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Jacob had found a way to deal with Bellibolt, but that didn't mean he could afford to be careless anymore. He realized he had genuinely underestimated this young man.
There was something to be said about appearances and power. When someone weak dyed their hair silver, they looked like a wannabe trying too hard. But when someone strong did it, they looked genuinely cool.
If Mega Sceptile didn't have the Lightning Rod Ability, Jacob might have found himself in serious trouble.
"Bellibolt, use Thunder!"
Hearing Augustine's command, Jacob didn't hesitate. He knew this was the perfect moment for Sceptile to Mega Evolve.
"Mega Evolve, Sceptile! Use Swords Dance!"
Under the effects of Charge, Bellibolt's entire body turned golden yellow. All of its Electric-type energy condensed into a single beam of light that shot straight up toward the dark storm clouds overhead.
At the same moment, Sceptile's body became enveloped in brilliant white light. Its form elongated as it completed its Mega Evolution in mere seconds.
Simultaneously, Normal-type energy wrapped around Sceptile's body as it began gathering power. Completely ignoring the incoming Thunder attack from Bellibolt, Sceptile performed Swords Dance to sharply boost its Attack stat.
"BOOM!"
Thunder during rain was virtually guaranteed to hit in battle—just like in the games, though perhaps not quite one hundred percent accurate. Still, it was incredibly difficult to dodge, and Mega Sceptile wasn't even trying to evade.
A massive bolt of lightning tore across the sky, striking Sceptile directly at blazing speed.
Everyone held their breath, watching the scene unfold with intense focus.
They were all waiting to see whether Mega Sceptile could actually withstand Bellibolt's super-effective attack—one that should deal quadruple damage.
The Thunder attack boosted by Charge was devastatingly powerful. Lightning flashed and crackled, bathing Sceptile in golden light. But then something surprising happened.
Sceptile raised its enormous tail, activating its Lightning Rod Ability. That large tail naturally channeled all the electricity safely into the ground. Not only did Sceptile avoid all Electric-type damage, but its Special Attack stat also received a boost.
"That's the Lightning Rod Ability!" Boston, serving as the professional commentator, immediately caught what had happened. In an instant, he recognized that Mega Sceptile's Ability was Lightning Rod.
Boston announced loudly, "From Jacob's previous battles, we've observed that when a Pokémon undergoes Mega Evolution, both its type and Ability may change."
"For example, when Charizard Mega Evolves, its Solar Power Ability changes to Drought. When Sceptile Mega Evolves, it gains the Dragon type and loses its Fire-type weakness. We've been speculating about whether Sceptile's Ability would also change after Mega Evolution, and if so, what it would become."
"Now Jacob has revealed the answer to us. After Sceptile Mega Evolves, its Ability changes from either Overgrow or Unburden to Lightning Rod. This is somewhat unexpected, yet it makes perfect sense when you think about it."
"Just look at Mega Sceptile's massive tail—it really does resemble a natural lightning rod."
As the commentator explained the situation, Augustine's expression grew somewhat grim. Mega Sceptile having the Lightning Rod Ability had completely caught him off guard. This was totally unexpected.
However, he quickly composed himself. No matter how challenging the situation became, the battle had to continue.
"Bellibolt, set up Light Screen."
Since Bellibolt's Electric-type moves were completely ineffective, it could only serve in a support role now.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!"
After weighing his options carefully, Jacob decided to have Sceptile use the Leaf Blade move.
If he chose a Special Attack move, Light Screen would cut the damage in half, making it pathetically weak. Then if Bellibolt used Slack Off to recover, defeating it would become nearly impossible.
If he used a Physical Attack move instead, Bellibolt was holding an Assault Vest, which was incredibly frustrating to deal with.
Comparing both options, Jacob ultimately chose to have Sceptile use its Grass-type Leaf Blade attack.
Looking at the round, bulky Bellibolt, Jacob felt extremely annoyed. But he could only grit his teeth and have Sceptile attack anyway. After all, with one Swords Dance boost already active, it should still deal substantial damage to Bellibolt.
As Bellibolt activated Light Screen, Sceptile had already closed the distance. Vibrant Grass-type energy formed into a gleaming Leaf Blade, which Sceptile swung down in a vicious slashing attack against Bellibolt.
With the impact of Leaf Blade, Bellibolt entered the Charge state once again. But facing Sceptile with the Lightning Rod Ability, the Charge state was completely pointless.
At the same time, Bellibolt's Rocky Helmet dealt recoil damage back to Sceptile.
"Sceptile, keep using Leaf Blade! Don't give Bellibolt any chance to counterattack!"
Facing the extremely bulky Bellibolt, even Mega Sceptile's damage output was rather limited.
Jacob couldn't help thinking to himself that he needed to find the right opportunity to switch in Charizard and use Heat Wave—a move that countered Electric-types effectively.
Just as Jacob was contemplating how to break through Bellibolt's defenses, Augustine suddenly recalled his Pokémon.
"Return, Bellibolt!"
"Go, Pelipper!"
The sudden Pokémon switch forced Pelipper to take Sceptile's Leaf Blade attack the instant it appeared on the field. The razor-sharp Leaf Blade cut into Pelipper like a swift knife, slicing through its skin and leaving a bloody gash, directly knocking it backward.
Augustine's Pelipper was primarily a weather setter, after all, and its strength was only at the Overlord Class level. Naturally, it couldn't compare to Sceptile after receiving a Swords Dance boost, and it took considerable damage from that single hit.
"Sceptile, use Worry Seed!"
Seeing Pelipper appear, Jacob didn't rush to launch another attack. Instead, he chose to have Sceptile use the Worry Seed move, intending to neutralize Pelipper's Drizzle Ability first.
"Pelipper, come back!"
Watching Sceptile prepare Worry Seed, Augustine once again chose to switch to his third Pokémon.
"Go, Palafin!"
Palafin was an extremely unique Pokémon whose Ability was the exclusive Zero to Hero.
After appearing on the battlefield and then returning to its Poké Ball, it would transform into its Hero Form. In Hero Form, Palafin's power increased dramatically—similar to Mega Evolution in effect, though unlike Mega Evolution, it didn't change the Pokémon's type or Ability.
Additionally, the Zero to Hero Ability could not be overwritten, swapped, or suppressed in any way, which meant Sceptile's Worry Seed would be completely ineffective.
Another hidden Pokémon in reserve? Jacob's expression darkened. This was already the second surprise Pokémon Augustine had revealed.
This guy was the real schemer here. Jacob wasn't even as cunning as him.
"Palafin, use Flip Turn!" After appearing, Augustine naturally chose to have Palafin retreat immediately, using the Flip Turn move to return to its Poké Ball and activate its Zero to Hero Ability transformation first.
Palafin's entire body became enveloped in Water-type energy as it suddenly rushed toward Sceptile at high speed.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Jacob naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to deal heavy damage to Palafin before it could escape.
Palafin, completely wrapped in Water-type energy, violently crashed into Sceptile in a powerful collision.
"BANG!"
Water splashed everywhere from the impact. Palafin immediately retreated, returning to its Poké Ball, and Pelipper was switched back onto the field.