The Power of Terastallization

"Terastallize, Swampert!"

As he spoke, Luo Mu tightened his grip on the Terastal Orb. The orb, which had been pitch-black, suddenly shone with blue light—the strange energy known as Terastal Energy.

Luo Mu flung the shining orb high above Swampert's head, sending it along a perfect arc.

Swampert stared straight up at the orb. As if responding to its gaze, the orb instantly burst into brilliant, jewel-like radiance.

Light spilled down from midair, transforming into crystals that gave off a mesmerizing glow and enveloped Swampert's entire body. The next moment, a crisp shattering sound rang out like breaking glass as the crystals burst apart.

Amid the sparkling crystal fragments flying in every direction, Swampert's dramatically altered body appeared before Luo Mu, Pepper, and Master Dogue.

Now Swampert's body was covered in what looked like gemstones, gleaming with dazzling light.

A crown-like Terastal Gem had appeared on its head, and atop the gem sat an object resembling a cross-section of the Earth.

The object was made entirely of Terastal Energy and contained a wealth of elements.

Oceans, plains, mountains, the inner core, the outer core, the mantle, the crust, and more.

It looked bizarre and otherworldly.

Luo Mu murmured, "Terastal. Ground."

Pepper was even more excited than Luo Mu, the one who had Terastallized a Pokémon. He hugged Master Dogue, his face alight with excitement, and bounced lightly on the spot.

"It's Terastallization! So awesome, so cool, so flashy!!"

Pepper gazed at Master Dogue with longing. When would he be able to Terastallize Master Dogue?

Luo Mu looked puzzled. Was Pepper really that excited?

Compared with Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Gigantamax, Terastallization's style was certainly a little out of place.

But as one of the four major systems, its potential was beyond question.

Luo Mu crooked a finger. Swampert, still getting used to the unfamiliar energy inside it, slowly walked over and crouched beside him.

Luo Mu poked the Terastal Ground crown, his expression turning peculiar. "It's actually solid. I wonder how sturdy it is."

At Luo Mu's touch, Swampert noticed the strange object that had suddenly appeared on its head and looked displeased.

So that was why it had felt top-heavy while walking. It had this extra burden on its head. It didn't seem all that heavy, but it threw off its balance and precision. In a high-level battle, even the smallest difference could decide the outcome.

Seeing how much Swampert disliked its Terastal crown, Luo Mu smiled. "You'll get used to it. This thing will make you stronger."

"Swampert."

Swampert raised both arms and felt the Terastal crown, then answered with a disgruntled grunt.

As he watched Swampert, a few special uses for the crown suddenly crossed Luo Mu's mind. He shook his head, driving those thoughts away.

He'd already retired. Why was he still thinking up battle strategies?

After shaking off thoughts that no longer belonged in his life, Luo Mu said to Pepper, "Come with me, little bro. I'll show you something spectacular!"

"Okay!"

Pepper nodded firmly and followed Luo Mu and Swampert, who was still getting used to its Terastallized body. Master Dogue came along with him.

A little while later, they arrived at the Farming Area, where weeds grew thick and broken stones littered the ground.

Pepper blinked, staring at the scene in disbelief.

He was still young, but because of his parents, he often read all kinds of books.

So he could naturally tell that Luo Mu's so-called "Farming Area" was actually wasteland where even potatoes might not grow!

Turning wasteland into arable land would take a great deal of manpower and resources. Perhaps Pokémon's strength could speed things up?

Pepper suddenly turned to look at Terastallized Swampert, realizing what Luo Mu had in mind.

Luo Mu and Swampert exchanged a knowing glance. No words were needed. Swampert had already taken up a stance and begun gathering Ground-type energy.

As soon as it did, Swampert was startled.

It felt as if the vast Ground-type energy within it had been imbued with the same dazzling radiance as when it Terastallized. And when it unleashed its move, the result left both Swampert and Luo Mu stunned into silence.

Swampert stomped heavily on the ground. Like an earth dragon turning over, wave after wave of sparkling, ocher-colored earth surged outward in every direction.

The Ground-type move Stomping Tantrum!

Everything in the waves' path was swept away by the move's tremendous force. Rocks and weeds were tossed aside and crushed to dust, the weeds torn out by their roots, and even the solid ground was churned into soft, upturned soil.

Before planning the area, Luo Mu had specifically had Serperior use its pressure as a high-level Pokémon to drive away the Pokémon living in the wasteland and into the nearby woods.

With all that preparation, there was no risk of any unexpected casualties.

Swampert's eyes widened. It touched the Terastal crown on its head in a daze, then looked at its feet.

It hadn't used much energy to perform Stomping Tantrum. It had only expected to overturn a small patch of ground. But with the aid of the mysterious Terastal Energy, Stomping Tantrum had nearly the same power as Earthquake, without the violent tremors!

If Stomping Tantrum was this powerful, what would Earthquake be like?

Swampert now understood perfectly why Luo Mu had said what he did. This strange Terastallization had increased its strength out of nowhere in the simplest, most straightforward way!

If it had had this back then, perhaps it could have gotten a better result against that Avalugg.

Swampert fell into thought.

Hugging Master Dogue, Pepper stared on with his pale cheeks flushed—whether from shock or excitement, he couldn't tell. He murmured, "So strong. Is this the power of a Champion-level Trainer's Pokémon?"

Luo Mu came back to his senses. He'd known Terastallization would bring a significant boost, but seeing it with his own eyes still left him stunned by just how much stronger it made Swampert.

It really was worthy of being a system ranked alongside Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Gigantamax.

Luo Mu estimated that once Swampert mastered its Terastallized power, its type advantage would let it dominate in a battle against Luxray.

After that, Luo Mu took Swampert around and had it clear all the wasteland in the Farming Area and the Ranch Area. The stones that had once been scattered everywhere were ground to dust, and the weeds were pulled up by their roots, ready to be cleared away.

Once everything was done, Swampert ended its Terastallization. Still savoring the feeling of power from a short while ago, it stared fervently at the Terastal Orb in Luo Mu's hand.

Feeling Swampert's gaze, Luo Mu looked down at the black orb, now dull and lifeless, and muttered, "Needing a recharge after just one use is a terrible design!"