The battle began.
Eevee didn't act immediately. Instead, she stared at her opponent with narrowed eyes. With its advantage in speed, it's very unlikely she could catch Regidrago off guard. Instead, she's more likely to get hit by a counter-attack instead.
So she needs to wait. Wait for Regidrago to make a move and seize the opening to attack.
She didn't need to wait long.
The air inside the cave hummed. In front of Regidrago, a massive crimson ball of dragon energy gathered. Then, it shot towards Eevee like a laser beam.
It plowed through the sands, evaporating them as it headed her way.
Eevee's pupils constricted. Even though she was prepared, the speed at which Regidrago gathered and released the move was so quick she almost had no time to react.
Feeling the intense concentration of Dragon energy, she knew defending or deflecting it would be suicide. And Protect would leave her very vulnerable to Regidrago's next attack.
So that only leaves the option of dodging it.
Staring at the massive beam of energy that almost occupied her whole vision, Eevee grinned. Then, she tapped the ground and left behind an afterimage. With a use of Quick Attack, her body flew through the air, only a few furs of her tail being slightly singed.
Eevee momentarily floated. Her brown pupils locked on the Regidrago, who similarly looked back.
Regidrago adjusted the energy beam toward the brown fox Pokemon. It sliced through the air, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
If it weren't for Dante having foreseen this situation and had the three Regis' reinforce the walls, this attack would have cleaved through the dungeon and reached the outside.
Normally, Regidrago's Special Attack of only 165 wouldn't allow it to do that. At most, its moves can pierce through 1 or 2 floors.
However, what it is using right now is its signature move: Dragon Energy.
Dragon Energy is a Dragon-type move with a base power of 150 (if the user is at full health). When paired with its Dragon's Maw Ability that boosts its Dragon-type moves by 50%, the real power of this attack is closer to 210.
As the energy beam neared, Eevee stomped on the air to dodge it once again. Thanks to the All-Terrain Hiker skill, she can step on the air as if it was solid ground. And with Quick Attack, she can change directions whenever she wants.
Her body was like a tennis ball, constantly bouncing around and getting closer and closer to Regidrago.
And when she was near, she performed three consecutive mid-air Quick Jumps, and arrived behind Regidrago.
"Chance!"
Eevee shouted in glee. A bolt of electricity shot out of her body and headed straight towards Regidrago. The move she used was Buzzy Buzz- an electric attack that ensures paralysis when it hits an opponent.
After Regidrago is paralyzed, she'd use her other partner moves and activate their effect. Then, after that, she'd easily win!
Of course, all this was based on the premise that her attack lands on the dragon Legendary.
Just as the bolt of electricity was about to strike, Regidrago's whole body became coated in Dragon Energy. The lightning hit against it, only offering a symbolic resistance before dissipating.
Eevee didn't even have time to lament the lost opportunity. All the fur in her body stood on ends. Right now, the only thought in her mind was to get away from here as quickly as possible.
She jumped backwards with a boost from Quick Attack. But it was futile.
Regidrago released a wave of energy that spread towards all directions. It caught up and swallowed the retreating Eevee within its range, and continued to expand further and further.
It only stopped when it was about to hit Dante and the others. Pikachu, Azumarill, and Mega Mawile had already stood in front to disperse the attack in case it reached them.
"I-is Eevee okay?"
Ninetales asked, her tone concerned.
"She's fine~ there's no sign of a Reviver Seed being used."
Dante said as he glanced at the system announcements. For her to survive that attack, there was only one thing she could have done.
Regidrago's attack dissipated. The sands formed a shape similar to a large bowl, with the dragon golem at the center. And a few meters away, there was Eevee.
Her body was enclosed in a green barrier, which was already full of cracks.
"Ugh, I…have to…move. This is…my opportunity."
Eevee clenched her teeth and dismissed the Protect. She limped towards Regidrago, who was floating nearby. After using such a powerful attack, the dragon golem should need quite a while to recover its energy.
Against other ordinary Pokemon, she would have been right. However, Regidrago is a Legendary. And not only that, among all the five Regis, it was the one who possessed the highest amount of energy.
In less than a second, the sequelae from releasing such a powerful attack passed.
As Eevee took another step closer, she found herself face to face with a familiar crimson orb of energy.
"No wa-!"
She didn't get to finish her words before her body was swallowed by the large energy beam.
…
"Ugh-!"
Eevee whimpered. Her body ragdolled across the floor, her fur scorched all over. However, in just a moment, it quickly returned to normal.
"Again!!"
Eevee got up from the sandy ground. She gazed at Regidrago in the distance, the luster in her eyes almost overflowing.
After fainting in the first match, she challenged it again. And again. And again, several times.
However, without exception, all of it resulted in her defeat. No, scratch that. She was obliterated.
In all their 29 matches, she hadn't landed even a single hit. Whenever she was about to, the dragon golem would either use its faster speed to dodge, or use the dragon energy coating shockwave thingy to neutralize it.
But that didn't make her give up. No. After multiple times, she'd already started to get the hang of the battle.
"Try as much as you want. Just remember not to overdo yourself, okay?"
"Got it. Thanks, Dad!"
Dante shook his head in speechlessness. He doesn't know what came over Eevee. Why did she want to defeat Regidrago so much?
In truth, Eevee herself doesn't know the answer. Maybe it's to prove something to herself; for not being of any help during the battle with the Regis? Or maybe it's the exhilarating feeling of getting closer and closer to defeating a Legendary all by herself, something only a few members of their team can do?
She doesn't know. And she doesn't care anymore. All she knew was that she really wanted to win and step on Regiradgo's round body and rub it to the ground.
Their 30th battle began.
At the start, a low hum sounded as Psychic energy gathered around Eevee. She used Calm Mind to increase her Special Attack and Special Defense.
Regidrago, of course, wouldn't let her boost her stat so easily. It fired off its signature crimson beam of energy towards Eevee.
Having faced this more than enough times that she could remember, Eevee easily dodged. Her figure danced through the air, gracefully avoiding the beam of energy. And during all this moment, the obvious signs of Psychic energy around her body never disappeared.
"I still can't believe it. She learned how to boost her body while moving AND using other moves. All of it in just a few hours. Uxie gave me all the knowledge about Agility but it took me like a day to do the same."
Pikachu said with a tone of disbelief.
"Why? Feeling scared that she'll overtake you someday?"
"Hah! No way! I was just praising her talent!"
Dante chuckled at Pikachu. He turned towards the ongoing battle, his lips curved into a satisfied grin.
Aside from the fact that Eevee herself wants to continue fighting, the reason he supported her decision to continue fighting Regidrago and squander their Reviver Seeds was her visible progress in strength.
In the first few battles, she tried looking for opportunities to attack Regidrago countless times before it could use Dragon Energy. However, her effort bore no fruit. With the dragon Golem's speed of 150, even with the boost from Quick Attack, Eevee just wasn't fast enough to get the drop on it.
So she had to accept a very annoying fact. Unless she can get past the dragon golem's energy field attack, she wouldn't be able to defeat it.
Thus, she locked in on Calm Mind- a move that can boost her Special Attack and Special Defense by 10% with each use.
This move normally required the user to concentrate within themselves. Only when a certain mastery is achieved would they be able to move under Calm Mind.
Note that it is just able to move. What Eevee planned to do is much harder than that.
She needs to constantly focus on Regidrago to dodge its attack. Then, allocate just enough energy on her feet to allow her to step on the air, along with using Quick Attack to get out of the way fast enough.
And throughout it all, a separate stream of Psychic energy must calmly flow throughout her body, its rhythm undisturbed.
In the beginning, it was a disaster. She even lost much faster than their first battle because she couldn't make the platform in time. Or her Quick Attack wasn't quick enough. Or because she didn't notice the attack until it was too late.
It was a constant trial and error. But slowly, she got the hang of it. And now, in her 30th fight against Regidrago, Eevee finally became proficient enough to last until her Special Attack and Special Defense reached its maximum of 2x boost.
"Regidrago, it's time for payback!"
Eevee shouted high-spiritedly. Her body briefly stopped mid-air, before she rushed headlong towards Regidrago.
She shuttled past the crimson beam of energy with ease. Then, similar to their first battle, she did a triple Quick Jump and arrived behind the dragon Golem.
"Take this! HAAAAA!!!"
Eevee used Hyper Voice, her strongest Normal-type Special Attack.
And just as she expected, before her attack landed, Regidrago's body was once again covered with Dragon-type energy.
"RAAAA!!!"
Eevee shouted louder. The collision between their attacks caused the air to ripple. Sands flew, and the distant waters were pushed outwards.
However, even though Eevee tried her best, Regidrago's attack remained unimpeded. It pushed against hers, albeit at a much slower speed than the previous 29 times. But in the end, her body was still swallowed by the crimson beam of energy.
"It's a pity. Although she finally used Calm Mind to the maximum, her attack is just not strong enough."
Mawile said with a sigh. Eevee's spirit of never giving up had resonated with her. She had been hoping for her to win, but it looks like in the end, she still falls short.
"No. Her desire for victory is burning brighter than ever!"
Victini spoke up. He had a beaming smile on his face, the brightest he had shown from when he was rescued until now.
On the battlefield, as the energy Regidrago released slowly receded, a brown figure immediately took action. Even though her fur was singed all over, she didn't care. She released a bolt of electricity in the brief moment Regidrago was vulnerable from releasing the attack.
And this time, her aim proved true.
Regidrago's body sparked with electricity. It fell from mid-air, twitching as it tried to turn towards the perpetrator. However, it was useless. With its Special Defense of only 113, faced with the Buzzy Buzz from the boosted Eevee, it would take a while before it could recover from paralysis.
A time Eevee wouldn't waste.
"Cough! Hehehe, I finally got you."
Eevee said as she limped towards Regidrago. The remaining red aura around her body, a sign from her using Endure, dissipated,.
This was one of the strategies she had tried in their earlier matches. However, with her weak body, she couldn't endure long enough for Regidrago's attack to disperse before fainting.
But now, after weakening the Dragon Energy with Hyper Voice, coupled with her boosted Special Defense, she barely held on.
After using Endure, most Pokemon can only use one or two moves themselves before fainting from exhaustion. It was a move for a last, desperate counter-attack.
But Eevee had no plans to use it like that.
Blue motes of light gathered in front of her mouth. They formed into bubbles, which she released towards the downed Regidrago. After it hit the dragon golem, the bubbles bounced back towards Eevee with transparent green energy inside of them.
Eevee let out a sigh of relief as the bubbles transported the energy to her. Her wounds began to heal, and her body regained some of its strength.
With more energy to spare, Eevee continued to spew out the Bouncy Bubbles. And at the same time, she rushed and hit Regidrago with Sappy Seed. With the energy she restored from both moves, Eevee returned to her peak state.
During this whole process, Regidrago's blue eyes continuously flashed. It tried to mobilize its energy to shield itself. However, the static electricity swarming in its body constantly interfered with its progress.
"Hehehe, I heard the 3rd time's a charm. But for me, it looks like it's the 30th."
Eevee's lips twisted into a malicious smile. Fairy-type energy accumulated inside her body. Then, with a wicked laugh, she released it into a whirlwind around Regidrago.
Without being able to defend, Regidrago was forced to take the Sparkly Swirl released by the boosted Eevee with just his body. Coupled with the earlier attacks, even though its HP was as high as 210, it couldn't hold on.
Thus, amidst the scattered sands, an 'unscathed' Eevee stepped over the Legendary Regidrago.