Delacroix lay on Togekiss's back, looking down at the two increasingly clear, cold, and eerie green lights in the dust below. An unprecedented chill instantly enveloped him, as if he were being gazed upon and analyzed by the cold and ruthless will of the earth itself. His blood and thoughts seemed to freeze in that instant.
As a former Champion, he keenly sensed that the strange Tyranitar below was far beyond any ordinary Master.
His sixth sense kept relaying a three-digit number to him, but he truly dared not believe his intuition, otherwise he would completely lose his will to fight.
Moreover, he found that he had been Lock-On, and this monster was accumulating Rock-type energy.
He suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Clefable! Rapidash! Whimsicott! You must stop that Delibird at all costs!"
The three Pokémon instantly obeyed and acted.
Clefable's hands quickly condensed dazzling pink orbs of light, Rapidash struggled with all its might to break free from its frozen state, and Whimsicott stirred up air currents to assist its two teammates.
"The rest of you, come with me and deal with this monster!" Delacroix leaned down and roared into Togekiss's ear, his voice hoarse with tension.
"Mawile, Iron Head! Ribombee, Pollen Puff! Togekiss, Dazzling Gleam!"
Mawile let out a glass-shattering roar, its steel jaws on its back gleaming with cold metal light as it charged towards Iron Thorns at terrifying speed.
Ribombee's wings vibrated at their maximum frequency, scattering explosive pollen that rapidly formed a deadly fluorescent cloud in the air.
Togekiss, meanwhile, soared from beneath Delacroix, its pristine white wings emitting a blinding light strong enough to scorch retinas.
The triple attack hit almost simultaneously!
The deafening crash of steel, the flashing electric light within the powdered mist, and the powerful magical glow illuminated the entire battlefield as if it were daylight.
A faint smile had just appeared on Delacroix's lips, but it froze the next second.
As the dust gradually cleared, Iron Thorns stood motionless in its original spot.
Its dark green armor only bore a faint scratch; those seemingly powerful attacks were like a gentle breeze to it.
"This is impossible!" Delacroix exclaimed in shock, his voice changing pitch.
The moves he commanded his Pokémon to use were all type-advantageous against Tyranitar. Even if this monster was strong, it shouldn't have been completely ineffective, like a mere tickle.
Iron Thorns' eyes suddenly glowed with blinding green light.
It plunged its massive steel arms into the ground, and with a bone-jarring metallic screech, it tore apart the entire reinforced concrete floor slab!
A sharp rock the size of a small car was lifted high by its single hand, its surface entwined with violent golden electrical currents.
"Stone Edge!"
The giant rock shot out at supersonic speed, like a cannonball from a barrel!
The air was instantly torn apart, forming visible ripples.
Delacroix only managed a gasp, but fortunately, Togekiss instinctively dodged sideways.
The giant rock whistled past its wings, and the powerful airflow it generated tore off many of its feathers—
"Ribombee! No!"
Delacroix's anguished cry echoed through the ruins.
Although the giant rock missed Togekiss, it accurately struck Ribombee behind Delacroix.
In that instant, everyone clearly heard the sound of a shell shattering.
The tiny Pokémon, like a swatting fly, instantly lost consciousness, its body plummeting straight down like a rag doll.
"You deserve to die!" Delacroix's eyes were bloodshot.
Rock-type moves are super effective against Bug-type Ribombee, and this attack likely triggered a critical hit.
But Delacroix forced himself to calm down and quickly think of a countermeasure, only to sadly realize that he had no foolproof plan left!
Iron Thorns' lips curled slightly.
It wasn't striking randomly; it was prepared!
Stone Edge was aimed at Ribombee from the very beginning.
The Mawile in front was clearly a physical attacker, and Togekiss was a special attacker. The remaining small and cute Ribombee was either a support or a healing "healer."
Iron Thorns naturally understood the principle of targeting the "healer" in team battles.
Iron Thorns began to gather Electric-type energy. Next, it wanted to bring down this "small airplane" Togekiss, which was flying around in the sky.
Delacroix gritted his teeth, but he truly had no other option, so he had to go all out.
"Mawile, keep stalling it! Togekiss, use Nasty Plot!"
Mawile roared and lunged forward again, but it was struck hard on the jaw by Iron Thorns with an electrified uppercut.
The shockwave from this punch sent all the surrounding rubble flying. Mawile's body was sent soaring like a toy, then crashed heavily into the ruins a dozen meters away.
But Mawile, being part Steel-type, quickly got back up and engaged Iron Thorns.
Togekiss circled rapidly in the air, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.
One Nasty Plot... two Nasty Plots... its special attack power surged exponentially!
And although Mawile was constantly taking hits below, it could still barely hold on for a while.
However, just as Delacroix was about to take a gamble and have Togekiss use Nasty Plot a third time, a golden lightning bolt as thick as a bucket suddenly struck down from the twentieth floor!
Electric Terrain rapidly covered the entire battlefield with an explosive speed!
Iron Thorns' armor erupted with dazzling electric light like the sun. Every armor plate hummed violently from the overloaded energy, and its power instantly surged several times over!
Delacroix looked up in surprise, only to see Iron Hands, covered in scars, kneeling on one knee at the edge of the twentieth floor, its fists deeply embedded in the ground, its entire body wrapped in violent electrical currents as it unleashed Electric Terrain.
"Togekiss, Aura Sphere!" Although Delacroix didn't know why Iron Hands would have Electric Terrain, he knew he couldn't delay any longer. He shouted hoarsely, his voice carrying his last hope.
This strange Pokémon in front of him definitely had the Rock type, so it would surely be weak to Fighting-type moves.
And Togekiss, already boosted by two Nasty Plots, had its special attack increased by four stages. Coupled with its "Super Luck" ability, there was a high probability it could defeat this monster!
Togekiss heard its trainer's command and immediately stopped using Nasty Plot. Its wings spread wide, and a blue energy orb rapidly condensed in front of its chest.
The Super Luck ability triggered, causing the core of the energy orb to glow with a dangerous red light—this attack was guaranteed to be a critical hit!
As the energy orb grew larger, the surrounding air distorted due to the energy overload.
However, Iron Thorns' movements were even faster.
It let out a glass-shattering mechanical roar, the sound waves causing the entire building's steel structure to vibrate violently.
It had been accumulating power for a while, waiting for the optimal moment to deliver a decisive blow to Mawile.
Now, with its ability triggered and its physical attack boosted, it was time to end the battle!
It raised its massive steel foot high, then stomped down heavily—
"Earthquake! Quick, dodge—"
Delacroix's words were cut short.
Boom!!!!
The entire building shook violently like building blocks! The shockwave spread rapidly in a circular pattern, pulverizing concrete and twisting steel bars wherever it went.
Mawile was hit first, directly thrown to the ceiling of the twentieth floor by the shockwave, then fell heavily like a broken sack.
Even more terrifying, all the building's load-bearing columns simultaneously snapped under this destructive blow. The entire building let out a dying groan and began to tilt.
"The building is collapsing!" Delacroix's face was ashen. He was incredibly conflicted, unsure whether to have Togekiss continue to charge Aura Sphere and fight to the death with the opponent.
And just as it was during his previous Champion battle where he lost, he began to hesitate again.
His Mawile and Ribombee were still on the 19th floor, their lives uncertain. If he fought, regardless of winning or losing, the building would collapse. They were currently on the nineteenth floor, with over a dozen floors above them. Once those collapsed, both of them would likely die.
Ultimately, he chose to retreat:
"Togekiss, switch to Extrasensory and hold up this building."
Togekiss immediately abandoned its attack, stretching its wings to their limit. Pink Psychic energy spread rapidly like a net, barely supporting the precarious upper floors.
Delacroix could feel every inch of Togekiss's muscles trembling violently beneath him, every feather quivering from the excessive strain—even after two Nasty Plot boosts, supporting the weight of an entire floor pushed it to the brink of collapse.
He looked back anxiously at the twentieth floor: "Clefable! Rapidash! Whimsicott! Come help—"
As long as the other three Pokémon could use Psychic or Fairy-type energy to help delay the building's collapse for a moment, he would have a chance to have Togekiss defeat the opponent.
But his words suddenly stopped short.
On the twentieth floor battlefield, the three Pokémon had already turned into three crystalline ice sculptures.
Iron Bundle stood quietly beside them, its body covered in a layer of dazzling ice crystals.
Its Tera-induced chill had caused large patches of ice crystals to condense in the air within a twenty-meter radius, fluttering down.
It had already easily dealt with the three uncommanded Pokémon in front of it.
With Iron Thorns below and Iron Bundle above, and Togekiss forced to distract itself by supporting the building... Delacroix's hands began to tremble uncontrollably. The Champion's pride was utterly crushed at this moment.
"It's over..."
He muttered, his voice filled with an unprecedented despair.
He was now filled with regret. Why did he choose to fight when he saw Delibird?
Why didn't he run away quickly when he saw that monstrous Tyranitar?
Now, everything was over!
However, Chen Kai saw that this once flamboyant man only had one Pokémon left, and that Pokémon had to exert all its effort to support the upper part of the building, no longer able to cause him trouble, so he raised his hand and recalled all his Pokémon.
Working overtime late at night, he must be a hardworking laborer.
He had already obtained so many mega evolution stones and keystones, and this Nisus Building was destroyed, so he wouldn't make things difficult for this laborer.
Delacroix's mind was blank. He didn't know how many minutes passed until he faintly heard police sirens in the distance. Only then did he realize that the two terrifying Pokémon around him were gone!
His trembling hand gently stroked Togekiss's back, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible:
"We... are still alive...
They actually let us go?"