Chapter 617: Full-Scale Battle

Under the gaze of the crowd.

Baimu and Ilima ascended the stage from opposite sides.

Cheers rose like waves, echoing continuously throughout the main arena.

There were no few spectators supporting Ilima, their shouts loud and clear.

Yet the arena as a whole still favored Baimu, with nearly half the seating area chanting his name, cheering him on.

Liuqi and Xiao Guang, already dressed in cheerleader uniforms, stared in shock at the surroundings.

"So amazing! It's just like when Uncle showed up!"

"Even more than before…"

Thanks to the fallout from the donation incident and the accumulation of several battles, Baimu's fame had clearly risen significantly, resulting in a turnout far exceeding that of previous rounds.

Xiao Gang said solemnly: "Ilima is rumored to come from the Alola region—he was already a somewhat famous trainer in his early years! He's very likely not easy to beat!"

Manchong had great confidence in Baimu, but he wasn't the type to argue with others, so he silently waited for the match to begin.

"Contestants Baimu and Ilima have officially appeared! As two of the most popular competitors in this year's Cerulean Conference, what kind of battle will they deliver? Let's wait and see!"

The commentator's voice was hoarse but piercingly clear, just like the background audio that frequently accompanied Ash's early tournament challenges—possibly even the same person.

He carefully explained the rules of the championship match, while on the main screen of the arena, the portraits of Baimu and Ilima appeared, each flanked by six dots to record the Pokémon they would use.

Between the two portraits floated a four-color wheel divided into yellow, blue, green, and gray, each color representing a different terrain type.

"Let's see what the terrain is for the first half of the match—"

Bright lights flashed rapidly across the wheel's segments.

Drip!

Gray was selected.

The commentator revealed the answer to the audience: "Ice Terrain!"

Hum!

Amid a massive rumble, a trembling vibration surged beneath Baimu's feet; before him, the vast arena split along its central line, and a terrain composed of icy rocks and smooth ice slowly rose from below.

A bone-chilling cold rushed toward them.

The referee on the elevated platform beside the arena raised a two-colored flag.

Baimu and Ilima, standing on either side, understood and each pulled out a Poké Ball, hurling it forward.

"It's time!"

"I'm counting on you, Treecko!"

Thud! Thud!

Bai Guang flashed.

A gray-black shadow spilled before Baimu, and the plump, alternate-colored Haunter leapt out, landing on the ice and instantly losing balance, flailing wildly as it nearly slipped.

After barely steadying itself, it exhaled in relief, "Gn~"

Laughter erupted from the spectator seats.

"Hehehehe!"

Haunter laughed loudly, uncaring—it had deliberately acted silly to calm itself, and now it looked up curiously at the pale blue Koala clutching a tree stump on the opposite side.

But the opponent refused to meet its gaze, eyes tightly shut, breathing even, even emitting a faint, almost imperceptible snore.

Treecko, the Half-Asleep Pokémon, Normal-type, Ability: Absolute Sleep.

The interesting thing about this Pokémon is that it is always in a special sleep state; its Ability cannot be replaced or overwritten, and it cannot be affected by any status condition.

But moves that require the opponent to be asleep still work on it.

Haunter, with Dream Eater and Night Shade, facing Treecko was like fate itself aiding it.

Ilima probably hadn't anticipated this…

"Huh? No switch?"

Baimu, seeing that Ilima made no move to swap Pokémon, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Clearly, Ilima did not believe Haunter would significantly affect Treecko—or perhaps he had another plan.

What was he preparing to do?

Under Baimu's curious gaze, the large screen displayed the portraits of the two Pokémon.

The referee waved the flag.

"Begin!"

Ilima had been waiting patiently; the moment the referee finished speaking, he pointed at Haunter and smiled faintly: "Use the log to skate across the ice and use Yawn!"

"Dark Void!"

Baimu narrowed his eyes—he couldn't tell what move Ilima was using just by lip-reading.

And since the battle arena was so vast, once the Pokémon moved farther away, he'd have to shout just to be heard himself—there was no way he could hear what Ilima had said now.

He could only judge based on the opponent's Pokémon's specific movements.

First, prevent Treecko from getting into position!

"Gn!"

Haunter floated forward.

Meanwhile, Treecko kept its eyes shut, its tiny paws lifting slightly like oars, skillfully pushing the plump log back and forth, swiftly gliding forward!

What an incredible maneuver!

Haunter was surprised but didn't stop its move—its two eyes shot out jet-black beams like searchlights, engulfing Treecko.

Instantly.

Treecko froze in place as if time had stopped, yet its face showed no sign of panic; it opened its mouth and exhaled a puff of white breath.

"Naa-kou~"

The white mist spread with terrifying speed; before Baimu could order a dodge, it had already drifted to Gengar's face.

The gray fatty instinctively flew backward, but the white mist had already coated its face—initially, no reaction left it bewildered, then…

"Gn~"

It yawned, and a growing drowsiness creeping into its mind made it realize something was wrong.

Behind it, Baimu frowned: "I guessed wrong."

The commentator shouted: "Yawn landed! Black Gaze couldn't resist! Trainer Ilima saw through Baimu's intention!"

He had bet that Treecko would use a surprise attack to gain an early advantage, so he specifically used Black Gaze to immobilize it—but he never expected Ilima would use a yawn.

Is he forcing me to switch first? Trying to neutralize a threatening opponent?

Kid, your fighting style is completely different from before!

Did you plan this deliberately?

Fine.

You win.

"Come back! It's my mistake—don't worry about it."

Baimu pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled Gengar, whose eyes were half-closed and on the verge of falling asleep; the moment it returned to the ball, it instantly perked up.

It sat down, frustrated.

To be taken off the field so soon—so embarrassing!

The commentator spoke again: "Baimu has decided to switch Pokémon! Which Pokémon will he choose to counter Treecko!?"

With Gengar off the field, Black Gaze no longer restricted Treecko's movement.

Ilima picked up his Poké Ball at the same moment Baimu drew his, seemingly preparing to decide whether to switch based on Baimu's choice.

Turning defense into offense?

So cautious—it's an incredibly troublesome opponent!

Baimu was used to trainers who charged head-on; he rarely faced opponents like Ilima, who meticulously planned to gain advantage through other means, and he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

He tossed his Poké Ball into the air: "Your turn!"

Boom!

"Mii-glo~"

A Shiny Milotic appeared, its golden scales radiating dazzling, colorful halos under the sunlight.

The arena's excitement surged a notch because of its arrival; though many trainers and spectators weren't fond of the Grand Show, they still admired beautiful Pokémon.

On the giant screen, Milotic's portrait lit up.

Seeing this, Ilima abandoned his switch and smiled broadly as he gave his order.

"Wood Hammer!"

"…"

Treecko leapt violently—the smooth ice surface failed to hinder its movement at all.

It raised the glowing, brilliant green wooden stake in its arms above its head and smashed it down toward the Shiny Milotic!

Baimu waved his hand: "Block it! Coil!"

"Mii-glo~"

Milotic whipped its tail, curling its body into a ball; its magnificent tail fin unfolded like a blooming petal, facing the charging Treecko!

Boom!

Thick smoke billowed out with the explosion.

Treecko burst through the smoke with a nimble backflip—hard to believe this Pokémon was constantly drowsy; its reactions were swifter than those of many fully awake Pokémon.

The next second.

Milotic swept away the smoke with its feather-like tail fin, revealing its still-gleaming golden scales.

"Mii-glo~"

"Wood Hammer failed! Milotic's Coil defense is astonishing! No wonder it's a Pokémon of both power and beauty!"

The commentator's tone was excited—he clearly favored the Shiny Milotic.

Ilima's smile slightly faded.

As a trainer, he knew better than anyone how powerful Treecko's Wood Hammer was; though it had struck only the tail fin, it had definitely connected with the Shiny Milotic.

No reaction?

He didn't hesitate—his mind shifted to a new strategy: "U-turn!"

"Scald!"

Baimu deliberately delayed his command; months of training in offense-as-defense had given him confidence that even a delayed move could still gain the upper hand.

Now was the perfect moment to counter Ilima's radically different style.

Treecko slammed its wooden stake into the ice—with a heavy boom, its small body shot forward like a green arrow toward the Shiny Milotic.

Milotic raised its long neck and spat a steaming, pale blue water column straight at the charging Treecko!

Scalding hot water drenched Treecko, instantly replacing its sleepy expression with one of pain.

But it still slammed into Milotic's chin, then flashed red and shot back toward Ilima's Poké Ball.

"Good job!"

The pink-haired boy smiled gently, already tossing his other Poké Ball into the air.

Boom!

"Swift switch! Ilima's judgment was lightning-fast—has he already devised a strategy against the Shiny Milotic?"

As the commentator shouted, a lizard with a black scarf-like neck umbrella landed in the arena.

Unlike the deliberately goofy Shiny Haunter, this one actually stumbled several steps on the ice.

Electrike, the Electric Pokémon, Electric and Normal type.

It was presumably caught by Ilima during his studies in the Kalos region; its profile lists the ability 【Dry Skin】.

That means it takes no damage from Water-type moves and instead recovers some HP.

A Pokémon Ilima specifically chose to counter Milotic.

Baimu's expression didn't change.

"Mystic Guard!"

Milotic tilted its head upward and emitted a melodic hum; pale green light rained from the sky, gradually enveloping its entire body into a phantom spherical shield.

Ilima gave the order without surprise: "Thunderbolt!"

"Eek!"

The Electrike opened its sunflower-like neck umbrella, its whole body crackling with bright yellow electricity; in a violent sizzle, a thick bolt of lightning shot toward Milotic!

The greatest feature of Electric-type moves is their speed—both in release and in hitting the target.

With no sign of Milotic dodging, the lightning, spanning more than half the arena, struck it without fail.

Sssss—

The deafening crackle of electricity continued, but Ilima did not lower his guard.

"Mirror Coat!"

As he expected, a rainbow-colored aura suddenly glowed on Milotic's surface.

The powerful current of Thunderbolt was entirely absorbed by the aura, then transformed into an even thicker lightning bolt racing back toward the Electrike!

"Dodge!" Ilima ordered quickly.

The Electrike dodged sideways almost in sync with the command, its hind legs sparking with electricity—evidence of the current stimulating its muscles to grant explosive power.

But the ice had too great an effect on the Electrike; despite its utmost effort to dodge, it slipped.

Slap!

It lost balance and fell flat on the ground—and the returning thick lightning, as if guided by eyes, struck it precisely where it lay!

Boom!

Electricity and smoke surged upward!

The commentator shouted: "Electrike lost its balance! It couldn't evade Mirror Coat!"

Ilima looked at Baimu with a touch of helplessness, his face filled with admiration.

He knew full well that Electrike hadn't fully adapted to moving on ice, but the battle couldn't afford delay—he'd been forced to gamble that Electrike could stand firm.

But Baimu had gambled it couldn't, so Milotic's attack was aimed lower.

In hindsight, he lost the bet.

Still, Ilima believed Electrike hadn't been knocked out; he shouted: "Electrike! Jump onto the ice boulder and use Parabolic Charging!"

"Eek!"

From the smoke, Electrike leapt onto an ice boulder, its black neck umbrella fully extended, electricity surging up and down its body as a glowing ball of energy formed amid the sparks and shot skyward.

In an instant.

A terrifying thunderstorm erupted from the lightning ball, expanding in all directions without question, striking Milotic.

Sssss—

Unlike Thunderbolt, Parabolic Charging's current didn't cause sharp pain, but it left Milotic locked in a prolonged stiff posture, its face showing signs of paralysis.

Electrike's body glowed with a soft green light, partially recovering the damage from Mirror Coat through the move's healing effect.

But now Milotic's surface glowed once more with a colorful aura—all the damage it had taken transformed into boiling energy, released the instant Parabolic Charging ended!

"Mirror Coat."

"Dodge!"

Ilima launched the same command again, relentless.

Electrike leapt off the ice boulder—but in the very moment it rose, Mirror Coat's energy lightning struck it again.

"Eek!?"

It tumbled helplessly from the smoke midair; Ilima froze in shock.

Why was it so accurate?

Of course—it was the effect of Coil increasing accuracy!

Baimu gave a swift order: "Charge forward! Recover!"

"Mii!"

Milotic glided forward; the ice beneath it wasn't an obstacle—it was a boost, instantly elevating its speed by a full level.

A emerald glow rippled along its body, rapidly healing the damage from electricity.

Ilima shouted urgently: "Use Thunder!"

At this range, Thunder would surely hit—and paralyze Milotic, interrupting its Recover.

Unfortunately, Electrike's injuries had slowed its reaction; by the time its body sparked with electricity, Milotic was already before it.

And Recover had ended.

"Mii~"

"Dragon Tail!"

Baimu swung his hand forward; Milotic whipped its emerald tail downward in perfect sync with his motion.

Boom!

Bang!

The Lightning Frill-Lizard's back slammed hard into a slab of ice-rock, shattering it to rubble!