The Thunder Beast Battle Form was developed specifically to compensate for Zeraora's shortcomings.
Thanks to the black lightning markings that appear on Zeraora's body after Bond Evolution, which can store and compress special types of electricity, the Thunder Beast Battle Form was developed with surprisingly little difficulty.
And the results were unexpectedly impressive!
Apart from its high energy consumption, it was a nearly perfect move!
"Zeraora, Thunder Beast Battle Form—Second Phase Release!!"
Raising his right hand slightly, Nathan gave a sudden command.
The electrical energy enveloping Zeraora began to compress even further—
From semi-solid to fully solid!
It looked as though Zeraora was now clad in a suit of blue crystalline armor, reminiscent of a Saint Seiya's sacred cloth. It was even more flamb—no, it was impossibly cool!
Of course, the appearance was secondary.
The real purpose of the Second Phase Release was to eliminate unnecessary energy drain during continuous use—
And focus protection on Zeraora's torso and legs.
However, for certain reasons, this so-called second phase wasn't developed to full perfection.
So rather than a true sacred cloth, Zeraora's blue crystal battle armor stood out mainly due to its materials.
After all, no matter how crude the design, once it had a gemstone-like sheen, it could never be called ugly!
And it was after this second release—
Zeraora transformed completely!
No longer a magic assassin, but a swordsman!
High speed, high attack, and even some defense!
With the support of Shave and Moonwalk, even a Pokémon's eyes couldn't keep up with Zeraora's current speed!
"So—so fast… I can't see it at all…"
At the very least, a girl named Mira was already crying out in helpless dismay.
…
"Zeraora, attack Onix in the midsection!"
Ignoring the pitiful cries of his opponent, Nathan gave another order.
Maintaining visual synchronization between himself and his Pokémon took a heavy toll on his mental energy.
As soon as he felt a headache coming on, Nathan would have to disengage the link.
After all, this wasn't a 3v3—it was a 6v6 match!
"Onix, counterattack, please… please counter…"
Watching Zeraora's ferocious assault, Mira spoke in a near-tearful voice.
She had no other choice. Once physical attacks entered the equation, Onix's type advantage was completely nullified.
Worse, it now had no way to even fight back!
Zeraora was just too fast.
Its short-distance movement practically resembled teleportation!
Even Onix, with its tough hide and sturdy body, couldn't help but cry out in pain under Nathan's precise commands.
Five minutes later—
Zeraora was recalled into its Pokéball, completely exhausted.
Onix wasn't faring any better—its injuries were so severe it could barely move!
Eventually, it collapsed to the ground, and the referee ruled it unable to battle.
"Then… my third one… please… I beg you, please win…"
With a tearful face, Mira pulled out her third Pokéball and murmured to it.
To everyone's surprise, her third Pokémon was another Elite-level one!
A Level 54 Alakazam!
"Tch. Come out, Metagross."
After sizing up the Alakazam for a moment, Nathan sent out his own Pokémon.
Alakazam was no ordinary Pokémon.
It was a rare, top-tier representative of the Psychic-type.
In this world, when Trainers talked about Psychic-types, the first name to come to mind was always Alakazam.
Its teleportation was nearly impossible to counter.
Even setting that aside, its extraordinary brainpower granted it unparalleled psychic abilities, making it an extremely troublesome foe.
According to scientific research—
If Alakazam's brain weren't devoted to developing and housing its psychic powers, but used as a human brain…
Then no genius in human history could compare to it!
But the world doesn't work on what ifs.
Never mind whether humans would allow Pokémon to surpass them in intelligence—
Even if they did, so what?
Human scientific progress had already hit a ceiling.
The only way for humanity to reclaim its place as the dominant species was to surpass the very Pokémon that had taken that role from them!
That's also why society gave Trainers such privileged status.
"Alakazam… Hypnosis… please…"
Lowering her head slightly, Mira spoke in her soft, sweet voice.
Compared to the mainstream, tough-toned "tomboy" voices, the delicate, fragile sound of a Valar woman's voice felt almost like a divine gift.
Maybe it was just another inherited trait, like hair and eye color.
At the very least, Valar's upper leadership had always excelled at psychological warfare.
"Metagross, Comet Punch!"
Completely ignoring Mira's command, Nathan gave his own instruction.
One look at this girl, and it was obvious she was a poor student.
And Metagross, with a brain comparable to a computer, had practically zero chance of being hypnotized!
…Or so he thought.
To Nathan's shock, Metagross actually fell asleep!
Even though Metagross usually entered a standby state inside the Pokéball, never truly sleeping!
"Alakazam is really strong… especially with Hypnosis and Teleportation…"
As if trying to salvage her pride, Mira actually offered an explanation on her own.
Yet even then, she didn't dare meet Nathan's eyes.
Was it fear? Weakness? Guilt?
"Tch… looks like I've got no choice but to use that."
Clicking his tongue, Nathan shook his head.
Training a Pokémon to specialize in Hypnosis and Teleportation?
Honestly, even he had never seen that before!
But to put even a Metagross to sleep?
That showed this Alakazam was truly skilled at hypnosis.
If it were anyone else, even with a level 59 ace, they might've been wiped out right there!
"Unfortunately for you… you picked the wrong opponent!"
Slowly closing his eyes, Nathan reopened them a moment later—
One of his irises had turned blue, shimmering with a cross-shaped glow.
The other had transformed into a dazzling crimson—not just red, but a beautiful, surreal scarlet that could only be called crimson!
With these heterochromatic eyes, Nathan entered full synchronization with his Pokémon, raising his hand—
The Keystone on his wrist shone brilliantly!
And inside Metagross's body, a responding light emerged!
Then—Mega Evolution!!
Unlike Bond Evolution, which required perfect mutual resonance between Nathan and Zeraora,
Mega Evolution had much lower requirements.
Perhaps that was why Nathan's eyes displayed such unusual colors.
Mega Evolution didn't even need Metagross to respond.
As the light of evolution faded—
The now Mega-Evolved Metagross awoke from its slumber, eyes cold as ice, locked onto Alakazam.
If Metagross hadn't been capable of Mega Evolution, and Nathan couldn't force it into that state through synchronization,
Then aside from his Volcarona, he might've faced total defeat!
The Mega Metagross—one of the top three titans of Nathan's lineup—was furious!
If it were more emotionally expressive, its eyes wouldn't just be cold.
They'd be murderous.
"Alakazam… please… try to use Hypnosis again…"
Stealing a glance at Nathan, Mira made a desperate effort to issue her command.
She didn't know why, but just looking at that crimson eye made her feel like she was going to faint from suffocation.
Even though she didn't pass out or stop breathing,
Tears had already welled up in the corners of her eyes.
It looked like she might burst out crying at any moment.
Perhaps it was this fragile demeanor that awakened an overwhelming urge to protect her in men.
At the very least, many onlookers were already boiling with jealousy just from looking at Nathan.
"Unforgivable! He actually scared our sweet Mira-chan like that! We won't let this bastard off!"
"That's right! Mira is our goddess, our angel! Even if Nathan is a demon, we must punish him!"
"I heard this guy—'Thunderflame Saint'—is the type who juggles multiple girls. Total scum! Burn him at the stake!"
One pair of hostile eyes after another locked onto Nathan.
If it were anyone else, even with Synchronization, the pressure alone might've forced them to break the link!
But Nathan's crimson right eye only gleamed even brighter.
Even the pale skin on the back of his hand began to show patterns—
The wings of the starry night.
[How… delicious… Master… please continue…]
A blurred, indistinct voice echoed in Nathan's mind.
Kroxus—his partner—was thoroughly enjoying the experience.
It had truly chosen the right Trainer!
(End of Chapter)