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"Damn it!" Gym Leader Brawly cursed inwardly.
The rhythm, the pace, the thought process... everything seemed to be firmly controlled by his opponent, and this feeling left him with a deep sense of powerlessness.
"This is it, Malamar!"
Ariel's voice suddenly rose, seizing that fleeting opportunity in battle.
"Superpower!"
Taking advantage of the moment when Hariyama's move was spent—the old strength gone and the new not yet born—Malamar's fifth "Superpower" had arrived!
This time, Hariyama didn't even have a chance to retreat, being hit head-on by that violent energy!
"Bang!"
A heavy, muffled sound rang out. Hariyama's massive body was sent flying, tracing a parabola in mid-air before crashing heavily into the other side of the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The energy fluctuations on Malamar had almost become tangible. Deep purple light enveloped its entire body, and in those eerie eyes between the tentacles on its head, a heart-palpitating red light flickered.
Attack and Defense, stacked for the fifth time!
The entire audience was silent.
Everyone was stunned.
"Is... is this really a Malamar? How can a Psychic-type and Dark-type Pokémon use moves even more violent than a Fighting-type?"
"This is too ridiculous. It gets stronger with every attack. Is there any way to survive this?"
"Gym Leader Brawly... has really met his match this time."
Gym Leader Brawly's face had turned somewhat pale. He knew that the situation was lost.
The Hariyama now was no longer facing a simple Malamar, but a terrifying fortress with its Attack and Defense stacked to near-limit levels!
"Hariyama, can you still stand?" In Gym Leader Brawly's voice, there was a trace of trembling he himself hadn't noticed.
The dust settled. Inside the crater, Hariyama struggled, using its thick arms to prop up its battered body. Its gaze still held no surrender; that was the final dignity of a warrior.
"Amazing fighting spirit." Ariel praised sincerely, but this would not make him show mercy.
Using his full strength was the greatest respect for that fighting spirit.
"Malamar, send it off."
Ariel's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every corner of the arena.
This time, he did not call out the name of the move.
Malamar, in perfect sync with him, slowly hovered upwards. All its tentacles converged, aiming at the distant Hariyama, like a siege hammer that had accumulated ten thousand jin of force.
The sixth "Superpower"!
And also, the final time, fully stacking its Attack and Defense!
This strike had no flashy light effects, only power that was pure to the extreme and compressed to the extreme! Even the air was compressed under this force, emitting a piercing sonic boom!
"Roar—!"
Hariyama let out a final roar. It crossed its arms to protect its chest, concentrating all its remaining strength on that one point, making a final defense.
However, in front of Malamar, which had already raised its physical capabilities to the limit, all of this seemed so pale and powerless.
Boom—!
A deafening impact echoed throughout the Dewford Town Battle Gym.
The moment Hariyama's arms made contact with that force, they were crushed like dry twigs.
That unrivaled force drove straight in, slamming heavily into its chest.
The light in Hariyama's eyes was completely extinguished.
Its massive body, like a puppet with cut strings, slowly fell backward, crashing into the ground with a dull thud, and then it made no more sound.
"Hariyama is unable to battle! Malamar wins!"
The referee's flag, held high, was exceptionally conspicuous in the silent arena.
After a brief deathly silence, cheers and applause erupted like a volcanic eruption, almost blowing the roof off the entire arena!
"My god! A two-for-one sweep! And a complete, thorough crushing!"
"That Malamar, did it max out its Attack and Defense? It's simply a monster in a squid's skin!"
"Gym Leader Brawly is in big trouble! A Fighting-type Gym, swept by a Dark-type Pokémon using Fighting-type moves—where can he go to reason with this?"
The sounds of discussion and exclamation merged into a huge wave of sound.
On the battlefield, Ariel just calmly looked at Gym Leader Brawly opposite him.
At this moment, there was no longer disbelief on Gym Leader Brawly's face, replaced instead by a deep sense of powerlessness.
He was a Fighting-type Gym Leader, and his team prided itself on peak physical attacks and close-quarters combat.
But now, this Malamar sent out by Ariel had higher Attack than his Pokémon and thicker Defense than his Pokémon!
Facing Ariel, who used Dark-types, he, the Fighting-type Gym Leader, had completely fallen into a disadvantage!
Gym Leader Brawly's expression was very ugly. His pride as a Fighting-type Gym Leader was being crushed inch by inch by his opponent using the purest Fighting-type moves.
This was even more humiliating than any type disadvantage.
"Come back, Hariyama."
The sound of Gym Leader Brawly retrieving his Poké Ball was a bit jarringly clear in the silent arena.
He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed between struggle and determination, another Poké Ball held tightly in his hand.
"Go, Lucario!"
A flash of light passed, and a Pokémon with a robust figure and a haughty temperament appeared on the field.
Its dual Steel and Fighting-type typing gave it a cold, hard, metallic texture all over its body.
In the spectator stands, some knowledgeable Trainers gasped.
"Lucario? Fighting and Steel... what is Gym Leader Brawly doing..."
"Is he crazy? That Malamar has maxed out its Attack; one Fighting-type Superpower will be super effective against the Steel-type! Lucario probably won't last a single hit!"
"No, look at Lucario's speed!"
Ariel's gaze was as calm as water, but in his heart, he had already calculated all the data.
Lucario's base speed stat far exceeded Malamar's, and the effect of Trick Room had long since disappeared. Gym Leader Brawly's intention couldn't be more obvious.
He wasn't trying to win.
He intended to use his strongest trump card to wear down and trade away this "monster" of his that had already taken shape!
"Lucario, Extreme Speed!"
Gym Leader Brawly's command was decisive and swift.
Lucario's figure instantly turned into a blue-black afterimage, moving at high speed across the wide arena, giving Malamar absolutely no chance to get close.
Its movements were smooth and graceful, and every turn and every pivot carried a beauty that was almost artistic, perfectly utilizing its speed advantage to the extreme.
"Aura Sphere!"
The command was given again.
Lucario suddenly paused during its high-speed movement. Between its paws, a dark blue energy sphere rapidly condensed, carrying the guaranteed-hit effect of Lock-On, whistling as it shot toward Malamar.
Ariel did not issue an order to dodge.
It was useless.
And it couldn't be dodged.
A move like Aura Sphere is guaranteed to hit!
"Bang!"
The energy sphere exploded on Malamar's massive body, emitting a muffled thud.
"Continue! Don't stop! Keep your distance!"
Gym Leader Brawly's voice resounded throughout the arena, carrying a trace of unquestionable determination.
The following scene turned into a game of cat and mouse, or rather, a contest between a hunter and a giant beast.
Lucario was like an elegant assassin, constantly circling the slow-moving Malamar. Every pause meant a precise Aura Sphere was fired.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
One shot after another.
Aura Spheres bombarded Malamar one after another, exploding into ripples of blue energy.
On Malamar's dark skin, scorched black marks began to appear, and its breathing became heavy.
It waved its tentacles angrily, each time slamming them heavily onto the ground, kicking up large amounts of gravel and dust, yet it couldn't even touch Lucario's shadow.
The audience's hearts were in their throats.
"Such... such an amazing kiting tactic!"
"Gym Leader Brawly is just chipping away at it! But if he keeps it up long enough, even the thickest health bar won't be able to hold out!"
"Contestant Ariel is in trouble. His Malamar's speed is a fatal flaw; if this continues, it's going to be worn down to death!"