Gary had originally planned to hold off on using Scizor, his ace, until later.
But Luo Yuan's Dragonite was simply too overwhelming.
He had no choice.
"Oh? Scizor?" Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow as he observed Gary's choice.
Not bad.
Against Dragonite, Scizor was a solid pick.
Aside from its four-times weakness to Fire, Scizor had few vulnerabilities.
And as a Steel-type, it could hold its ground against Dragonite's brute force.
Gary had clearly learned from his previous mistakes.
But—
Luo Yuan eyed Gary's smug expression, his face practically saying: "I've got a trump card!"
…There was something else, wasn't there?
Luo Yuan had a rough idea of what was coming.
But he remained expressionless and simply said, "Dragonite, you handle this."
Dragonite gave a small nod, its previously lazy gaze sharpening ever so slightly.
Then—
Both sides attacked simultaneously!
"Scizor, [Bullet Punch]!" Gary commanded.
Scizor's legs tensed, its wings buzzing behind it—not to fly, but to provide an extra burst of speed.
A flash of red streaked across the battlefield—
Scizor dashed forward, fists glowing metallic silver, unleashing a rapid barrage of punches toward Dragonite!
Luo Yuan's response was simple and direct.
"Dragonite, [Brick Break]."
Dragonite's arm glowed white—
It ignored the incoming [Bullet Punch] barrage and simply swung its arm down in a single, brutal strike!
BANG!
A dull, resounding impact.
The moment the two attacks collided—
Dragonite stood firm.
Scizor, on the other hand—
Was blasted backward!
The force of the Brick Break sent Scizor skidding over ten meters, leaving deep grooves in the battlefield.
"Scizor isn't even on par in strength?"
Gary had expected as much, but it was still a serious problem.
Good thing he was prepared.
His hand instinctively reached for the thin cord around his neck.
He pulled out a ring, a Key Stone embedded in it, shimmering in prismatic light.
"Scizor!" Gary called out.
Hearing its trainer's voice, Scizor—still facing forward—nodded.
Then—
Light burst forth.
The glow from Scizor's body resonated with the [Key Stone] in Gary's hand!
"[Mega Evolution]."
Luo Yuan watched calmly, unsurprised.
He had already guessed that Gary had something up his sleeve.
In a short-term battle, there were only two real ways to significantly boost Scizor's strength—
[Z-Moves] or [Mega Evolution].
Since Gary hadn't used a [Z-Crystal], [Mega Evolution] was the obvious choice.
What interested Luo Yuan more was—
Where did Gary get a [Key Stone]?
As Luo Yuan pondered this, the light faded—
And Mega Scizor stood before him.
Its rounded edges had sharpened into angular, jagged armor, giving it a fiercer, more aggressive presence.
"Well? What do you think, Luo Yuan?"
Gary grinned, his face full of smugness.
Luo Yuan simply smirked in return.
He couldn't tell Gary that Team Rocket had already prepared an entire collection of Mega Stones for him.
Instead, he asked, "Where'd you get your [Mega Stone]?"
"There was a promotion at the Goldenrod Game Corner recently! You could trade 100,000 coins for a [Key Stone] and a [Mega Stone]!"
Gary assumed Luo Yuan was interested.
"If you want one, I can take you after the Silver Conference!"
Luo Yuan chuckled.
"No need."
Did he really need Gary to show him around his own organization's operation?
So, it had come from Team Rocket's supply chain after all.
Matori had mentioned that commercialization was ready, but he hadn't expected it to be this fast.
Still—
"100,000 coins? That's pretty steep…"
Luo Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
He wasn't sure if Gary had won the coins or just bought them outright.
Though, considering what he knew about the Game Corner's odds—
It was probably the latter.
Gary confirmed his suspicion.
"Didn't cost me much," he said, looking like it was chump change.
Luo Yuan shook his head but let it go.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's continue."
Now that his curiosity was satisfied, the battle resumed.
Gary, now in high spirits, gave his command.
"Scizor, [Quick Attack]!"
With [Mega Evolution], Scizor's Speed stat had skyrocketed.
Now, with [Quick Attack], it was a blur, vanishing into a red streak as it charged toward Dragonite.
However—
Luo Yuan's Dragonite had seen far worse.
It had trained against Deoxys, sparred with Mewtwo, and even helped take down Rayquaza.
Compared to those monsters—
Scizor's speed was nothing.
As Scizor lunged—
Luo Yuan didn't change tactics.
"Dragonite, [Brick Break]—full power."
This time—
Dragonite didn't hold back.
BOOM!
The collision shook the battlefield.
A powerful shockwave kicked up dust and debris, rippling outward.
Dragonite's strike landed clean, dealing massive damage.
But—
This time, Scizor wasn't sent flying.
It braced itself, skidding backward instead of being launched.
Gary clenched his fists.
"Not this time!"
Scizor pushed off the ground, immediately rushing back in.
Its claws gleamed, ready to strike—
[Metal Claw]
Scizor's pincers slashed toward Dragonite's stomach!
Seeing this—
Dragonite narrowed its eyes.
Attacking its belly?
Unacceptable.
Its antennae twitched.
Its fist ignited with roaring flames.
Dragonite's wings flared—
And it charged straight at Scizor!
BOOM!
[Metal Claw] vs. [Fire Punch]
The moment they clashed—
Flames erupted.
Super effective!
The fire seared Scizor's steel body, forcing it to stagger backward.
It looked down at its scorched pincers, its face contorted in pain.
Meanwhile—
Dragonite's fist had only suffered minor scratches from the impact.
The difference in power was clear.
Gary gritted his teeth.
Even after [Mega Evolution]—
Scizor still wasn't Dragonite's equal?!
Luo Yuan simply chuckled.
[Mega Evolution] boosted a Pokémon's strength—
But only so much.
Scizor had been too far behind Dragonite to begin with.
Even after [Mega Evolution]—
It had only gone from one-sided destruction to barely putting up a fight.
---
T/N: i miss chraiarszard