CHAPTER 1495: EXTRA MATCH

After Douduo entered the battlefield, Bruno also sent out his Pokémon—a Hawlucha. Its level was significantly higher than Douduo’s, being in the high tier of the Elite level, while Douduo was only in the mid-tier of the same rank.

Bruno was a little surprised that Yuga had chosen to use an Audino. According to the information he had gathered, there was no mention of Yuga owning a powerful Audino—though he was quite familiar with the one that Steven possessed.

However, he didn’t allow himself to be careless. If this Audino had been chosen by Yuga, it meant it must have something exceptional about it. Besides, Yuga was a Trainer even stronger than he was.

What Bruno sought from this battle was to find a breakthrough by facing Yuga.

At the very moment the host signaled the beginning of the match, Hawlucha kicked off the ground with both legs, spreading its wings and gliding into the air, then dove down with its signature move—Flying Press—aiming to crush Douduo beneath it.

Seeing this, Yuga shouted to Douduo, "Douduo, use Disarming Voice!"

Upon hearing the command, Douduo looked up to the sky, cupped its small hands into a megaphone shape in front of its mouth, and let out a captivating cry toward the oncoming Hawlucha.

Circular sound waves immediately rippled outward layer by layer. The shockwaves caused Hawlucha to veer off its attack trajectory, thus missing Douduo entirely.

"Hawlucha, Agility!"

As soon as Bruno’s voice echoed across the field, the now-landed Hawlucha flickered for a moment, and in the next second, it vanished from its spot. Multiple afterimages of it appeared across the battlefield, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike Douduo.

As time went on, Hawlucha’s speed increased further and further, nearly to the point where Douduo could no longer track it with its eyes.

"Douduo, Stomp!" Yuga’s voice rang out in Douduo’s ears.

Douduo responded by raising one foot and stomping hard on the ground. The earth trembled for an instant, and Hawlucha, which was dashing about rapidly, seemed to pause ever so briefly in its movements.

"Keep stomping! Don’t stop!" Yuga’s voice rang out again.

Douduo began repeatedly using Stomp, and the tremors across the field grew more and more intense.

Stomp has a special characteristic—if the user’s previous attack missed, the move’s power would be doubled upon its next use.

So after Douduo’s first stomp, the ground shook even harder. Before long, Hawlucha, unable to keep its footing due to the tremors, was forced to halt its movements.

"Douduo, Shadow Ball!"

Just as Hawlucha steadied itself, Douduo, under Yuga’s command, hurled a Shadow Ball straight at it.

However, Hawlucha’s reaction speed far exceeded what both Yuga and Douduo had anticipated. Just as the Shadow Ball was about to hit it, its supple body twisted into an incredible pose, dodging the attack entirely.

In the next instant, Hawlucha vanished again, reappearing behind Douduo. With a clean Karate Chop, it struck Douduo’s back, sending it stumbling forward.

Agility is a boosting move, not a status-based move like Double Team. So even though Hawlucha’s Agility had been interrupted earlier, the speed boost it provided was still in effect.

Seeing this, Hawlucha pressed the advantage, stepping in quickly and raising its hand for another Karate Chop.

"Douduo, Gravity!" Yuga called out.

Just as Yuga’s command fell, Hawlucha suddenly felt its body becoming incredibly heavy. Instinctively, it flapped back quickly to avoid getting caught.

Douduo’s Gravity move, while not as strong as Chimecho’s, was more than sufficient for the current situation.

Taking advantage of the moment, Douduo quickly used a Heal Pulse on itself to recover from the earlier blow delivered by Hawlucha.

Fighting-type moves are super effective against Normal-types like Audino, so taking a direct hit was certainly painful.

Yuga knew that Douduo, being a support-oriented and relatively sturdy Pokémon, had a disadvantage going up against Hawlucha—especially when its level was lower. So after thinking for a moment, he pulled out his Key Stone.

"Douduo!"

Douduo immediately understood what Yuga meant by that call. It felt a wave of excitement in its heart—this would be its first time Mega Evolving in front of a public audience!

The moment Yuga took out his Key Stone, Bruno’s expression grew serious. Up until now, Hawlucha had been dominating the match, and he had thought winning might be relatively easy—but clearly, he had been too optimistic.

Then a multicolored glow lit up the battlefield.

"Eh... huh...? What’s happening? Why is the battlefield glowing?" a student from Verdant University asked in confusion from the stands. "Is this some kind of special move developed by Gym Leader Shimizu?"

The well-informed Ryota answered, "That’s the light of Mega Evolution. Mr. Shimizu’s Audino is about to Mega Evolve."

Another student immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Mega Evolution? That’s amazing! This is my first time seeing Mega Evolution with my own eyes!"

As the rainbow-colored light faded, Audino’s form had changed dramatically. The spectators erupted in an even more intense wave of cheering—their emotions had been completely ignited.

Just as Douduo completed its Mega Evolution, Hawlucha had already rushed in, planning to use Brick Break to strike Douduo.

Facing the incoming Hawlucha, Douduo suddenly put on a very friendly expression. Hawlucha was confused and instinctively paused its attack.

Douduo had used the move Baby-Doll Eyes, which lowers the opponent’s Attack stat.

"Hawlucha!"

Bruno shouted. Hawlucha snapped back to its senses and raised its arm to strike again. Douduo didn’t dodge this time, enduring the attack head-on while simultaneously firing a dazzling Dazzling Gleam it had prepared straight at Hawlucha’s face.

With a scream, Hawlucha was knocked flying.

After Mega Evolution, Douduo’s Defense and Special Defense were now exceptionally high, and with its added Fairy typing, Fighting-type moves were no longer super effective—so it was able to withstand Hawlucha’s attack.

On the other hand, Hawlucha wasn’t nearly as lucky. After hitting the ground, its head lolled to the side—it had lost consciousness. While Fighting-type moves were no longer Douduo’s weakness, Fairy-type moves were still a major weakness for Hawlucha.

"The result is in—Hawlucha is unable to battle! Audino wins!!!"

The host shouted excitedly, and thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

Fueled by the audience’s enthusiasm, Bruno’s passion was also reignited. He recalled Hawlucha, looked even more serious than before, and said to Yuga:

"Gym Leader Shimizu, let’s have another round. This time, I’ll give it everything I’ve got!"

Yuga was briefly stunned. Wait, you didn’t discuss this with me beforehand!

But he didn’t hesitate for long. He nodded in agreement and called Douduo back from the field. Honestly, he was starting to get fired up himself.

At Bruno’s signal, the host flew down on his Magnezone. Upon learning the two were about to continue with a second match, his face turned bright red with excitement.

He was thrilled!

Though this host wasn’t a Trainer, he was a passionate fan of Pokémon battles—otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen this job. The chance to watch another match between Elite Four Bruno and Gym Leader Shimizu? He felt like his heart was floating up into the sky.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Everyone..."

The host, riding atop his Magnezone, flew into the sky to announce this thrilling news, and many of the spectators stood up in delight and cheered.

The manager of the arena was also watching the match. When he received the news, he immediately grabbed his assistant’s hand and said:

"We’re set! We’re golden! This month is totally secured!"

With these three battles as a promotional draw, how could they not attract a flood of Trainers?

Meanwhile, Yuga and Elite Four Bruno were already ready for their second match. Bruno was the first to send out his next Pokémon.

...

[ Medicham ]

Type: Fighting, Psychic

Ability: Pure Power

Gender: Male

Potential: Blue

Level: 82

Moves: Yoga Pose, Confusion, Detect, Force Palm, Calm Mind, Mind Reader, Vital Throw, Power Trick, High Jump Kick, Reversal, Counter, Zen Headbutt, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Brick Break, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Foresight, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Psycho Cut.

...

A Champion-level Medicham—just as Bruno said, he was going all out!

An Elite Four member of the League isn’t necessarily just a Trainer at the Elite Four tier—they can also be Champion-level Trainers who happen to serve in the Elite Four.

Clearly, Bruno was one of those!

Medicham’s overall base stats might not be outstanding compared to many Pokémon, but it possesses one particularly exceptional ability: Pure Power. This trait doubles the Pokémon’s physical attack power.

Suddenly, a black hole appeared on the ground in front of Yuga, and Gengar flew out of it with a mischievous grin, floating directly across from Medicham and making spooky faces at it.

Most of Yuga’s main team Pokémon were currently housed in the arena’s Battle Tower. At the moment, only Gengar and Mismagius, his close personal bodyguards, were with him.

Medicham ignored Gengar’s prank-like provocation. At the moment the match signal was given, it swung both arms, and two transparent psychic blades shot forth. At the same time, it struck a strange pose.

Yuga immediately recognized that Medicham had used the buff move Yoga Pose at the same moment it launched Psycho Cut attacks at Gengar.

Since he had plenty of Meditite and Medicham in his Ecopark, he naturally knew what moves these Pokémon specialized in and what they looked like while using them.

Gengar dodged left and right, skillfully evading the two waves of Psycho Cut attacks. At the same time, Medicham completed its Yoga Pose, and its aura visibly surged.

Seeing this, Yuga shouted, "Gengar, Will-O-Wisp!"

"Gengar~!"

Gengar let out a wide-mouthed cackle and ghostly blue flames bloomed around it like hellish flowers in full blossom.

With a flick of its tiny hand, a dozen Will-O-Wisps zipped toward Medicham, but Medicham remained calm and composed. A blue light flashed in its eyes—Confusion activated—and all the Will-O-Wisps froze mid-air, hovering about half a meter in front of it.

Whoosh~

With a strange sound, all the Will-O-Wisps extinguished in place.

Seeing this scene, Yuga thought to himself: As expected of Bruno—what a move!

"Gengar!" Yuga called again.

Gengar glanced back at Yuga and instantly understood what he meant. In the next second, it suddenly vanished in midair.

Medicham quickly searched for Gengar’s figure, but it was as if Gengar had evaporated. There was no trace of it in any corner of the battlefield.

"Heehee~ Heeheehee~"

A strange and eerie laughter echoed throughout the arena, ringing in both Medicham’s and all the spectators’ ears, but no one could determine where the sound was coming from.

"This Gengar’s stealth is incredible!" a Trainer in the audience couldn’t help but exclaim, their heart skipping a beat from Gengar’s unsettling laugh.

Most Ghost-type Pokémon excel at hiding themselves, but ones like Yuga’s Gengar, whose concealment left no trace at all, were truly rare.

"Medicham, focus your mind!"

Seeing Medicham growing restless from Gengar’s laughter, Bruno quickly reminded it. Hearing this, Medicham immediately used Calm Mind to regain its composure.

Clearly, Gengar’s laugh wasn’t just for show—it was mixed with the effects of the move Grudge.

While calming its previously agitated mood, Medicham also began spreading its psychic senses outward, constantly scanning the battlefield in search of Gengar.

At that moment, Gengar stealthily poked its head out from underground and appeared behind Medicham, launching a Shadow Sneak attack.

"Medicham!" Bruno shouted loudly when he saw this.

Medicham whipped its head around suddenly, but it was already a second too late. It took a direct hit to the chest and was sent flying backward.

Gengar floated into the air, grinning at the pained expression on Medicham’s face. It let out a proud cackle, trying to rile Medicham up even more.

Many in the audience couldn’t help but think: As expected of a Ghost-type Pokémon... what a rotten personality...

However, Medicham was Bruno’s carefully cultivated ace Pokémon. It had seen its fair share of battles and wasn’t about to get riled up by such childish taunts from Gengar.

Seeing that Medicham was at a disadvantage, Bruno revealed his trump card.

"Medicham!"

At Bruno’s command, Medicham stood up and revealed the hidden Mega Stone on its body. In an instant, a rainbow-colored light lit up the field.

"Mega Evolution—another Mega Evolution battle!" several students from Verdant University in the audience exclaimed excitedly. "Bruno’s Medicham is mega-evolving too!"

As the prismatic light faded, Mega Medicham’s form appeared. Its palms were pressed together, it stood on one leg, and four white sashes floated behind it. Its gaze had become much sharper.

After Mega Evolution, Medicham’s attack and speed were significantly boosted. A flash of light appeared in its eyes, and an unidentifiable mark landed on Gengar.

In the next second, Medicham vanished from its original spot and reappeared right in front of Gengar, raising a leg and kicking it hard—so fast that Gengar didn’t even have time to react.

It turned out that the mark Medicham placed on Gengar was from the move Foresight, which allowed Fighting-type moves—normally ineffective against Gengar—to strike true.

Boom!

Gengar hit the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

Medicham floated above the battlefield with the help of its psychic power, looking down at Gengar from high above. Its eyes were filled with disdain, as if to say: That’s what you get for taunting me!

Clearly, while Medicham had appeared calm in the face of Gengar’s earlier provocation, that didn’t mean it didn’t have a temper!