Based on the battle just now, Terrance had roughly analyzed this Pokémon’s core combat technique.
The combination of Baby-Doll Eyes and Psyshock created a deterrent effect that could hinder most Pokémon’s actions, giving Audino ample time to strengthen and heal itself, and through this process, rapidly elevate its originally unimpressive stats.
In the fierce battle where it suppressed Castform, Mega Audino had already accumulated considerable power, with its Special Attack and Special Defense boosted to their limits.
“Only Arcanine and Altaria are left…”
Beautifly, Gardevoir, and Ninetales were not in the team, and Carbink had yet to successfully undergo mutation. Terrance was left with only two choices.
In the span of two to three seconds, Terrance quickly weighed the pros and cons of sending out Arcanine or Altaria.
In the end, Terrance made a decision and threw Altaria’s Poké Ball. He intended to gamble on a move that Altaria had mastered but rarely practiced afterward.
Given Arcanine’s current strength, it might not be able to defeat the current Mega Audino. The risk was too great, so he had no choice but to rely on Altaria.
As blue light flashed, Altaria appeared, its elegant and noble figure occupying the sky. Norman’s expression turned surprised, because compared to Altaria from two years ago, this one’s aura had grown even stronger.
“The Mega Stone is hidden within its feathers?”
Looking at Altaria, many began searching for the Mega Stone. After all, Terrance’s Altaria was his first Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution, and it was even more well-known than his Gallade.
In the sky, Altaria’s body trembled slightly. Amid the radiant light, a third Pokémon undergoing Mega Evolution appeared on the battlefield, and the current situation had become a clash between two Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
Mega Audino’s powerful position had already put Terrance at a disadvantage. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that, but when Altaria self-Mega Evolved and released an overwhelming aura, even the four Elite Four stood up in shock.
“This Altaria doesn’t need a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve?” Sidney exclaimed in disbelief.
“There must be some reason behind this. Thinking deeper, if the Trainer isn’t present, can a Pokémon Mega Evolve on its own?” Glacia raised the question.
If Pokémon could Mega Evolve without relying on their Trainer, then the value of the Mega Evolution system would need to be redefined.
“Simple Beam!”
Audino’s feet were also pure white, with butterfly wings-like protrusions at its heels. As Norman gave the command, combining Baby-Doll Eyes and Psyshock, Mega Audino immediately began moving, launching an offensive in an attempt to break Altaria’s Pixilate Ability.
Altaria’s Pixilate Ability had demonstrated considerable tactical value during the Super Festival when Terrance faced Elite Four Leo. Naturally, Norman did not want to give Altaria that advantage. In fact, if Norman succeeded in nullifying Pixilate, Terrance would be in serious trouble, because he wasn’t sure whether Altaria could still wield Fairy Aura without it.
So, he had no intention of giving Norman that opportunity.
“Play Rough,” Terrance said directly.
In an instant, Altaria’s body erupted with a massive surge of air, forming a colossal pillar of air that enveloped its body, piercing from the ground to the sky. Under Altaria’s control, Fairy Aura unleashed astonishing power. The psychic wave triggered by Audino’s Baby-Doll Eyes couldn’t even get close to Altaria, let alone hinder its actions.
Trying to compete with Altaria using Fairy-type moves. Even with Mega Evolution, this Audino was still far from enough.
Under the shroud of Fairy Aura, Altaria beat its wings, rapidly drawing Fairy energy from the Fairy aura into its claws, wrapping itself in it. The combination of white and pink formed an afterimage as Altaria descended. In almost an instant, it evaded Simple Beam, and its claws collided directly with Audino’s Ice Punch.
Under Altaria’s tremendous strength, in just one exchange, Audino was knocked back. Its feet carved deep, long marks across the ground before it barely managed to steady itself.
“This Altaria…”
The power Altaria displayed had already surpassed the level of a typical Trainer’s main Pokémon, causing many to fall into deep thought.
“Ice Punch actually had no effect on Altaria…” Glacia showed a look of disbelief. Mega Audino’s Ice Punch was far more than simple physical damage. The perfect combination of force and Ice-type energy, coupled with its Special Attack boosted to the limit, should have made this strike theoretically unstoppable. Yet… it was still easily broken through.
An attack that was considered invincible among Top Trainers’ main Pokémon appeared utterly weak in front of Altaria.
“There’s a shadow of flames within that Fairy light.”
After a moment, Steven spoke: “It mainly relied on fire to withstand Ice Punch. Even so, in terms of raw strength, Audino is still inferior.”
In a single exchange, Altaria’s dominance was declared, but what no one expected was that after that strike, the aura around Altaria grew even more immense.
In Terrance’s palm, unseen by anyone, a mark was glowing. During that complex clash, it was clear that Terrance had concealed another command, using Telepathy to signal Altaria.
Seeing Altaria’s steadily rising aura, Phoebe let out a surprised sound, and many Trainers revealed intrigued expressions.
“Psych Up, huh… so all of Audino’s effort has become Altaria’s wedding dress?” Even in such a critical moment, Norman couldn’t help but make a joke. This move had indeed caught him off guard.
No one had expected that in such a brief exchange, Altaria would not only repel Audino but also copy its stat changes.
Psych Up was exactly such an “unorthodox” move. By using Psych Up on itself, it made its stat changes match those of the opponent. The effects of Audino’s Calm Mind and Amnesia were all copied over by Altaria.
There had once been attempts to use this move to rapidly strengthen Pokémon, but they ultimately failed, because ordinary Pokémon simply could not withstand the shock of instantly gaining multiple layers of stat boosts. Severe injury was the lesser concern; life force depletion was the real danger. Copying stat boosts raised to the absolute limit in one go, such a bold move made even Norman admire Terrance’s daring actions.
This was also the first time Terrance and Altaria had used this move in a formal battle. There were still concerns, but Terrance believed Altaria’s constitution was no weaker than Mega Audino’s. Enduring this power wouldn’t be too difficult. Moreover, in terms of developing its own potential, Altaria—having mastered self-Mega Evolution—far surpassed Audino. This replication could be said to be a carefully considered tactical choice by Terrance.
“My, my…” Seeing Altaria’s transformation, Chairman Nakai scratched his head, wondering how things had once again turned unfavorable for Norman.
“Altaria, Dragon Dance!” In the next moment, Terrance returned the favor, mirroring Norman’s command style from the previous battle.
You can read ahead upto 65 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.