Pokémon: Rebron as Red, The Strongest Champion - 298

Chapter 298: Sylveon’s Relentless Assault

The moment Gyarados appeared, it roared straight at Sylveon. The pressure of its Intimidate Ability crashed over the field, forcibly lowering Sylveon’s Attack.

Sylveon narrowed its eyes at Gyarados, clearly displeased. Getting randomly yelled at the instant you showed up would irritate anyone.

Clang.

“Gyarados, Iron Tail!”

Now that he was sure Sylveon was a Fairy-type, Ryden Wataru did not hesitate. He immediately ordered a Steel-type Move that could hit Fairy-types hard.

The current situation was not in Ryden’s favor. He had not expected to lose his Dragonair first. That was something that had never happened even in the Silver Conference.

(Red, you really are a worthy opponent.)

Of course, from the audience’s perspective, Red’s position did not look all that stable either. His shiny Dragonair was completely spent and unable to continue battling.

“Roar!”

On Ryden’s command, Gyarados roared and swung its tail, the massive limb gleaming silver as it lashed toward Sylveon with Iron Tail.

“Go straight in with Quick Attack.”

Red did not bother with defense. He chose to turn it into offense, sending Sylveon in without a moment’s hesitation.

Trusting Red completely and not wanting to disappoint him, Sylveon charged, using Quick Attack.

Pink aura flared around it. In the next instant, Sylveon became a streak of motion, reaching Gyarados first and slamming its body into the sea serpent’s scales with surprising force.

“Roar!”

The sudden hit made Gyarados cry out in pain. The notoriously vicious Gyarados had not expected that small, delicate-looking Sylveon to carry such raw power. That one fierce tackle had legitimately rattled it.

Off balance from the impact, Gyarados failed to land its Iron Tail. Its glowing tail smashed into the arena instead, carving a spiderweb of cracks into the floor. The display of brute force was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

Seeing that, the referee hurriedly backed away from the edge of the field, afraid of getting caught up in the clash between these two powerhouses.

“Sylveon, use Baby-Doll Eyes while you have the chance.”

Sylveon’s eyes shimmered pink as it fixed Gyarados with a wide, innocent gaze. The Move’s effect took hold at once, sharply lowering Gyarados’s Attack.

Realizing its strength had been cut again, Gyarados roared furiously at Sylveon, desperate to crush it immediately.

“Gyarados, Flamethrower!”

Face flushed red with rage, Gyarados exhaled a stream of scorching fire, shaping it into a sweeping pillar that poured down toward Sylveon.

“Moonblast,” Red said calmly.

A glowing moon sigil formed above Sylveon. In the next second, a thick pink beam of Fairy energy blasted forth under Gyarados’s startled gaze.

Bang.

Moonblast met Flamethrower in midair. After a brief but intense struggle, the pink beam overpowered the flames, punched through, and slammed straight into Gyarados’s body, dealing heavy damage.

“This Sylveon’s power is way too high…” Ryden muttered, stunned.

He glanced over Gyarados’s injuries, genuinely shocked that a single Moonblast could hit that hard.

(That should not be possible…)

He questioned his own judgment. Even now, he still could not fully understand why Sylveon was this strong.

“Roar!”

Wounded again, Gyarados threw its head back and howled at the sky. The rage inside it was reaching a boiling point.

“Gyarados, use Hurricane!” Ryden shouted.

On command, Gyarados opened its maw and unleashed a ferocious Hurricane toward Sylveon.

Violent winds swallowed the battlefield, and even Sylveon could not dodge the wide-area assault. The gale buffeted its small body relentlessly.

“Gyarados, now Iron Tail!”

Seeing his chance, Ryden leaned forward, eyes bright.

Gyarados was just as excited. This was the opening it had been waiting for. There was no way it would let it slip by.

“Roar!”

It roared again and swung its shining steel tail toward Sylveon with all its might.

“Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam,” Red ordered evenly.

Just as Iron Tail was about to strike, Sylveon released a burst of blinding light.

Bang.

The flare of Fairy energy struck Gyarados even as Iron Tail hit home. The sudden flash threw off Gyarados’s aim just enough that Sylveon avoided taking the full brunt of the blow. It still got clipped, but the result was far better than a clean hit.

“Sylveon, Reflect.”

To prevent a repeat of that situation, Red had Sylveon throw up Reflect.

Sylveon immediately conjured the Move. A transparent barrier appeared around its body, shimmering with a faint light and halving physical damage.

“Gyarados, use Ice Beam!”

Realizing the danger of staying at close range, Ryden quickly ordered Gyarados to fire an Ice Beam along the ground in front of Sylveon, building an icy barricade to interfere with its forward path.

In moments, a thick layer of ice spread across the floor between them, turning Sylveon’s approach route into a slick, treacherous surface.

“Mystical Fire.”

Sylveon spat a burst of especially hot flame from its mouth. The Mystical Fire raced toward Gyarados, melting the ice as it went.

Gyarados snorted and used its tail to block the attack, batting the flames aside. At the same time, it gathered water in its throat and fired Hydro Pump.

A massive column of water roared across the battlefield straight at Sylveon.

“Swift.”

Sylveon launched another storm of star-shaped projectiles.

In seconds, the Swift pierced through the Hydro Pump, shattering the water stream and driving on to pelt Gyarados again. The serpent winced, its expression contorting with pain and frustration.

“Quick Attack.”

Taking advantage of Gyarados’s distraction, Sylveon darted forward in a pink blur and crashed into its body once more.

“Gyarados, use Hurricane to blow Sylveon away!”

Ryden barked the command, finally realizing how completely the momentum had shifted in Red’s favor.

“It is too late. Sylveon, close-range Dazzling Gleam.”

At Red’s words, Sylveon sprang up right in front of Gyarados’s face. At point-blank distance, it unleashed another Dazzling Gleam.

The searing light filled Gyarados’s vision and slammed into it at once, both blinding and damaging it.

Moments later, Gyarados’s strength gave out. It crashed heavily to the ground, completely unable to continue.

“Gyarados is unable to battle!”

The referee announced the result, then glanced nervously at the Sylveon now back in Red’s arms, nuzzling against his chest. No one looking at that cute, cuddly Fairy-type alone would have guessed it possessed such terrifying power.