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Tyranitar, Sceptile, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax—these six Elite-level Pokémon formed Ash's strongest lineup at this stage, supplemented by Professor Oak's Dragonite and Steelix.
Zekrom, like a dark overlord rising from an endless abyss, was as black as ink, every scale seemingly absorbing the profound and deep darkness of the night.
Its blood-red eyes were like the burning flames of Inferno, and the black pupils within its white irises resembled bottomless Dark Void, emanating a chilling malevolence. The thundercloud-like crest on its head, with a bright blue glow at its tip, signaled the awakening of its world-shattering power.
Ash understood that only by going all out could he seize a slim chance of survival.
Zekrom's Dragon Head tilted slightly, a rumbling Growl echoing in its throat.
Its pupils swept over the line of Pokémon arranged on the field, as if scrutinizing a group of challengers who didn't know their place.
Ash's palms were already drenched in cold sweat, but he stared intently at the mythical beast before him.
"Charizard, full power, Overheat!"
As the command fell, Charizard's wings spread wide, its chest heaving violently.
It let out a long roar, its Dragon Mouth wide open, and a torrent of orange-red flames erupted.
This had already surpassed the Elite level, vaguely touching Champion.
The air in its path formed a swirling vortex of heat, rushing straight towards Zekrom's face.
However, Zekrom did not move a single step. It merely flicked its tail tip contemptuously, and an ink-black energy shield unfolded before it.
Charizard's Overheat beam slammed into the shield, erupting in a blinding light, yet it was slowly swallowed by the darkness like a stone sinking into the sea, ultimately leaving only a few subtle ripples on the shield's surface.
"Tyranitar! Sceptile! Snorlax! Hyper Beam!"
Ash's voice conveyed determination, but also unease.
Tyranitar roared skyward, its rocky armor gleaming with a metallic luster, and a golden beam of light condensed in its mouth.
Sceptile's claws plunged into the ground, its full-power Hyper Beam arriving in quick succession.
Snorlax puffed out its cheeks, its usually jovial face now filled with a grim intensity, and a murky yellow beam of light spewed from its mouth.
Three distinct Hyper Beams shot out simultaneously, intertwining in the air to form a twisted energy triangle, striking Zekrom with a space-rending momentum.
This time, Zekrom moved, like a god showing a slight pity and acknowledgment to ants.
It tilted its head slightly, and a burst of energy suddenly erupted from the scales on its Dragon Wing.
"Boom!"
The three Hyper Beams exploded upon contact with the Dragon Wing, but Zekrom smoothly swept its tail, using the tail blade to redirect the explosive energy skyward.
The scattered energy actually condensed into tiny spheres in the air, striking back towards the trio of Tyranitar.
"Tyranitar! Stone Edge! Sceptile! Leaf Storm! Snorlax! Body Slam!"
Ash's command was, as always, steady.
Tyranitar roared, pounding its chest, and dozens of sharp rock pillars suddenly rose from the ground, forming an impenetrable stone wall.
Sceptile crossed its claws over its chest, and emerald-green leaves condensed into a storm, erupting centered on it, shredding the incoming attacks into points of light.
Snorlax, meanwhile, clumsily leaped, its massive body plummeting like a meteor, cushioning the aftershock with its thick fat.
But even so, the three Pokémon were still thrown several meters by the blast wave; Tyranitar's rocky armor showed cracks, Sceptile's body was scorched, and Snorlax grunted, hitting the ground and struggling to get up for a while.
No, he had to seize the window of opportunity for an attack.
"Blastoise, Water Pulse! Venusaur, Solar Beam, fire!"
Ash had the two Elite-level Pokémon in the back take over the offensive.
Blastoise's cannons on its shell suddenly opened, and three azure water waves spiraled upward, converging in the air into a rapidly spinning water vortex, shooting towards Zekrom with an air-rending shriek.
Almost simultaneously, Venusaur deeply rooted itself into the ground, its petals trembling violently as they absorbed light energy, and a dazzling golden orb of light condensed in the center of its flower.
It had been charging this Solar Beam for a long time, and now, under Ash's command, it was finally unleashed with a roar.
Water Pulse and Solar Beam converged in the air, forming a brilliant domain of water and light. For the first time, a ripple flickered in Zekrom's blood-red pupils; it seemed to have developed some interest in this combination attack of two attributes.
Its Dragon Head dipped slightly, and an ink-black energy beam shot from its mouth, precisely hitting the convergence point of water and light.
"Bang!"
Blastoise was shaken back repeatedly, and the cannons on its shell showed noticeable dents; Venusaur was thrown to the ground by the blast wave.
In the core area of the explosion, a tiny green vine actually pierced through the turbulence, gently grazing Zekrom's Dragon Claw.
That was Venusaur's Vine Whip, flung out at the last moment, leaving a tiny white mark on the ink-black scales.
A flicker of disbelief crossed Zekrom's eyes.
"Now! Dragonite, Draco Meteor! Steelix, Iron Tail!"
A glint flashed in Ash's eyes; this was the moment he had been waiting for.
Professor Oak's Dragonite let out a clear, long cry, accelerating sharply skyward. After circling high above, it powerfully swept its claws downward, and dozens of burning meteorites appeared out of thin air, trailing long fiery tails as they rained down on Zekrom.
This Draco Meteor reached the level of a high-tier Champion; each meteorite contained the power to rip through clouds, and where they landed, a series of booming sounds erupted.
This was also Dragonite's nearly full-power attack at this stage.
Simultaneously, Steelix burst from underground, its steel scales gleaming with a cold luster in the sunlight.
Its massive body coiled into a steel wheel, spinning at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, crashing into Zekrom's lower body with an ear-splitting metallic screech.
This "Iron Tail" was Steelix's signature move; Champion-level power transformed it into a silver flash, and even a sonic boom echoed in the air.
Zekrom was no longer indifferent.
It roared skyward, the sound wave transforming into a tangible sonic blast that shattered the meteorites in mid-air. Its Dragon Wing spread wide, and black energy formed a massive vortex, swallowing Dragonite's Draco Meteor entirely.
At the same time, it raised its Dragon Claw, and a thick beam of lightning descended from the sky, precisely striking the rapidly spinning Steelix.
"Boom!"
Steelix let out a pained hiss, its massive body struck by lightning, and a blinding white light emanated from its steel scales. Its entire body was slammed back to the ground, plowing a deep furrow in the earth, and it struggled to raise its head after a long while.
Dragonite was shaken, its vital energy surging, and a faint dimness flickered in its golden pupils. Its wings barely maintained its flying posture, but it could no longer organize the next round of attacks.
As Zekrom prepared to finish them off, an unexpected change occurred!
Charizard, dragging its wings scorched by the high temperature, flapped its wings and flew up again. Unyielding flames burned in its eyes; despite its stamina being long exhausted, it still forced itself to gather its last bit of strength.
"Roar!"
Charizard used all its strength to let out a sky-shattering roar.
Its body suddenly erupted with an unprecedented light; the scales, originally covered with lava patterns, subtly gleamed golden. Simultaneously, Charizard's level was crossing that threshold, and not stopping at merely stepping into the quasi-Champion rank.
A beam of Overheat, even hotter and more violent than before, suddenly erupted. This time, the center of the beam actually presented a pure yellowish-white, the color of flames burning to their absolute limit.
Almost simultaneously, Tyranitar, dragging its injured body, fiercely pounded the ground, raising a field-wide surge of rock spikes.
Sceptile injected its last bit of energy into its leaves, and the two curved leaves transformed into piercing blades.
Snorlax struggled to its feet, blocking Zekrom's retreat with its body.
Blastoise compressed its essence into a Water Pulse, aiming for Zekrom's eyes.
Venusaur, meanwhile, detonated all the energy in its root system, forming a mist permeated with Toxic and pollen.
The six Elite-level Pokémon, plus the two Champion-level Dragonite and Steelix, used every last ounce of their strength to launch what could be called a suicide total offensive.
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in Zekrom's blood-red pupils. It seemed to have not expected these seemingly weak challengers to erupt with such astonishing willpower. Its Dragon Wing violently flapped, and a black energy shield instantly unfolded, blocking most of the attacks.
But a tiny crack was torn in the shield!
A small drop of blood seeped from Zekrom's Dragon Claw. Although the wound was minuscule, for a legendary Pokémon, it was enough.
Ash's Pokémon all fell to the ground, losing their ability to battle.
Charizard, having exhausted its last bit of strength, plummeted from the sky and was quickly recalled to its Poké Ball by Ash. Dragonite and Steelix also stood swaying in place, their golden eyes full of exhaustion.
Zekrom looked down at the shallow wound on its Dragon Claw, then at the scattered Poké Balls on the field, and Ash's face, which, though despairing, remained stubborn. In its blood-red, glowing pupils, the violent light gradually receded, replaced by an indescribable complex emotion.
It seemed to remember something, and yet seemed to remember nothing. It merely flicked its Dragon Tail gently, the lightning in the air gradually subsiding, and the world-shattering pressure dissipating with it.
Finally, Zekrom let out a low roar, one that was no longer filled with killing intent, but rather a hint of an inexplicable sigh.
Its massive body transformed into a black streak of light, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the depths of the clouds, leaving behind only a ravaged battlefield and the gasping breaths of Ash and his Pokémon, who had survived the ordeal.
"Kid, we will meet again in the future."
A vicissitudes of life voice entered Ash's ears.
Ash slumped to the ground, staring at the lingering black trail in the sky, speechless for a long time.
He knew they had lost, utterly and completely. Even with the combined might of six Elite-level Pokémon and two Champion-level combatants, they were still like ants trying to shake a giant tree in front of a true legendary Pokémon.
But that arrogant dark giant dragon had also suffered a minuscule scale injury from their assault.
Yet, the road ahead was still long!