"Tch, annoying pests." Mars frowned. "Purugly! Thunderbolt!"
"Meowrr!"
Bzzzz!!!
Electricity suddenly lit up Purugly's body, then a thick surge erupted from within it, spreading outward in a ring in every direction.
"Defend Order!"
Yushu's voice rose sharply.
Like fledglings returning to their nest, the Combee swiftly flew back to Vespiquen's side. Green light shone from them all at once, converging into a translucent energy shield in front of Vespiquen.
Struggle Bug!
Bzzz-boom!
Thunderbolt's current struck Struggle Bug's shield. The shield held for three seconds, then shattered with a crash.
Boom!!!
Green fragments scattered everywhere. The energy of Bug Buzz was completely swallowed by the electricity the instant they touched, and several Combee near the front were swept up in the residual current, all falling to the ground.
"What does it matter if weaklings like you huddle together for warmth? Against absolute strength, numbers mean nothing."
Mars scoffed. "Purugly, Shadow Ball!"
Purugly opened its mouth again, rapidly gathering a Shadow Ball.
"Who said numbers mean nothing?"
Yushu's voice sank.
"Vespiquen, it's up to you!"
"Bzzz!!"
Vespiquen buzzed again, and the Combee immediately changed formation.
They no longer flew around Vespiquen, instead arranging themselves in an inverted pyramid above her head.
They stacked up layer by layer, like a precision energy transmission device.
Watching this strange formation, Mars raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What's this... planning to take a beating together?"
Who played stacking games in a team battle?
Or were they supposed to stand at attention while getting beaten?
"This is an ultimate move that belongs to Vespiquen alone."
Yushu's gaze sharpened.
"Cloud Bee Formation! Activate!"
The instant his words fell, golden light shone from the Combee in the topmost layer.
The move Helping Hand activated!
Bang!
Golden strands of energy flowed down from the top layer, pouring into the Combee in the second layer.
Bang!
Then the second layer of Combee also activated Helping Hand, and the golden light continued downward.
The third layer, the fourth, the fifth-layer after layer, each added its energy to that of the layer before it, like a precision amplifier at work.
The energy strands of Helping Hand had already linked every Combee together, weaving a complete golden energy network in the air.
Finally, the ring of Combee closest to Vespiquen gathered all the energy into a single beam and forcefully poured it into her body.
Boom!!!!
When the last Combee passed its energy to Vespiquen, her aura reached its peak!
Enormous power gathered within Vespiquen. Her body began to glow with the bright, dazzling light of pure energy surging inside her.
Early Gym Stage, Mid Gym Stage, Late Gym Stage!
In just an instant, Vespiquen's aura soared to the late Gym stage, approaching the quasi-Elite Four level and already coming very close to Purugly's.
"What... is this?!"
For the first time, Mars's composure wavered.
With just a group of Combee and a single Vespiquen, he could unleash strength comparable to her main battler?
What the hell was this?
She had never even seen this method of forcibly stacking energy, let alone heard of Vespiquen being used in such a tactic.
As Riley fled, the commotion behind him made him glance back despite himself.
Then he froze completely.
Vespiquen hovered in midair, the energy fluctuations radiating from her making his scalp tingle.
Yushu hadn't been bluffing. He really did have a move!
"Never mind what it is. Let's fight first!"
Yushu wasted no more words, raising a hand to point.
"Vespiquen! Pin Missile!"
Vespiquen swung an arm, sending densely packed golden Pin Missiles shooting downward!
"Thunderbolt!"
Mars hastily gave the command.
Purugly unleashed electricity again, a golden pillar of current meeting the Pin Missiles head-on.
Bzzz-bang!!!
The two forces collided in midair, unleashing violent energy fluctuations.
The electricity tried to swallow the Pin Missiles, but their number and power far exceeded Purugly's expectations.
After holding out for two seconds, the pillar of electricity began to be pushed back by the Pin Missiles. Several needles broke through the electrical barrier and struck Purugly directly, making it wince in pain.
"Bug Buzz!"
Yushu immediately followed with another command.
Vespiquen opened her mouth, and a piercing sound wave thundered out, resonating through the narrow passage.
Bzzzz!!!
The sudden sonic attack shook Purugly, leaving its head buzzing and visibly halting its movements for an instant.
"Power Gem!"
Yushu seized the opportunity to give the command.
Vespiquen raised her arms. Multicolored energy gems condensed around her, then shot toward Purugly like a barrage of cannon shells.
Boom, boom, boom!
A mass of Power Gems struck Purugly in succession, exploding against its body.
Purugly was driven back again and again, its plump body swaying several times.
"This strength isn't a bluff."
Mars's expression finally changed.
She had originally thought Yushu was just a reckless brat who didn't know his limits. She hadn't expected Vespiquen to actually be able to go toe-to-toe with Purugly.
Now Mars could no longer spare any attention for the fleeing Riley. She had to concentrate on dealing with the troublesome fellow before her.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Meowrr!!"
Purugly steadied itself and opened its mouth, gathering an even larger Shadow Ball within it.
"Air Slash! Maximum size!"
Yushu gave his command almost simultaneously.
Vespiquen spread both arms, and all the Combee passed their energy to her.
An enormous crescent-shaped blade condensed in front of Vespiquen, the energy layer along its edge appearing almost solid.
Death Moon!!
Vespiquen hurled the blade with all her might.
Crack!
Air Slash struck Shadow Ball head-on, cleaving the purplish-black energy ball down the middle before it exploded with a boom!
With a powerful swing from Vespiquen, Air Slash whistled forth, tracing an elegant arc through the air as it slashed straight toward Purugly.
Crack!
Air Slash struck Shadow Ball head-on. With a sharp crack, Air Slash actually split Shadow Ball in two before it exploded with a boom!
Then Air Slash struck Purugly head-on, its momentum undiminished.
"Meowrr...!"
Purugly cried out in pain. A clear slash mark was left in the fur on its chest. It barely managed to steady itself, but its breathing had visibly quickened.
Yushu seized the opportunity, trying to make his voice sound as relaxed as possible.
"Well? Keeping this up won't do either of us any good. How about letting me go?"
Mars stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Drop the act. I admit you've got a few tricks, kid, but a move that forcibly boosts your strength like this can't be easy to maintain, can it?"
Yushu's smile froze.
Mars continued, her tone carrying a trace of confidence that she had seen through everything.
"Use that move a few more times, and I'm afraid your formation will collapse on its own first. Am I right?"
Yushu cursed inwardly.
Damn it, she saw through it.
This woman was right.
He was only playing at imitation to begin with, and the Cloud Bee Formation could only be maintained for a limited time, mainly because their overall strength was too low and their stamina couldn't keep up with that kind of consumption.
Holding out until now was already their limit.