"Kyah—!"
With a sharp piercing cry, the icy Legendary Pokémon Articuno, descended into battle.
Red didn't have a large team of Pokémon, and this Articuno was one he encountered during his journey through the Kanto region, specifically on the Seafoam Islands. It wasn't until he had completed his travels through various regions that he finally returned and managed to capture it.
This Articuno possessed terrifying strength. Even with Red's Champion-level power at the time, it had taken an immense effort to bring it down and add it to his team.
Not even in his battles against Blue or Lance had Red called upon this Articuno. But now, for the very first time, it appeared on this stage.
The moment it flapped its wings upon entry, a devastating Blizzard swept across the entire battlefield.
This Blizzard wasn't just an attack—it also served as a weather move, altering the conditions of the field.
Across from it, Dragapult fresh from a recent victory, had no time to react. Startled by the sheer force of the storm, it instinctively retreated into the alternate dimension it could access through its species' unique ability.
Meanwhile, Articuno concealed itself within the snowstorm, its presence hidden and indistinguishable amidst the swirling frost.
Spectators could only catch fleeting glimpses of its trace drifting near Leon, watching carefully in case Dragapult reemerged for a counterattack.
In the real world, Phantom Force was a powerful move, especially in the hands of a skilled trainer. But no Pokémon could remain hidden in that dimensional space forever.
Eventually, Dragapult had no choice—it emerged, however reluctantly from the void.
And the moment it did, it felt it. A powerful psychic pressure—an intense gaze locking on to it.
Danger. A blast of lethal cold was already on its way.
Mind's Eye. Sheer Cold.
Without hesitation, Dragapult sharply pulled away, attempting to widen the distance while simultaneously launching Dragon Darts and following up with a burst of Flamethrower.
Both attacks shot forward, aiming directly at the oncoming Sheer Cold.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion thundered through the stadium, echoing as smoke and snow consumed the field. No one could see clearly through the swirling chaos what had actually transpired.
All they could do was listen to the crackling of ice, the roar of fire, and the crashing of energy.
"Kyaa—!"
Then, in a moment of eerie stillness, Articuno's cry rang out once again. The blizzard died down completely.
The radiant Ice-Type stood atop a gleaming frozen pillar, calmly bragging its feathers. Its body bore a few scrapes, but nothing serious.
In front of it, just a short distance away, Dragapult who had so easily toyed with Espeon earlier, was now frozen solid—an ice sculpture, utterly incapacitated.
Nearby, the two Dreepy it had launched from its horns were frantically trying to burrow into the sculpture, scrambling to retreat to their tiny hideout caverns, trembling in fear.
"…Articuno… That power is unreal."
From what Paul had known, Red only kept fewer than ten regular Pokémon.
So to see him command a Legendary like this—one with such overwhelming power—was nothing short of shocking.
Red was strong, yes, but in terms of raw battle strength, his Pokémon were still generally a tier below Leon's. Regardless of which Pokémon he sent out, they were all slightly weaker than Leon's.
But this Articuno was different—its strength rivaled that of Leon's ace, Charizard.
Of course, once you reached this level of battle, victory wasn't decided by power alone. There were too many other factors at play.
So, facing such a powerful Articuno, Leon didn't hesitate. His answer came swiftly—Cinderace.
Unlike the game mechanics, where its Ability Libero was later nerfed to a single-type change per battle, in this version of reality, the Ability retained its full potential.
Before every move, Cinderace could freely shift its type—truly living up to the name Libero.
Landing in the field, Cinderace immediately launched a massive Pyro Ball straight at Articuno, who stood poised atop a towering ice pillar.
But the Legendary simply spread its wings and soared gracefully into the air, dodging the incoming fireball with ease.
Cinderace quickly activated Agility to pursue—but in the next instant, it was forced to swerve off as Articuno countered with Sheer Cold, fired directly at it.
Seizing the opening, Articuno took to the skies and hovered high above, looking down on Cinderace from its vantage point. With a flap of its wings, hail began to fall across the battlefield.
This time, Articuno didn't opt for the energy-draining Blizzard.
Cinderace kicked out several more Pyro Balls, attempting to shift the weather using Sunny Day. But this wasn't a video game—an ordinary Pokémon couldn't simply override the weather summoned by a Legendary like Articuno.
With its weather gambit failing, Cinderace now had to face a barrage of Ancient Power, as boulders rained down from the sky.
Yet again, Cinderace responded with Agility, weaving between the falling rocks while charging up a Flame Charge. Not only did it avoid injury, but it also closed the gap between itself and Articuno.
Once in range, Cinderace suddenly burst forth, launching into a full-powered Flare Blitz straight at the icy bird.
Articuno was equally decisive—immediately initiating its own Agility to try and ascend rapidly.
But how could it possibly outspeed a Cinderace already at +5 Speed?
Before Articuno could gain enough altitude, Cinderace slammed headfirst into its chest.
Super effective!
"Kyahh—!"
A sharp cry echoed through the sky, a clear sign of Articuno's pain.
Yet just when everyone thought Articuno was about to fall to Cinderace, the Legendary Ice Bird lashed out in desperation—its razor-sharp claws gripped tightly onto Cinderace's arms, and its wings wrapped firmly around Cinderace's head.
From point-blank range, an overwhelming wave of frost burst forth.
At this distance, no attack could possibly miss.
And the move Articuno unleashed… was Sheer Cold!
"Pyro Ball!" came Leon's shout.
At that exact moment, the Cinderace in Articuno's grasp erupted with intense heat—explosive flames roared from its body, boiling within like a volcano on the verge of detonation.
From a distance, it looked as if Articuno was clutching a fireball.
But sadly for Cinderace, it wasn't the sun. Against the relentless cold, the flames barely held for a few seconds before extinguishing entirely, the fireball turning into a solid chunk of ice as it plummeted to the ground.
Articuno, though wounded followed closely after, trying to seize the brief moment to restore its strength with Roost.
But Leon gave it no such chance. Without hesitation, he recalled the now-unconscious Cinderace midair and immediately sent out his ace—Charizard!
With a roar, Charizard launched a massive Fire Blast straight at Articuno.
In a flash, Articuno's form split into dozens of mirage-like duplicates scattered across the field, each one flying toward the incoming flames. Fire Blast only dispersed a few of the copies—many more made it to the ground and began to heal with Roost.
Charizard narrowed its eyes. Then without hesitation, it unleashed a sweeping Flamethrower across the entire battlefield.
The inferno wiped out all the roosting Articuno copies in an instant.
But at that very moment—
A single Articuno silently emerged behind Charizard, its body faintly glowing with eerie, blue light. Its eyes locked onto its target.
Sheer Cold—again!
It was an ambush.
But Leon's Charizard was not a beginner. The moment the danger registered, it spun around mid-air and countered with another Fire Blast!
The two devastating moves collided in midair.
The resulting shockwave blasted both Pokémon away in opposite directions.
Though Charizard avoided an instant knockout thanks to its swift reaction, it wasn't unscathed—the piercing cold had still landed a glancing blow.
But for this battle-hardened Charizard, such wounds were negligible.
With a roar, it raised both arms and summoned dozens of jagged boulders, hurling them toward Articuno with Ancient Power.
Articuno didn't back down—it charged up its own Ancient Power, launching a full-on clash of primal forces.
The result? A deadlock.
Leon's eyes narrowed. He gave a new command—Heat Wave!
Charizard immediately retaliated, blasting scorching heat forward.
Articuno's answer: a blizzard.
A powerful Blizzard swept forward to meet the flames head-on.
Heat Wave met Blizzard.
Dodges. Counterattacks. The two titans danced through the skies in a strategic tug-of-war—each attack a test of dominance, pressure building with every exchange.
As the two Pokémon closed in on one another, they simultaneously unleashed their most powerful moves—
Sheer Cold and Blast Burn!
Ice clashed with fire in a dramatic collision, triggering a violent explosion that rocked the entire battlefield. A raging storm swept both Pokémon off their feet.
Before either could regain balance, Leon swiftly recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball. In one seamless motion, he raised his Gigantamax Band and Charizard returned to the field—this time, in its colossal Gigantamax form.
The moment the newly transformed Gigantamax Charizard emerged from its towering Poké Ball, it launched a monstrous flame attack that took the shape of a blazing phoenix, soaring straight toward Articuno.
The move: G-Max Wildfire.
Unable to dodge in time, Articuno curled its body into a defensive posture. It channeled Sheer Cold once more—not as an attack, but as a desperate shield, freezing itself into an iceberg that could withstand centuries without melting.
The firebird howled past, and with it came a massive explosion that blossomed into a mushroom cloud high above the stadium.
The battlefield beneath Articuno was engulfed in the searing aftermath of G-Max Wildfire, the overwhelming heat continuing to ravage the frozen Legendary Pokémon, dealing relentless residual damage.
When the smoke finally cleared… Articuno had already fallen to the ground.
Standing firm against the might of Gigantamax Charizard, Red—his expression was unshaken and silently tossed out his next Poké Ball.
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