Chapter 263: Yoga Pose

"Good teamwork!"

Fujisu recalled the fainted Machoke and couldn't help but praise, "Looks like you did quite a bit of homework in advance. With that kind of mindset, no matter how big the wave is, it shouldn't be much for you."

The gym leader, experienced as he was, could naturally see that All Baimu and Mawile had devised tactics targeting his habits and his Pokémon, which was why he defeated Machoke so smoothly without needing much in-the-moment command.

Whether it was preventing it from touching the ground to hinder force dissipation and exertion, or using Taunt to stop Machoke from powering up, both could be called grasping the key points.

Fujisu didn't dislike this kind of puzzle-solving challenge to the gym—in fact, he very much encouraged it.

In his view, doing this homework was like preparing different boards for different waves, each with its own counter-strategy; the key wasn't how well the tactics were formulated.

But whether the tactics could be successfully executed.

"You're too kind."

All Baimu nodded, looked at the slightly panting Mawile that had returned to his side, and quietly praised, "Nicely done."

"Cheedoo~"

Mawile stuck out a thumbs-up without looking back.

Then.

Fujisu took out his second Poké Ball. "Go! Meditite!"

Peng!

"Jii!"

After the white light flickered, accompanied by a resounding shout, a pink humanoid Pokémon that stood on one leg with a body as flexible as a noodle landed on the field.

Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon. Its usual Ability is Pure Power, which has the terrifying effect of doubling its Attack.

In other words, its hits hurt especially, especially hard—Fighting-weak Pokémon would have a very tough time enduring it.

But All Baimu had long since found a countermeasure.

"Baton Pass!"

Before Meditite even landed, he had already begun switching Pokémon.

A white light lit up atop Mawile's head, turning it into a streak of white light that flew back into the Poké Ball on his waist. At the same time, another Poké Ball automatically opened, releasing the Galarian Corsola inside.

Sensing the threatening aura from its opponent, its smoke-like tentacles all unfurled.

Like flowers in full bloom.

And beneath its body flickered electricity, while its surface seemed to shimmer faintly with silver light—these were the signs of inherited Magnet Rise and Iron Defense.

"Oh? Corsola?"

Fujisu was stunned, taking several seconds before he realized this was no ordinary Corsola.

Seeing his expression, All Baimu once again felt that Pokémon from the Galar region must be quite uncommon here. How fierce was their gym league system? Don't trainers ever go traveling?

Back to the matter at hand.

According to information available online, this Meditite that Fujisu frequently brought out for battle did not know Foul Play.

That's right.

Although many of his Fighting-type Pokémon knew it, Meditite in particular hadn't mastered this key move. Whether he deliberately left it as a path to victory for challengers, or it really couldn't learn it, was unknown.

Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that the Meditite before him wasn't the one he usually sent out, but regardless, choosing Galarian Corsola to counter was absolutely correct.

"Stick to the plan!"

All Baimu used Curse right from the start. After all, when the opponent couldn't freely switch Pokémon, moves like Curse and Perish Song were the easiest to use and very hard to counter.

A surge of dark light rose within Galarian Corsola, rapidly transforming into a ferocious, monstrous shadow that shrieked and suddenly flew toward Meditite!

"Smash it with Zen Headbutt!"

Fujisu shouted.

Meditite leaped sharply, its entire body nimbly flipping upside down. A pale blue light lit up on its forehead, gathering tremendous psychic power, and it slammed headfirst into the monstrous shadow.

With a loud Peng De, the latter shattered into countless black fragments.

But before he could feel relieved, those fragments seemed to come back to life, all pouring into Meditite's shadow.

"Did it fail?"

Fujisu was a bit regretful. He had indeed seen through that the monstrous shadow's true identity was Curse rather than Shadow Ball, but helplessly, Galarian Corsola's Curse was simply too strong—even Meditite's psychic power couldn't resist it.

As far as he knew, the stronger the grudge in one's heart, the more terrifying Curse's effect became. Could Galarian Corsola possibly harbor some deep grudge?

Thinking this, he didn't dare gamble that Meditite could endure Galarian Corsola's Curse. "Shadow Ball!"

"Jii!"

Meditite gathered its hands before its chest, and a deep purple energy ball crackling with dark electricity rapidly took shape, hurtling toward Galarian Corsola.

"Block it with Ancient Power!"

A deep brown energy halo gathered behind Galarian Corsola, and powerful Rock-type energy surged forward, instantly blasting the incoming Shadow Ball apart.

Peng!

Smoke swirled, but within it another light shone.

Without a doubt, this was the sign of Ancient Power's side effect triggering—Galarian Corsola's all stats had risen.

"What a tough opponent. This reminds me of a huge wave last month—constantly changing, giving Hariyama and me quite a hard time—but in the end, we still conquered it! Zen Headbutt!"

Fujisu, who couldn't go three sentences without mentioning surfing, shouted. Meditite, as if sensing its trainer's will, charged forward, reaching Galarian Corsola at extreme speed and leaping up.

Its figure suddenly flipped upside down.

Descending!

Bang!

With a dull thud, psychic power continuously seeped into Galarian Corsola's body along with its attack, even cracking the ground beneath, forming web-like large-scale fractures.

It had to be said, Meditite's attack was very fierce—any other Pokémon would very likely have been unable to withstand it.

Fortunately, Galarian Corsola's physical and special defenses were extremely high, and it also possessed an Eviolite that could boost its defensive capabilities. Combined with the defense boosts from Iron Defense and Ancient Power, enduring this was quite easy.

In fact, letting Qia Lei Mu get close was also one of Baimu's main objectives.

"Absorb power!"

He shouted.

However, without the trainer needing to say more, the Galarian Corsola had already pierced its smoke tentacles into Qia Lei Mu's body, drawing out green light points from within to replenish its own lost stamina.

Qia Lei Mu's face showed agony; its attack power, wrapped in black Qi all over, was dropping, and its body, tormented by the curse, was constantly accelerating stamina drain — this situation was very dangerous.

"Fall back quickly!" Fujiki's face changed.

But having finally closed in, how could Baimu and the Galarian Corsola possibly let it leave so easily. "Whirlpool!"

Crystal-clear water rapidly gathered from the air, and in an instant coalesced into a swift vortex that enveloped Qia Lei Mu within it, tearing at its body and refusing to let it leave.

"Use Yogi Pose!"

Fujiki's shout made Qia Lei Mu, suffering under the pain of the water's assault, expression harden; it forcibly assumed a strange meditation pose, its body wrapped in blue light, and like appearing in another dimension, its toes lightly tapped the air, breaking free from the involuntary state.

"WTF?"

Baimu was stunned — Yogi Pose could be used like that?

The strategy guide clearly didn't have this entry; it seemed to be a hidden trick Fujiki had kept up his sleeve.