Chapter 1403

The second round of the Elite Four.

Satoshi took the lead in securing the first win, and the opponent he defeated was none other than Wataru's ace, Kairyu.

This genuinely refreshed many people's initial impression of him as a greenhorn brat.

As for Wataru's performance...

One can only say, old geezer, you've been power-crept out of the meta!

A mere Flying-type Elite using Flying-type moves in front of the Flying-type Champion? How is that any different from brandishing a broadsword before Guan Gong?

Of course, the main reason is still that this version of Satoshi is too overpowered, with a growth rate that's fast and stats that are high, exaggerated to the point of being like he activated a trainer; whoever stands in his position would be laughing out loud.

Even from a type matchup perspective, Hurricane actually doesn't have much of a problem; at least it's better than Dragon-type and Normal-type which get resisted.

Worth noting is that, compared to the previous battle with Baimu, this time Wataru completely didn't let Mega Kairyu use any physical moves.

"Completely gone the special attack route, huh."

Baimu gazed at the fainted Kairyu in the arena, then suddenly tilted his head to look up at the sky above the Miracle Gate Coliseum.

The clouds and mist that should have dispersed gathered once more at this moment; the grain-sized hail turned into a fine, continuous drizzle, like the sky's mourning.

Quite a "parting gift"!

Needless to say, this was obviously Mega Kairyu's assistance to the next companion, given before it was knocked unconscious by Mega Lucario's Giant Aura Sphere — no, Giant Wave-Guiding Missile.

Pikachu's eyelids were pattered by water droplets, and it couldn't help but blink, "Pika..."

"It's okay, Mega Lucario can do it!"

At this moment, Satoshi's confidence was unprecedentedly inflated; the full system unlock made him firmly believe he would definitely win to the end.

Wataru's ace Mega Kairyu had already been defeated; the difficult obstacles ahead were completely gone!

... Is that really so?

A fine rain curtain enveloped the entire battlefield; the sky above the coliseum was overcast as ink, bean-sized raindrops fell densely, splashing rings of water flowers on the ground.

Thick water vapor gradually permeated the air; accumulated water continuously converged along the cracks of the battle platform, quickly forming puddles of varying depths.

A suppressed and tense atmosphere lingered over the entire arena; the cheers from the audience stands slowly lowered, and the commentator's tone couldn't help but become deep and somber.

Inside the arena.

Wataru recalled the unconscious Kairyu, then turned and took out another Poké Ball, his gaze still sharp, "Dragon, unyielding! King's bearing! Kairyu's dying will is entrusted to you! Kingdra!"

Bang!

Red light bloomed.

The entirely water-blue Kingdra, its dorsal fin swaying gently, appeared spiraling.

Its slender dragon-shaped body swayed nimbly in the rain; water vapor coiled around it, and its scales gleamed with a cold luster under the rain's washing.

Faint water ripples undulated beneath it; the Swift Swim Ability was activated by the rain, exuding an atmosphere that made Mega Lucario uneasy.

The two Pokémon stared at each other.

In a split second, Kingdra had already vanished from its original spot!

Mega Lucario's heart shook violently; Satoshi's voice rang by its ear, "Run! Lucario! Use your Aura to sense it!"

"Awoo!"

It barked and stepped forward; the fur on the back of its head floated slightly, and invisible Aura gradually covered the whole field.

Found it!

Its gaze fell not far away, only to see a water trace difficult for the naked eye to catch skimming close to the ground, flying swiftly — it was Kingdra pressing its body low and using Swift Swim to "soar"!

The opponent's figure in the fine rain curtain seemed like water flow itself; every tail swing carried a flowing smoothness like clouds and flowing water, and when gliding it left almost no traces, like a streak of deep blue lightning.

Satoshi and Wataru gave orders simultaneously.

"Double Team!"

"Surf!"

Both Pokémon moved accordingly, but Kingdra's activation speed was faster; it was seen fiercely swinging its tail and diving into the accumulated water on the ground.

The next moment, a surging wave several meters high crashed up from the water with a boom; the wave crest carried gravel and powerful impact force, striking toward Mega Lucario like a galloping tsunami.

Surf's range was extremely large, covering most of the field; the waves grew even more violent with the rain's empowerment, advancing with irresistible force.

At the same time, the Mega Lucario that had materialized numerous copies all leaped up in unison; their bodies suddenly gained height, lower limbs exerting force to soar into the air, drawing a smooth arc in midair.

Thud!

The surging waves crashed down heavily; water splashed in all directions, the entire field trembling slightly, residual currents washing the ground, making the field even more slippery and difficult to traverse.

After this wave, eight or nine out of ten of Mega Lucario's copies were destroyed immediately, leaving only one or two, barely any.

Seeing this, Wataru was still not satisfied; the scene of Mega Kairyu being tricked by the opponent was fresh in his mind, and he absolutely refused to repeat the same mistake.

"Hydro Pump! Swing it around!"

Kingdra suddenly raised its head; its tubular dragon mouth opened wide, and a sky-covering water flow rapidly condensed within, high-pressure water wrapped in the rain-filled sky and erupted with a boom!

Rumble!

The crystalline blue Hydro Pump was thick as a pillar, drawing a sharp and deadly arc in the rain curtain, pressing straight toward all the Mega Lucario!

It was like a horizontally swung giant water whip, fused as one with the rain-filled sky, as if the entire rain curtain had become an extension of its attack.

Satoshi hurriedly shouted: "Aura Sphere!"

"Awoo!"

The Mega Lucario responded, all condensing large deep-blue spheres and launching them toward the horizontally sweeping water whip!

Alas, fakes are fakes in the end; under Kingdra's merciless attack, the fake bodies were all destroyed, only the real body's Aura Sphere collided with the Hydro Pump, exploding a sky-full of water mist.

Just when Satoshi thought the Hydro Pump had been blown apart, the water mist was suddenly shattered by the giant water whip, followed immediately by a heavy strike on Mega Lucario's body, blasting it away with its arms crossed in front of it.

"Lucario!"

Satoshi cried out loudly.

The host also shouted: "Hydro Cannon hit! That move of Rainy Day packs quite a punch!"

Countless spectators watched the direction Mega Lucario flew off to, all feeling somewhat nervous.

Fortunately, due to its special form, plus the erosion from Aura Sphere, this Hydro Cannon failed to display the peerless might the host spoke of.

Mega Lucario, flung dozens of meters away, swiftly stood up, its eyes flashing with an unyielding light.

Lance flicked his cape and said: "Surf."

Garchomp submerged into the accumulated water once more, and another surging wave rose up, sweeping toward Mega Lucario from afar.

This Surf was even more fierce; all the standing water and rain merged into the wave, raising both its range and power — when it rose up it was simply comparable to a terrifying tsunami!

Ash showed no fear, shouting: "Shatter it with Aura Sphere!"

The brute's nature was revealed beyond doubt at this moment; upon discovering Shadow Clone wasn't too suitable for dodging, his train of thought directly linked to offense.

All-out offense! All-out offense!

This momentum seemed reckless, but was extremely suited to Aura; the growth of his spirit caused Mega Lucario's Aura power to surge along with it.

It charged forward on its own initiative, its eyes shrouded in blue light, both fists raised level, condensing Aura.

Pale blue radiance frantically gathered and compressed in its palm, gradually forming a spherical energy projectile the size of a human head, brilliant with light.

And with every step Mega Lucario took forward, the Aura Sphere in its hands swelled a fraction more; by the time it neared the oncoming giant wave, the Aura Sphere's scale already rivaled its own body!

Ash roared, throwing a punch: "Go——!"

"Awoo!!"

Mega Lucario violently thrust the super-giant Aura Sphere forward, causing the two moves to crash together with a boom!

Bang-dong!

A deafening huge roar reverberated through the arena.

Just like when Lucario once used a super-giant Aura Sphere to shatter Gigantamax Duraludon's Max Rock, the Surf comparable to a tsunami was actually shattered by this strike, and under Lance's moved gaze, the Aura Sphere rushed toward Garchomp!

However, only the middle portion of the Surf was shattered by the Aura Sphere; the tidal waters on both sides still surged forward incessantly, re-merging into a tide that was no longer that exaggerated but still extremely terrifying, blasting into Mega Lucario.

The latter only felt as if it had slammed into a steel wall, nearly fainting on the spot.

Garchomp wasn't faring too well either.

Although the instant the Aura Sphere shattered the tide, it relied on speed to drive itself toward the boundary to dodge, it was still affected by the shockwave produced when the Aura Sphere exploded.

Pale blue energy ripples swept the surroundings; the scales on Garchomp were blasted until they slightly burst apart, and its body shook along with it.

The rain falling from the sky also briefly paused in this tremor, only heavy after seconds before falling again.

The arena fell quiet once more.

Under the gaze of countless spectators, Mega Lucario and Garchomp each stood up.

The former was soaked all over, like a drowned rat; the latter's body surface showed scorch marks, as if struck by lightning.

Both Pokemon's appearance and condition were quite poor.

But in Ash's view, he and Mega Lucario were still in peak condition; right now was a good chance for a surprise attack, so he continued ordering: "Bullet Punch!"

"Awoo!"

Mega Lucario pushed off with its feet, its figure turning into a streak of light, instantly piercing through the drifting mist in the arena, rushing toward the faraway Garchomp, both fists gathering silvery-white Steel-type energy.

The priority move greatly increased its speed, perfectly suited for the current pursuit!

The two Pokemon rapidly closed in; unwilling to give its opponent a chance to counterattack, it ruthlessly threw punches, its fists like continuous bullets, carrying extreme speed and dense impact force, bombarding Garchomp's whole body without cease.

However, an unexpected situation occurred.

Even though fist shadows were dense as rain and the sound of tearing air connected in one piece, Mega Lucario's Bullet Punches all missed.

Completely unlike before when it painfully struck Mega Salamence, hitting its body as it leaned back, Garchomp dodged step by matching step.

At this moment it was like Ye Wen receiving Zhang Tianzhi's chain punches, precisely letting every incoming fist graze past its scales.

Bone spikes and dragon scales rubbed against each other from time to time, sparks scattering with sizzling sounds.

"Awoo..."

Mega Lucario first felt incredulous, then anger rose in its heart; it subconsciously wanted to quicken its pace, but forgot its own injuries and the slippery standing water on the ground.

The instant its feet forcefully exerted strength, its toe pads slipped, losing its center of gravity.

This out-of-control punch strangely hit Garchomp, knocking it flying, but could not let Mega Lucario link into the next punch.

Both sides pulled apart distance.

Ash suddenly felt the situation was bad, "Lucario! Shadow Clone——"

Lance: "Mean Look."

The instant Mega Lucario attempted to clone, Garchomp's eyes lit up with blue light, causing its body to be locked down, unable to use a move.

Immediately after, Garchomp advanced instead of retreating, pressing close to Mega Lucario.

"Aura Sphere!"

Ash habitually relied on Aura.

Aura indeed did not disappoint him, letting Mega Lucario break free of Mean Look's binding while simultaneously condensing a bullet the size of a human head, blasting Garchomp flying!

Bang!

Smoke and dust swirled; the second heavy hit struck Garchomp.

When it landed, its body swayed slightly, clearly injured not lightly.

But what about Mega Lucario?

Rainwater dispersed the mist, but could not disperse the circle of pale pink dense fog lingering around it.

Mega Lucario subconsciously breathed in, instantly feeling a wave of intense drowsiness sweep over its whole body like a tide, eyelids uncontrollably becoming incomparably heavy.

Ash widened his eyes, "This is……"

"Yawn! Garchomp used Yawn!"

The host gave the answer to the entire audience: "Lock onto Lucario's shadow clone to control it, then use a yawn to put Super Lucario to sleep!"

Ash noticed something was wrong and immediately tried to switch out Super Lucario, but how could Watanabe give up such a crucial opportunity?

He had already recalled Spikemuth King first, revealing the Gigantic Wristband on his right hand: "Come on! The final trump card!"

The Poké Ball expanded and he threw it out; upon opening, dazzling red light enveloped Spikemuth King, its body rapidly swelling, continuously stretching upward, ultimately becoming a colossal creature tens of meters tall!

The rain seemed to grow even more violent due to its Gigantamax transformation, pouring down in torrents, turning the entire battlefield into an ocean-like scene!

Ash's recall beam couldn't pierce through this rain curtain; he could only shout for Super Lucario to wake up.

But it was all in vain.

Watanabe shouted: "Go! Gigantic Water Flow!"

Gigantamax Spikemuth King let out a earth-shaking roar, bright blue light gathering at the tip of its thick mouthparts, forming a wave massive enough to engulf the entire battlefield!

It carried dense Gigantamax energy and violent rainwater, possessing the power to destroy heaven and earth, completely overwhelming the drowsy, sluggish Super Lucario!

Boom——!!

The tsunami-like wave surged forward, this time Super Lucario had no means to dodge or resist, only able to be swallowed by the terrifying current and drift helplessly within it.

Like a toy puppy tossed into a washing machine drum, it was relentlessly torn apart by the powerful impact of the water flow.

After several seconds, the violent waves gradually subsided, the ground still covered in standing water, muddy and treacherous.

Super Lucario lay collapsed in the muddy water, its eyes unfocused.

A flash of light passed over its body, and it returned to its original form, completely devoid of battle capability.

Deng Pei entered the field, raising his right hand to announce: "Lucario has lost battle capability! Spikemuth King wins!"

Clap!

The audience erupted in thunderous applause!

The rain continued to fall, washing over the battered battlefield, Gigantamax Spikemuth King gazing down at Lucario below, proud as befitting its "King" status.

In the second match of the second round of the Eight Masters, Watanabe emerged victorious, avenging his Dragonite with a single strike.