Chapter 452

As a Pokémon that once defeated Pikachu and achieved one win and one draw against Lillipup, Octillery was almost the second-strongest Pokémon in Caidou's team.

Therefore, Baimu found it unsurprising that it could easily defeat Ultra-Gigant Eelektross.

Newly trained Pokémon simply couldn't match the overall strength of veteran ones.

It's not like Ash, who could from zero to matching—even surpassing—his old Pokémon's level in a short time.

The Psychic-type trainer, knowing Octillery was no easy opponent, thought carefully.

【You sent out Starly】

The massive Starly charged at Octillery without fear; both Pokémon had tentacles and some mastery over grappling techniques, but one was a Fighting-type Pokémon with Psychic-type traits, while the other was a genuine Fighting-type Pokémon.

The two Pokémon tangled together, but ultimately Starly fell into disadvantage.

There was nothing to be done.

After all, Octillery's design included elements of judo; even just its Tackle move alone was enough to trouble Starly, let alone its other offensive techniques.

Of course.

Such close-quarters grappling also helped Starly—for instance, it no longer had to worry about missing Psychic Shock.

In the end, the two Pokémon performed a highly dramatic scene.

Octillery used its signature move 【Close Combat】 to shatter Starly's core ruby, while Starly delivered a fatal blow with 【Psychic】.

Both sides appeared evenly matched.

But the battle wasn't over; as the fourth Gym challenge, Caidou could use four Pokémon, meaning she could still send out a stronger one and Ultra-Gigantify it—

Her secret weapon, Machamp, appeared without delay.

Although the Psychic-type trainer could field two Pokémon and held a type advantage, he still feared Machamp, so he sent out Slowking first.

Caidou didn't disappoint—Machamp immediately changed the BGM's rhythm upon entering and activated Ultra-Gigantification, transforming into a four-armed Ultraman and unleashing its exclusive Ultra-Gigant move 【Ultra-Gigant Critical Strike】 from above.

The colossal energy fist descending from above nearly smashed Slowking into the grass; the latter struggled desperately to hold its ground, determined to fulfill the Psychic-type trainer's task—surviving Machamp's three Ultra-Gigant moves.

Undoubtedly, this was no simple feat.

Baimu knew Caidou had already deployed her main Pokémon; since the first two Pokémon had been instantly obliterated by Ultra-Gigant Eelektross, Octillery's strength had already exceeded the standard expected in a Gym challenge.

Still, Gym challenges in the Galar region were generally tougher, and the rules differed from other regions—understandable.

Fortunately, Slowking, focused entirely on defense, fully demonstrated the strength accumulated through years of training: it not only endured Machamp's three attacks but also delivered effective counterattacks.

Even though it had lost its ability to battle by the time Machamp reverted from Ultra-Gigant form.

In the end, "King" faced "King."

Machamp, wearing the disguise of Musharna, stepped forward, meeting the four-armed Machamp head-on with equal physical might; the two clashed like Stand battles in JoJo, fists swinging as pink and russet lights flashed wildly, with explosive bubbles above their heads spelling out "Ora Ora" repeatedly.

Caidou was left stunned.

Her expression shifted from the initial "I've seen everything" to "I've never seen anything like this."

Are there Psychic-type Pokémon that fight up close?

Of course there are—many of them—but one with Musharna's build and strength… one could only say it possessed an unusual talent rivaling Ash's special Pokémon.

Baimu, watching from outside the screen, remained silent and unimpressed—he was used to this.

Musharna, with clear advantages in both type and physicality, ultimately won; its 【Psychic】 special attack was wrapped around its fists to form 【Psychic Fist】, then reinforced with 【Psychic Hammer】 to deliver a crushing counterblow to Machamp.

Had Machamp not possessed four arms, its formidable Fighting prowess would have defeated it in fewer than two rounds—how could it have traded blows for so long?

Caidou fell silent, clearly deeply shaken by Musharna, the genius who understood Fighting techniques better than anyone in all of Galar.

The Psychic-type trainer, however, remained as if this were perfectly natural.

My Musharna defeating Machamp in close combat—isn't that perfectly reasonable?

Extremely reasonable.

【You defeated Gym Leader Caidou and received the Galar Badge】

The fourth puzzle piece was added to the badge-embedded disc; the Psychic-type trainer had now completed half the journey toward qualifying for the Champion Cup.

And as usual, after dealing with reporters and spectators—

The Psychic-type trainer immediately set off for the next city, Dancepost Town, leaving Baimu somewhat disappointed—he had hoped to watch the duel between them.

At this moment—

The screen darkened, then tiny firefly-like lights flickered to life across the screen.

【You arrived at Glittering Forest】

Glittering Forest, a mystical place where towering trees cast perpetual gloom, illuminated only faintly by glowing fungi along the paths.

It was also where Galar's native Fairy-type Pokémon gathered in droves.

Within the first minute of arriving here, the Psychic-type trainer locked eyes with a Galarian Rapidash, head down grazing but suddenly lifting its head in alertness; the two stood no more than ten meters apart, both falling silent.

Then—

The Psychic-type trainer charged ahead, leaving Galarian Shellos standing frozen in confusion.

It seemed the creature still couldn't adjust to the idea that trainers personally captured Pokémon.

On the other hand, through intensive study of Galar's Pokémon, he already knew Galarian Rapidash was a Psychic-type Pokémon—and since it was a Psychic-type, it was destined for him.

Unfortunately.

【You lost track of the Galarian Rapidash; its movement was too agile, and you couldn't catch up】

Undoubtedly, capturing a swift wild Pokémon in an unfamiliar forest on your first visit was nearly impossible.

But the Psychic-type trainer had Eelektross, a Pokémon naturally capable of emitting psychic energy to detect surroundings—the hoofprints of the Galarian Rapidash were unmistakable to it.

【You began preparing the tools for capturing the Galarian Rapidash—rope】

Baimu: "?"

A lasso cowboy?

Using a rope to lasso a horse in Glittering Forest, filled with narrow trails and giant trees… he could only say the Psychic-type trainer was bold and skilled—himself, he wouldn't dare.

Inside the screen.

The psychic used Olup's help to successfully locate the "lost" Rainbow Unicorn Horse, who clearly hadn't expected the psychic to catch up and turned to flee.

But before it could run even a few meters, a rope flew through the air under the psychic's influence, wrapping around its neck, followed by the psychic leaping onto its back and forcibly gripping its throat.

Then came a long, drawn-out taming sequence: the Galarian Flareon tried to throw the psychic off its back, while the psychic clung to its neck and refused to let go, their psychic powers clashing in a fierce struggle.

The only one suffering terribly was Olup—it couldn't fly as fast as the Galarian Flareon ran, and unfamiliar with the terrain, it was constantly left far behind, forced to sprint at full speed to keep up, like a dog chasing an electric scooter.

Not long after.

The scene returned to normal.

The Galarian Flareon lay panting on the ground, clearly on the verge of collapse, yet the psychic remained as energetic as ever, showing not a single sign of exhaustion.

【You captured the Galarian Flareon. The number of Psychic-type Pokémon in your team increased.】

Full.

Baimu stared at the six Pokémon at the bottom of the simulator. The narrator also told him the psychic had decided not to capture any more Pokémon, resolved to compete with these six in the upcoming Gym Challenges and Champion Cup.

The elite system really has its merits.

Honestly, so far, the Galar region's Gym Battles gave him the feeling they were much harder than those in other regions; the Champion Cup's difficulty was likely even higher, which explained why you needed a recommendation letter just to challenge a Gym.

The psychic couldn't proceed to the next four Gyms without following the elite system.

The scene shifted.

A dreamlike town appeared before the psychic, built within a giant tree and surrounded by glowing, multicolored fungi.

【You arrived at Dance Theater Town. The dazzling light made you feel an aura of mystery enveloping the place. Without hesitation, you headed straight for the Dance Theater Arena.】

The Gym Leader of Dance Theater Town, Popla, was the oldest of all Gym Leaders, known as the "Dream Theater." Her tactics seemed to predict opponents' moves, earning her the title, and she had held her top position for seventy years.

In her youth, she had been a rival to former Champion Mastad, yet Mastad had long retired, while she remained on the job.

She'd probably have a successor—Vampiric Bite—in another two years.

Baimu thought, as the screen showed the psychic wearing a pink T-shirt, beginning the battle with Popla.

Huh?

A pink T-shirt?

He paused, and the narrator promptly explained that the psychic had been tricked by Popla into wearing the pink T-shirt during a trivia game before stepping onto the battlefield.

"Even in the anime they're this mischievous…" Baimu tugged at his mouth. Popla, in the game, was a quirky old woman who loved riddles—she'd turned every purple outfit into a pink boyish look, like Cai Ming.

Now the psychic had suffered the same trick.

The battle began.

The first choices were Galarian Slowbro and Galarian Weezing.

As the official description stated, Popla excelled at predicting moves and actions; the psychic's every intention seemed completely exposed to her.

Until the psychic began giving his Pokémon normal commands.

What did "normal" mean?

It meant Psychic-type Pokémon that specialized in Special Attack stayed back and used Special Attacks; Hypnosis specialists like Sableye waited for the right moment to use Hypnosis; Slowking kept its hat on; and Staraptor didn't rush in to grapple the opponent.

As a result, Popla couldn't defeat the psychic anymore.

【You realized your opponent had studied your preferred moves and strategies, using years of battle experience to overwhelm you—this reminded you of Liubo from the Johto region, another seasoned trainer skilled in prediction.】

The psychic, as always, didn't treat Gigantamax as his final trump card. When he sensed the right moment, he caught Popla off guard and immediately Gigantamaxed his Galarian Slowbro.

The latter unleashed three consecutive Gigantamax Acid Downpours, each like a swamp of poison, defeating Popla's Pumpkaboo and Galarian Weezing in sequence, while its greatly boosted Special Attack inflicted heavy damage on the newly Ultra-Maximized Frostette.

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Even though it was ultimately defeated by Popla's Ultra-Maximized Frostette's signature move 【Ultra-Maximized Happy Fulfillment】, it secured tremendous gains for the team—far superior to the earlier Gigantamax Olup, which had been pounded senseless. This signified the psychic's growth in Gigantamax usage.

Finally,

Sableye launched a Psychic Surge, striking first and denying Ultra-Maximized Frostette the chance to recover HP with 【Ultra-Maximized Happy Fulfillment】, knocking it out in one blow.

【You defeated Dance Theater Town's Gym Leader Popla and earned the Dance Theater Badge.】

Baimu shifted his posture, feeling that compared to the previous Gym's Cai Dou, Popla's Pokémon seemed slightly weaker—yet her superior experience created a stronger illusion…

Dance Theater Town is weak.

It probably has something to do with Popla's age—she's too old to properly train Pokémon anymore.

The victorious psychic boarded a high-speed train back to Kanto City, heading toward Route 7 in the eastern Galar region.

His next target was Spikes Town, intending to pass through Nine Road Tunnel. In the game, this route was initially inaccessible—you had to defeat the Battle Tower Gym first.

But since the psychic defeated the fifth Gym, his fame in the Galar region surged dramatically—even in the wild, people recognized him and claimed to be his fans.

In response to fans, the psychic was very straightforward—he brutally defeated them with Pokémon battles, as a gesture of friendliness.

【You saw the opponent leave crying, and smiled contentedly.】

A demon!

Baimu grumbled, wondering if he should imitate this… no, so far his fans were all from the Brilliant Show competitions—hardly anyone came up demanding a battle.

The scene sped up.

The psychic passed through the dark tunnel and reached Route 9, standing atop Gao Po, gazing down—Spikes Town lay just ahead.

【You looked down at the desolate Spikes Town, feeling incredulous. After growing accustomed to Galar's towns steeped in rich culture or bizarre charm, this was the first place you'd seen like Spikes Town.】

Spikes Town lacked nearby energy points, so it had none of the flashy Gigantamax battles. Combined with its Gym Leader Niezi's dislike of Gigantamax, the town had become desolate.

The psychic entered Spikes Town. The plain-clothed townsfolk made Baimu realize that, in this timeline, Mally hadn't yet debuted as a trainer—the townspeople naturally hadn't transformed into the Noise Crew causing chaos.

At the town's deepest point, the psychic found Niezi holding a concert.

Without background music, Niezi's wild, passionate dancing on stage made Baimu think he looked ridiculous—though the Switch's HD original version was even sillier, proving how awkward it was that Game Freak didn't give NPCs voice actors.

Still, as a talented songwriter, Niezi had many fans—though they couldn't revive Spikes Town's economy.

Unlike other Gyms, challenging Niezi didn't require waiting three days for tickets—you could challenge him the same day.

The sixth gym battle officially kicked off.