Chapter 997: The City Wall Egg

The match continues.

The tailwind ceased; the forest was destroyed, the ground littered with smoldering embers.

Man Chong carefully observed the environment.

"Your turn! Exploud!"

Boom!

A beam of light shot into the arena.

"Tengyi!"

A low mechanical voice sounded.

The Exploud, resembling an alien flying saucer, rotated its cross-shaped bolts and U-shaped magnets, hovering midair as it nullified gravity.

"Man Chong's fourth Pokémon—Electric/Steel-type Exploud! At this critical moment near the end of the first half, can he reverse his decline and reclaim his opening advantage!?"

Flobo shouted.

The audience only then realized the match was halfway over, and Man Chong already had two Pokémon felled by All All Baimu.

How fast!

Many sighed in awe, unaware this was an illusion born from being too absorbed in the match.

All All Baimu's side.

The Platinum Mountain's Sacred Hand, Happiny, appeared.

"Happy!"

It stepped across the ashen ground, tiny sparks rising around it, yet it remained calm and composed.

Its extreme environmental resilience, derived from high Special Defense and endurance, is one of the main reasons Happiny-type Pokémon are favored by medics.

It locked eyes with the Exploud in the sky.

All All Baimu: "Sunny Day."

Man Chong: "Volt Switch!"

"Happy!"

Happiny raised its tiny hands, gathering bright sunlight into an invisible wave.

The crowd suddenly felt the world darken, then the arena was flooded with radiant light as if a deity had descended.

"Tengyi!"

The Exploud emitted a low hum, its U-shaped magnets halted spinning, and as it flew toward Happiny, it fired multiple glowing rings of electricity straight ahead!

Zzzt!!

The electric current exploded in sound.

Happiny, ending Sunny Day, frantically dodged—but the electric rings flew too fast and struck in a triangular formation, sealing off all escape routes.

Too bulky and too slow to shrink, it barely grazed by a spark.

"Happy!"

Happiny trembled slightly, as if paralyzed.

Though its excellent Special Defense let it shrug off the attack, the Exploud successfully retreated.

Flobo shouted: "Volt Switch narrowly avoided! Sunny Day covers the field—what tactic will All All Baimu choose next!?"

The audience erupted in murmurs.

Happiny, a Normal-type, uses Sunny Day?

Does All All Baimu still have an unshown Fire-type Pokémon?

Inside the arena.

Man Chong's switch speed remained as swift as ever—the moment the Exploud was pulled back by the retrieval beam, another Poké Ball snapped open.

Boom!

"Machamp! Quick Attack!"

"Nao!"

The searing heat beneath its feet made Machamp uncomfortable, but it fixed its gaze on Happiny and charged forward without hesitation.

【Telekinesis】 ignores type effectiveness.

Man Chong had emphasized this to them before the match.

To avoid being caught.

You must be fast!

Fast enough that the opponent can't react!

Machamp dashed straight for Happiny's face; even without Tailwind's boost, Quick Attack made its speed as swift as a storm.

When the distance between them shrank to less than five meters,

it suddenly twisted its body, ignoring the scorching ground, and lunged sideways on all fours.

Almost simultaneously,

"Ha—ppy!"

Happiny placed its tiny hands beside its cheeks, exhaled gently—and instantly, a torrent of blazing fire erupted!

Hōng!

Flames roared!

Seeing its opponent dodge to the side, it swiftly turned and chased, finally spinning in place to form a blazing ring of fire.

But Machamp moved faster!

Just before the fire ring closed, it abruptly reared up, tapped the ground with its toes, leapt high, and flipped cleanly over Happiny's head!

"Nao!"

Machamp landed steadily, then accelerated again, rolled forward, and burst clear of the blazing ring!

In the instant it escaped,

a dark glow lit up on Happiny's body.

Flobo shouted: "It's Taunt! Machamp quietly landed a Taunt! No wonder it's called the Hunter of the Snow!"

This is what it means to test the edge of danger.

Sunny Day blazed overhead.

Even though Happiny isn't a Fire-type, the boosted Flamethrower alone could finish Machamp.

Under these conditions, Man Chong still dared to send Machamp on such a risky maneuver—just to land Taunt.

His nerve was not small!

Seeing Machamp put distance between itself and the fire ring,

many spectators finally relaxed, watching Man Chong pull out a Poké Ball, guessing he'd bring back the Exploud.

But—

Was it truly over?

"Magic Shine."

As the crimson retrieval beam shot out, a brighter multicolored light pierced through the flames and slammed into Machamp's back!

Boom!

In the violent explosion,

smoke blocked the retrieval beam, preventing it from pulling Machamp back.

Countless people screamed.

Flobo shouted too: "Happiny strikes! It's a massive Magic Shine! The range is perfect!"

Magic Shine's 360° coverage leaves no blind spots—but it shortens the effective damage radius.

To ensure it reached the fleeing Machamp,

Happiny boldly copied the Island Deity's release method—wrapping itself in Fairy-type energy.

Though it looked like a physical charge, it retained its special attack nature, merely adding mobility to extend its range.

For Happiny, trained in Super Contests, this was no difficulty.

"Relay!"

Man Chong shouted.

He never imagined that deliberately using a Poké Ball to swap Machamp out would give Happiny the opening it needed.

One surge, then decline, then exhaustion.

Machamp had barely escaped Flamethrower—its condition naturally dropped.

All All Baimu seized this moment, ordering Happiny to unleash Magic Shine—a wide, hard-to-dodge attack.

He understood now.

As Happiny spat fire into the smoke, the wounded Machamp slipped off the field, escaping the deadly flames.

The referee, about to fly into the arena, halted.

"Well done."

Man Chong said grimly; the Poké Ball carrying Exploud had already launched.

Boom!

"Tengyi!"

Exploud hovered in midair, looking down at Happiny.

If not for the fear of gravity affecting it, it could have simply pushed through—but this move's power is too great.

Or rather,

The gravity effect from Happiny is too strong.

It lasts too long and covers too wide an area; almost impossible to break with external force, eliminating most unconventional tactics.

Manchong: "Electro Net!"

"Tongyi!"

Electric sparks flickered along the antenna on Exeggcute's head, and a massive net shot out, sweeping toward Happiny!

But halfway through its flight, it collided with a churning wall of flame!

Boom!

"Get out of the way!"

Manchong shouted.

Exeggcute swiftly drifted sideways at the sound.

Just barely avoiding the sudden, towering fire pillar that shattered the net and kept surging forward.

Hōng!

The clear sky turned a terrifying orange-red.

Fuluobo: "Sunny Day fuels the flames—unstoppable!"

Exeggcute spun its magnets and bolts, all three eyes fixed on Happiny below.

If hit by this, even its bulk would take a heavy hit.

Manchong: "Light Screen!"

If control won't work, boost Special Defense first!

Exeggcute advanced, carrying a transparent wall shimmering with colorful light.

"Flamethrower."

"Happy!"

Happiny's small face grew serious as it spat out a fireball.

Bang!

Flames exploded!

A blazing, character-shaped fire surged toward Exeggcute—but before it touched the Light Screen, it was blocked by an outer layer of glowing blue spherical shield.

The shield trembled violently but held firm.

"Electro Net!"

As the Light Screen vanished, Manchong hastily gave the order.

"Tongyi!"

Electric sparks flickered above Exeggcute's head, triggering a low-power move to act faster than Happiny, which had just used its high-power technique.

Zilaa!

The Electro Net descended; Happiny instantly dodged backward, attempting to project its psychic energy out of its body.

But the opponent had anticipated this—the move's coverage was enormous, engulfing everything overhead.

Happiny was too large and hadn't shrunk; it could only watch helplessly as every direction was sealed off.

"Happy!!"

In an instant, its vision went white—it was trapped in a web of electricity, waves of intense paralysis surging through it!

Its projected psychic energy shattered; it trembled uncontrollably.

One major trait of Electric-type moves—

They more easily interrupt opponents' moves, just like the additional effect of the status condition 【Paralysis】.

Fuluobo shouted: "Electro Net succeeded! Happiny's move is interrupted! An opening appears!!"

Manchong: "Now! Iron Defense!"

"Tongyi!"

Exeggcute closed the distance further, its body coated in iron-gray light.

All All Baimu's gaze was calm as still water.

Fuluobo: "Huh? Exeggcute used Iron Defense? Manchong's strategy is—"

Pop!

The Electro Net exploded!

Freed, Happiny raised its tiny hand as if to blast Exeggcute with flame.

But all that appeared on its body was a thin brown glow.

Meanwhile, Exeggcute was enveloped in shimmering brown-red light, descending like a falling meteor!

"Body Slam!"

"Mirror Coat."

Manchong and All All Baimu gave their orders simultaneously.

Against Happiny's absurdly high Special Defense, Exeggcute, as a Special Attacker, had to use unconventional methods to defeat it before the taunt ended.

The Iron Defense Body Slam strategy became Exeggcute's only hope of victory.

Exeggcute's Physical Attack was weak, but its Defense was excellent.

"Body Slam" is precisely a trick that replaces attack power with Defense; Iron Defense not only boosts Defense but also enhances Body Slam's power.

The Electro Net's control tactic was also highly effective, reminiscent of Ash's Pikachu.

To defeat Happiny,

Manchong and Exeggcute had clearly used every trick in their arsenal!

"Tongyi!"

"Happy!"

Thud!

Amid low growls, a heavy, muffled impact shook the ground.

Happiny held firm against Exeggcute's crushing weight, half its body sunk into the shattered ground, dust billowing around it!

Fuluobo shouted: "Body Slam landed! Extremely effective! This is a crushing blow to Happiny's weak Defense!!"

Countless spectators leaned forward, many clenching their fists in excitement.

Whether they could turn the tide now depended on this moment!

Unfortunately,

Happiny's bulk had been grossly underestimated—

Highest HP of all Pokémon! The strongest Pokémon Nurse, working seven days and nights without rest!

Innate divine body!

This egg had never been knocked out in public; no one could accurately guess its true limits!

Manchong's knowledge was outdated and incomplete!

When Exeggcute's rear end suddenly lifted unnaturally, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Use Protect!"

Manchong shouted.

No!

The boost from a single Iron Defense wasn't enough—the Body Slam's power went awry!

But the arrow was already loosed; regret now was useless.

As his command rang out,

In an instant,

Exeggcute was violently flipped by some invisible force, crashing down onto the ground!

Thud!

The earth shook; dust erupted everywhere!

The audience erupted in shock—no one believed Happiny could counterattack under these conditions!

How much endurance did All All Baimu's Pokémon really have?!

Fuluobo screamed: "Mirror Coat! Happiny successfully used Mirror Coat! It held firm against Body Slam!"

【Mirror Coat】.

A Fighting-type physical move.

It reflects double the physical damage received back to the attacker.

In game terms, Exeggcute's Body Slam would have dealt at least 350 HP damage to Happiny.

So how much HP did Exeggcute have?

You'd need to add another full HP bar just to cover the damage Mirror Coat would return!

Exeggcute lay on its back, its antenna buried in the soil, its U-shaped magnet slowly ceasing rotation.

The referee approached.

He briefly confirmed the condition, then raised his flag.

"Exeggcute is unable to battle! Happiny wins! The match enters the halftime substitution phase!"

In an instant.

Applause roared like thunder.

The audience stared in awe at the Happiny that leapt out of the ground.

It was unimaginable how extreme its durability must be, to have reversed the match and defeated Explosion with a single move, despite being expected to fall at once!

Pokémon battles are so unpredictable; one misstep can turn the tide.

Rely on luck?

No.

The calm expression on the big screen told everyone that he had it all under control.

What a pity.

They looked at Man Chong with regret—he had multiple chances, yet always stumbled at the final moment.

One time was coincidence, two times was coincidence—what about the third?

Obvious gap in skill.

Man Chong, surrounded by countless pitying glances, pressed a hand to his chest and took short, rapid breaths.

Fighting All All Baimu always stirred his emotions intensely.

As if his old illness were about to flare up again.

But.

It was delightful!

Man Chong knew what he was chasing, even if all he saw was the other's back.

Just being able to compete on the same stage was enough!

"I won't give up easily! Defeat me with your full strength!" Man Chong gazed at All All Baimu in the distance, his brow brimming with determination.

Across from him.

All All Baimu, gazing at Happiny through his Poké Ball, sensed the familiar gaze and looked up with a smile.

The main reason Man Chong lost consecutively in the first half was lack of intelligence.

Though he seemed to reveal many tactics, the most crucial point remained unknown to all—

The durability of his Pokémon.

Because he had previously won every battle, except in rare cases, his Pokémon always stood until the end.

This made it impossible to determine the damage limits of Happiny and the others.

Under conditions of pure guesswork.

It was normal to think you'd dealt enough damage—only to find you hadn't.

After all, in the Pokémon anime world, Effort Values have no cap; with enough time and effort, Pikachu can knock out a Mega Metagross with Iron Tail!