"How is that possible?!"
Joji cried out in shock.
His pupils were filled with disbelief and surprise.
A Hydro Pump empowered by rainy weather,
plus the four-times type-advantage damage,
and on top of that, it was Lanturn's all-in finishing blow after draining every last bit of its energy!
Let alone the elite-level, Greymon-like Shiko in front of him—
even a quasi–Elite Four-level Pokémon above Gym-level
wouldn't be able to endure a Hydro Pump like that!
So why was he still standing there?!
"ROAR!"
Shiko threw back his head and roared, shaking off the water droplets all over his body.
He lowered his head.
Staring coldly at that Lanturn.
Within those enormous draconic eyes
was a killing intent that made people's blood run cold.
In the VIP seats,
the sight of Shiko still standing
also left those big shots stunned.
No matter how they thought about it,
they couldn't understand why Shiko could remain upright after taking such a powerful Hydro Pump.
It made no sense!
Aisa's eyes locked onto Shiko.
She kept sizing him up,
trying to analyze the reason from his body.
Beside her, her Dragonite
grew restless after Shiko's roar.
It let out a low rumble in its throat,
its eyes fixed on Shiko,
a strong fighting spirit flickering within them.
"Dragonite?!"
Aisa caught Dragonite's unusual reaction
and read the emotion in its gaze.
Her own Dragonite…
It had actually developed battle intent toward this Greymon-shaped Pokémon?!
Ever since Dragonite advanced to Elite Four-level,
she rarely saw it show emotions like this.
Only when facing Dragon-type Pokémon in the hands of other Elite Four members
would Dragonite reveal such intense fighting spirit.
Wait—
Could it be…
Aisa suddenly thought of something.
A answer leapt into her mind at once.
"His typing isn't Fire plus Ground—it's Ground plus Dragon!"
"With that typing combination, against Water-type moves, it's only normal damage!"
"If his Special Defense is high enough, then even in the rain, he can take a Hydro Pump!"
In an instant, Aisa felt everything click into place.
Looked at that way,
this incomprehensible situation became perfectly explainable.
"How could something like that happen?!"
"No matter how it evolves, it can't possibly abandon its own Fire-type root attribute!"
"Exactly! This violates the laws of Pokémon studies!"
"Other than Eevee, how could any Pokémon lose its original type after evolving?!"
"..."
The vice principals from various Pokémon universities seated in the second row
all shook their heads after hearing Aisa's analysis.
What a joke.
That explanation was far too forced and absurd.
There was an iron rule recognized by the academic and research circles of Pokémon studies:
Except for special cases like Eevee—Pokémon that evolve via type-based evolutionary stones—
all other Pokémon that undergo natural evolution
might gain a second type,
but their first type—their original type—must be preserved.
So when Shiko proved immune to Electric-type attacks,
they had firmly concluded that Shiko's typing had to be Fire plus Ground.
That was an unquestionable fact.
"Then you tell me," Aisa snorted coldly, "why can he take a Hydro Pump like that?"
She couldn't be bothered to argue with them.
From Dragonite's reaction,
Aisa could be certain:
Shiko's typing was absolutely Dragon plus Ground.
On the battle arena.
Himeko stared at Shiko,
her expression slightly dazed.
Just now, she used Eye of Appraisal to check Shiko's condition.
Like before,
most key information was still shown as question marks.
But—
the only two clear lines
were enough to deliver a massive psychological shock.
[Race: GeoGreymon]
[Type: Dragon, Ground]
[Level: ???]
[Status: ???]
[Potential: ???]
...
So this form
was called GeoGreymon?
And it was a special evolution that discarded its own original type…
Himeko looked at Shiko—like a top predator from tens of millions of years ago—
and waves churned inside her heart.
She couldn't help recalling that question she asked on the road
after bringing Shiko home from the Pokémon Breeding Center.
"Do you have Legendary bloodline?"
"No—but my growth limit is even stronger than Legendary Pokémon!"
Shiko's words
echoed again in her mind.
A brilliant smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"ROAR!!"
A sky-splitting roar rang out.
Shiko opened his mouth—
A fierce blue surge of energy, rippling like waves,
erupted forward,
raking through the space ahead at terrifying speed,
and detonating on Lanturn's body.
Boom!!
Lanturn's figure that had been hidden under the water was blasted into the air.
The two glowing orbs above its head instantly dimmed a great deal.
When it fell onto the water's surface,
its body was covered with wounds left by the violent energy impact.
It had clearly taken heavy damage.
"This is…"
"Dragon Pulse?!"
"What incredibly pure and massive Dragon-type energy!"
"This power… something's off!"
"Did it really evolve a Dragon type?!"
In the VIP viewing area,
Shiko's Dragon Pulse made those vice principals unable to sit still again.
Energy refined to such purity and such overwhelming scale—
There was only one possibility:
This was the level of power you got only from using a same-type move.
Could it be…?!
Had this Pokémon really completed an evolution beyond common understanding
and gained the Dragon type?
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Joji stared at the badly injured Lanturn,
his emotions sinking into a state of extreme frustration and agitation.
He didn't understand why Shiko could still be standing after eating a Hydro Pump.
And he understood even less why Shiko's Dragon Pulse could deal such outrageous damage.
Lanturn was a Pokémon known for its stamina.
And precisely because of that,
that last hit from Shiko
had chopped off at least half of Lanturn's stamina in one blow.
And Shiko did that
while being more than ten levels lower than Lanturn!
Could it be that this evolved form really had the Dragon type?
Under the immense pressure of this anxious moment,
Joji's mind finally clicked.
Once that thought appeared,
he immediately became convinced his idea was correct.
Even if it completely violated natural laws—
It was the only explanation for what was happening.
In that case!
"Lanturn! Ice Beam!"
Dragon plus Ground typing was four-times weak to Ice.
Right now,
this Ice Beam
was Joji's last hope to turn things around!
Tiny ice crystals gathered into a beam,
shooting rapidly toward Shiko.
Shiko didn't choose to dodge.
He simply opened his mouth
and spat a scorching fireball—blazing hot—
straight at the incoming Ice Beam.
Hiss!!!
The sound of snow and ice melting at extreme speed rang out.
That entire Ice-type energy beam
was instantly dissolved completely
by the blazing fireball Shiko spat out.
Even the water vapor from the melting
was evaporated clean.
The still-burning fireball
spun as it flew,
rushing straight toward Lanturn's position.
"Hydro Pump! Put it out for me!"
Joji clenched his fist tightly.
Lanturn once again gathered up the last scraps of Water-type energy left in its body,
and launched a spiraling, impact-heavy column of water.
Hiss hiss hiss!!!
A constant sound like boiling water filled the air.
That spiraling water column actually stalemated Shiko's scorching fireball!
That sight
made everyone present look as if they'd seen a ghost.
What was going on?
How could Shiko's fireball—only about the size of a basketball—
hold back such a thick, heavy water column?
This wasn't scientific!!!
The boiling noise continued without end.
Vast amounts of water were evaporated into mist and vanished.
That seemingly not-so-large fireball
possessed an unimaginably extreme temperature.
Boom!!
The fireball suddenly flared violently—
It forced its way through the water column,
spinning as it smashed directly into Lanturn.
Bang!!
In the instant of the explosion,
countless flames burst up into the sky.
The entire battle arena
almost turned into a sea of fire.
A wave of scorching heat slammed into everyone's faces.
Spectators sitting closer to the arena were hit hardest—
quite a few had their hair and eyebrows singed.
The rain that had been pattering down
was evaporated completely in an instant.
The dense dark clouds overhead
were entirely wiped out
under that exaggeratedly powerful surge of Fire-type energy.
The sun emerged from behind the clouds.
The weather turned back into clear daylight.
The spreading flames burned for only a moment.
When they died down,
they revealed a scene of devastation and charred ground.
Inside a streambed that had been thoroughly evaporated dry,
everyone found Lanturn.
The two orbs above its head
had been scorched shriveled.
Its body was covered everywhere with large patches of burns.
Its entire outer surface had turned from blue to black.
Like a fish roasted thoroughly cooked.
It had long since lost all fighting capability
and entered a near-death state.
And with burns that severe,
no one even knew whether it could be saved.
The venue fell into extreme silence.
This exaggerated scene
made all the spectators feel unreal.
He won…
He really won!
And he used fire to evaporate water!
A crushing, beautifully clean victory!
"Too strong!!"
"Champions! We're champions!"
"Long live!"
"Hahahaha! What a gorgeous win! So satisfying!"
"That Pokémon is insanely strong! This combat power is way too outrageous!"
"What's it called? Tyrannomon? Dinomon?"
"..."
The entire audience erupted at once,
drowning in a sea of cheers.
In the VIP seats,
Aisa finally snapped out of her shocked state.
She took out the rating sheet she had given Himeko earlier.
Looking at the huge "S+" rating on it,
she tore the sheet into pieces.
Then she pulled out her phone,
dialed a number,
and spoke into it.
"Hello, Boss. Things have changed a bit."
"I found a genius newcomer here—and a Pokémon that's absurdly strong."
"Yeah. It's beyond S-rank. Even S+ can't define it…"
"If you ask me, she might become the strongest genius the League has seen in over a hundred years."
"And that Pokémon… it might be able to grow to a level comparable to a third-tier Legendary."
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]