot's wounds were noticeably more severe.
"Pidgeot, let Pikachu ride on your back!" Ash glanced at Pidgeot's wounds and made a quick, calm decision. He had already seen that Hunter J wanted to specifically target Pidgeot to eliminate his primary airborne force. If she succeeded, she would have air superiority. Even with Gardevoir's help, J could use Salamence for aerial fire support, making it impossible to win. Therefore, Pikachu had to help Pidgeot to hold off Salamence.
"In that case, let Gardevoir help..." The beautiful woman saw the situation on the field and immediately readied her rested Gardevoir to help.
"We'll help, too!" Dawn and Brock also readied their Poké Balls, preparing to contribute their power to the battle.
"No need. They're just two poisonous bugs. Scizor can handle them on its own, right?"
"Scii~" Scizor clapped its two powerful pincers against its crimson armor, facing the two poisonous Pokémon with an air of complete confidence.
"Is that...?" Dawn was confused. Could a single Scizor really defeat both Drapion and Ariados?
"Don't worry, just watch from the sidelines!" Ash replied confidently. In his eyes, the two Pokémon weren't enemies; they were high-level experience points and wild monsters. As for why this trainer and his Pokémon were so confident, it all came down to the keystone embedded in the bracelet on Ash's right wrist and the Scizorite glittering in the sunlight.
"Alright, for a more enjoyable grind, Scizor, Mega Evolve!"
Ash gently pressed the keystone on his bracelet, which sparked with a rainbow light. At the same time, the Mega Stone on Scizor's neck also began to glow.
"What is that...?" To everyone's astonishment, the two stones instantly resonated with each other. Several streaks of colorful light burst from Ash and Scizor, connecting them.
"Scii~" Bathed in the light of evolution, Scizor let out a satisfied roar. Its body slowly grew taller and stronger. When the intense light faded, a more solid and sharp-looking crimson armor was revealed. Its relatively oval pincers had also grown into even larger, more massive claws, with several sharp spikes hanging from them. Its entire body was now covered in crimson armor, a super metal covering. The black parts on its chest and abdomen gave it a menacing look. Overall, based on its appearance alone, Mega Scizor radiated an ineffable power.
"It's evolving again!" Dawn was stunned. This was completely outside the realm of what she knew. This was normal, as in this era where Mega Evolution wasn't widespread, it was common knowledge that a Pokémon's final form couldn't evolve any further. Even Brock, who had the most knowledge, was speechless.
"A perfect specimen!" Although Hunter J was also shocked, as a professional Pokémon hunter, her eyes lit up at the sight of Mega Scizor.
"Go! Test its strength!"
"Scorp" "Sss" Both Pokémon immediately used Pin Missile. The air was instantly filled with a dense shower of spiky projectiles heading toward Mega Scizor. Ash didn't order Mega Scizor to dodge. It stood there, taking the attacks head-on, allowing the missiles to hit its body. Thanks to its Mega Evolution, Scizor's crimson armor was now a legendarily tough defense. The projectiles didn't have the power to penetrate it. After losing their momentum, they fell to the ground like ordinary needles.
"It's that strong!" Hunter J was dumbfounded. It had taken all of her two Pokémon's attacks without a single mark on its armor. It was one thing to be mentally prepared for Mega Scizor to be strong, but for the attacks of her two lifelong Pokémon to be completely ineffective was just too much.
"Bullet Punch!" Since her opponents weren't moving, it was his turn to act. Scizor swung its large claws and became a red blur, rushing toward them. Its speed was much slower than before, as its ability had changed from Light Metal to Technician, causing a massive increase in its weight. If its strength hadn't also increased, its speed would have slowed down even more. On the other hand, Mega Scizor's strength had skyrocketed. The red blur passed by, and a single strike from its massive pincers was enough to knock out Ariados. Its head was slammed into the ground. It was called a "punch," but "smash" was a more accurate description. Since its pincers were so heavy after evolving, it was quite strenuous for Mega Scizor to lift them for a long time, so it usually just swung them down with force.
"Now, X-Scissor!" Without giving Drapion a chance to react, another red blur flashed by. X-Scissor hit the motionless Drapion. The pair of heavy pincers, with their incredible power, struck the Drapion, knocking it out with a single blow and leaving two bloody marks on its chest.
In just three moves, the battle was over. Everyone present was stunned. Not only could Scizor evolve again, but it had also become so incredibly strong. For a Pokémon that was at its final form, wasn't this like a cheat? In a world where everyone was playing with final-form Pokémon, the sudden appearance of a Mega Evolution was a devastating beatdown.
"Gardevoir, Moonblast!" In another part of the battlefield, Gardevoir formed a pink energy sphere in front of its chest, waiting for the right moment to ambush Salamence. The already stressed Salamence was ambushed by the dishonorable Gardevoir and was knocked out.
"What!" Hunter J only just realized that all three of her Pokémon had lost.
"Mega Scizor, grab her!" Seeing Hunter J standing there helpless, Ash commanded Scizor to capture her.
"In your dreams!" Hunter J nimbly recalled her Pokémon and sent out a Kadabra, which used Teleport. Her entire body vanished from sight.
"What now? She got away!"
"It's no use. As a veteran Pokémon hunter, she's always got a backup plan." Ash shook his head helplessly, looking in the direction J had disappeared. However, he looked at the gold coin data panel and smiled. He had just made a fortune.