Kieran carefully considered which Pokémon to send out next against Weavile. No matter what, he had to defeat this Weavile first.
Mr. Dylan had said he would use Ogerpon in the battle, but at this rate, if he couldn't get past Weavile, he wouldn't even have a chance to see Ogerpon.
Kieran really liked Ogerpon. Although Mr. Dylan had already captured it, at the very least, Kieran wanted to witness its power in battle.
"Porygon-Z!"
Kieran finally made his decision and threw out his fourth Pokémon.
A flash of white light, and a Pokémon that looked like a toy bird appeared in front of Kieran.
Its body was red and blue, with its head detached from its torso—this was Porygon's final evolution: Porygon-Z.
'Beep~ Porygon-Z. Normal-type. Virtual Pokémon.
Ability: Adaptability
Moves: Hyper Beam, Zap Cannon, Ice Beam, Tri Attack, Discharge, Recover…'
Description: Programs were added to make it a better Pokémon, but for some reason, its behavior became increasingly erratic.
This Porygon-Z looked quite promising.
Lillie glanced at Kieran and suddenly realized—didn't her brother have all the same Pokémon as Kieran?
The Politoed, Incineroar, Grimmsnarl, and now this Porygon-Z—her brother had raised all of them too.
Emmm... well, that made sense. Her brother had so many Pokémon.
But it also showed that Kieran had great taste; every Pokémon he trained was outstanding.
"Quick Attack."
Dylan took one look at the Porygon-Z and took the initiative to strike.
"Trick Room!"
Kieran shouted decisively.
Porygon-Z raised its head, and a spatial cube began spinning and forming in front of it—Trick Room.
Bang!
Weavile slammed into Porygon-Z with Quick Attack, making its body shudder.
"Focus Blast!"
The Trick Room expanded rapidly to cover the entire battlefield, warping the space around them.
Weavile's right claw glowed blue—Focus Blast, a Fighting-type move!
Boom!
Focus Blast struck Porygon-Z in the chest, sending it flying with a cry of pain.
Focus Blast, being Fighting-type, was super effective against Porygon-Z. It dealt massive damage.
"Return, Porygon-Z." Kieran immediately recalled Porygon-Z with its Poké Ball.
"So that's it—using Trick Room? That way, Weavile's high speed actually becomes a disadvantage."
Lillie looked at the battlefield now cloaked in strange space. She had thought Kieran planned to paralyze Weavile with Thunder Wave once it got close.
Paralysis would've drastically reduced Weavile's speed and caused occasional inability to act—but Trick Room worked just as well.
Trick Room, a Psychic-type move, created a bizarre space in which slower Pokémon moved first while faster ones were hindered.
Such was the strange power of this move.
"Hydrapple! You're up!"
Kieran tossed out his fifth Poké Ball, and a giant apple thudded to the ground in front of him.
Then a thick, green, wormlike body rose from the apple, and six smaller "apple worms" emerged, hissing at Weavile before quickly retreating back inside.
This was Hydrapple, the final evolution of Applin!
'Beep~ Hydrapple. Grass/Dragon-type. Apple Hydra Pokémon
Ability: Sweet Nectar
Moves: Dragon Pulse, Power Whip, Substitute, Energy Ball, Recover, Syrup Bomb, Tera Burst...
Description: Formed by the gathering of moody Applins. When they are of one mind, they unleash their true power.'
"This thing's actually a Dragon-type…"
Lan couldn't help but comment after reading the Pokédex. Dragon-types sure were full of bizarre creatures—this one even had "apple" in its name.
"But Hydrapple being Grass and Dragon means it's 4x weak to Ice."
Lillie looked puzzled—why would Kieran use Hydrapple against Weavile?
Even if Trick Room had reversed their speed, Hydrapple was still 4x weak to Ice-type moves.
"Hydrapple is Kieran's ace Pokémon—it's incredibly powerful. Don't forget about Terastallization, Lillie."
Lacey reminded her. Hydrapple might have a major Ice weakness, but Terastallization could change that.
"Oh, right." Lillie blinked, then remembered.
Blueberry Academy was all about Terastallization, and since Kieran was now their strongest trainer, he surely had mastered it.
"Mr. Dylan, this is my strongest Pokémon," Kieran said solemnly to Dylan. Hydrapple was undoubtedly his trump card.
"Please bear witness!"
Kieran pulled out a black Tera Orb, which began glowing brightly. He hurled it at Hydrapple with force.
Terastallize!
Hydrapple's entire body glowed brilliantly, shimmering like a crystal gemstone.
With the sound of shattering crystal, Terastallized Hydrapple emerged, glowing and adorned with the Fighting Tera symbol above its head.
"A Fighting Tera Type, huh."
Dylan examined this Terastallized Hydrapple—it had the same Tera Type as in Kieran's game version.
With Fighting Tera, it now countered Ice-types and was no longer weak to them.
That's what made Terastallization so powerful—it reversed type disadvantages, especially useful for Pokémon like Hydrapple with 4x weaknesses.
"Hydrapple, charge!"
Kieran gave the command without hesitation.
Trick Room had a time limit—he had to defeat Weavile before it ended.
Hydrapple hissed as it dragged its apple forward at surprising speed under the effects of Trick Room.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Hydrapple opened its mouth wide, and several smaller "apple worms" emerged, charging up energy.
Dragon-type Dragon Pulse! When multiple heads fired together, the beam's power doubled!
Several pulses merged into one thick laser that shot toward Weavile.
Weavile leapt backward to dodge, but under Trick Room, its normally agile body now felt sluggish and heavy.
Boom!
The powerful Dragon Pulse struck Weavile's previous position, exploding violently, and the shockwave still hit Weavile.
Weavile grunted, forced into another retreat—but as it looked up again, Hydrapple was already right in front of it!
"Icicle Crash!" Dylan raised an eyebrow at the sight.
Weavile slashed its right claw, summoning giant icicles from the air and launching them at Hydrapple.
"Pollen Puff!" Kieran countered.
Hydrapple roared and fired a green energy sphere toward Weavile.
Bug-type Pollen Puff!
Boom!
The icicles slammed into Hydrapple, making it cry out in pain.
But at the same time, Pollen Puff hit Weavile squarely, exploding and sending it flying—Bug-type moves were super effective against Weavile, and the damage was high.
"Tera Burst!" Kieran ordered a follow-up strike.
Icicle Crash didn't counter a now Fighting-type Hydrapple, and with its solid defense, Hydrapple had taken the hit well.
Hydrapple charged its mouth with Tera energy, forming a massive energy fist and fired it at Weavile—Fighting-type Tera Burst!
"Protect."
Weavile couldn't take a 4x-effective Tera Burst. It would be a one-hit KO.
Gritting its teeth, Weavile raised a protective shield.
Boom!
Tera Burst smashed into the shield and exploded, but it didn't break through.
"Dragon Pulse!" Hydrapple surged forward again, gathering energy in its mouth.
It was waiting for Protect to wear off.
"Quick Attack!"
As soon as Protect faded, Weavile bolted away, dodging Dragon Pulse.
"Don't rush."
Kieran stayed calm. Even with Trick Room making Hydrapple faster, Weavile's Quick Attack still gave it great mobility.
Bang!
Weavile suddenly appeared behind Hydrapple and slammed into it.
"Tera Burst!"
"Aerial Ace!"
Hydrapple whipped around, energy building once more.
But Weavile leapt up and spun around, cloaked in white wind energy.
Flying-type Aerial Ace!
Pow!
The strike hit Hydrapple's head, making it cry out. Flying was strong against Fighting—this hit was solid.
But a moment later, Tera Burst launched, smashing straight into Weavile.
Weavile was blasted away by the exploding energy fist, crashing hard into the ground.
"Weavile is unable to battle. Hydrapple wins," Lan declared.
"Well done, Kieran!" Carmine was thrilled for her brother.
A 4x-effective Tera Burst—there was no way Weavile could survive that. Tera Fighting was a brilliant move.
"Nicely done. That Trick Room was clever."
Dylan recalled Weavile and clapped for Kieran.
Trick Room was a very niche move. Few used it, as it only altered speed for a short time and didn't directly raise power.
But often, battles were lost simply due to lack of speed.
Without Trick Room shifting the speed dynamic, Hydrapple would've had a hard time ever landing a hit on Weavile.
Just like Grimmsnarl earlier—beaten by Weavile's speed and agility.
"Kieran, you've really grown strong."
Dylan pulled out a crimson Luxury Ball, genuinely impressed—not just by Kieran's strength, but by his tactical mind. Coming up with Trick Room to counter Weavile mid-battle showed sharp awareness.
"Then next up, just as we promised."
The Luxury Ball in his hand expanded.
"Kieran, are you ready?"
"Yes, Mr. Dylan!"
Kieran's eyes glowed with excitement, though he kept his emotions in check and responded solemnly.
That long-passed-down "ghost"!
"Very good, then…" Dylan chuckled softly and threw out his fifth Pokémon.
"Ogerpon! Prepare for battle!"