Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly.
Did this Duraludon grow up eating aluminum alloy or something?
He had to admit, Super Alloy was absurdly strong.
Duraludon already had a base Defense of 115. With its Ability boosting that stat by two stages, it had become a full-fledged physical tank.
Its Steel/Dragon typing also left it weak only to Fighting and Ground, giving it a ridiculous number of resistances.
And with Steel-type moves receiving another 50% power boost, it could hit almost as hard as it could take a hit.
Definitely not an ordinary Duraludon.
...
The battle resumed.
"Duraludon, Thunderbolt!"
Galen attacked first. After losing two Pokémon in a row, he wasn't taking any chances.
I have to win this one.
If I go down three-zero, Imperial Elite will never let me hear the end of it.
A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"DURAA!"
Electricity flared across Duraludon's body before a brilliant bolt tore toward Greninja.
"Greninja, dodge."
"Shadow Sneak."
Aaron gave the commands without a hint of urgency.
"Gren!"
Greninja slipped past Thunderbolt with ease.
At its current speed, there was no reason to waste Flying Raijin on an attack like that.
The instant it cleared the bolt, Greninja's shadow shot across the ground.
Shadow Sneak.
The dark silhouette struck Duraludon from behind, leaving a small black frog-shaped mark on its body.
No one noticed the mark.
BANG!
The hit made Duraludon shift half a step, but that was about it.
Its Defense was simply too high.
Galen's confidence returned.
"Good. We can work with this."
Then he raised his voice.
"Duraludon, Dark Dragon Pulse!"
Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse erupted at the same time, twisting together into a single combination attack.
"DURAA!"
Duraludon roared.
Greninja had dodged its first attack and caught it from behind. The Steel/Dragon type was clearly irritated now.
Black-and-crimson energy surged around its body and condensed into the shape of a massive dragon.
"ROOOAR!"
The energy dragon opened its jaws and tore across the battlefield toward Greninja.
Its sheer size and pressure made it look almost alive.
Galen grinned.
"Lightning Release: Chidori."
Aaron remained perfectly calm.
"Grenin..."
A spark flashed through Greninja's half-lidded eyes.
Lightning erupted around one webbed hand and compressed into a dense mass of crackling energy.
CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!
The sound of countless birds filled the battlefield.
Greninja drove its electrified hand straight into the charging dragon.
BOOM!
Lightning and draconic energy collided.
The explosion shook the field, blasting dust and broken stone in every direction.
"Did that get it?"
Galen stared into the smoke.
A few seconds later, the haze began to clear.
Greninja was still standing exactly where it had been.
Not a scratch on it.
Its usual deadpan expression had not changed either.
"H-How?!"
Galen stared in disbelief.
Dark Dragon Pulse was a two-move combination, yet Greninja had stopped it head-on.
What Galen didn't know was that Greninja's Attack was already capped at +6.
With that much power behind Chidori, the result was nowhere near as impossible as it looked.
Aaron smiled faintly.
"Frog Boss, finish it."
"Flying Raijin. Ice Punch."
Galen's expression changed instantly.
"Duraludon! Steel Beam! Full power!"
"DURAA!"
Silver-white light erupted across Duraludon's metallic body.
Energy poured toward its chest, gathering into a blinding point of light.
Then it fired.
A massive silver beam ripped across the battlefield.
Steel Beam.
A 140-power Steel-type move.
Perfect-level proficiency, STAB, and Super Alloy's 50% boost all stacked together.
The resulting attack was terrifying.
The air seemed to vibrate as the beam passed through it.
"Finish it!"
Galen shouted.
Aaron did not react.
Neither did Greninja.
Just before Steel Beam reached it—
SWISH!
Greninja vanished.
At the same instant, it reappeared behind Duraludon.
The frog-shaped Flying Raijin mark from Shadow Sneak flashed once and disappeared beneath its feet.
Frost already covered Greninja's right fist.
Snowflakes drifted through the air as the temperature around it plunged.
Duraludon stiffened.
Even through its alloy body, it could feel the cold.
Behind me?!
By the time it realized what had happened, Greninja's fist was already moving.