Chapter 114 After Half a Day of Strengthening, the Black Mist Returns to the Starting Point!
"As expected of the Gym Leader, he gained the upper hand in no time."
"Removing the restriction on switching Pokémon is a qualitative leap for the Gym Leader."
Many spectators on the stage were whispering among themselves, praising Bai Yu's command.
Even if their command skills weren't high, they clearly understood how strong Bai Yu was on the field. In that instant, the Aggron, which had fallen into a state of confusion, not only recovered from the confusion but also gained the advantage.
"His bond with Aggron is very deep."
The uncle who spoke earlier spoke again.
"Yes, without such a deep bond, how could the Pokémon stand up in that situation? Now I believe the Gym Leader has the strength to defeat the Champion."
Combining the previous rumors with Hua Yue's performance, everyone was even more convinced that the Bai Yu in front of them had once defeated Daigo.
"That Mightyena can no longer find any opportunity to attack."
Yes, the opponent's attack was raised to a higher level for no reason. Even if Hua Yue wanted to launch an attack, she would have to consider the state of Aggron.
With its attack power significantly increased, a simple Metal Claw attack nearly killed the Mightyena.
Hua Yue needed a completely new strategy to steer the match in his favor, even to the point of turning the tide in his favor.
"Aggron, Thunder Punch!"
Holding the advantage, Bai Yu wouldn't give Hua Yue many opportunities.
Aggron's right fist gathered an arc of electricity, its power far exceeding expectations due to the increased physical attack.
Charging forward, its normally cumbersome body unleashed astonishing speed, the ground trembling with its charge.
"Protect."
Hua Yue frowned. The Mightyena couldn't control the Haze; in this situation, only Haze could neutralize Aggron's increased physical attack.
He couldn't find a way to attack either, so he could only use Protect to see if he could block Aggron's current attack and find a point for his next strike.
Aggron suddenly charged at Mightyena, creating an energy barrier in front of it. The fragile barrier, barely formed, was shattered by a single punch from Aggron.
Mightyena was caught in the shockwave, staggering back several steps. Aggron, undeterred, continued its attack through the dust, forcing Mightyena to dodge passively.
"Such power… that boost to Attack is crucial."
Hua Yue gritted his teeth. He knew perfectly well that shattering the barrier could
only be a consequence of that one bluff. This guy's Pokémon recovered from its confused state so quickly; the bond between them was deeper than expected.
Mightyena tried to dodge again, but Aggron suddenly accelerated, delivering a powerful punch to its abdomen. Mightyena's face contorted in pain, its eyeballs nearly popping out—the damage was more severe than anticipated.
Its entire body flew out, tumbling across the ground before crashing into a wall and finally coming to a stop. The Mightyena was too exhausted to continue fighting, enveloped in dust.
"Impossible! Even if you boost your Attack, how could one Thunder Punch possibly kill my Mightyena?"
Hua Yue's pupils constricted slightly. That was a Champion-level Pokémon!
It was easily defeated with a single punch? How could such a thing happen?
Unless… that Aggron's strength far surpassed Mightyena's, just one step away from becoming a Champion. If that were the case, boosting its Attack would indeed achieve that.
"Did you see that? That Aggron's move just now, one Thunder Punch, instantly killed that Mightyena! Keep in mind, that was a Champion-level Mightyena!"
"What Aggron? I already said that Pokémon was called Aggron."
"The bluff's side effects are showing; its Attack stat has increased by two points."
"Yeah, just two points more, and it can one-shot a Mightyena. That Aggron is also quite strong; it should be Champion-level."
"To be able to one-shot like that, even if it's not a Champion, it's not far from it."
The spectators outside the arena kept discussing Aggron's strength.
Aggron hadn't appeared in the previous battle.
They had only seen Bai Yu's Electivire, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn.
Among them, Electivire left the deepest impression. That Electivire was incredibly strong. Many trainers watching the battle used their Pokédex to look up Electivire after seeing it.
They also wanted to have such a powerful Pokémon as their partner.
"Insane~"
Hua Yue squeezed out these two words. It was only one step away from becoming a Champion, and it looked much younger than her. No wonder Daigo praised it at such a young age, and no wonder he said Bai Yu was his successor.
Such strength would make him a potential champion in any region.
Even the legendary Elite Four member, Genji, couldn't display such terrifying dominance with his Salamence. This Kanto Gym Leader is truly frightening.
"..." Hua Yue frowned as he thought about it.
He considered which Pokémon to use against the Aggron in front of him.
Before Generation V, Dark-type moves dealt half the damage to Steel-type Aggron.
Starting in Generation VI, the type system changed, and the resistance between the two types disappeared.
Most importantly, Hua Yue's Pokémon were mostly physical attackers, and his special attackers primarily used Dark-type moves. Even his main Pokémon, Absol, was primarily a physical attacker.
Adding to the problem was the presence of Toxic Spikes and his Toxapex.
The situation was extremely unfavorable for Hua Yue; he was practically ready to surrender.
"Phew~ I'm the Hoenn Elite Four member, I need to at least switch Pokémon."
Hua Yue's only thought was to switch to a Flying-type Pokémon, even if it was Toxapex.
When he returned, it wouldn't be too embarrassing for the League to ask, at least he had replaced one of Bai Yu's main Pokémon, even if it was the Deviljho from the Spikes team.
"Come back, Mightyena."
Hua Yue took out a Poké Ball and recalled Mightyena.
His only Pokémon capable of battle, and thinking of that, Hua Yue also threw out his second Poké Ball.
A white light flashed, and a Pokémon that looked like a cactus appeared on the field, wearing a green hat with a triangular, upside-down structure, and its eyes looked very strange.
It was also a Pokémon that could only be found in other regions.
'Ding~ Cacturne, Grass/Dark type, found in the Hoenn region.'
Ability: Sand Veil
Moves: Spikes, Poison Sting, Destiny Bond, Leech Seed, Seed Bomb, Sucker Punch, Foul Play, Pin Missile, Cotton Spore, Sandstorm, Energy Ball, Protect, Poison Jab, Dig, Curse, Double-Edge...
Description: Inhabits the desert. It becomes active at night to hunt prey that is exhausted from the desert heat.
"That Pokémon from the Hoenn region looks unusual."
"Yeah, that look in its eyes is so eerie."
"No wonder it's a Pokémon from the desert."
In the stands, a trainer with a National Pokédex scanned the Cacturne on the field. Everyone had heard the Pokédex description and felt quite uneasy about the Cacturne. As
soon as Cacturne appeared, the Toxic Spikes on the field silently pierced its body, and a deep purple light merged into its body.
"Destiny Bond, or a stinger?"
"Come back, Aggron." Bai Yu didn't think much and immediately recalled Aggron.
With Aggron's strength, it could easily defeat Cacturne.
However, Bai Yu wanted to win in other ways, and he still had to be wary of Destiny Bond.
Destiny Bond is a god-tier move that allows for a one-for-one trade when the opponent is near death. As long as the opponent's strength doesn't exceed that limit, it can turn the tide of battle in a match, so it's worth taking precautions against.
"Roar?"
Aggron turned its head to look at Bai Yu, and was immediately put into a Poké Ball by Bai Yu as soon as it roared.
Immediately after, Bai Yu took out another Poké Ball and threw it forward.
"Go, Toxapex!"
It was Toxapex again. As soon as Toxapex appeared, it waved its tentacles, pretending to be very powerful.
"Toxapex again."
Hua Yue wanted to switch out one of Bai Yu's Pokémon, so she specifically chose Cacturne to deal with Aggron.
Unexpectedly, Bai Yu also switched Pokémon, using Toxapex to counter it.
Although Cacturne is a Dark-type Pokémon, its main type is Grass-type, and it doesn't know many Dark-type moves, not even Taunt.
Hua Yue didn't dare to recall Cacturne rashly. The field was already covered with Toxic Spikes. If Cacturne appeared again, the poisoned status would turn into a badly poisoned status.
The speed at which it would lose its ability to battle would be even faster than it was now.
Disgusting Toxic Spikes, why does it have a move like Toxic Spikes? That evil Poison-type Pokémon!!!
"Toxapex, Toxic Spikes." Bai Yu said with a smile on his face, seemingly nonchalant.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Toxapex swayed, the small, diamond-shaped spikes even darker than before, the blackish-purple poison spikes sinking into the ground.
Seeing this, Hua Yue's lips twitched; his next Pokémon would be poisoned from the start.
He didn't yet have a Spike-Clearing Pokémon to offer any resistance.
"This is too much! Cacturne, unleash Bullet Seed!"
Cacturne spat out countless seeds forward, flying at incredible speed, densely packed in front of Toxapex.
A Grass-type Bullet Seed.
The number and frequency of seeds released were inconsistent, fluctuating between 2 and 5.
"Awesome!"
A purple light flashed in Toxapex's eyes, and a barrier slowly enveloped its entire body.
Countless seeds violently struck the barrier, each seed, upon contact, tinged with a purple light, then withered and fell to the ground.
Not a single seed hit Toxapex's body.
"That same 'fortress' move again."
"The Gym Leader is disgusting. Luckily, Elite Four member Hua Yue didn't let Cacturne rush in to attack. If it had touched that barrier, it would have ended up like that big oaf from before."
"Yeah, I still remember how that Pokémon looked half-dead from the poison. It's terrifying to think about."
The audience seats were full of regulars who remembered the previous match.
It was too sinful. If Cacturne had recklessly charged in, the match would have been over.
"Spikes."
Seeds withered and fell one by one, and the Bullet Seed rounds were exhausted.
Toxapex continued to shake its body. This time, unlike the diamond-shaped spikes it released before, this time it carried a heavy earthy aura and sank into the ground.
"Spikes! There's more Spikes?!"
Hua Yue completely lost her composure. Two layers of Toxic Spikes were bad enough, but there was another one.
The Pokémon that entered the battle not only had to suffer from the poison, but also had to take damage at the beginning.
How could this guy's battle style be so dirty? Could it be that Toxapex also has a Stealth Rock?
Hua Yue stared intently at the Toxapex, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind.
If there really was a Stealth Rock, what kind of torment would his third Pokémon suffer?
Was this really a Pokémon battle?!
He couldn't believe that after so many years of dedicated Pokémon battles, he'd encountered such a… trainer.
"Cacturne, Nasty Plot!"
He'd rather be disgusting than let his Pokémon withstand the damage from Cacturne.
Hua Yue didn't choose to attack, or rather, he gave up on attacking.
Taking advantage of Cacturne's weakened poisoning, he used Nasty Plot to boost its Special Attack.
He instantly killed the Toxapex in front of him. Even if Bai Yu sent out a Pokémon like Aggron, there would be room for a fight.
A black light flashed in Cacturne's eyes, and its body emitted a white light, its power increasing to a new level.
"His combat skills are quite rich. Without provocation, he uses trickery to increase the power of his moves, trying to avoid sending a third Pokémon into battle. This is a good strategy."
Bai Yu underestimated the Elite Four members in reality. Trainers who can serve as Elite Four members
far surpass ordinary trainers in combat skills. They can come up with countermeasures that ordinary trainers wouldn't think of in a short time.
This is the most fundamental difference between Elite Four members and ordinary trainers.
"Toxapex, Spikes."
Two layers of Toxic Spikes, one layer of Spikes. The number of Spikes used will be less, so it won't have a significant impact on the subsequent battle.
Using boosting to avoid battle is indeed a good strategy.
However, he is facing Toxapex.
What does it matter if he boosts? As long as he can control the field and fill it with Spikes of all kinds, it doesn't matter whether his third Pokémon enters the battle or not.
In that state, even if Bai Yu's strength is not as good as Hua Yue's, he can rely on defending against these kinds of moves to drag out the rounds and let the poison continuously erode the opponent.
Seize the opportunity to launch an attack and you will definitely win the match.
"Critical Hit again?" Hua Yue was taken aback, staring at the Toxapex. "Hmph! Cacturne, use Nasty Plot!"
Let's see. A Cacturne that has used Nasty Plot three times is enough to turn the entire battlefield upside down.
Even a fully powered Aggron would have a hard time withstanding a Cacturne's constantly increasing Special Attack. His Cacturne was indeed a Champion-level Pokémon, and a Cacturne with its Special Attack increased by six levels would unleash power comparable to a fully powered Champion-level Pokémon.
"Critical Hit." Bai Yu completely ignored the Cacturne's increased Special Attack.
He continued to use Critical Hit, and the number of stacks increased to three at this moment.
Three stacks of Critical Hit and two stacks of Toxic Spikes. Even a Steel-type Pokémon, which is immune to Poison-type attacks, couldn't withstand the terrifying damage from three stacks of Critical Hit.
"Nasty Plot!"
Hua Yue's eyes flickered slightly. A Cacturne with six stacks of Special Attack boost—he had never faced such a satisfying situation in all his time as a Champion.
Bai Yu did give him a chance to attack, a chance to attack with all his might.
"I admit you are very strong, but my Cacturne is even stronger."
"Take a good look, the Energy Ball of Cacturne at full power."
"Die, Bai Yu!!"
Bai Yu's lips curled into a slight smile as he calmly uttered two words.
"Haze~"
There's one more chapter, I'm a little slow writing it today.
I'll release it around 10:30, don't worry.
Toxapex can use Haze, its only weakness is the lack of forced switching moves like Dragon Tail, and the absence of moves like Taunt to prevent status changes. Toxapex isn't afraid of boosting; it'd rather you boost to level six, one Haze and you're back to square one.
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(End of Chapter)