After Dynamax, Lucario had used Guard, a move with an incredibly wide range that covered a huge area.
Miru, usually lost in thought, stared at this impressive sight and quietly wondered, "Could this be what a volcanic eruption looks like?"
The once wide passage was now engulfed in fierce flames that were nearly impossible to put out.
Dust, gravel, and explosions filled the air, turning the entire scene gray and hazy.
Among the chaos, a few faint sparkling lights appeared briefly before vanishing, likely fragments of the silver giant's shattered body.
Suddenly, an enormous burst of aura erupted, releasing intense heat.
The most striking sight was the countless black shock rocks melting, shifting from solid to liquid despite their dark color.
The spacious area expanded dramatically, as if a lava bomb had gone off right there.
A sharp, burnt smell spread through the venue, though an unknown force suppressed it from becoming overwhelming.
Loud noises echoed everywhere, yet thanks to Marshadow's secret control, not a single sound escaped beyond the area.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" went the thuds.
Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have mistaken the sounds for a collapsing building or even a landslide.
But the source was a strange purple giant charging wildly forward.
Its inner body was composed of hard silver-white stones, making it extremely heavy, while its surface was coated with a sticky purple venom.
What kind of creature was this, and why was it so strong?
The poisonous giant didn't hesitate; it kept pushing deeper into the cavern.
Their species had a simple hierarchy: the stronger, higher-ranking individuals lived deeper underground, while the weaker ones stayed near the surface.
For instance, the most powerful golden giants resided in the deepest parts.
This made sense, as deeper ores tended to be of better quality and rarer.
Meanwhile, the younger ones near the surface guarded against external threats, since the leader couldn't handle every single problem.
Life was tough in the rocky lands, and many creatures had already been hunted, so invaders rarely entered these caves.
In fact, it was the first time this poisonous giant had encountered an intruder, and what a foe it was: stronger than itself.
Desperate to survive, it had no choice but to call for help from the more powerful adults deeper down.
Then, abruptly, the giant's steps faltered.
A sudden thought crossed its mind: why was everything so quiet?
The poisonous giant was certain that the two "wastes" couldn't have escaped its attack; otherwise, it wouldn't be so quiet.
Especially the "red" waste, the aura contained within its body was immense, capable of causing a violent explosion upon death.
Such a movement would definitely make noise!
Originally, if things turned sour, the poisonous giant planned to use its own pyrotechnic traits.
As a walking bomb, it could clear obstacles and eliminate enemies by self-detonation.
It knew exactly how powerful such an explosion could be, so the silence was impossible to ignore.
Although the stone giants communicated through sound waves, they were also sensitive to vibrations and other movements; they could even detect the tremors from an explosion.
Could it be that the two had prepared some kind of countermeasure?
After a brief hesitation, the poisonous giant decided to keep escaping; survival was its top priority.
But just as it took a few steps, it suddenly stopped and staggered.
Following its gaze, a figure appeared out of nowhere at the passage ahead.
It was a swirling mass of ethereal purple-black mist, giving off an unreal, untouchable vibe.
Normally, such a dark, shadowy figure would blend into the cave's darkness and go unnoticed.
Yet, to the poisonous giant, the mist stood out sharply, as if illuminated by a spotlight, because a desperate, suffocating aura radiated from it.
That aura was coming from the mist itself.
Suddenly, the "mist" began to shift and move like soft clay, changing shape at will.
Then, a pair of glowing scarlet eyes and a sinister grin formed out of thin air.
At the same moment, a wisp of dark aura rose, and on Gengar's head, a pair of black eyes appeared, his signature skill, Black Eyes!
The poisonous giant was shaken to its core, countless alarms blaring in its mind to flee immediately.
Yet, for some reason, its feet felt rooted to the spot, completely immobile.
Clearly, this ghostly presence was the cause.
The poisonous giant had never experienced such overwhelming urgency before; this was the first time it truly felt death's threat looming.
"I'm going to die," it thought repeatedly, as its consciousness began to falter.
In the darkness, unknown changes were unfolding.
At the critical moment between life and death, the Toxic Giant pushed beyond its limits, and the venom covering its body shifted from purple to a terrifying black.
Its breath grew deeper and more intense.
Yet, all these changes were meaningless in front of Gengar.
These breakthroughs on the battlefield didn't faze him at all.
But Gengar was patient; he would wait until the Toxic Giant finished its transformation.
Just like livestock fattened up before being sent to market, the giant was preparing itself.
After a few moments, its breath steadied.
Although it hadn't quite reached the S+ level, it was just inches away.
Meanwhile, the silver skin beneath the black venom started to turn golden.
If it hadn't managed to evolve into a golden giant before, this life-or-death moment would push it there.
Yet, what awaited it was an ending long forgotten.
"Eh?" Poipole floated beside Gengar, eyeing the black venom with a hungry gleam and licking its lips.
It was ready to strike.
At this point, the strength of the two-tailed snake that Ging feared had changed dramatically, but it wasn't just about raw power.
The Toxic Titan's mindset had shifted profoundly.
Some people freeze in the face of danger, but when they suddenly gain a lot of power, they often develop an illusion of invincibility.
This sudden boost messes with their ability to judge the real gap between themselves and their opponent.
The usually cautious Toxic Titan made a critical error at its final moment.
Even if it hadn't fully miscalculated, its fate was already sealed.
Glancing at the small creature that had appeared unexpectedly, the Toxic Titan kept its gaze fixed on Gengar.
It looked down on Poipole but saw Gengar as the true threat.
Now clearly trapped with enemies in front and behind, the only option was to fight, to strike downward and increase its chances of survival.
Maybe it should even thank these invaders: without them, it might never have achieved this breakthrough.
Perhaps now, it could surpass them, or even replace them.
Its eyes darted erratically, but at the same time, the corners of its mouth curled into a sinister smile.
Those inverted triangle-shaped eyes were filled with a dark, cold glare aimed straight at Gengar, and its expression grew more wild and unrestrained by the second.
"As a thank you... let me send you off!"
The poisonous giant's eyes suddenly blazed with intensity.