Froslass showed no sign of relaxation even though it unleashed a point blank Blizzard in one of the Lucarios. Suddenly, the gray mist around its body surged, forming a protective shield.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact rang out against the shield.
At some unknown moment, Lucario had already arrived beside Froslass, smashing out a punch infused with the power of aura!
"Extreme Speed?" Aven narrowed his eyes from afar.
Extreme Speed was renowned for granting Pokémon unparalleled speed. When used by a king-level Lucario, it truly lived up to the name of ultimate velocity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosive sounds echoed continuously. Even at such speed, Froslass was still able to react.
As the two Pokémon clashed relentlessly, the battlefield gradually shifted toward the distant snowy plains. The surrounding Abomasnow could only watch helplessly, completely unable to intervene.
Meanwhile, Froslass continuously drove the power of the gray mist, causing hazy gray fog to spread across the area, steadily eroding Lucario and draining its life energy.
Under such circumstances, the Abomasnow had no choice but to retreat again and again. From the gray mist, they instinctively sensed a deadly threat.
"These four Lucario are indeed incredibly powerful—worthy of beings capable of replacing the guardian deity to protect the blue crystal." Aven's expression was solemn.
His gaze shifted to the remaining three Lucario, and his thoughts drifted to the King of Almia and the Third Prince. He wondered what special relationship existed between these four Lucario and the king and prince of Almia.
Watching their companion locked in battle with the enemy, the Lucario's expressions also grew serious. Clearly, they had realized that this group of intruding opponents was far from easy to deal with.
After exchanging glances, another Lucario rushed forward. The moment it moved, it locked its attention onto Gardevoir. But before it could act, a streak of white light suddenly appeared before it.
Instinctively dodging, it saw a figure gradually emerge from the white glow, transforming into Garchomp. An overwhelming aura instantly erupted outward.
Because Dragon-type Pokémon feared the cold, Aven had not previously released Garchomp. But now that Lilligant had dispelled the icy weather, it was naturally time for this king-level dragon to take action!
"ROOAAAR!"
Accompanied by resounding dragon roars, Garchomp's gaze met the second Lucario's.
In the next instant, its figure flashed, dragon-type energy condensing around its claws as it slashed horizontally at Lucario!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Two Pokémon adept at close combat immediately engaged in a fierce melee.
Although this Lucario also possessed Extreme Speed, Garchomp—whose speed was said to rival that of a jet aircraft—was still able to keep up.
Even so, Garchomp inevitably fell into a disadvantage during the fight. Yet its immense energy reserves and combat experience provided substantial support, allowing the battle to remain evenly matched.
Garchomp itself was also capable of Mega Evolution. Although Aven had not obtained a Mega Stone for it, he had still guided Garchomp to train in the direction of being capable Mega Evolving.
After Mega Evolution, Garchomp's arms and wings would melt together, transforming into massive blood-red scythes. In that state, its slashing power would be greatly enhanced. Thus, Garchomp's recent training had focused on strengthening its arms and cutting techniques.
Lucario, being a Fighting-type Pokémon, naturally excelled at close combat. Fighting-type energy surged continuously as it unleashed relentless blows against Garchomp's body!
"Lilli~"
Observing the two distant battlefields, Lilligant also became eager to act.
Its gaze locked directly onto the Lucario leader in the distance. If one did not count Mega-Evolved Pokémon, this was the first time it had faced a Champion-level opponent!
As Lilligant mobilized natural, grass and life energy, it once again entered the state of Natural Reversion. The golden flower on its head bloomed fully, its leafy skirt lengthened, and every movement began to draw upon the surrounding energy!
"Lucario!"
The Lucario leader's expression grew extremely serious.
Through the power of aura, it had naturally sensed Lilligant's extraordinary state.
The feeling even gave it the illusion of facing a guardian deity—though in terms of energy fluctuations, Lilligant was still far inferior to an actual guardian.
With that thought, Lucario began to gather energy as well. An Aura Sphere far stronger than those of its companions condensed and shot straight toward Lilligant!
At the same time, Lilligant had already formed an Energy Ball. The two attacks collided midair, transforming into clashing waves of aura power and life energy that roared incessantly.
Both Pokémon possessed exceptional control over energy. The intense collision turned the battlefield into a raging energy field, with surging power that prevented any other Pokémon from approaching.
Though it appeared that the two were merely colliding raw energy, Aven knew that this was the most direct clash of their mastery over the essence of energy itself—far more intense than ordinary move exchanges!
"I wonder where the blue crystal is." Aven scanned the surroundings continuously.
Based on his experiences with Heatran and Cresselia, the blue crystal was most likely still on the Lucario leader.
Moreover, this blue crystal seemed capable of transforming into a form of energy. Even now, Aven had no idea how Heatran and Cresselia had taken their crystals out.
"Then we'll just have to wait for Lilligant to defeat Lucario leader first." Although Lilligant and Lucario leader appeared evenly matched at the moment, Aven felt no concern whatsoever.
Now that Lilligant had entered Natural Reversion, the entire natural world served as its source of power. Under such conditions, it would only grow stronger as the battle continued, without suffering any real exhaustion!
He then turned his gaze to the final Lucario, which remained stationed at the castle gate, powerful energy surging steadily from its body.
"Garde!"
Gardevoir's expression shifted slightly, yet it remained firmly by Aven's side.
Its mission was to protect Aven at all costs—under no circumstances could it allow him to be harmed during battle!
But at that moment, Aven suddenly said, "Gardevoir, leave this place to Poipole."
Upon hearing this, hesitation clearly appeared on Gardevoir's face. Poipole's current strength was only at the quasi-king level—could it really protect Aven properly?
"Go with confidence. I believe Poipole can protect me!"
At that moment, Poipole, who was sitting on Aven's shoulder, immediately took flight upon hearing his words.
Poipole's emotions were complicated. Through continuous battles, it had already realized how weak it still was.
Yet even so, its master was willing to entrust his own safety to it. This gave Poipole immense encouragement. With its rich emotions surging, intense emotional energy flowed through its heart, its eyes welling up with tears.
After a brief moment, Poipole nodded firmly. It flew to Aven's front, spreading its small arms wide—its master's safety would be entrusted to it!
"Garde~ voir~"
Seeing this, Gardevoir nodded solemnly. Then its figure flashed, disappearing from its original spot.
When it reappeared, Gardevoir was already in front of the Lucario, immediately raising its hand to unleash a Psychic attack!
What it needed to do now was end the battle as quickly as possible and return to Aven's side to continue protecting him—this was its lifelong mission!
"Poi~"
After Gardevoir departed, Poipole became even more vigilant.
It soon noticed that the Abomasnow, unable to intervene in the Lucario battles, were gradually gathering toward Aven.
They had also realized that everything stemmed from the human before them. If they could eliminate this human, perhaps everything would be resolved.
Moreover, beside this human stood only a seemingly weak little purple creature—by all appearances, an easy target, like a soft persimmon ready to be crushed.
"Poi! Pole!"
Poipole's expression grew extremely serious.
As the Abomasnow continued to approach, purple mist began to emanate from its body.
The mist rapidly spread in all directions, quickly enveloping the area and blocking the Abomasnow's advance!
This poisonous fog contained Poipole's highly toxic energy. If the enemies recklessly approached, they would inevitably fall into a severely poisoned state!
"Abo! Ma! SNOOOW!"
Battle erupted instantly as the Abomasnow opened their mouths, unleashing terrifying Blizzards!
There were indeed many Abomasnow on the field, and the leading one had even reached quasi-king level. The powerful blizzard quickly dispersed the poisonous fog entirely!
And at the moment the fog vanished, countless Poison Needles shot out from Poipole's body, firing directly toward the Abomasnow!
At this moment, Poipole fully displayed its potential as an Ultra Beast. The poison within its body seemed endless, continuously merging with its innate abilities and transforming into sharp, deadly needles.
Its head was already filled with venom, which it could convert into needles and fire outward. These poison needles were extremely powerful, and the overwhelming firepower instantly suppressed the Abomasnow.
However, the sheer number of Abomasnow was overwhelming, as they charged in from all directions. This left Poipole struggling to cope, forcing it to switch tactics and use Sludge Wave. Powerful Poison-type energy slammed into the ground, transforming into rolling waves that swept outward in every direction.
(End of Chapter)