Chapter 546: Brutal Beatdown of Lucario

Inside the Tower of Mastery.

Baimu silently watched the battle between Mi Ke Li and Alain.

From how Mega Charizard could send Mega Lucario flying into a wall with a single Dragon Claw, it was easy to see that Alain's strength had already reached its peak from his XY incarnation.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Charizard wins! The winner of this Gym battle is the challenger, Alain!"

The referee's voice was quite resonant.

Just as he himself had been jointly coached by Adam and Champion Dawu, Fladri had also lined up plenty of powerful trainers for Alain to grind experience against.

He'd even called in the Kalos Elite Four member, Wikstrom.

Therefore, over the past month, Alain and Mega Charizard, tempered by ten consecutive battles, had grown explosively stronger — visibly a far cry from before.

Of course.

This was also related to Alain's resolve.

To protect Mairin and Professor Sycamore, to help the Chespin who had fallen unconscious from Team Flare's experiments recover soon, and to be able to battle Ash, who had touched his heart, at the League Conference — too many things he wanted to do pushed him and Charizard forward.

In game terms, three super buffs, no question!

The only question was whether those three super buffs would still be there after Team Flare made their move.

After all, Ash and his Bond Greninja were only one move behind Alain and Mega Charizard — they'd only lost because their final big move clashed and didn't win out.

With the situation changing, could Alain still hold onto that resolve?

Baimu found himself oddly looking forward to it.

After all, the Kalos League Conference finals were a sore spot for most anime fans. The pre-release buildup had been so thorough, and the title had even been specially crafted as "The Champion of the Kalos League — Ash's Ultimate Battle."

If you didn't already know the result, surely nine out of ten would have thought this one was in the bag, right?

Who would have thought…

One could only say the production team really knew how to play, turning so many anime fans who'd been expecting Ash to take the championship into clowns.

Baimu naturally also stood on Ash's side.

After all, he'd watched Ash's journey all the way from the original series — saying "this kid grew up before my eyes" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Looking forward to it.

However, perhaps his gaze was too intense — Alain below, who had just collected his Badge, glanced his way, but unfortunately saw nothing.

"What's wrong?"

Mi Ke Li, dressed in her roller-skating girl outfit, asked curiously.

Alain assumed it was just his imagination, shook his head, and said: "It's nothing."

Meanwhile.

Baimu followed Ramos up to the upper levels of the Tower of Mastery.

Although he trusted that Alain wouldn't have nothing better to do than tell Fladri he'd come to Kalos, just to avoid that tiny possibility, it was better to keep out of sight.

"I really want to have a battle to test my strength."

He was curious which side had grown more after both had spent a month developing.

Whether Mega Aggron could still keep Mega Charizard suppressed.

Unfortunately, the odds were he wouldn't get the chance.

He couldn't meet Alain before Champion Dawu and the others made their move, and after they did, Alain probably wouldn't be in the mood either. He couldn't exactly stay in Kalos waiting for Alain to get his head back in the game, could he?

No need.

Baimu put it out of his mind and focused on listening to Ramos explain the history of the Tower of Mastery.

They reached the top of the tower.

The two gazed out at the faintly visible dark outline of the Mega Island in the distance, noticing the sky seemed to be darkening.

"It's getting late — why don't you stay for a simple meal, Baimu-kun?"

Ramos offered proactively.

Baimu had originally planned to refuse, but after thinking it over, he pulled out his phone, glanced at the news from the Azoth Kingdom for a moment, and softly agreed.

If he remembered correctly, the movie's entire plot spanned two days and two nights, and the crises Ash and the others ran into all happened in the morning or the middle of the night. With dusk approaching, there was no need for him to rush.

Let Aggron and the others have a proper meal first.

Mainly, he was here for the shiny Gengar and Zygarde Z1 — they hadn't even shown up yet, so what was the rush?

Sit on his hands and wait for the plot to develop?

The key issue was: what identity to use to join the main cast and earn the trust of Ash and even Z1 was also something worth thinking over carefully.

Down below.

Alain departed along the path revealed by the receding tide.

From behind came the rumbling sound of wheels rolling.

"Grandpa!"

The newcomer was none other than the youthful and pretty Mi Ke Li. She was quite startled upon spotting Baimu and asked: "The second challenger today?"

"No, Baimu-kun is a guest."

Ramos briefly explained the situation.

Mi Ke Li's face immediately showed an interested expression, and she said curiously: "Chasing a shiny Rayquaza? That's amazing!"

"I'm only following behind it, Young Lady Mi Ke Li. As a Gym Leader, you're far more impressive than I am." Baimu smiled.

Unexpectedly, those words made Mi Ke Li a little embarrassed.

"Not at all — I only inherited the Gym under Grandpa's guidance."

She blushed and waved her hands dismissively.

Ramos laughed: "Hahaha, let's go down and eat! Lucario and the others must be getting impatient!"

The three of them walked down from the top of the tower and came to the dining hall.

Dinner was unexpectedly delicious.

As a former simulation subject—the chef's old stomping ground—Baimu had always held a certain expectation for Karlos's cooking, and it did not disappoint him.

The stews, braised dishes, and even the soups, even though Korkoal claimed they were merely home cooking, greatly satisfied his palate.

The Pokémon such as Aggron gave equally high marks.

This made Baimu begin to imagine the chef—Lokomoko personally crafting glowing cuisine, and he swore that even for the sake of 【Golduck's Smile】, he had to stop Team Flare's plot.

If Lumiose City were torn down, who would make up for the glowing cuisine he was missing?

While Baimu was enjoying dinner, Korrina kept glancing at Aggron and Mawile; as an inheritor of Mega Evolution, she had spotted the Mega Stones on the two of them almost at first glance.

It was hard not to feel a little itch in her heart.

A battle between inheritors using Mega Evolution could be called a "tradition" in Kalos.

Korrina sipped her soup absent-mindedly, spilling half of every half-spoonful she took, which made Korkoal knit his brows tightly.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"

He coughed heavily twice, which only just called Korrina's scattered wits back; seeing her sheepish expression, he sighed inwardly, then looked toward Baimu and said, "If Baimu-kun has nothing pressing to attend to, might I suggest staying the night at the Gym? The rooms are very spacious and plentiful."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I do still have things I need to do."

Baimu ignored Korrina's suddenly brightening eyes and declined the invitation.

Of course, he wasn't a fool—how could he not know what Korkoal's true purpose was in inviting him—so he looked directly at Korrina and said: "However, I'm very interested in Young Lady Korrina's Mega Lucario. I wonder if there's a chance for a battle that ends at a touch?"

"Yes, yes!"

The underage little Gym Leader sprang up, slapped the table, and nodded frantically.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"

Korkoal coughed forcefully, glared at his granddaughter who was anything but composed, then turned his head and said: "Sorry for the embarrassment."

Baimu smiled and said nothing.

Korrina's personality is extremely similar to Ash's—both are the cheerful, lively type, and both are especially passionate about Pokémon battles; she had even once recorded a hundred-battle winning streak of her own.

How could a trainer like her possibly remain unmoved upon seeing Aggron and the others?

——

After dinner.

After a period of digestion.

Outside, the sky had already gone completely dark; numerous lights illuminated the Tower of Mastery, making the originally somewhat dim Gubao bright.

Battle arena.

Korrina, roller skates on her feet, circled the wall once, then pivoted nimbly on the spot, and looked at Baimu across from her.

"Are you really only using one Pokémon to decide the match?"

"Mm."

The latter responded, glancing at the reply from Balza on his phone.

Fifteen minutes…

Surely that would be enough to wrap up the battle, right? After all, it's only one match, and Korrina isn't Mi Ke Li—Lucario shouldn't be that hard to handle.

"Well then, alright."

Korrina was a little disappointed; she had actually wanted to battle both of her Mega-Evolving Pokémon once…

If possible, an all-out battle would have been acceptable too.

Korkoal walked slowly to the referee's seat and announced in a clear voice: "This battle's referee will be me! How does that sound to you?"

Naturally, they agreed in unison.

As for the referee—although it does require a certain level of battle literacy and knowledge, barring any special circumstances there's really not much presence; whoever takes the role is the same.

"Now about to begin…"

Korkoal loudly announced the match rules, and Baimu silently took out a Poké Ball.

The instant he shouted "Begin."

He threw it!

Bang!

A flash of Bai Guang.

"Chaa~"

Mawile landed, the red ribbon on her head fluttering in the wind.

Across the field, Lucario appeared; its well-proportioned build and sharp eyes gave it the look of something not to be trifled with.

Baimu and Korrina locked eyes—one tugged at his pendant, the other threw fluid punches and kicks.

"Mega Evolve!"

"Life! Burst! Mega Evolve!"

In an instant.

Brilliant colored light completely enveloped the two Pokémon; lightning-like psychic chains linked up in the air, erupting in an even more dazzling radiance.

After a brief breath, both revealed entirely new forms.

"Awoo!"

Mega Lucario stood tall and proud; boiling energy stirred up a layer of swirling air, making the bandage-like fur on the back of its head flutter in the wind.

Cool it certainly was—very cool.

But the size… was quite a bit shorter than imagined, probably only about 1.3 to 1.4 meters?

About the same level as Mega Mawile.

"Chee-doh!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

Hearing the protest, All Baimu immediately apologized. If he didn't conceal his current thoughts at all, most of them would be sensed by the super big-mouth baby.

The latter itself didn't have much feeling about its height; what really stung was that teasing attitude in the trainer's heart.

So what if it's short?

Did it eat your rice?

... Even if it did eat your rice, it still can't think like that! Does it have no pride?

The super big-mouth baby slightly turned its head, displeasure showing in its eyes.

Meanwhile, the opposite Mi Ke Li, seeing they hadn't attacked right away and even had the leisure to chat, couldn't help but strike a Gym Leader's pose.

"Letting your mind wander in battle isn't a good habit! Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

"Woo—"

The super Lucario let out a long, low growl, its claws loosely cupped at its sides as energy rapidly converged toward the center, transforming into a constantly pulsing, glowing blue sphere of light!

"Rao!"

Whoosh!

The sphere of light spiraled toward the super big-mouth baby.

At the same time.

The super Lucario's right leg stepped back slightly, and with a sharp *shua*, it suddenly vanished on the spot!

This was one of Mi Ke Li's tried-and-true offensive patterns: use Aura Sphere to draw the opponent's attention, then rely on its high speed to circle behind the opponent and deliver an ultra-fast, ultra-powerful strike.

Having once been defeated by the super big-mouth baby, she knew full well she couldn't fight this kind of Pokémon head-on.

However.

As a Gym Leader, Mi Ke Li seemed to have forgotten that even Pokémon of the same species, raised by different trainers, would undergo different changes.

Even after Mega Evolution, this point still couldn't be avoided.

"Sucker Punch."

The super big-mouth baby calmly tilted its body sideways, its eyeballs shifting left and right. Within the two giant jaws on the back of its head—jaws like living things—black and red light swirled, and like lightning they chomped toward both directions!

Peng! Ka!

A cloud of smoke burst open.

The incoming Aura Sphere was actually bitten to pieces by one of the giant jaws, while the other giant jaw just as precisely bit down on the super Lucario that had run behind it!

"Woo!"

"Bullet Punch— eh?"

Mi Ke Li froze, then her expression changed drastically. "Lucario! Break free, quick!"

But it was already too late.

"Fire Fang!"

Boom!

Xiong Xiongliehuo surged up wildly!

Its right fist covered in silver light, the super Lucario—biting down hard and struggling desperately—was swallowed by the raging flames erupting from the giant jaws, and in an instant became a terrifying human-shaped torch!

"Rao—!"

The scream stabbed at Mi Ke Li's eardrums, and she hurriedly shouted:

"Lucario!

Use Reversal!"

"... It's no use. It's over."

All Baimu waved his hand, and the super big-mouth baby released its right giant jaw.

*Plop. *

The super Lucario, smoke curling from its whole body, collapsed powerlessly. Its radiance flowed and shifted back to its original form. The stunned Mi Ke Li lost her footing and stumbled, falling flat on her backside.

"Ah?"

Less than a minute had passed—a one-sided beating with no suspense at all!

Overwhelming power!

"Lucario is unable to battle! Mawile wins!" Kekobull announced loudly, his gaze toward All Baimu full of surprise.

Although he had known from observing the Pokémon that the latter was very strong, he hadn't expected it to be this strong.

How had he never heard of a trainer like this?

"Mm..."

All Baimu exchanged a look with the super big-mouth baby. This battle was, in the past month, the first time they'd fought a trainer other than Mi Ke Li and Adam.

He hadn't expected that in every respect they'd already grown to the point of being able to crush a Gym Leader who possessed Mega Evolution.

"Looks like the title of strongest spear belongs to you, no question."

He gave the big-mouth baby a thumbs-up.

The big-mouth baby, back in its original form, rolled its eyes, then lowered its head to look at its own small fists. Over this past month it really had been training very hard—even watching fewer TV dramas.

When it found its level hadn't risen much, it had been quite annoyed, but it hadn't expected that setting aside energy levels, it could still grow by leaps and bounds.

How nice.

The big-mouth baby still liked this kind of slow, steady sense of achievement.

"Chee-doh!"

—

Fortunately.

This battle didn't deal a serious blow to Korrina's mindset—it merely took the edge off her recent sharpness.

According to Gurkin, since she had fully mastered Mega Evolution, she had been virtually unbeatable in Gym battles, and had even grown a little smug.

The back-to-back battles with Alain and All Baimu taught her what it meant that there are always people above people, and heavens above heavens.

From this angle alone, Gurkin was very grateful for his fierce intervention.

Dear grandpa.

All Baimu offered Korrina a brief moment of silent sympathy in his heart, then formally took his leave of the two. It should be about time—if he hurried, he might even run into the Team Rocket trio.

Gurkin was a little regretful, but didn't try too hard to make him stay.

The far bank of the Tower of Mastery.

Beneath a large tree.

Hu Pa poked its head out of the golden ring, yawning: "Xiaobai, you're really busy, huh—running around even late at night. This time you actually need to find Xiaozhi."

"It's Xiaozhi."

All Baimu smiled and patted its head, walked toward the open golden ring before him, and waved: "Good night, Hu Pa."

"Go for it, Xiaobai!"

Hu Pa punched the air to cheer him on, but the next second it was getting sleepy again.

The other end of the golden ring.

In a dense forest.

All Baimu stepped out of the golden ring; the hazy firelight in the distance was quite eye-catching.

He hadn't had Hu Pa open the ring right in front of Xiaozhi—that would indeed save some of the effort needed to gain trust, but it would likely startle that nervy Volcanion.

As a Mythical Pokémon that despised humans, an All Baimu suddenly appearing would very possibly get attacked by it with Steam Eruption or Hydro Pump.

He wasn't a masochist, so naturally he didn't want to be treated that way.

Facts proved it.

All Baimu's judgment was correct—right now Xiaozhi's group, along with Volcanion and Magearna, should be evading the villains' pursuit, heading overland toward the Nebel Plateau.

Everyone's nerves were taut.

Sure enough.

The moment he—he was about to step in that direction, a sharp question rang directly inside his mind.

"You! Who are you!?"