Chapter 622: Mega Showdown

The main venue was in absolute uproar.

No one had expected that at the very last moment, Smeargle would actually choose to sacrifice itself, in order to restore the next Pokémon sent out to its prime condition.

【Heal Pulse】!

A selfless divine technique!

Yet another functionally devastating move, following Tailwind and Light Screen.

"..."

Baimu rubbed his temples, feeling that this match had drained more mental energy than all his previous bouts combined.

One could only say Smeargle truly lived up to its reputation as the father of the land group, the culprit behind the nerfing of the mythical Pokémon Darkrai, and one of the former top support Pokémon.

With no limit on the number of moves it could carry, this thing had far too many cards to play, able to hide a bizarrely effective move at any moment.

As long as it wasn't taken down immediately, it could inevitably torment opponents with all kinds of status moves.

As someone who had experienced this firsthand, he had a profound appreciation of it.

But overall, battling a Pokémon like Smeargle was still a lot of fun, letting him rediscover some of the charm of competitive battling, feeling like he was back in the old days grinding the ranked ladder.

His battle with Ilima had kept his participation in this tournament from being too monotonous.

For a moment.

Baimu even felt an impulse to raise a Smeargle himself.

Because he knew this kind of Pokémon could be even stronger — for instance, its hidden Ability 【Moody】, which randomly sharply boosts one stat while sharply dropping another.

As long as you stall long enough, it will inevitably power up to a terrifying degree, and then use 【Baton Pass】 to hand it off to the designated attacker — who could possibly stop that?

Other mythical-Pokémon-exclusive moves like 【Dark Void】 and 【Lunar Dance】 went without saying.

And this same impulse appeared in countless trainers both inside and outside the venue who were following the Celestic Tournament, Smeargle's utility making them green with envy.

And compared to Porygon, whose means of acquisition were unclear, Smeargle was obviously much easier to obtain.

Catching one and being able to use one well were two entirely different things.

Nine out of ten trainers here were the type who liked to attack from start to finish — did they really know how to raise a Smeargle, a Pokémon characterized by surprise status moves, with a frail body that easily "drops dead"?

The answer was obvious.

Otherwise Baimu wouldn't have only just now encountered a trainer like Ilima who was skilled at using status moves.

Of course, the latter was by no means the first person to use Smeargle in such a way.

"Come back."

He recalled his shiny Milotic, which had recovered a little stamina through self-healing, into its ball, saying softly: "Rest well, leave the rest to Mawile."

Milotic was currently not at full strength, and the opposing side still had Tailwind and Light Screen, two field-type status changes — going up against Mega Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan in a one-versus-two would be far too disadvantageous.

More critically, Ilima only had two Pokémon left.

If he didn't give Mawile a chance to appear now, he'd most likely have to lead with it in the next round. If it then had to solo the entire team, where would that leave the dignity of the designated tournament protagonist, Aggron?

Coincidentally, the opponent was Mega Evolving, so he'd use a Mega Evolution to counter a Mega Evolution — quite fitting.

He tossed the Poké Ball forward.

Ilima did exactly the same.

Bang bang!

"Garu!"

"Garuii..."

Mega Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan landed, the latter's face tinged purple and its steps unsteady, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

The former worriedly moved to support it, when a shining star inexplicably fell from the sky, splitting in midair into a curtain of light that enveloped them both, its warm radiance glowing brightly.

The purple glow on the baby Kangaskhan's face quickly faded, and it leaped up excitedly, feeling the power flooding its entire body.

Heal Pulse had taken effect!

Not only had it cured the Toxic poisoning, but the stamina lost from its clash with Gengar had also been fully restored — at this moment, aside from the expended energy for Mega Evolution, it and Mega Kangaskhan were infinitely close to their prime condition!

Mega Kangaskhan broke into a smile, and the baby Kangaskhan looked at the opposing Mawile with fighting spirit blazing in its eyes.

Immediately after.

They saw a color they knew all too well—

"Mega Evolution."

Baimu tugged the pendant on his chest, and the crystal-clear Key Stone burst forth with dazzling light!

Hmm!

Psychic chains shot out, each link like a bolt of lightning.

Violent energy fluctuations transformed into terrifying gusts of wind, spreading outward from the transformed Mawile, ripping countless blades of grass out by the roots, sending dirt and grass clippings flying skyward together.

Mega Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan instinctively raised their paws to shield themselves from the blowing dust and sand.

When the gale gradually subsided, the Mega Mawile, whose form resembled a shrine maiden, stood silently in place, the twin jaws behind its head — resembling twin tails — angled sharply skyward, letting out a soundless shriek!

"Cheedoo!"

Finally its turn to take the stage!

In an instant.

The entire arena erupted in thunderous, excited cheers, countless fans of Baimu jumping for joy, gazing madly at the Mega Mawile below.

As the core Pokémon among the three stars of the Contest, Mawile had always enjoyed the highest popularity.

Although the shiny Milotic's appearance was more striking, its many dance performance videos had click rates far exceeding the shiny Milotic's water-mist illusion performance at the Mi Ke Li Cup.

The commentator couldn't help but say: "Having commentated on so many editions of the Celestic Tournament, this is the first time I've seen a single Pokémon so popular — Trainer Baimu really is an amazing person!"

Ilima and the Kangaskhan mother-and-child were utterly astonished, glancing around at the audience seats and feeling somehow as if the Pokémon was more popular than the trainer.

The former's gaze returned to Mega Mawile, filled with wariness.

He had seen Mega Mawile's performance at grand, lavish ceremonies, and the tremendous destructive power it had displayed in those two bouts of mischief filled him with dread.

Could Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan really go head-to-head with it?

Yilima didn't dare be certain; he only knew there was no choice but to fight.

"Power-Up Punch!"

"Garu!"

"Garui!"

The two Kangaskhan responded in loud voices, striding toward Mega Mawile. Mother and child wore solemn, sharp expressions, determined to take down this fellow whose Mega Evolution had made quite a fuss.

Mega Mawile, watching the charging Kangaskhan pair, had a rather unfriendly look in its eyes.

The match was nearing its end, and with only two Pokémon left on the opposing side, it had almost thought its Trainer wouldn't send it out to battle.

Turns out, after all that, it had been saving this one for it.

Fair enough.

Mega Evolution versus Mega Evolution!

Mega Mawile's gaze landed on the baby Kangaskhan, whose movements were a notch faster than its mother's. It showed no sign of retreating at the prospect of fighting one against two; on the contrary, it looked eager to give it a try.

It hadn't had a proper fight in so many days — it was absolutely itching to show what it could do!

"Swords Dance!"

"Chido!"

Though it was a status move, Mega Mawile fearlessly chose to meet the attack head-on, and soon came face to face with the charging Kangaskhan pair.

In the process, numerous illusory white shadows of long swords materialized around its body, spinning around it with a whirring sound.

The orange-red glow of rising stats was especially vivid.

Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan raised both claws and slammed them together hard in front of them!

*Crack-crack! *

A crisp, simultaneous snap.

Two half-transparent shockwaves of differing heights rippled out from where their palms met, sweeping past Mega Mawile's body.

"Chido?"

The latter froze in place, its suddenly vacant eyes proving its mind was violently shaken at that moment.

"Great chance! Power-Up Punch!"

"Garui!"

The baby Kangaskhan lunged forward first, brown-red energy currents coiling around its small clenched fist, radiating a heart-palpitating fluctuation!

"Garui!"

It violently punched toward Mega Mawile's belly — at its height, that spot was just right!

At the same time.

Kangaskhan pressed in close, its fist likewise wreathed in brown-red energy currents, aiming its heavy strike at Mega Mawile's head!

*Whoosh! *

The fist wind was somewhat heavy and muffled!

Mother and child, one heart! Their force could snap metal!

The two attacks were extremely swift and, to a degree, cut off Mega Mawile's room to dodge — but no one expected the latter to recover its wits astonishingly fast!

"Iron Defense!"

Mega Mawile used the two silver-glowing giant jaws behind its head as a pivot, levering its small, delicate body into a backward flip, fully demonstrating its dancing talent and Pokémon combat evasion skill.

*Thud! *

The heavy sound of a hammer striking a thick iron plate!

Kangaskhan's fist swung through empty air, grazing between the two silver giant jaws, while the baby Kangaskhan's punch landed on the back of the left giant jaw.

So hard!

Both were stunned.

The orange-red glow of rising stats rose beneath their feet, but since it only landed once, the boost was very small.

The commentator said excitedly: "Mawile dodged Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan's attacks with a backflip! What nimble movement! Truly a top-tier dancer of the Contest stage! Power-Up Punch had no effect at all!"

"Fall back and dodge!"

Yilima's urgent shout came through.

The baby Kangaskhan reacted quickly, not a word wasted — it directly copied Mega Mawile and flipped backward. Kangaskhan was a beat slower, pausing half a step to observe the situation before retreating.

And at that moment, the backflipping Mega Mawile had already steadied itself and adjusted its center of gravity.

"Chido!"

It suddenly exerted force. The giant jaws that had been a shield a second before reversed direction, instantly becoming two blurs that each lunged to bite Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan!

*Snap! *

The baby Kangaskhan dodged successfully; the ferocious giant jaws bit empty air, producing a crisp clack of teeth meeting.

But the slower Kangaskhan was in trouble — unable to dodge in time, its left arm was caught in the giant jaws, and the tremendous bite force, even without type-energy reinforcement, still made it cry out in pain:

"Garu!"

The baby Kangaskhan panicked, trying to rush over and help: "Garui!"

Yilima was very decisive: "Kangaskhan, Fire Punch on its head in the middle! Baby Kangaskhan, circle to Mawile's right and attack! Use the high temperature to force it to let go!"

"Iron Head!"

Baimu likewise gave a swift order — once bitten, it had to obediently take one hit!

Run?

Don't even think about it!

The Pokémon on both sides moved in unison.

Mega Kangaskhan endured the pain, its right fist igniting with flame as it smashed down toward Mega Mawile, while the latter simply leaped straight up from the spot, its whole body wreathed in silver light waves, like a bullet head!

The baby Kangaskhan barely circled to Mega Mawile's right side, its small fist still burning with flame about to swing out, when a fierce collision of fist and head had already occurred between Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Mawile!

Boom!

The shockwave from the explosion produced by the clash of moves sent it flying in an instant!

"Garu yi——"

The baby Kangaskhan rolled several times before barely getting up, and upon raising its head saw that its mother's left arm was still being bitten by Mega Mawile's massive jaw, while its right arm trembled slightly, a pained expression on its face.

"The first round of clashes is over! Kangaskhan's arm is still being bitten dead! Mawile's tremendous attack power puts it in an unassailable position!"

The commentator laid bare the situation on the field.

The Mega Kangaskhan that attacked with Fire Punch had suffered a silent loss — it was simply no match for Mega Mawile.

After all, Swords Dance and Iron Defense are both two-stage boosts, and a single stage of power boost on its punches doesn't even have the Parent's Love additional attack of the baby Kangaskhan — how could it possibly deal damage!

The baby Kangaskhan gritted its teeth and lunged forward, preparing to land one on Mega Mawile while the flame on its right fist had not yet gone out.

Even if it couldn't make the latter let go, creating a bit of damage would still be good.

Of course.

The baby Kangaskhan was constantly on guard against Mega Mawile's left giant jaw — who knew whether that thing could nimbly bite over from the other side?

Yet halfway through its pounce, the opponent actually voluntarily let go and retreated backward.

"Garu yi?"

The baby Kangaskhan tumbled into the weeds, quickly popping its head up in disbelief — it had actually been able to force Mega Mawile to release its bite with the residual Fire Punch?

The newly freed Mega Kangaskhan shook its left arm; its thick skin hadn't been pierced through, but the pain was quite severe, giving the impression that its bone had been bitten through.

Ilima was equally unable to comprehend.

"Why give up the grappling fight?"

He carefully observed Mega Mawile's and All Baimu's expressions, failing to read anything amiss from the composed looks of the latter two……

Wait.

So that's how it is.

Ilima suddenly realized that this composure itself was the biggest problem — previously, when Gengar and Milotic were battling, the expressions they showed could all be called full of passion, and All Baimu would occasionally also put on a tense expression.

And now, that tension had vanished.

The most straightforward guessable reason — although the Fire-type move just now wasn't Mega Kangaskhan's own type, it at least had the advantage over the Steel-type Mega Mawile, yet faced with the sudden burst of high heat, the latter was virtually unscathed.

After discovering that Mega Kangaskhan's output capability posed no threat at all, 【the opponent】 prepared to adopt a direct head-on clash fighting style, didn't they?

His heart sank — Mega Kangaskhan needed the mother-child combination to display its tremendous power; if either side's attack failed to land, it would lead to a drastic reduction in damage.

Actually, if they kept up the grappling fight, as long as Mega Kangaskhan could pull its hand back, their side's odds of winning were quite high……

In short, they could not clash head-on with Mega Mawile!

Ilima's thoughts raced — the time he actually used to judge the current situation was less than half a second, which happened to coincide with the opponent opening their mouth to give a command.

"Magnet Rise."

He hurriedly followed up.

"Rock Slide!"

"Garu!"

Mega Kangaskhan raised its head and roared, and numerous giant rocks gleaming with Bai Guang materialized out of thin air around it, then under its control shot toward the floating Mega Mawile like flying arrows.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

"Garu yi!"

Smaller rocks likewise rose up around the baby Kangaskhan, fired out behind the giant rocks to seal off its dodging space.

But Mega Mawile seemed to have no intention of dodging these flying rocks, simply soaring higher and spinning wildly, using the two giant jaws on the back of its head as shields to smash apart every flying rock.

Bang!

Countless bits of rubble and powder rained down.

It couldn't break the defense!?

Ilima felt a bit suffocated — he had originally wanted to gamble on Rock Slide's flinch effect, but now they couldn't even break through the defensive ring formed by the giant jaws!

He raised his head, gazing up at Mega Mawile, which had its back to the sun and looked down at him and the Kangaskhan mother-child pair from on high.

His eyes were suddenly dazzled by the sunlight.

He thought something was wrong: "Use Protect, quick!"

Mega Kangaskhan, which had likewise raised its head and been dazzled, reacted quickly — a honeycomb-patterned shield of light materialized, and it instinctively shielded the baby Kangaskhan behind it

Immediately after.

Like a falling meteor!

A terrifying explosion deafened the ears!

The light shield, beneath the漫天 dazzling silver light, was fragile as a sheet of thin paper, splitting apart and vanishing as if it didn't exist; the earth sank with a rumble, grass clippings and dirt pouring skyward together, making the entire field look as if it had been beaten into a depression.

The spectators only felt a flash of light too blinding for the human eye to look at directly blaze up before them, and the next second a thunderous roar and a powerful milky-white shockwave reached their ears.

The vast dust transformed into a giant mushroom cloud rushing skyward, a ring of airwaves rippling out from the middle, carrying with it countless weeds and soil.

Fortunately, the arena's defensive device activated in time, sparing them from getting a mouthful of dirt.

Many people hadn't even had time to react before the field had already been turned upside down!