This Magmortar had only just reached the Gym Leader Level.
Furthermore, Laic's commanding style was completely different from the impression he gave as a person.
Usually, he seemed a bit lazy, even somewhat cynical, but in battle, he displayed astonishing tactical proficiency.
Crobat's high-speed harassment and control, Machamp's ground suppression and burst, and Gyarados's long-range heavy attacks and finishing moves.
The attributes and roles of the three Pokémon formed a perfect complement, and their cooperation was seamless.
Coupled with Gyarados's absolute type advantage over Magmortar!
Although Tabitha's Magmortar was stronger individually, under this multi-dimensional and continuous offensive, it couldn't even exert seventy percent of its strength. It was being suppressed and was retreating step by step; defeat was only a matter of time.
Ariel watched this scene, and his evaluation of Laic rose a few more points in his heart.
This guy is not simple.
To be able to train three Pokémon with different habits to have such chemistry was definitely not the work of a single day.
"Damn it... Damn it!"
Tabitha watched his pride and joy, Magmortar, being played with like this. His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth were gritting audibly.
His face was ashen, and sweat mixed with dust trickled down in streaks from his forehead.
The failure of the mission, Tabitha's wrath, and his own dignity as a member of the Magma Team... various pressures weighed on his heart like a great mountain.
He had already failed once!
If he failed again... it would be impossible for him, Tabitha, to move even a step within the Magma Team in the future!
He couldn't afford to lose!
He stared fixedly at the Magmortar struggling to get up in the field, then glanced at the composed Laic opposite him, the look of madness in his eyes growing more intense.
Suddenly, he pulled out a sealed small metal box from his breast pocket and opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside the box lay a deep red pill, its surface covered in eerie patterns.
Ariel's pupils constricted sharply.
He recognized that thing.
Or rather, he had seen similar Forbidden drugs in Team Rockets' database.
It was a creation that, by squeezing out a Pokémon's life essence, allowed it to burst forth with power far exceeding its own limits for a short time.
Once used, the Pokémon's potential would be completely exhausted, with no possibility of further progress in this life; it might even sustain permanent trauma because its body could not withstand the immense load.
This was an evil path despised by all orthodox Trainers.
"Damn it... I'm going for it!"
Tabitha roared as if he had made a certain resolution, and threw the pill violently toward Magmortar.
"Magmortar, swallow it!"
Magmortar seemed to instinctively sense the danger of the pill, but seeing its Trainer's near-manic eyes, it didn't hesitate for a moment and opened its mouth to swallow the pill.
In the next second, a sudden change occurred!
"Roar—!!!"
A roar, unlike before and filled with endless pain and violence, exploded from deep within Magmortar's throat!
Its entire skin turned an ominous dark red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and magma-like patterns lit up beneath its skin, as if the blood in its body were burning.
The flames on its body were no longer orange-yellow but had turned a bizarre pale white; the temperature was so high that it even caused the surrounding air to ripple with distortion!
Those cannon-like arms no longer spewed fire, but nearly incandescent plasma pillars!
A terrifying aura far exceeding the Gym Leader Level erupted!
That momentum even faintly touched the threshold of the Quasi-Elite Four Level!
"What?"
Laic's expression finally changed; the relaxed composure on his face vanished completely, replaced by a heavy sense of shock.
"Crobat, dodge quickly!"
He shouted urgently.
But it was too late.
Magmortar suddenly raised its head, its eyes, dyed pure white by the violent energy, Lock-On to the Crobat in mid-air.
It didn't even make any extra movements; it just opened its mouth.
A pale white pillar of fire, several times thicker than before, erupted at a completely unreasonable speed!
Flamethrower!
But this move, under the catalysis of the drug, had undergone an earth-shattering change in power and form!
Crobat only had time to let out a sharp cry of pain before being instantly swallowed by that terrifying pillar of fire.
Crobat crashed to the ground, fluttering twice, nearly losing its ability to battle!
"Machamp! Gyarados! Go together! Maximum power!"
Laic's voice carried a hint of trembling; he knew that now was not the time to hold back.
Machamp roared, the brilliant light of Fighting-type energy glowing on its four arms, and the radiance of Dynamic Punch condensed to the extreme.
Gyarados opened its bloody maw, Dragon-type energy converging wildly in its mouth, a Dragon Pulse condensed with its full strength ready to be unleashed!
However, the drugged Magmortar was no longer its former self.
It ignored the nearly formed Dragon Pulse, its massive body turning into a dark red afterimage as it actively charged toward Machamp!
Too fast!
Its speed was even faster than the Crobat from just now!
Machamp's Dynamic Punch, which condensed all its strength, had just been thrown when it was caught effortlessly by Magmortar with one hand.
"Crack!"
A tooth-aching sound of bone cracking rang out.
Machamp's arm, thicker than an adult's thigh, was actually crushed and deformed by Magmortar's brute strength!
"Roar!"
The intense pain made Machamp scream, but Magmortar didn't give it any chance.
Its other cannon-like arm, wrapped in pale white flames, delivered a Fire Punch that slammed solidly into Machamp's chest.
Bang!
Machamp's massive body flew backward like a tattered sack, a charred fist print on its chest deep enough to see the bone.
At the same time, Gyarados's Dragon Pulse was finally fired.
The purple-black energy beam tore through the air, aimed straight for Magmortar's back.
Seeing this, Tabitha's face twisted into a gruesome, wild laugh:
"It's useless! Right now, it is invincible!"
Magmortar seemed to have eyes in the back of its head; without turning around, it simply aimed the cannons on its arms behind it.
Fire Blast!
A massive, "big"-shaped pale flame instantly formed behind it, colliding violently with the Dragon Pulse!
There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected.
The immensely powerful Dragon Pulse, the moment it touched the pale flames—directly evaporated, decomposed, and swallowed by the terrifying high temperature!
After swallowing the Dragon Pulse, the Fire Blast's power did not diminish, and its momentum continued, charging toward Gyarados!
Laic's pupils shrank to the size of pinheads, and he shouted frantically: "Gyarados, dive down! Fast!"
But Gyarados's massive body had now become its greatest burden.
It had no time to make an evasive maneuver before that huge flaming "big" character slammed directly onto its body.
"Awooo—!!!"
A shrill dragon cry echoed through the entire space as Gyarados's massive body, enveloped in flames, crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Its proud, hard scales actually curled and charred piece by piece under those pale flames, emitting the stench of burnt protein.
The situation had completely reversed.
Laic's three Superior-level peak Pokémon were being pushed back step by step; the advantage established earlier had completely vanished!
If the fight continued, the outcome was predictable!
And that Magmortar, which had taken the Forbidden drug, was like a demon god returned from hell, standing quietly in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by pale flames of destruction, emitting a suffocating and terrifying pressure.
Tabitha stood in the distance, watching this scene and laughing maniacally, his laughter full of pride and a morbid sense of pleasure.
"Hahahaha! See that? This is the power of our Magma Team! In the face of absolute power, any tactic is bullshit!"
Laic's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling slightly. Looking at his Pokémon lying in pools of blood, helplessness and despair appeared in his eyes for the first time.
The situation was even more troublesome than he had imagined.
This drugged Magmortar was no longer something Laic could handle.
To defeat it, the assistance of at least a Gym Leader Level Pokémon was required!
At this moment, its power had approached the Quasi-Elite Four Level!