Overwhelming Suppression, Meng Hongchen's Despair!

A layer of blue light flared over Mega Charizard X's right claw, and Dragon-type energy gathered at its tips, forming solid blades.

With a low growl, he raised his claw and slashed at Ma Rulong.

His talons shrieked through the air like a dragon's roar.

Ma Rulong drew a deep breath and deployed his strongest defense once more: the Invincible Shield!

Clang!!!

Screech—screech—

The claw scraped across the shield, leaving gouges behind.

Seeing that he had failed to break the man's shield, Mega Charizard X growled in displeasure and raised his claw again, striking over and over.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With every blow, Ma Rulong sank a little farther into the ground.

He gritted his teeth and endured it, feeling every bone in his body tremble.

The beast might not be able to break through the Invincible Shield, but at this rate, the blue-black dragon would pound him to pieces right through it.

Ma Rulong's face turned red as he shouted:

"Xiao Hongchen, quit dragging your feet! Help me!"

Xiao Hongchen was still manipulating metal to assemble his 128 Soul Cannons. He replied coolly:

"Stop rushing me. Holding out a little longer won't kill you."

He glanced at Chi Hong not far away. Seeing no movement from the other two Pokémon, he let his guard down a little.

"Brother Ma, I'll help you."

Meng Hongchen spoke softly from behind Ma Rulong.

She summoned her Vermilion-Clear Ice Toad and cried:

"You stinking fire dragon, have a taste of my ice toad venom!"

An icy-blue poisonous mist surged toward Mega Charizard X.

The Vermilion-Clear Ice Toad carried the bloodline of a divine beast. Its venomous mist combined freezing cold with searing heat, making it astonishingly deadly.

Mega Charizard X glanced at the mist with utter disdain.

A divine ice toad?

Now that I've evolved, it's nothing before a Dragon-type Charizard.

And as for that so-called poison of cold and heat...

How could it stand against Deep Blue Sunfire, whose temperature has surpassed even Ultimate Fire?

Mega Charizard X drew on his power, setting his entire body ablaze with scorching blue flames. The instant the mist touched them, the fire devoured it.

The mist even became fuel for the deep-blue flames, which ignited it and advanced toward Meng Hongchen.

"What?"

Meng Hongchen met Mega Charizard X's gaze and shuddered. The ice toad bloodline within her seemed to have encountered a superior predator far beyond her.

Her strength began to plummet against her will.

"Don't be afraid, little sister. Watch this."

Xiao Hongchen fired every Soul Cannon at once, bombarding Mega Charizard X.

The overwhelming barrage engulfed the dragon and briefly pinned him down.

Ma Rulong and Meng Hongchen finally had a chance to catch their breath.

"Well done! I'll trap this fire dragon. You two deal with that Shrek bastard!"

Ma Rulong shouted as he brought out his seventh-grade Soul Tool, Thunder Prison!

Crackle—crackle—

As the firelight faded, purple lightning erupted from the ground. Pillars of searing electricity rose and formed an enormous cage!

Mega Charizard X pulled in his wings, trapped inside it.

The barrage had barely hurt him, but Thunder Prison would not be so easy to escape.

Ma Rulong had originally prepared this move for Ma Xiaotao. Now it had found its use against Mega Charizard X instead.

Mega Charizard X slashed at the cage, trying to tear his way free, but it was made of superheated lightning. Physical attacks were of little use.

"Take your time, Charizard. Use Blazing Inferno to vaporize the cage."

Chi Hong remained calm as he gave the order.

Mega Charizard X immediately set himself ablaze, becoming a sphere of deep-blue fire. Ultimate Fire burst from him, colliding with the surrounding lightning in rapid explosions as the two forces consumed each other.

By the looks of it, Charizard would break free before long.

Ma Rulong seized that brief opening and released his Martial Soul, the Big-Headed Ape. He transformed into a massive ape, radiating the savage aura of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast.

He charged forward, straight at Chi Hong.

"I'll take you down first!"

Meng Hongchen followed close behind. Her Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring lit up, and an aura of extreme cold and heat spread outward.

"Senior Ma, you've finally wised up. I'll help you. Fifth soul skill: Ice-Fire Poison Dragon Drill!"

Chi Hong smiled faintly.

"I was waiting for you to come get yourselves killed. Greninja, use Frost Water Shuriken. Lucario, use Power-Up Punch and beat that monkey into the ground."

Greninja had been waiting for this. His hands formed seals so quickly they left only afterimages.

Rings of swirling water erupted around him, carrying countless razor-sharp ice crystals.

As he completed the seals, he raised one hand. All the water and ice crystals converged in an instant, forming an enormous Frost Water Shuriken.

Since reaching the Ten Thousand Year level, the move had clearly grown even more powerful.

Lucario attacked first, meeting Ma Rulong head-on.

The Big-Headed Ape stood over five meters tall. Lucario looked tiny beside him.

They threw punches at the same time.

Boom—!!

The raw clash of strength sent a powerful shockwave bursting outward.

"Lucario!"

Lucario reveled in the fight. His gaze sharpened as he unleashed punch after punch.

Ma Rulong refused to back down and met every blow with one of his own.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

But as they fought, Ma Rulong discovered to his shock that the little dog's punches were growing stronger. Each one hit harder than the last.

The Big-Headed Ape had started with the advantage thanks to his size.

Yet Lucario drove him back step by step, forcing him onto the defensive.

Elsewhere, Meng Hongchen's pupils turned red and blazed with heat, while biting white frost poured from her body.

The two opposing forces did not cancel each other out. They compressed, spun, and intertwined before her, forming a rapidly rotating drill of red and blue.

Meng Hongchen charged with her Poison Dragon Drill.

But unfortunately for her, ice and fire that had not reached the ultimate level could only be overwhelmed by Greninja in every respect.

Two similar shades, icy blue and deep blue, flashed in Greninja's eyes as the power of ultimate ice and water spread outward.

Before Meng Hongchen could get close, that power suppressed her.

"Attacking Greninja despite the type disadvantage? Admirable courage."

Chi Hong smiled as he praised her.

At his words, Greninja hurled the shuriken above his head.

It spun faster as it flew, gathering more ice and water power and growing stronger still.

Worse yet...

The spinning shuriken drew away most of the power Meng Hongchen had gathered for her Ice-Fire Poison Dragon Drill. Her move even fell apart entirely.

Was the gap between ultimate power and everything else really this vast?

Meng Hongchen had believed she was a peerless genius, just like her brother. But facing these three Soul Beasts with such overwhelming combat power, she felt a deep helplessness rise within her.