Chapter 620

Preparation room.

Baimu and the odd-looking Gengar returned to find Miss Liuqi and the others already there.

"Why bother coming all the way over for just five minutes?"

He smiled and thanked Manchong for handing him water, gulped down half the bottle, then turned to give a sip to the Gengar, whose mouth had been wide open and waiting.

"Gn!"

The Gengar happily licked its lips.

Miss Liuqi declared confidently: "Of course we came to cheer you on for the second half!"

She and Xiao Guang were dressed in pink cheerleader outfits, and their Seven-Seven Qingniao and Poliwag were similarly attired; they immediately dragged Alice into dancing a cheer routine for him.

"Why do I have to dance too?"

Alice looked bewildered.

Xiao Guang laughed: "Didn't you join the rehearsals before? It'd be a waste not to show off after practicing! Don't worry—it'll be fine!"

Alice nodded, half-understanding.

Baimu tugged at the corner of his mouth; these little girls were less cheering for him and more just playing among themselves.

Xiao Gang and Manchong watched the group dance with cheerful grins.

"Gn!"

The Gengar watched with great excitement, leaping into the group to mimic their dancing, its short, stocky body twisting nimbly left and right, making Miss Liuqi and the others laugh with delight.

But after only a few moves, it could barely keep going, panting heavily with its tongue lolling out.

After all, it had fought its hardest against Ilima's two extremely stubborn Pokémon, endured attacks from Stealth Rock and Sucker Punch, plus the residual blast effects and mental exhaustion.

Its body was clearly showing signs of fatigue.

Miss Liuqi and the others stopped.

"Are you okay, Gengar?"

"It seems the first two battles have left it with a lot of accumulated fatigue."

"Just watch us dance, okay, Gengar?"

Everyone watched it with concern.

The Gengar waved its chubby hand and grinned slyly, "Hehehehe!"

No problem!

Absolutely no problem!

"Enough with the tough act."

Baimu pressed his hand on the Gengar's head and fed it several Tree Fruits to restore its stamina—he'd already given some on the way back, now he gave more.

Animated Tree Fruits weren't as potent as those in the games, but every bit helped.

If it still couldn't recover…

"Gn!"

The Gengar seemed to sense something from Baimu's expression and quickly waved its claws in front of his face, its expression serious.

For victory, it would give everything—it hoped its Trainer wouldn't casually swap it out in the second half.

It would rather be defeated by the opponent than sit silently in its Poké Ball, waiting. It didn't know what the other Pokémon thought, but this was how it felt, for sure.

Battles require not only detailed strategy and tactics, but also the Pokémon's unwavering spirit and determination.

Being pulled out after a minor setback crushed its morale.

Baimu said nothing, only stroked its head.

Five minutes later.

The second half of the championship final match continued.

——

"Welcome back to the arena! Let's take a look at the field for the second half!"

The commentator's voice made the audience put down their drinks and snacks and look toward the giant screen.

There, the familiar rotating wheel lit up with bright light.

Finally.

It stopped on a green pattern.

The commentator shouted: "Decided! The second-half field is Grass Field!"

Hum—

Amidst the loud mechanical groan, the ruined Ice Field descended, and minutes later, a field knee-high in green grass rose up.

"How much space is down there beneath? New Tokyo-3?"

Baimu's mind wandered—given the Pokémon world's tech level, building an underground city like in Evangelion shouldn't be hard.

He walked slowly onto the stage, facing Ilima, whose expression was resolute.

Almost at a glance, he spotted the unhidden Ultra Band and Z-Ring on Ilima's wrist, and instantly grew wary.

Ultra Evolution was one thing—Ilima's fully powered Houndoom was already Ultra Evolved, and Baimu had no Pokémon capable of Ultra Evolution.

But Z-Moves were harder to predict.

An Eevee-exclusive Z?

No, no.

That was something Ilima obtained only after returning to Alola, from Eevee expert Yinghu—he definitely didn't have it yet.

A Normal-type Z?

Even less certain—who knew if Ilima had completed the Island Challenge? Anyone who had would surely have more than one or two Z-Crystals.

Baimu couldn't help sighing; according to the rules, Z-Moves should only be usable in the Alola region, but the anime version took a different path with no regional restrictions.

……Not a big problem!

There's still a big difference between anime Z-Moves and game Z-Moves—at least anime Z-Moves can be dodged with effort.

As he pondered, the commentator continued: "Now, Trainer Elm has three Pokémon remaining, while Trainer Baimu has six! The gap is clear! So, what were the first Pokémon each side used in the second half?"

The referee signaled for both sides to release their Pokémon.

Baimu naturally chose Haunter; this thing wasn't as arrogant as in the first half, merely floating in midair, gazing at Elm in the distance, waiting for its opponent.

After the field changed, Stealth Rock naturally vanished, and the effect of the "See Through" status wore off during the five-minute break.

At this moment, Haunter's condition fully returned to its peak.

On the other side.

Boom!

A flash of Bai Guang.

The Pokémon stepping onto the grass had a dinosaur-like, slightly bulky form, with a prominent yellow pouch on its belly—inside it nestled a tiny baby.

"Garu!"

The pouch Pokémon's cry was loud, its eyes blazing as it fixed its gaze on Haunter.

"Here it is! Trainer Elm's fourth Pokémon is the parent-child Pokémon—Pancham!"

The commentator shouted loudly, "It has performed exceptionally well in previous matches! Let's watch it battle Haunter!"

As his words ended,

The referee's flag swung down, "Begin!"

Baimu, wary of Elm's potential Ultra Burst, immediately shouted, "Will-O-Wisp!"

Against a Pokémon like Pancham that relies mainly on physical attacks, Will-O-Wisp is enough to render it half-useless.

"Gn!"

Haunter opened its massive maw, and countless ghostly purple flames flew out, spinning around it like lanterns.

It hurried toward Pancham.

Unexpectedly, the opponent seemed to have the same idea—it roared and charged forward.

Elm held the Key Stone, his gaze deep, yet he showed no intention of activating it.

"High Jump Kick!"

The two Pokémon drew close, and when they were less than five meters apart, Pancham raised both paws first and slammed them together violently before Haunter's sharply focused eyes.

Crack!

A sharp sound.

A semi-transparent wave of energy burst from the clapped paws, piercing Haunter's body and violently shaking its spirit.

"Gn!"

Haunter's eyes glazed over, its entire body frozen in place; the Will-O-Wisp flames it had been preparing flickered wildly and vanished into the air.

The commentator shouted, "High Jump Kick lands! The Stamina ability grants Pancham the power to hit Ghost-types! Haunter's Will-O-Wisp is interrupted!"

Damn!

Baimu hadn't expected Elm to hold off Ultra Burst and instead send Pancham in to slam first.

High Jump Kick was originally a non-contact move, later changed to a contact move—just as Haunter's ability had been altered.

So now, seeing a Pokémon use it in its original non-contact form didn't surprise him.

But he didn't understand the intent.

Low HP bait?

"Snap out of it! Strange Light!"

He shouted loudly.

"Gn!"

Haunter, shaken by High Jump Kick, quickly regained its senses, glaring at the smirking Pancham and its baby with fury—its eyes shot out strange, multicolored lightning!

Hum!

Elm gave the order, "Thunder Wave!"

Pancham's body surged with electricity, releasing a bolt of lightning toward the lightning—when they collided, smoke exploded and quickly dissipated.

Why is every single one so tough?

Baimu could barely remember how many times he'd failed to change moves—Elm's defense was simply unparalleled.

"Sludge Bomb!"

Haunter didn't lose heart; its paws glowed with a muddy, chaotic energy, and a series of sludge pellets shot forward!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

"Mud-Slap!"

Elm remained calm; Pancham and its baby were equally composed. As the sludge pellets flew toward them, they stepped back slightly, then curled their left paw into a fist and drew circles in front of them.

An invisible Normal-type energy formed a strange whirlwind that not only pulled in the sludge pellets but also blocked every drop of toxic sludge after they exploded, stopping them all before the fist.

Hss…

Hss…

The grass, corroded by the sludge's inherent toxicity, emitted thin wisps of smoke.

Haunter stared in shock—it remembered a technique that Shiny Milotic was especially skilled at—

Attack as Defense!

How could this thing know that?

Baimu's command came again. "Don't be startled! Slip into the shadow of the grass and circle behind it! Then hit it with Aura Sphere!"

"Gen!"

Gengar dove into the weeds' shadow without hesitation, slipping past Kangaskhan's line of sight as if it had vanished, and in two seconds was behind it, rubbing its claws together to gather Fighting-type energy.

The shining light made its face look deathly pale.

Ilima shouted: "Sucker Punch!"

Kangaskhan clenched its left claw, drew its right leg back a half-step, and spun around faster than lightning, swinging a blood-red claw at Gengar!

Gengar's Aura Sphere finished forming at the same moment; the pale-blue energy turbulence stirred the grass on the ground, and the main body's energy wave slammed head-on into Kangaskhan's blood-red claw!

Boom!

A deafening roar!

Gengar was uncontrollably blown backward along with the shockwave, fresh green grass flying all around it, but it paid no attention at all, only staring fixedly at the smoke.

Faintly, a surge of high energy rippled out from within.

The commentator said: "Sucker Punch and Aura Sphere collide! The two Pokémon once again start in a stalemate — next, Gengar — oh oh oh! What's happening in the smoke!?"

His words drew countless eyes toward the rising smoke, where astonishing colored light could be seen swirling, and a hazy strand of genetic chain flashed by.

The next instant.

"Garuu!"

"Garuu-ee!"

One large and one small voice rang out.

A gust of wind swept the smoke away, revealing a Mega Kangaskhan in a small crater — barely changed from before — and a little Kangaskhan that had at some point leapt out of the baby pouch, transformed and full of fighting spirit!

Ilima silently lowered the Mega Stone in his hand.

The commentator said with immense excitement: "Mega Evolution! Dear audience! What you are witnessing is the miracle hailed as an evolution beyond evolution! Trainer Ilima has successfully made Kangaskhan perform it!"

"Gen."

Seeing this, Gengar instinctively turned to look at its trainer; the latter nodded, indicating that this was fine.

Baimu more or less understood Ilima's thinking.

Sucker Punch was meant to use the Scrappy Ability to gauge how much stamina Gengar had left, and once he got the answer he wanted, he began planning the Mega Evolution.

To be fair.

If you don't Mega Evolve at the start of the battle, using it mid-battle requires picking the right timing.

Ilima has big guts, and Kangaskhan is far stronger than expected — back in Sun and Moon it lost so easily to Guzma's Scizor.

There's no swapping out now; this greenhorn Gengar has gotten fired up and is dead set on fighting to the bitter end.

This guy…

Baimu rubbed his temples.

As the saying goes, a qualified trainer must learn to respect their Pokémon's wishes; as long as it's not too outrageous, you should do your best to grant them.

Actually, Gengar wasn't insisting on staying in — it wasn't the type to throw a tantrum and roll around if denied, it was only asking.

Fine.

While there's still a little room for error.

Let's try to fight to the very last second! Gengar! This is the path you chose yourself!

He shouted: "Curse!"

Right now it's very necessary to gamble that Ilima will order Sucker Punch, since Mega Kangaskhan lost the Scrappy Ability and gained Parental Bond.

Parental Bond is certainly incredibly strong, but to deal with Gengar it still needs Foresight to land its core boosted-punch move.

Baimu had no intention of giving Mega Kangaskhan the chance to use Foresight.

Sure enough.

When Gengar flew forward, the moves Mega Kangaskhan and little Kangaskhan prepared to use were indeed Sucker Punch — but the blood-red glow on their claws had barely gathered before it crumbled and scattered.

"Gen!"

Gengar's blood-red eyes blazed, and it vanished from the spot in an instant.

What?

Ilima froze for a moment, never expecting Baimu to break the pattern, change his usual move habits and bring back a status move, and hurriedly shouted: "Shadow Claw!"

"Garuu!"

"Garuu-ee!"

The big and little Kangaskhan each looked in different directions, their claws just beginning to glow with a faint purple light, when Gengar appeared behind them with a strange laugh.

From beneath its body, shadow overflowed with an eerie black glow, and an unusually strange phantom rose up.

"Ah—"

The phantom let out a hoarse cry and lunged at Mega Kangaskhan.

Ilima tried to warn it but it was too late; the phantom plunged into Mega Kangaskhan's body in an instant, like a black fog shrouding its whole form, bringing it pain.

Mega Kangaskhan let out a muffled grunt, then suddenly sidestepped.

Gengar was confused, and then saw little Kangaskhan pounce fiercely, its dark-purple claws raking hard into it.

"Garuu-ee!"

Swish!

A small puff of smoke burst open.

"Gen!"

Gengar rolled backward like a gourd across the ground for several revolutions.

Little Kangaskhan's attack was only a fraction of Mega Kangaskhan's, but its power was still terrifying.

The commentator cried out in shock: "The baby Kangaskhan's Shadow Claw landed! The Parental Bond ability is truly miraculous — it's given the baby Kangaskhan a fighting chance!"

Gengar clutched its belly as it rose, never expecting that after dealing with the elder, the youngster would turn out to be so ferocious. The trainer had clearly said earlier that attacking the Mega Kangaskhan from behind would leave the baby completely at a loss!

"……"

All Baimu was equally surprised by the baby Kangaskhan's fierce bravery, but the moment he saw Ilima's expression, he immediately understood that these guys had already gone all out.

Are they about to enter a head-on clash rhythm this quickly?

"Dodge the front! Aura Sphere!"

"Crunch!"

The two trainers each called out.

Gengar sank back into the shadows once more. One advantage the grassy terrain offered it was that the lush grass shadows cast by the sun let it fully exercise its ability to slip into the shadows.

Mega Kangaskhan's cheek twitched slightly, proof that the curse had been steadily draining its stamina, yet its attention had never wavered, constantly monitoring its surroundings.

The baby Kangaskhan stood on its mother's shoulder — it was too short, and some of the taller grass nearby was enough to block its line of sight.

The field fell silent.

Suddenly.

Some unknown object burst violently through the grass not far away.

Mega Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan turned their heads toward the sound!

Ilima bellowed: "Don't fall for it! It's behind you!"

"Garu!"

Mega Kangaskhan spun around without hesitation and bit down, a jet-black gleam coalescing before it into a fang of energy shaped like a black tooth!

The baby Kangaskhan leapt straight into the air, looking down on the field from above, and clearly spotted Gengar indeed appearing behind them.

A massive azure energy wave had already gathered between its two claws!

In an instant.

The black fang and the azure light wave collided!

Boom!

The explosion thundered loudly!

Who would have thought — unlike the previous clash between the sneak attack and the Aura Sphere, this time the Mega Kangaskhan, boosted by Mega Evolution, now possessed an offensive output that surpassed Gengar's, and it bit straight through the smoke toward the flying-back Gengar.

"Garu!"

At the same moment.

The baby Kangaskhan falling from above also opened its mouth, condensing a fang of black energy!

"Garui!"

Pure power crushes all opposition!

After Gengar had suppressed their two teammates in the first half, at the start of the second half, Mega Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan suppressed right back in the same fashion!

The two energy-formed black fangs bit viciously into Gengar, who couldn't dodge in time.

The latter's expression gradually shifted from shock to a vicious snarl—

Bang!

Dust swirled.

The commentator froze for a moment, then shouted: "Double Crunch hit! Gengar can't withstand it! What terrifying offensive power from Mega Kangaskhan!"