The Scolipede was less than ten meters away from Aoki, and in just a moment, she would be able to charge right in front of him.
Hearing Aoki calmly say, "Wait a minute," Slowking immediately paused the teleportation without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Honchkrow and the others quickly stepped in front of Aoki, ready to block the Scolipede's advance.
But the Scolipede didn't even glance at them. Instead, when a shadow suddenly loomed over the ground, she froze in fear, instinctively preparing to flee.
The air around them began to spiral upward, and the shadow projected from the sky grew smaller and smaller.
Slowly, Aoki looked up—and finally saw the Pokémon that had terrified the Scolipede so thoroughly.
The aggressive Scolipede from just moments ago now looked like a panicked mouse, desperately scrambling to escape.
But the Pokémon falling from the sky wasn't about to give her that chance.
As the figure closed in, a faint blue film shimmered around her body. In a flash, it condensed into the shape of a dragon.
Dragon Ascent!
A Dragon-type move—Dragon Ascent!
The wings, which usually appeared soft and cloud-like, now seemed to radiate a powerful, almost jarring majesty under the armor of energy.
It was clear now: this Pokémon was an Altaria, the Dragon- and Flying-type Pokémon.
And after Mega Evolution, this Altaria would gain both Dragon- and Fairy-typing.
As Altaria approached, Aoki quickly scanned her data, finally understanding why even a Scolipede King would be so terrified:
Pokémon: Altaria (Dark Cyan)
Gender: Female
Level: 59
Type: Dragon + Flying
Ability: Natural Cure
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Agility, Dragon Ascent, Roost, Steel Wing
Basic Moves: Dragon Breath, Brave Bird, Peck, Astonish, Sing, Fury Attack, Safeguard, Mist, Disarming Voice, Refresh, Natural Gift, Take Down, Heal Bell, Dragon Dance, Cotton Guard, Dragon Pulse, Perish Song, Moonblast
Learnt Moves: Draco Meteor, Outrage, Heat Wave, Defog
TM Moves: None
A gifted Altaria with dark cyan aptitude, sitting right at the peak of quasi-Champion level. Even on this island, she would be considered one of the dominant forces.
Looking at her skillset—Dragon Ascent, Draco Meteor, Outrage, Dragon Dance—it was obvious that her dragon-type prowess was overwhelming.
Judging by the speed and precision of her Dragon Ascent earlier, her mastery over these moves was already at a frightening level.
Seeing this Altaria, Aoki fully understood why the Scolipede and her minions were paralyzed with fear.
Dragon- and Flying-types naturally suppress Bug-types like Scolipede.
Moreover, Dragon Pokémon inherently carry an aura of majesty. Their bloodlines hold the strength of ancient dragons, and the richness of this bloodline determines how deeply they can tap into their draconic moves.
Take Aoki's own Larvitar, for example—though not technically a Dragon-type, Larvitar's heritage included strong dragon blood, allowing him to inherit Dragon Dance and Outrage.
On the other hand, Aoki's flying mount, Tropius, despite having "dragon" in its name, had relatively weak dragon ancestry.
But Altaria was different. She was a true Dragon-type Pokémon.
Although not a pure Dragon-type, her bloodline was rich and potent.
Especially the one before him now—this Altaria's dragon talent was extraordinary.
Even newly crowned Champions would have trouble standing against her.
On this island, she was undoubtedly an overlord.
In fact, Aoki wasn't wrong: the area he had teleported into this time was right in the middle of Altaria's personal territory.
The Scolipede's forest was merely a convenient hunting ground on the outskirts of her domain.
And the grassland where Aoki had been staying these past two days? That was Altaria's resting place—the very heart of her territory.
The Scolipede never got the chance to escape.
With a roar like thunder, Altaria's Dragon Ascent landed squarely on her.
Boom!!!
The once arrogant Scolipede King was slammed into the ground.
Even though Scolipede was physically larger than Altaria, in this moment, she seemed no more than a child.
This was the true difference between Pokémon at the same quasi-Champion level: a massive gap in power.
As Pokémon reach higher levels, even a single level difference can create an insurmountable gap because of the time and effort needed to grow stronger.
But even a devastating Dragon Ascent wasn't enough to completely knock out the Scolipede. She struggled back to her feet, releasing a shrill, desperate cry.
Whether she was begging for mercy or calling for reinforcements, it didn't matter.
The deep fear Altaria inspired in the other Scolipedes had already crushed any thought of resistance.
Even after Aoki wiped out several Scolipede groups before, they had never dared cross into Altaria's designated area.
That was how deeply they feared her.
Without a flicker of emotion in her eyes, Altaria flapped her wings and rose back into the air.
This time, she wasn't using Dragon Ascent.
She was using a move Honchkrow knew very well: Brave Bird!
Honchkrow watched the incoming Brave Bird attack, his eyes wide with surprise.
From Altaria's use of Brave Bird, he immediately realized the flaws in how he used the move himself.
Altaria didn't even need a long charge-up.
Boom!
With another deafening crash, Altaria, expressionless, drove her Brave Bird straight into the Scolipede, pinning her down again.
Altaria may have looked delicate, but when it came to battle, she showed no mercy.