Outrage

Seeing their attacks effortlessly blocked by Florges, Hydreigon grew increasingly displeased. Wave after wave of Dark Pulse surged towards Florges.

However, Florges was no pushover. She concentrated colorful auras in her two hands, steadily expanding them into two colorful barriers that repelled all the Dark Pulse.

This was a unique application of Dazzling Gleam by Florges, turning what was originally an offensive skill into a defensive one.

Of course, this technique might not be effective against attacks of other attributes, but it was a perfect counter against dark and dragon-type abilities. Florges didn't completely block the attacks like a Light Screen; instead, she used her fairy-type energy to neutralize them.

Passive defense wasn't Florges's style. After repelling all the Dark Pulse from Hydreigon, a pink whirlwind turned into razor-sharp blades and sliced through them, catching it off guard and nearly knocking it to the ground.

The power of the Fairy Wind was not overwhelming, even with type advantage. It didn't inflict substantial damage on Hydreigon.

It wasn't that Florges didn't want to use the more potent Moonblast, but using that ability hastily was impossible.

Taking advantage of Hydreigon' momentary confusion, Florges rapidly conjured another burst of Fairy Wind, striking it on the heads. Causing Hydreigon howled in pain.

Subsequently, two energy whips, formed from the Fairy Wind, were controlled by Florges's left and right hands, lashing repeatedly at Hydreigon' heads—left, middle, right.

Though the Fairy Wind's power was not exceptional, being struck dozens of times left Hydreigon in disarray.

Even Yuga was shaken by Florges's aggressive display. He realized he should think twice before provoking Florges; she could be quite formidable.

Hydreigon were driven to the brink of madness by Florges's relentless attacks. When Florges finally stopped, it activated Bite and charged recklessly.

However, as it closed in on Florges, green vines appeared out of nowhere and tightly bound their three heads. With a forceful pull, Hydregion were sent crashing to the ground.

Unknown to them, the misty terrain's effect had dissipated at some point. Seeing the enraged state of Hydreigon, Florges changed the terrain to Grassy Terrain.

Florges had precise control over the size of the Grassy Terrain. It formed a small circle around her feet, ensuring no accidental healing for the evil dragons. The vines that restraining Hydregion extended from the Grassy Terrain beneath Florges.

Florges had honed her ability to use Grass Knot, combined with her exceptional control over grass-type energy within the Grassy Terrain. This allowed her to create a unique binding skill. Roserade's Grass Knot was inspired by Florges, but it could only scratch the surface of what she could achieve.

At this point, Hydreigon felt like they were about to explode. They struggled to break free from the vines around their necks but found that no matter how many they snapped, more grew in their place.

Finally, Hydreigon couldn't take it anymore. Their eyes turned crimson, and their power surged. In an instant, they broke free from the vines and flew into the air.

Yuga recognized this state; it was the Outrages. His own Charmeleon possessed this ability, but he rarely allowed it to be used in battles. This was because when Charmeleon used this move, it would lose complete control over itself.

While the move was indeed powerful, its side effects were equally substantial. Moreover, these side effects were unavoidable, and what trainers could do was help their Pokémon minimize the duration of these side effects.

Because after using this ability, Pokémon not only lost their rationality but also displayed self-destructive behavior.

For instance, Pokémon with strong control might lose their rationality after two or three uses, while those with weaker control might lose it after just one. The difference was substantial.

Yuga's Charmeleon could only use it once.

Seeing enraged Hydreigon charging straight at Florges, she attempted to halt it assault by using Moonblast. However, the column of light formed by the Moonblast was effortlessly dispersed by it.

Though Moonblast's interception failed, it did leave wounds, though Hydreigon in their Outrages state were now devoid of sensation and couldn't feel the pain.

With Moonblast ineffective, Hydreigon plowed into Florges, sending her flying. The Grassy Terrain she controlled at her feet vanished instantly.

Normally, Outrages, a dragon-type move, wouldn't harm Florges, a fairy-type Pokémon. But Outrages was a physical attack, and the impact generated by Hydreigon' high-speed movement still had an effect. That's why Florges was sent flying.

However, this purely physical impact without energy attached caused minimal damage to Florges. After landing, she gracefully and promptly stood back up.

Hydreigon, despite taking a direct hit, didn't immediately descend into confusion. Instead, they turned and charged at Florges once more.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have acted this way. Because it knew that even if it hit Florges, the damage from Outrages would be limited. Hydreigon had some semblance of reason. But in their current berserk state, rational thought eluded them completely.

Florges couldn't tolerate Hydreigon' audacity. As it charged towards her again, she summoned Moonblast once more, delivering a direct Moonblast to the middle head of Hydreigon.

While Hydreigon were formidable in their attacks, their defenses were lacking. After enduring numerous Fairy Winds and two Moonblasts, it couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing Hydreigon finally fall, both Yuga and Florges breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite maintaining the upper hand, Florges had expended significant energy. Just controlling the Grass Knots that Hydreigon kept snapping consumed immense energy. At this point, Florges was panting lightly.

Florges defeating Hydreigon left the first-floor judges astounded. Even with the type advantage, this was a remarkable feat. They had never anticipated anyone passing the 50th floor, and from the 51st-floor guardian alone, they could tell it was a pseudo-Elite level guardian.

"Remarkable, absolutely remarkable," commented Drayden, stroking his bearded chin. He was well aware of the strength of Hydreigon since he had brought them here.

The other judges had to admit that Mr. Kuni'o certainly knew how to choose his apprentices.

Leaving the 51st floor behind, Yuga ascended to the 52nd floor. However, when he laid eyes on the guardian waiting there, he nearly uttered a curse. Before him stood an authentic pseudo-Elite level Pokémon, a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon: Tyranitar.

Without any surprises, Yuga was defeated by this green behemoth. Even though Yuga's Pokémon were capable of battling beyond their usual limits, they couldn't overcome the Pseudo-Elite barrier.

Yuga chose not to send out Gengar and Mismagius, not just because it might be impossible for them to win, but also because he didn't want to reveal his trump cards too early. His performance on the 51st floor was probably sufficient to secure his advancement in the preliminary rounds.

Yuga, unaware of his ranking compared to others of his age, but he didn't realize that his performance had not only secured him the top spot in the preliminary rounds but also left the judges in disbelief.