A green barrier instantly enveloped Blaziken.
Although Silas was not particularly fond of using moves like Protect, since their success rate after repeated use depended heavily on luck, that did not mean his partners were unskilled in using them.
On the contrary, whenever a Pokémon could learn such moves, Silas would insist that they master them thoroughly.
After all, these techniques were incredibly valuable in battle.
Even if only the first use had a near-perfect success rate.
However, despite being protected by Protect, Blaziken instinctively raised both arms into a defensive stance.
It was a habit developed through years of combat.
If Protect did not prevent the simultaneous use of other moves, Blaziken would have gladly reinforced its defenses even further.
Perhaps influenced by Silas, Blaziken itself did not place excessive importance on Protect.
It actually preferred Detect, which produced a similar effect. In essence, Detect relied more on its fighting instincts than on the direct manipulation of move energy.
The next moment, both Silas and Blaziken were glad they held such a mindset.
To the shock of everyone present, the unknown Pokémon's head, shining with a silver-white glow, completely ignored the green protective barrier and slammed directly into Blaziken's crossed arms.
Clang—!
Sparks exploded from the point of impact.
Blaziken winced in pain and instinctively withdrew its guard.
"Blazi—!"
As the hardened head crashed into its body, Blaziken let out a pained cry.
This damage was completely real.
Without a move to offset the attack, its arms alone provided limited protection.
Blaziken's body was sent tumbling through the air before crashing onto the ground.
"WOOOAAARRR!"
The unknown Pokémon struggled upright and roared.
The long ribbon-like strands atop its head fluttered behind it without any wind.
"Blaz..."
Blaziken braced itself with both arms and slowly pushed itself back to its feet.
The two heavily wounded Pokémon locked eyes.
The next instant, they transformed into streaks of black-and-white and crimson light, charging toward one another.
Claws against fists.
Elbows against knees.
Feet against heads.
Within mere seconds, Blaziken launched well over a hundred physical attacks.
Back when it had been Combusken, its kicking speed had already reached over ten kicks per second. After evolving into Blaziken and breaking into the Elite-level tier, its maximum kicking speed had surpassed fifty kicks per second.
From Silas and Brock's perspective, the afterimage of one attack had not yet disappeared before the next attack had already landed.
It looked as though Blaziken possessed countless legs.
Yet despite this relentless assault, the unknown Pokémon never lost its composure.
Like a martial arts grandmaster, it used its powerful physique to withstand Blaziken's attacks while occasionally finding opportunities to counterattack.
Silas carefully observed the battle, his expression growing increasingly serious.
Although its attack frequency was much lower than Blaziken's, the bear Pokémon possessed far greater strength and durability.
As a result, while Blaziken seemed to hold the initiative, it was actually suffering just as much damage as its opponent.
In close combat, neither side had gained an advantage.
"Blazi!"
Blaziken realized this as well.
After a failed right roundhouse kick, it used its superior speed to create distance.
The unknown Pokémon did not chase after it.
The intense exchange had placed enormous strain on its muscles, even more so than on Blaziken's lean frame.
It needed a moment to recover.
Their heavy breathing was loud enough for Brock to hear from dozens of meters away.
Silas frowned deeply.
As for why Protect had failed earlier, he had already formed a rough guess.
It was most likely due to the opponent's Ability.
Although no known Ability had ever been recorded as completely bypassing Protect, Protect itself was never an absolute defense.
Many moves could bypass it under special circumstances.
So after the initial shock, Silas quickly adjusted his mindset.
At worst, he simply would not rely on Protect.
It was not a move he used often anyway.
What truly gave him a headache was the sheer versatility this unknown Pokémon displayed.
Outstanding stamina.
Excellent physical offense.
Excellent physical defense.
Impressive speed.
Combined with highly refined martial arts techniques and extensive combat experience.
Aside from a relative weakness in ranged attacks and special defense, this mysterious bear Pokémon was practically the ideal Fighting-type Pokémon.
If the move it had used earlier had been Headbutt rather than the Steel-type Iron Head, Blaziken might have already been unable to continue fighting.
Fortunately, Blaziken's resistance to Steel-type attacks had allowed it to endure the blow.
"Blaziken."
After a moment of thought, Silas called out.
Blaziken, still regulating its breathing, nodded solemnly.
It raised both arms.
Flames erupted from its wrists and instantly engulfed its entire body.
Within the blazing inferno, a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared.
"What an incredible Blaze state."
Brock could not help but sigh in admiration.
This might have been the first time he had ever seen Silas's Blaziken enter Blaze.
Previously, Blaziken's most noticeable Ability had always been Speed Boost, which was understandable considering how extraordinary that Ability was.
At maximum effect, Blaziken's speed surpassed almost every Pokémon at the same level.
Yet in reality, Blaze, the common Ability shared by many Fire-type starter Pokémon was equally powerful.
Judging purely by battle data, Fire-type moves used while Blaze was active were more than twice as powerful as normal.
A foe that previously required two attacks could now potentially be defeated with one.
If Abilities like Blaze could be activated freely, their users would be overwhelmingly powerful.
After reaching the Elite tier, Blaziken's mastery over its signature move Blast Burn had also improved its understanding of Blaze.
In the past, activating Blaze depended largely on circumstance and fighting spirit.
Now, as long as its stamina dropped below a certain threshold, Blaziken could deliberately trigger Blaze through its own control.
Even among Elite level Pokémon, this was rare.
Most Pokémon only achieved such mastery when approaching the quasi-Elite tier, as it required near-perfect control over their own energy.
"Blaziken, use Blast Burn!"
Silas no longer hesitated.
He ordered Blaziken to launch its final attack.
This was only the second time Blaziken had used this ultimate Fire-type move in actual combat.
Wrapped in blazing flames, Blaziken remained silent and simply spread its arms.
The temperature within the cavern began to rise steadily.
Scorching heat waves radiated outward from its position.
Even the air itself seemed distorted.
The unknown Pokémon sensed danger.
It shifted restlessly.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
It clenched both fists and drew them to its waist while roaring toward the heavens.
Black-and-red energy swirled around its body.
"Another undocumented special move?"
Silas stared intently at the mysterious Pokémon.
After such a long battle, he had already discarded his earlier theory that it was merely a regional variant of Pangoro.
The gap in capability between the two species was simply too great.
Even if their appearance and typing were similar, regional variation alone could not account for such a difference.
Otherwise, regional forms might as well be called regional evolutions.
In other words, standing before him was a completely new Pokémon, one never before recorded in Kanto, Johto, or any surrounding region.
Its rarity surpassed even that of the Ursaluna he had encountered previously.
As a Trainer, he found it almost impossible to suppress his excitement.
"Blaziken, give it everything you've got!"
Silas roared as he threw his fist forward.
At the same time, Blaziken, connected to him through their bond, unleashed a thunderous cry.
The ground beneath it seemed to bake under the intense heat.
BOOM!
A section of earth shattered violently as a massive pillar of fire erupted upward.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth.
A total of six towering fire pillars stood in a line before Blaziken.
In the next instant, all six pillars exploded simultaneously, transforming into a sea of flames that surged toward the unknown Pokémon.
As the inferno advanced, flames continuously burst apart and regenerated, creating an endless chain of explosions.
Nearby, Gigalith quietly released waves of earth-colored energy.
Under its control, the surrounding cave barely managed to maintain its structure without collapsing.
The destructive power of battles between Elite level Pokémon was simply too terrifying.
That was one of the reasons such battles were rarely seen or even heard about.
Part of it was due to the scarcity of Pokémon at that level.
The other reason was the mutual restraint exercised by Trainers and wild Pokémon alike.
Advance-level Pokémon might survive the aftermath of such clashes, but if the battle truly escalated to this extent, ordinary Pokémon would have no chance of survival.
With Blaze activated, and used by a Fire-type Pokémon like Blaziken, Blast Burn possessed power far beyond even Explosion.
"ROAR!"
Facing the overwhelming sea of fire, the unknown Pokémon launched its final attack.
Its instincts told it resistance was probably futile.
Yet its pride and confidence refused to let it surrender.
Black-and-red energy gathered around its right fist as it stepped forward.
A gigantic phantom fist smashed directly into the advancing inferno.
For a brief moment, the two forces clashed.
Then the fist gradually faded away.
The unknown Pokémon's body was slowly swallowed by the ocean of flames.
Without needing Silas to say anything, Blaziken, whose stamina had also reached its limit, immediately withdrew its energy.
Its legs gave way, and it barely managed to remain standing by bracing itself against the cave wall.
"Gallade..."
Gallade used Teleport to appear beside it, intending to use Heal Pulse.
"Blaze."
Blaziken raised a hand to stop it.
Its eyes glowed blue once more.
After such an exhausting battle, passive Aura sensing was no longer sufficient.
It had to actively use its Aura powers to probe its opponent's condition.
A few moments later, Blaziken finally relaxed.
Unable to support itself any longer, it dropped heavily onto the ground.
Seeing this, Gallade immediately used Heal Pulse.
This time, Blaziken did not refuse.
White healing energy flowed from Gallade's blade-like arms and gradually enveloped Blaziken's entire body.
"Well done."
Silas walked over and gave a thumbs-up.
Although the unknown Pokémon had far exceeded his expectations, Blaziken's performance had been outstanding.
Blaziken opened its eyes and raised a hand with difficulty.
"I think so too."
Its Aura voice echoed within Silas's mind.
Trainer and Pokémon exchanged a smile.
"Alright, Gallade, take a break. Leave the rest to Serperior and Togekiss."
Seeing Gallade trembling slightly and covered in sweat, Silas quickly stopped it.
For an Advance-level Pokémon to heal the injuries of a Elite-level Pokémon was simply too taxing.
Gallade nodded without protest and ended Heal Pulse.
Serperior and the newly released Togekiss took over.
One spread Grassy Terrain, while the other gathered Life Dew.
Fortunately, the cave was wide enough.
Otherwise, Togekiss might not even have been able to emerge from its Poké Ball.
"Piplup!"
Piplup also came running over on its tiny legs.
Its eyes sparkled with admiration as it looked at Blaziken.
"Piplup! Piplup!"
When Togekiss's Life Dew fell onto Blaziken, Piplup puffed up its cheeks and used Water Sport.
Blue streams of water formed a ring around the droplets.
The healing Water-type energy further enhanced the restorative effects of Life Dew.
"Thanks, Piplup."
Silas smiled and rubbed the little penguin's head.
Although the improvement was limited due to the huge gap in strength, it was still an excellent gesture from a newly caught Pokémon.
Piplup narrowed its eyes happily, enjoying the attention.
Thankfully, the little guy hadn't sprayed Water Sport directly onto Blaziken.
Otherwise, Blaziken might have become thoroughly depressed.
"Take out your Pokédex and check. Is this Pokémon recorded anywhere?"
Brock moved closer, staring curiously at the Great Ball in Silas's left hand.
"As if it would be. I've memorized every Pokémon in the Pokédex."
Despite saying that, Silas still pulled out his red Pokédex.
Unlike many League-affiliated Trainers, he hardly ever used it.
Most of the time, it functioned more like an identification card.
He pointed the Pokédex at the Great Ball.
The captured Pokémon's silhouette appeared on the screen.
"Unknown Pokémon. Dual-type Fighting/Dark. Known moves include Sucker Punch, Rock Smash..."
The electronic report was exactly what Silas expected.
Although the Pokédex possessed some analytical capabilities, it primarily relied on preloaded data.
Not only was the Pokémon's name absent, but even the mysterious new move it had displayed earlier went unrecorded.
"In that case..."
Before Brock could finish speaking, both he and Silas suddenly turned toward one of the cave entrances.
"Solrock!"
Brock immediately threw out Solrock's Poké Ball.
"Relax. I'm not an enemy. I just came to take a look."
The person hidden within the darkness sensed their vigilance and quickly spoke in a friendly tone.
Silas froze.
That voice...
"Nobuhiko?!"
As the figure stepped out of the darkness, Silas blurted out the name in surprise.
The three men stared at one another.
...
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