A large, pale-skinned man stood beside an imposing Regirock.
Regirock was a massive, humanoid Pokémon made entirely of rugged brown boulders fitted together into a sturdy body. Its featureless face was marked by 7 glowing orange dots, giving it the appearance of an ancient stone golem.
The unmistakable suppressive aura of a legendary Pokémon emanated from its body.
Silas quickly scanned it.
Regirock (Clone) — Level 50
Ability: Clear Body
Potential: A-
Moves: Rank A Rock Polish, Rank A Sandstorm, Rank A Stealth Rock, Rank A Rock Throw, Rank A Ancient Power, Rank A Rock Slide, Rank A Stone Edge, Rank A Explosion, Rank B Bulldoze, Rank B Stomp, Rank B Curse, Rank B Iron Defense, Rank B Hammer Arm, Rank B Superpower, Rank B Charge Beam, Rank B Lock-On, Rank B Zap Cannon, Rank B Hyper Beam, Rank B Gravity, Rank B Earthquake, Rank B Drain Punch, Rank B Thunder Wave, Rank B Thunder, Rank B Body Press
Silas realized that although the battle would be tough, it wasn't unwinnable.
He would have to watch out for Body Press because, coming from a Regirock, it possessed terrifying power. It was the unique move that temporarily converted a Pokémon's defensive power into offensive power.
Despite all that, he wasn't too worried. In fact, he was a little excited to battle a legendary Pokémon, even if it was only a clone.
Perhaps if it were strong enough to require suppression, he would be worried.
Silas looked over and saw Wesley nodding at him with a clear meaning.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend...for now.
They would team up to deal with the new arrival before resuming their own fight.
Silas threw another Poké Ball.
Out came Monferno.
Although he wasn't at 100%, he could still contribute.
"Monferno, use Taunt. Espeon, use Stored Power. Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt. Vibrava, use Dragon Breath."
"Arbok, use Sludge Bomb. Machamp, use Focus Blast. Victreebel, use Energy Ball."
"Regirock, use Rock Polish."
Regirock's body took on a polished sheen, but Monferno's Taunt connected immediately afterward.
The attacks from all the Pokémon converged on Regirock simultaneously.
The moment they struck, a massive explosion erupted.
The enemy trainer seemed completely unbothered.
When the smoke cleared, shattered rocks were scattered everywhere, and even Regirock appeared to have taken damage.
"It seems I underestimated your firepower. I suppose combining the attack power of 6 Pokémon is enough to accomplish something."
His tone dripped with mockery.
"Yeah? We'll see how well your Regirock holds up as the battle goes on."
"Hahaha! Do you think you've won just because we can't use status moves anymore? We already got the boost we needed. Now it's time to crush you all."
Despite the damage it had taken, Regirock was still mostly fine.
"Machamp, use Bullet Punch."
The man smirked as Machamp charged forward at incredible speed.
"Regirock, use Drain Punch."
"Weezing, use Will-O-Wisp."
Weezing opened its mouth and launched a large, eerie purple flame toward Regirock just as it attacked Machamp. The ghostly fire engulfed both Pokémon.
The timing was impeccable, leaving no room to dodge.
However, Regirock's devastating Drain Punch sent Machamp flying backward and out of the flames.
Espeon caught it with Psychic before it could crash into the surrounding rubble.
"Kid, this changes nothing after the fight."
"Haha, naturally."
Silas had never expected any thanks for helping them.
It was simply a means to an end.
Machamp's Fighting typing and tremendous physical strength were needed against Regirock, so Silas hadn't had much choice but to save him.
"Espeon, use Stored Power. Electabuzz, use Thunder."
"Regirock, use Stone Edge."
The razor-sharp stones collided with both attacks and canceled them out, despite Silas' Pokémon fighting with boosted power.
"Victreebel, use Leaf Blade, then Energy Ball. Arbok, use Aqua Tail. Machamp, use Bulk Up, then Strength to hold Regirock in place."
Machamp displayed an impressive mastery of Bulk Up. The move activated almost instantly while he was still moving.
He grabbed Regirock's arms, locking the 2 of them in a contest of raw physical strength.
Victreebel mercilessly slashed Regirock several times with Leaf Blade before launching an Energy Ball directly into its body.
At the same time, Arbok's Aqua Tail crashed into Regirock's back like a tidal wave striking the shore.
"Regirock, use Gravity."
"Damn it... Taunt wore off."
Silas felt gravity multiply around him, forcing him to channel his aura just to remain standing.
Wesley couldn't remain on his feet and dropped to 1 knee.
The other Pokémon weren't faring much better.
Even Regirock's own trainer was affected.
"By using an indiscriminate area-of-effect move like this, your Magic Bounce ability won't work."
Silas was stunned.
It was the 1st time someone had deduced Espeon's ability without ever seeing it activate.
"Regirock, use Body Press on Victreebel."
Regirock launched itself into the air with shocking explosive speed before crashing back down like a falling meteor.
With everyone else struggling against Gravity, Regirock was the only combatant able to move freely.
Its Body Press was devastating.
Despite Poison-types resisting Fighting-type attacks, Victreebel couldn't withstand the overwhelming force.
It died instantly.
When the dust settled, Victreebel lay completely flattened beneath the impact.
There were no signs of life.
"Monferno, keep using Taunt every few minutes."
Monferno looked up from where it was pinned and locked onto Regirock.
Taunt landed successfully, and Gravity immediately returned to normal.
"Machamp, use Bullet Punch and Cross Chop. Arbok, use Giga Drain and Crunch."
"Regirock, use Curse."
Before Curse could take effect, Machamp's Cross Chop struck hard.
Even with its incredibly durable rocky armor, a massive X-shaped gash appeared across Regirock's chest.
Moments later, Arbok coiled tightly around Regirock and sank its fangs into the legendary Pokémon.
The bite itself barely penetrated the thick armor, but the real damage came from Giga Drain as it continuously siphoned Regirock's vitality.
"Regirock, use Earthquake from your body."
Violent shockwaves erupted across Regirock's entire body, blasting Arbok at point-blank range.
The damage was immense, forcing Arbok to release its grip.
Regirock immediately followed up by slamming its foot into the ground.
A massive spear of stone shot toward Arbok.
Espeon's Stored Power intercepted the Stone Edge and blasted it apart before it could connect.
She was now at +4 Special Attack and +4 Special Defense, meaning Stored Power had reached 180 base power, or 270 after STAB.
Espeon's offensive power was now roughly 3 times higher than normal.
Even for a legendary Pokémon, those attacks were becoming increasingly dangerous.
"Weezing, use Thunderbolt."
"Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave. Vibrava, use Earth Power."
Yellow electricity surged from Weezing while blue lightning burst from Electabuzz's hands, both attacks striking Regirock simultaneously.
The yellow electricity inflicted damage while the blue electricity restricted Regirock's movements through paralysis.
"Vibrava, use Earth Power and Sand Tomb together. Espeon, use Stored Power."
"Machamp, use Focus Punch."
"Regirock, use Stone Edge."
Walls of jagged stone erupted around Regirock before countless spikes launched toward Machamp and Espeon.
Stored Power blasted apart most of the incoming Stone Edge, but a handful of spikes still broke through.
For a Pokémon like Machamp, that was all the opening it needed.
Machamp skillfully weaved through the remaining spikes before driving both fists, coated in concentrated Fighting energy, into Regirock.
"Now, use Focus Punch and Close Combat together."
Machamp unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks upon Regirock.
At the same time, Vibrava manipulated the earth, conjuring a swirling Sand Tomb that trapped and restricted Regirock's movements.
Arbok rushed back into the fight, wrapping itself around the rock giant once more before biting down and using Giga Drain.
For the 1st time, genuine concern appeared on Regirock's trainer's face.
Every 1 of his other Pokémon had already been defeated or killed in previous battles.
Regirock was all he had left.
"Regirock, use Stone Edge!"
At that exact moment, paralysis took effect.
Regirock's body seized, preventing it from using its attack.
Seeing his opportunity, Machamp pushed himself beyond his limits and continued the devastating combination assault.
Empowered by both Bulk Up and Guts, his physical strength had reached an astonishing level.
Cracks began spreading throughout Regirock's rocky body with every heavy blow.
Even then, Machamp refused to let up.
Seeing this, Regirock's trainer frowned.
He knew defeat was inevitable.
There was only 1 command left that could still influence the outcome of the battle.
"Regirock, use Explosion. We'll go out on our own terms."
The man sprinted toward his Pokémon without the slightest regard for his own safety.
A dense, hostile aura poured from Regirock's body.
Moments later, its entire form glowed with brilliant white light.
Then it detonated.
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward in every direction.
"Everyone, use Protect together!"
All of Silas' Pokémon rushed in front of him and combined their strength to erect a unified Protect.
Weezing used Protect to shield Wesley while Arbok and Machamp did the same.
However, Arbok and Machamp were far too close to Regirock.
Even Protect wouldn't be enough.
An Explosion unleashed by a legendary Pokémon was comparable to a real bomb.
Silas had been wary of Explosion from the very beginning, so he wasn't surprised to see it used once Regirock had been cornered.
The violent shockwave blasted everyone backward, throwing several of them into the surrounding debris.
When the smoke finally cleared, Regirock's charred body lay motionless inside a massive crater.
Beside it were Machamp and Arbok.
Both Pokémon were gravely injured and unable to move.
Without immediate medical attention, they would likely die.
Wesley wasn't in much better condition, though both he and Weezing had survived.
He stared at the battlefield in horror as he realized nearly all of his combat Pokémon had been sacrificed just to defeat Regirock.
"You fucking bastard! You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"While it's unfortunate, you shouldn't blame others for your own bad luck. How was I supposed to know Regirock knew Explosion when you didn't know yourself?"
Before the man could respond, several explosions echoed throughout the facility.
Both of them were Team Rocket operatives.
They knew exactly what those explosions meant.
"It seems we don't have much time, so I won't waste any more words with you. Frogadier, use Cut. Vibrava, use Steel Wing."
Silas and his remaining Pokémon had suffered only superficial injuries and were still capable of fighting.
Machamp and Arbok were executed simultaneously.
Silas personally eliminated Wesley using his Aura Blade techniques.
The man never even saw the attack coming.
As Silas considered his next course of action, several more explosions erupted in the distance.
The entire base shook from the force.
"I have to hurry."
This was the final stage of the raid.
The planted explosives would soon bring the entire underground base crashing down.
The explosions grew louder and closer with every passing second.
At the very last moment, Silas had Espeon use Teleport to pull everyone to safety.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 200k views and chapter 200.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!