Chapter 928: Common Pokémon Mega

It's been months.

Director Director Zhengyi felt like he could do it again.

"Long time no see! Let's fight!"

He shouted excitedly.

As a top Trainer renowned in Silicon Beryllium City, Director Director Zhengyi's participation in testing Mega Evolution waves was unavoidable.

All All Baimu wasn't surprised to see him here, but he was curious how this live combat data would aid the development of Mega Evolution waves.

At the very least, we need to stabilize the variables on the Pokémon first!

No choice.

Since the researchers requested it, he, as the tester, would cooperate.

All All Baimu and Mega Bonsly exchanged a glance, raising an eyebrow: "Long time no see. Should I hold back?"

"I'll allow you to use this as an excuse after you lose."

Director Director Zhengyi shot back without hesitation, one hand on his hip, a confident smile on his face.

No more words needed.

A fierce, unrestrained battle was the perfect way for Trainers to reconnect.

Both men Moqidi moved to opposite sides; researchers hurriedly activated recording equipment.

They couldn't help whispering among themselves, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Shan Nian stepped into the monitoring room, separated from the test field by only a pane of glass, his expression calm yet tinged with faint envy.

He too had once climbed to the peak of the battling world.

But after recognizing his own limits and taking on the burden of reviving Oulei, he chose to abandon it willingly.

Now, looking back, he felt a touch of regret.

Watching All All Baimu walk farther and farther down the Trainer's path, ascending to heights he could no longer see, it was impossible not to feel envy.

Who doesn't dream of becoming a Champion?

He was only twenty!

Perhaps…

It's not too late to pick it up again.

Just as he entertained the thought of returning to battling, whispers beside him shattered his thoughts.

"What… are you talking about?"

Shan Nian frowned; the two researchers nearby fell silent at once.

One chuckled nervously: "N-nothing."

The other, seeing Shan Nian's expression darken, urgently glanced toward the supervisor.

The supervisor sighed helplessly and said: "It's like this. You know Mr. Director Director Zhengyi is the pride of Silicon Beryllium City—many people are his fans.

"After the several widely circulated battles between Mr. All All Baimu and Mr. Director Director Zhengyi earlier this year, everyone thought that if he had Mega Evolution too, the outcome might've been uncertain… As a team researching Mega Evolution, we couldn't ignore such talk."

The supervisor carefully studied Shan Nian's expression, confirmed he wasn't angry, then continued: "Of course, live combat absolutely helps develop Mega Evolution waves—this isn't a lie!"

The surrounding researchers nodded vigorously.

Shan Nian scanned everyone present, gave a flat "hmm," and let it drop.

All the researchers exhaled in unison.

But they didn't know how complex Shan Nian's emotions were at that moment.

Though All All Baimu's strength was undeniable, public recognition still favored regional fame over true ability.

Whose fault is it?

Only his own—for failing to promote properly.

Fortunately, once the League Conference ends and All All Baimu secures his position as Regional Champion, public recognition of him will naturally rise.

Shan Nian crossed his arms, his index finger slowly tapping against his forearm.

Inside the test field.

The two men stood over seventy meters apart.

A purple-black energy wave erupted!

"Roar!!"

Before Director Director Zhengyi stood a fearsome Banette, bathed in the glow of Mega Evolution waves.

Its back spines grew wildly like vines, thickening. More holes opened across its chest; its abdominal shell, chest, and eyes turned a vivid, bloody red, faintly forming a terrifying ghostly face.

In an instant.

Vast clouds of sand burst from the holes, rapidly filling the entire test field!

Whoosh!

Sandstorm howled!

On the high-definition camera feeds, the Huamian blurred into obscurity.

Yet the researchers didn't find it frustrating—they eagerly widened their eyes.

"Here it comes!"

"Mega Bonsly versus Mega Banette! Both are on equal footing!"

"Get your revenge, Mr. Director Director Zhengyi!"

The researchers' muffled cheers made the supervisor's expression shift repeatedly.

Clearly, the researchers' stance wasn't as objectively neutral as he'd portrayed—luckily, Shan Nian's expression remained calm.

Worried?

Not a bit!

The notion of "equal footing" was absurd—did using Mega Evolution waves make two Pokémon equal?

The more inexperienced you are, the more you ignore the Pokémon's innate power and the gap between Trainers!

At the same moment.

All All Baimu tugged his collar over his nose and mouth, turning slightly to ask: "Is this really fine?"

The footage captured under sandstorm conditions was too blurry to study—what use was that?

He wasn't stupid!

"No problem! Fight however you like!"

The speaker above delivered the supervisor's confident reply.

Immediately, Director Director Zhengyi across the field shouted: "Feel the power of my partner! Banette! Stone Edge!"

"Roar!!"

The roar thundered.

Through the sandstorm, All All Baimu saw several beams of light swirling around a massive figure, rapidly growing larger by the second.

In moments.

Those lights had swollen into moon-sized discs, hurtling through the air with thunderous crashes!

"Grrr~"

"Forget it—you're right. It's just one move anyway."

All All Baimu waved his hand.

Mega Bonsly stepped forward calmly, meeting the incoming diamond-shaped rocks head-on, slightly lowering its stance without flinching.

Boom!

The rocks struck its side and exploded like bombs, sending shards flying in all directions.

The deafening impact echoed through the sealed arena, stirring up thick, choking smoke that the wind couldn't clear.

But the next rock came instantly, then the third, then the fourth!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Mega Bonsly seemed caught in a saturation barrage—continuous explosions shook the entire test field; the hardened glass of the observation windows vibrated like the wings of a Iron Mask Ninja's insectoid form!

Yet no one in the monitoring room paid attention to the danger.

They stared intently at the field, even as the image blurred beyond recognition.

"All hits! Now—"

Someone couldn't help speaking.

But before he finished—

For a fleeting instant, the smoke and sand inside the test field were violently scattered by an invisible force, like a colossal entity passing through, revealing the scene within.

Everyone held their breath.

Because Mega Bonsly, having absorbed nearly all the Stone Edges, had already reached the face of Mega Banette!

The two titans stood mere inches apart, both towering over two and a half meters—yet somehow, they looked like an adult facing a child.

"Grrr~"

A low, rumbling growl.

Mega Bonsly shot out its claw in a flash, gripping Mega Banette's face, then swiftly hooked its leg beneath its lower limbs.

Yank, pull, slam!

【Takedown】!

Thud!

The ground sank!

Mega Banette's head was half-buried in the earth, cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.

A terrifying shockwave surged outward, shattering the observation windows in an instant.

The tremors from the ground caused many lightweight objects in the monitoring room to briefly defy gravity, leaving researchers with numb legs or tingling buttocks.

Shan Ren chuckled: "Ha!"

But no one cared about that—they hurriedly stared at the computer screens, holding their breath without realizing it.

The special camera in the corner could detect Pokémon life energy.

That was also why they didn't mind the sandstorm blocking their view.

"How's it going?"

A crowd of people squeezed together.

The colorful patches on the screen already revealed the outcome.

"Banette… has lost the ability to battle…"

The researchers exchanged glances.

This was simply unbelievable!

How did Mega Bonsly get close to Mega Banette? All the Stone Edge attacks hit!

Did it just teleport?!

No debate.

The operator pulled up the video and clicked replay.

Clearly visible: massive boulders struck Mega Bonsly, each explosion and impact fierce.

Yet from start to finish, its steps never paused for an instant.

No dodging. No blocking. No retreating.

Letting the boulders crash down upon it like a gentle breeze, it pressed forward until closing the distance completely.

In comparison,

Mega Banette looked like a child throwing pebbles at an adult.

"Sss!"

"Did you use the Dynamax Crystal and the Gigantamax Stone?"

"Do you have eyes? After all this, still being stubborn?!"

"I was just joking…"

Seeing his subordinates begin to bicker, the supervisor rubbed his temples and stepped in: "Enough! All of you, quiet down! Secretary General Shan Ren—Secretary General Shan Ren?"

He turned to look for Shan Ren, but Shan Ren had already vanished.

—

Inside the testing field.

All All Baimu pulled up Zheng Yi, who sat on the ground lost in thought.

"Tell me, where exactly am I lacking?"

He asked, confused.

Before Mega Evolution Wave succeeded, their Pokémon got one-shot.

After it succeeded, they still got one-shot.

Was all that development for nothing?!

"You should ask yourself where you're not lacking," All All Baimu joked.

He knew Zheng Yi had a vast temperament; a small setback meant nothing.

Indeed,

Zheng Yi didn't get angry or withdraw—he only sighed: "I thought I was getting closer to you, but now I'm farther away!"

All All Baimu: "Then rest easy—you're not that far."

Fighting-type quadruple weakness, and Mega Banette weighs over three hundred kilograms.

Hard to survive.

Ten lives wouldn't be enough!

He turned to Shan Ren, who walked over: "Did the monitoring room record it? If we need to do it again, I can fight slowly."

Like using a ranged move, dragging out turns and such.

Bonsly just used the fastest, most efficient method—but depending on others' needs, it could be switched to the most spectacular one.

"No need."

Shan Ren shook his head, looking at Zheng Yi, whose expression had returned to normal: "You'd better work hard soon, or you won't even make it to the Elite Four."

The two were old acquaintances; their interactions had dwindled in recent years, but they were far from unfamiliar.

Zheng Yi scratched his head.

"It's not that bad… I just lost to All All Baimu. My win rate against Barathras is nearly 40-60 now!"

"Hah! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Shan Ren sneered.

It was clear he was slightly annoyed by the researchers' collective bias toward Zheng Yi.

After all, the Mega Evolution Wave project was something All All Baimu had painstakingly brought back from Kalos.

Whose bread are you eating? Whose god are you worshiping?

Of course,

He only resented it inwardly—anyone involved in the project, without exception, was among Orre's top talents.

How could Shan Ren let personal preferences tint his view of Orre's very foundation?

So,

The real culprit became the target of his verbal abuse.

"…"

Zheng Yi hid behind Bonsly, cautiously poking out half his head, mournfully saying: "So harsh. My heart is chilled."

Shan Ren turned away, ignoring him.

The supervisor ran over, drenched in sweat, no longer daring to mention live combat—only profusely thanking All All Baimu.

Leaving the research base.

Shan Ren planned to head to Battle Town to check the tournament scene, and asked All All Baimu if he wanted to come along.

He declined.

Rarely coming to Silica City, his Jiweixiaojie wanted to visit beauty salons and go shopping.

The two parted ways.

And interestingly, when All All Baimu reached the central square fountain, he noticed the Pokémon statue once standing there had been replaced with a Reuniclus design.

It rode atop a Gliscor, raising its right hand in royal majesty.

Too bad.

When All All Baimu casually asked passersby what Pokémon it was, fewer than one in ten could answer.

Why?

Naturally, it had to do with Shan Ren's earlier faith-promotion campaign.

He had prepared everything—then Reuniclus said it didn't want to rely on human belief, forcing the project to collapse mid-way.

Fortunately, Orre's territory turned green in patches within a week.

Otherwise…

No "otherwise."

Reuniclus is awesome! Reuniclus is invincible!

Currently, any outside probe of the Salvation Organization who sees Reuniclus either kneels in reverence or turns and flees to avoid being seen and causing it annoyance.

It can turn barren land fertile overnight.

No different from a god!

—

Platinum Silver Mountain.

Battle Training Ground.

Regieleki darted like lightning in all directions; Regidrago spun in place, trying to track its movements.

"Biiii-biiii! Jee! Biiii!"

"Looooo-biiii! Jee! Doo!"

The brothers' electric and dragon column battle!

These two were All All Baimu's key focus for the second half of the year, aiming to learn as many moves and combat patterns as possible.

Energy level…

Whatever increase you get, take it.

Level-up rewards rarely reach them anyway.

Legendary Pokémon still rank below Happiny and its kind!

All All Baimu: "Lightning Assault! Scale Shot!"

In an instant.

The lightning pillar transformed into a streaking bolt of thunder, while the dragon pillar spun like a top, firing off numerous scales wrapped in violet light in all directions!

Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh—

Zzzt!

Boom!

Thick dust erupted at the point of contact, then the lightning pillar, pushing against the dragon pillar, shot out of the dust.

Like a fleeting meteor, or a launched rocket.

Thud!

The earth shook and mountains trembled!

The two brothers embed themselves deep into the mountain far in the distance.

"Lightning Assault is no joke!"

All All Baimu raised his hand as if shading his eyes, this move was drawn from a skill blind box not long ago.

Only the lightning pillar could learn it, so I gave it to him.

Didn't expect it to be this powerful.

A new move from the ninth generation?

In comparison, the dragon pillar's Scale Shot was poorly executed—the spinning release seemed to cover a wide area, but actually scattered its power.

It couldn't stop the lightning pillar's rapid charge at all.

Still, multi-hit moves like this are hard to land in anime; landing five out of ten counts as good accuracy.

To improve hit rate, people like Shinji even developed a version with unpredictable trajectories—

Where the move's landing points drift erratically.

All All Baimu himself didn't much like Scale Shot in the anime.