“Terastallize, Swampert!” As the words left his mouth, Michael tightened his grip on the Tera Orb in his hand.
The once jet-black Tera Orb suddenly began to glow with a brilliant blue light, the mysterious energy known as Tera Energy.
Overflowing with radiant light, the Tera Orb was hurled high above Swampert’s head in a perfect arc.
Swampert stared intently at the orb overhead.
As though responding to its gaze, the orb instantly erupted with dazzling brilliance, sparkling like a precious gemstone.
The light cascaded down from the sky, transforming into glittering crystals surrounded by an enchanting halo that completely enveloped Swampert.
The next instant, a crisp, glass-shattering sound rang out as the crystalline shell exploded into countless fragments.
Amid the shower of glittering crystal shards, Swampert’s transformed figure appeared before Michael, Arven, and Mabosstiff.
Its entire body now looked as though it had been coated in gemstones, radiating a breathtaking brilliance.
Upon its head rested a crown-like Tera Jewel, floating above the jewel was an object resembling a cross-section of the Earth itself.
Formed entirely from pure Tera Energy, it contained every imaginable geological element.
Oceans.
Plains.
Mountains.
The inner core.
The outer core.
The mantle.
The crust…
The bizarre construct gave off an indescribably surreal feeling.
Michael murmured, “…Ground Tera.” Arven looked even more excited than the person who had actually initiated the Terastallization.
His face flushed with excitement as he hugged Mabosstiff tightly, bouncing repeatedly on the spot.
“It’s Terastallization!
So cool!
So awesome!
So flashy!!” His eyes shone with admiration.
‘When would he finally be able to Terastallize Mabosstiff?’ Michael looked at him in confusion.
‘Is he really this excited?’ Compared to Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Dynamax, Terastallization honestly felt like the odd one out aesthetically.
But…
As one of the four major battle mechanics, its potential was beyond question.
Michael crooked a finger.
While slowly acclimating to the unfamiliar energy flowing through its body, Swampert lumbered over before squatting beside him.
Michael reached out and poked the Ground-type Tera crown.
His expression became rather strange.
“So it’s actually solid…
I wonder how durable it is.” Noticing Michael’s actions, Swampert also realized that something strange had suddenly appeared on top of its head.
Its face immediately twisted with disgust.
(No wonder walking felt so awkward…
Turns out I have this thing weighing me down.) Although it wasn’t particularly heavy, it noticeably affected its balance and the precision of its movements.
And in battles at the highest level, even the slightest difference could determine victory or defeat.
Seeing Swampert’s obvious dislike of the Tera crown, Michael chuckled.
“You’ll get used to it.
It’s a wonderful little thing that makes you stronger.” “Swamp…” Swampert raised both hands to touch the Tera crown and let out a gloomy grunt.
Watching Swampert’s movements, several unusual combat applications for the Tera crown suddenly flashed through Michael’s mind.
However, he quickly shook his head, forcing those thoughts away.
He was retired now.
Why was he still thinking about battle strategies?
After casting aside those inappropriate thoughts, Michael turned toward Arven.
“Come on.
I’m going to show you something spectacular.” “Okay!” Arven nodded vigorously, bringing Mabosstiff along as he followed Michael and the still-adjusting Swampert.
…
A short while later…
They arrived at the farming area, where weeds grew thick among scattered rocks.
Arven blinked in disbelief.
Although he was still young, thanks to his parents he had read quite a few books.
Naturally, he could immediately tell that Michael’s so-called “farming area” was actually barren wasteland.
It looked like the kind of land where even potatoes might fail to grow.
Turning such wasteland into fertile farmland would normally require an enormous investment of manpower and resources.
…Unless Pokémon helped.
Arven suddenly turned toward Swampert in its Terastallized state.
He realized something.
Michael exchanged a glance with Swampert.
No words were necessary.
Swampert immediately assumed its stance, beginning to gather Ground-type energy.
The moment it started, Swampert was startled.
It could clearly feel the vast Ground-type energy inside its body becoming infused with the same dazzling brilliance that had appeared during Terastallization.
And when the move was finally unleashed, both Swampert and Michael were stunned into silence.
Swampert slammed one foot heavily into the ground.
Like a mighty earth dragon turning beneath the land, layer upon layer of shimmering, crystal-laced earthen waves surged outward in every direction.
-Ground-type move: Stomping Tantrum!- The waves swept across everything in their path.
Every rock and every weed was overturned by the overwhelming force before being reduced to dust.
The weeds were ripped out by their roots, even the solid earth itself became loose, freshly tilled soil.
Before the construction project had begun, Michael had specifically asked Serperior to use the overwhelming pressure of a high-level Pokémon to drive away any wild Pokémon living beneath the wasteland into the nearby mountains.
Because of that precaution, such large-scale destruction caused no unexpected casualties.
Swampert’s eyes widened.
Completely dumbfounded, it touched the Tera crown atop its head before looking down at its own foot.
It knew perfectly well that it hadn’t put much power into that Stomping Tantrum.
Its original intention had merely been to overturn a small patch of ground.
Yet under the mysterious enhancement of Tera Energy, although the attack lacked the violent tremors of Earthquake, its destructive power was almost on the same level.
If Stomping Tantrum had become this powerful, then just how terrifying would Earthquake be?
Only now did Swampert truly understand what Michael had meant.
Terastallization strengthened it in the simplest and most straightforward way imaginable.
It simply made it stronger.
If it had possessed this power back then…
Perhaps…
It could have achieved an even better result against that Avalugg.
Swampert fell into deep thought.
Nearby, Arven hugged Mabosstiff tightly.
His fair face was flushed red, whether from excitement or sheer shock, even he couldn’t tell.
“So strong…
Is this the power of a Champion-level Trainer’s Pokémon?” Michael finally recovered from his own astonishment.
He had always known Terastallization would provide a significant boost.
Actually witnessing it firsthand still left him stunned by just how dramatic the enhancement was.
‘No wonder it’s considered equal to Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax.’ Michael estimated that once Swampert fully mastered Terastallization, its type advantage alone would allow it to dominate Luxray in battle.
Next, Michael and Swampert completely restored all the wasteland in both the farming and pasture areas.
The once rock-strewn fields became neatly pulverized soil.
Every weed had been uprooted, waiting to be cleared away.
After everything was finished, Swampert finally returned to its normal form.
Still savoring the incredible strength it had felt moments earlier, it stared intensely at the Tera Orb in Michael’s hand.
Following Swampert’s gaze, Michael looked down at the Tera Orb.
It had returned to its dull, black appearance, completely devoid of light.
He couldn’t help muttering, “A battle mechanic that needs to be recharged after every use is a terrible civilization.”