Beedrill?!
Yellow body, red eyes, black markings on its tail, and the signature long white stingers in both hands.
No mistake about it. This was Beedrill!
One of the Pokémon Bug Catchers along the roads of the Kanto Region loved to use. Even as a final evolution, its strength was... well, not exactly impressive.
But Giovanni, the Strongest Gym Leader in the Kanto Region, and now a world-class Trainer who could go toe-to-toe with Kanto Champion Lance in this top-level battle—he'd thrown out a Beedrill at such a crucial moment??
"This... Uncle Giovanni didn't bring the wrong Pokémon, did he?"
Even Dawn hesitated before asking when she saw that Beedrill.
It wasn't that she looked down on Beedrill, but Beedrill... could this kind of Pokémon really hold up in a battle of this intensity?
Yes, there was a saying: there are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers.
But the power gap between Pokémon was very real.
At the same level, how many Beedrill could Dragonite beat?
That was a clear and obvious difference in strength. That was reality.
Damian couldn't help but chuckle when he heard that. He wasn't surprised by Dawn's reaction at all.
After all, if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would believe that a Trainer like Giovanni, who had written a whole guide called Secrets of the Earth, would have a Beedrill as his ace Pokémon?
Oh, right. With Groudon added, Giovanni's ace was now Groudon.
But to Giovanni, Beedrill's existence was still extremely special.
"Uncle Giovanni's Beedrill is different."
Caitlin glanced at Dawn and said calmly.
She had personally seen Giovanni's Beedrill in action, so she naturally understood how powerful it was.
"That Beedrill!"
Elsewhere, Wallace was very excited, because he still remembered that this Beedrill had saved him!
Come to think of it, Giovanni really was his lifesaver. Beedrill saved him once, Dugtrio saved him once.
Gym Leader Giovanni! I'm a fan for life!
"Yeah. Mr. Giovanni's Beedrill really is strong."
Steven agreed wholeheartedly. He had wondered about this more than once.
That was how Giovanni had trained a Beedrill to this level. In direct combat, even his Mega Metagross wasn't Giovanni's Beedrill's opponent.
It was really unscientific!
Leon's Charizard could at least be understood, since Charizard's base strength was already high. But Beedrill was just too shocking.
"Gym Leader Giovanni must have put in effort and sweat beyond what ordinary people can imagine, and he must have given it so much love too. Otherwise, Beedrill could never have grown this far."
Wallace looked solemn and moved.
He could even imagine the days when Giovanni was young, training hard with Beedrill.
"Indeed."
This time Steven didn't rebut Wallace, and instead deeply agreed.
To raise Beedrill to this level, time, effort, sweat, persistence, trust, and deep bonds were all absolutely essential.
"But all effort is rewarded. Mr. Giovanni is really about to become famous all over the world this time."
Steven looked at the suited middle-aged man on the field and the Beedrill in front of him, and sighed.
Galar Region.
Seeing this Beedrill, Rose's expression was a little strange as he looked at Leon.
"Even though it's hard to imagine, Chairman, do you believe me? My Super Charizard Y and this Beedrill after Mega Evolution are only fifty-fifty."
Leon's expression was just as strange as he replied to Rose.
"This is impossible!"
Before Rose could say anything, secretary Oleana cried out in shock.
In the eyes of everyone in Galar, Leon's Charizard had only one impression: "Invincible Under the Heavens"!
And Charizard after Mega Evolution didn't need any further explanation when it came to strength.
But Leon was saying that his Super Charizard Y was only fifty-fifty with this Beedrill?
"That's true."
Leon laughed and shook his head. Looking at the Beedrill on the livestream, a strong fighting spirit surfaced in his eyes.
"That Beedrill really was a formidable foe I'll never forget~"
On the field.
"Beedrill?!"
Even Lance found it hard to keep a straight face when he saw Beedrill come out.
Beedrill? Was Giovanni insulting him?!
But Lance was Lance. That thought had only just risen up in his mind when he quickly decided it made no sense.
This was a Champion challenge match that was crucial to Giovanni.
They'd already come this far. Lance didn't believe Giovanni would joke around in a moment like this.
Besides...
With the power of Viridian, Lance's senses were exceptionally sharp. After carefully studying this Beedrill, Lance realized something.
This Beedrill's aura carried a frightening danger beneath its depth. This Beedrill was absolutely incredibly strong!
Lance's expression gradually grew solemn, yet it was also filled with a thrilling excitement.
"I thought you'd think I was mocking you, Champion Lance."
Giovanni naturally and elegantly pulled his left hand out of his pocket, adjusted his shirt collar, and spoke with a faint smile.
"If you only have this much, that just means you're nothing special."
Lance said indifferently.
"Though I have to admit, I was surprised. Beedrill? Heh~"
It wasn't clear what Lance's words really meant. Mockery? Not really. Maybe it was more surprise.
But Giovanni didn't care.
"After all, not everyone is as blessed as you, Champion Lance. Your starter Pokémon was Dratini."
Giovanni looked at the back of the Beedrill in front of him, his eyes carrying a hint of wistfulness.
"Oh?"
Lance became a little interested, though only a little. And he did not endorse Giovanni's words.
"Blessed? What right do you have to say that about me?"
As he said this, Lance couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
"Giovanni, you and I were both chosen by Viridian Forest. So where's the difference between us? Weedle? Dratini? Complain about the unfairness of heaven?"
"It's just empty whining. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Do you really think Dratini being a beginner Trainer's starter Pokémon makes it superior?"
As Lance himself said, although Dragon-type Pokémon were hard to catch, once fully raised, they were unrivaled!
But dragons were not only hard to catch, they were also hard to train!
Why were Dragonite and the other pseudo-legendary Pokémon called "late bloomers"? Because they grew slowly.
And what about Beedrill?
Even if Weedle was weak, and Beedrill itself wasn't very strong, as a starter Pokémon, wasn't Beedrill in some sense actually a pretty good choice?
In general terms, one could only say that in terms of potential, Beedrill and Dragonite were indeed worlds apart. But for a rookie just setting out on a journey...
Which one was better and which one was worse was really impossible to say.
At the very least, Lance himself understood the bitterness of when he first raised Dratini, but that was all in the past.
What people saw now was only this Dragon Master standing at the peak of Kanto, dazzling and proud, radiant with light.
"Hehe~ Lance, you really are surprising me."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes slightly at that, and after staring at Lance for a moment, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"Hmph!"
Lance snorted coldly.
"Then..."
Giovanni slowly raised his arm. On his wrist was a famous watch, and on the strap sat a beautiful Key Stone.
"Beedrill!"
The Mega Stone on Beedrill flashed in resonance, and the light of evolution blazed forth.
In the blink of an eye, a mega Beedrill with overwhelming momentum and razor-sharp presence appeared, waving its four stinger-like arms.
A Bug/Poison mega Beedrill!
Lance's eyes narrowed. This mega Beedrill was incredibly strong!
"Lance, starting today, the Strongest Man in Kanto will be me, Giovanni!"
Giovanni gently turned the watch on his wrist, the curve of his lips carrying unmistakable madness.
"Oh? Don't say such ridiculous things."
Lance's expression twisted creepily, finally turning into a ferocious and excited grin.
"I haven't agreed to that!"
"Dragonite, Fire Blast!"
The Dragonite in front of Lance flapped into the air. Fierce flames gathered in its mouth, and a scorching blast of heat shot toward the mega Beedrill in the shape of a giant "V".
A Fire-type Fire Blast!
"Brick Break."
Giovanni smiled faintly.
Facing the surging flames, the mega Beedrill didn't even move. One arm, like a knight's lance, was raised high, glowing with a dense white light.
A Fighting-type Brick Break!
Boom!
Brick Break slammed hard into Fire Blast. Under the stunned gazes of everyone in the audience, the powerful Fire Blast was forcibly split in two by Brick Break.
Lance's pupils contracted.
The roaring flames slipped past both sides of the mega Beedrill's body. Under the bright red heat haze, the mega Beedrill's eyes remained cold and calm, completely unaffected by the temperature around it.
Another lance-like arm swept sideways, and the remaining flames were instantly blown away by a fierce gust.
"Hiss—"
A wave of sharp intakes of breath rose from the stands.
"That's way too strong, isn't it?!"
Serena was truly shocked.
Compared to its physical Attack, Dragonite's Special Attack was indeed pretty average, but that was only relative to its own physical strength.
Dragonite's Special Attack definitely wasn't weak. Not to mention, this was Lance's Dragonite.
But the way this mega Beedrill acted so casually and effortlessly... that was just outrageous!
"Poison Jab."
Giovanni said two more words.
The mega Beedrill raised its lance-like arm, and its body instantly turned into a yellow afterimage as it charged at the Dragonite opposite it.
"Dragon Claw!"
Lance refused to back down and directly ordered Dragonite to intercept.
Retreat? Impossible!
Lance understood that this mega Beedrill was shockingly strong, but precisely because of that, he needed to learn more about its info.
Dragonite #2 was already in a poor state anyway, so it was the perfect chance to test the waters. If it could deal some damage to the mega Beedrill, that would be even better.
Facing the mega Beedrill charging in at high speed, Dragonite showed no fear. Its sharp Dragon Claw gleamed as it swung straight at the mega Beedrill.
And the mega Beedrill thrust out its deep purple lance-stinger just as straight.
Poison Jab vs Dragon Claw!
Bang!
The stinger and claw collided heavily. But the stalemate lasted only an instant before the mega Beedrill forced again.
Poison Jab directly broke through Dragon Claw and stabbed hard into Dragonite's chest.
Dragonite let out a pained roar, its whole body blasted backward like a cannonball and slammed heavily into the ground.
Under the violent impact, the entire battle arena trembled.
Lance's expression turned ugly. One hit and it shattered? How was that possible? Even his ace Dragonite couldn't have crushed Dragonite #2's attack that easily.
And yet that was exactly what happened. The mega Beedrill's physical attacks were insanely high, and it also had the boost from its Adaptability Ability.
Its offense was terrifyingly strong!
"Pin Missile."
The next moment, the mega Beedrill raised four stinger-arms, and white light kept flashing and gathering.
Boom boom boom!
A barrage of Pin Missile beams came crashing down from the sky, crazily bombarding the spot where Dragonite had fallen.
The deafening explosions went on and on. After quite a while, the thick smoke still hadn't cleared.
The mega Beedrill waved an arm, and a strong gust of wind blew all the smoke away.
The battered, mess of a battle arena came into everyone's view. It had been bombed into that state by Pin Missile.
And in a deep pit, Dragonite had clearly lost the ability to fight, lying at the bottom.
Most of the audience stared dumbfounded at the mega Beedrill floating in midair, as if seeing this Pokémon for the first time.
"Damn! Beedrill!!!"
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