Chapter 348: Bringing Smiles to Everyone Through Battles

"Um... can I participate too?"

A pleasant young man's voice stood out conspicuously in the silence of Mesagoza's central plaza.

Iono bared her cute shark-like teeth, her face brimming with a joyful smile as she looked toward the source of the voice: "Of course you can~ Iono never refuses anyone who wants a Pokémon battle."

Iono's voice halted abruptly; although she often worried about her height, comparable to that of a short giant, which frequently forced her to stand on tiptoe to see the person speaking within the crowd.

But this time was slightly different.

It seemed that because her previous performance had been too good, she had already defeated every trainer in the vicinity who wished to collect badges and had the intent to battle.

Various reasons resulted in no one among the spectating crowd wanting to battle Iono at present.

Upon hearing that someone wanted to battle Iono, the relieved crowd immediately shifted their bodies aside, ensuring that even given Iono's height, she could clearly see the person speaking.

Within the crowd, Luo Mu, dressed in casual clothes, was smiling brightly and waving at Iono.

"Eh?"

Although she had more or less felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar, the moment she actually saw the other party, Iono still let out a brief sound of shock, as if unwilling to accept reality.

Wait, why is Mr. New Champion appearing here?

Recalling the gap between herself and Luo Mu, Iono immediately began sweating profusely.

What, I'm fighting Mr. New Champion?

"This... um..."

Watching Luo Mu, who wore a smile as if hatching some sinister plot, making Iono's small-animal instincts instinctively feel that something was amiss as he walked toward her.

Iono panicked momentarily, her hands and feet flailing wildly as if no longer under her control.

However, attracted by her lively streaming style, that group of fans who feared the world not being chaotic enough did not show sympathy for Iono, who was obviously in a state of panic, but instead started cheering loudly.

Some even mentioned the recent occasion when Iono, while at Mesagoza's largest department store, had promised her online viewers that she would battle Luo Mu.

Iono, who had thought she had successfully slipped past that matter before, had not expected the internet's memory to be so long.

Already sweating profusely and enveloped by immense pressure, she could only smash the jar in despair, saying: "Ugh... Iono accepts the challenge."

"However, since Iono has accepted everyone's~ request, everyone must subscribe to Iono's 'Iono Cast' streaming channel!"

Iono emphasized, not forgetting her primary job in the slightest.

After Iono interacted with the streaming equipment held by her assistant once more, she turned to look at Luo Mu, who was waiting quietly nearby, bared her teeth, and said: "Why has Mr. New Champion suddenly thought to come to Mesagoza to battle Iono?"

Noticing that Iono, who had been ignoring him, had finally focused her attention on him, Luo Mu pointed at the streaming equipment in the assistant's hand over there and stated plainly: "I saw your stream; originally, I intended to go find Mr. Kofu or Ms. Marnie."

"... Ugh, just because you have a Dragonite means you can do whatever you want?"

Iono pouted and retorted.

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Luo Mu found it somewhat amusing and helplessly reminded her: "Just use those few Pokémon you used when accepting challengers."

As he spoke, Luo Mu's gaze rested on the Pikachu at Iono's feet, which had a heart-shaped tail tip.

Although Iono had raised this Pikachu quite well, it was still slightly too weak.

"You want to use newly caught Pokémon for the battle?"

Hearing this, Iono's eyes darted around, as if calculating some sinister scheme.

In that case, although she did not actually crave victory all that much during her streamed battles, caring more about the streaming effect and the audience's reaction than winning.

But that was only relative!

Since Mr. New Champion had delivered this opportunity right to her doorstep, how could the cute, smart, and soon-to-be-famous internet star Iono let this chance slip away?

Under the arrangements of Iono, who had suddenly become inexplicably enthusiastic, Luo Mu stood on the opposite side of the battlefield.

Calmly glancing at the surrounding crowd of onlookers and the assistant hired by Iono who was holding the streaming equipment, Luo Mu raised an eyebrow.

Come to think of it, in this era where the Rotom Phone had not yet been developed and even the Rotom Dex had not been invented by Clemont, Iono indeed had to hire an assistant to conduct her streams flexibly.

Acting with a spirit of modesty, Luo Mu took out a Poké Ball and released Shuckle Brother, introducing him: "This is the Pokémon I will be using for this battle."

The moment Shuckle Brother appeared on the field, his red shell and cute appearance sparked a wave of enthusiastic reactions, causing these natives of the Paldea region to discuss this Pokémon they had never seen before.

Faced with such a large crowd, Shuckle Brother, who actually disliked contacting humans very much and was only immune to Luo Mu, shrank his neck, his expression somewhat timid, looking as if he were about to hide inside his shell.

"Zibo!"

At this moment, a cheering cry came from behind.

Shuckle Brother looked back and discovered that Luo Mu had taken out another Poké Ball, releasing Shuckle Sister, whose color was completely opposite to his own.

At this moment, Shuckle Sister waved the tentacles at her front, enduring her discomfort, her face filled with excitement as she cheered for her brother.

Shuckle Brother froze for a moment; while feeling warmth in his heart, he recalled Luo Mu's guidance for him, summoned his courage, and forcibly resisted his instinct to hide inside his shell.

Although Iono did not recognize Shuckle at all, she could not prevent the fact that a small number of viewers in her stream were from other regions.

An online user named "Snow Adult" provided a detailed introduction to Shuckle.

Iono, who was staring at the streaming interface, breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, for everything there was this group of netizens who were all talents, so she would not expose her shortcomings as a poor student with insufficient knowledge reserves.

Iono revealed a confident smile, employing her genius-level brain to refine the content.

Shuckle, the Ferment Pokémon, Bug and Rock type; the only attribute moves capable of dealing effective damage are Rock, Water, and Steel types; it resists Normal and Poison type moves, possesses extremely excellent dual defenses, but its other stats are quite touching!

In other words, although Electric-type Pokémon cannot suppress Shuckle, one also need not worry about being suppressed by Shuckle!

Glancing curiously at the two Shuckle, one of which was obviously shiny, Iono revealed a brilliant smile: "Does Mr. New Champion want to have a Double Battle with me?"

Luo Mu shook his head: "A Single Battle is fine; Shuckle Sister is not skilled at battling."

Iono nodded slightly to indicate she understood, then recalled Pikachu into her Poké Ball and, facing the stream, began her customary opening remarks.

"Everyone~! Are you ready~?"

"Catch your eyeballs with an Electroweb! Who's casting? Iono is here! Good morning, afternoon, and evening, hello~!"

"This challenger is none other than~ the recently rising Mr. New Champion, who can even shoot down the Wattrel flying in the sky!"

"The battle is about to begin~!"

At the gesture of the assistant serving as both referee and judge, Miss Qi Shu also released her own Pokémon to join the battle.

"Dominate the arena with lightning speed and Thunderbolt, Raichu~!"

The Poké Ball in Miss Qi Shu's hand instantly opened, and amidst the coalescing red light, a vigorous Raichu with dark orange fur, yellow electric sacs, and a lightning-bolt-shaped tail appeared on the battlefield.

This was unmistakably the further evolved form of Pikachu from before, the orange-skinned, fat rat Raichu!

Even under the bright sunlight, Raichu was like a living lightbulb, its body continuously emitting enough electricity to illuminate itself.

"Rai-chu~!"

Raichu's bat-like ears twitched slightly, indicating that its mood was exceptionally high.

"Zi-bo!"

Shuckle summoned its courage and stared back at the mocking Raichu, unwilling to retreat even an inch.

"First, say hello to the Shuckle opposite you; use Thunderbolt~!"

Under Miss Qi Shu's command, Raichu suddenly raised its tail, which rivaled a lightning rod, and the golden electric current on its body flashed fiercely several times!

Boom!

Though the sky was clearly sunny, a muffled clap of thunder seemed to sound at this moment.

Violent electric currents danced like long snakes, crashing toward Shuckle from all directions!

Faced with such a magnificent attack, Shuckle, which was already sensitive to sound, subconsciously used the Protect move it had learned under Luo Mu's instruction.

With a faint humming sound from the air, a pale green barrier rose, protecting the Shuckle inside with a 360-degree range.

The instant Shuckle expanded its Protect barrier, the roaring electric currents struck upon it.

Amidst the rumbling thunder, the currents continuously emitted a sharp cry that grated on the eardrums, persistently damaging the Protect barrier.

Splashing currents fell onto the battlefield, leaving visible marks of electric shocks.

The sudden, dazzling brightness caused the surrounding spectators to subconsciously avert their gazes.

When they opened their eyes again, Shuckle, which had endured a full-power Thunderbolt from Raichu without a scratch, came into view.

These spectators did not know what absolute defense under equal levels meant; they only knew that Shuckle had actually withstood Raichu's magnificent attack, and they immediately let out delighted cheers of approval.

Seeing this, Luo Mu's smile grew even wider, his gaze falling upon the Shuckle on the field that was looking left and right.

If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, he would definitely have to ask one question—

How about it? Doesn't this feeling feel pretty good?

"Zi-bo."

Realizing that the surrounding cheers were all because of itself, Shuckle paused for a moment, and suddenly a certain inexplicable emotion generated in the bottom of its heart.

But before it could figure out what that emotion represented, Raichu's offensive came again.

"Quick Attack!"

Under Miss Qi Shu's command, Raichu seemed to transform into a bolt of lightning, dragging a dazzling white light; its figure, rushing at high speed, almost left an afterimage as it charged fiercely toward Shuckle!

This time, Shuckle did not panic but instead cast its peripheral vision toward Luo Mu behind it, as if waiting for his command.

Seeing this, Luo Mu's mouth corners rose slightly, and he spoke: "Power Split."

"What thing?"

The poor student Miss Qi Shu blinked her eyes, feeling confused by this extremely unfamiliar move.

This also caused Miss Qi Shu to miss the only opportunity to rely on Raichu's speed to evade Power Split.

A faint red light suddenly lit up on Shuckle's red shell; these lights transformed into a luminous body resembling a conveyor belt, instantly connecting to the Raichu charging straight at it.

Immediately afterward, a certain mysterious energy circulated within this luminous body, flowing continuously into Shuckle.

Almost instantly, Shuckle felt its entire body filled with strength.

On the other side, the charging Raichu suddenly felt as if it had been drained dry by something; its strength suddenly weakened greatly, and even the motion of crashing into Shuckle became soft and powerless.

With just a "Bang!" sound, Raichu crashed headfirst into Shuckle's sturdy shell; not only did it fail to knock Shuckle flying, but its own head began to hurt.

As everyone knows, the effect of force is mutual.

Not to mention that Raichu's weakened strength was crashing into Shuckle's naturally sturdy shell, which was even more resistant due to the Sturdy Ability.

"Rai-chu.!"

Raichu, with a face full of pain, hugged its head and curled up in front of the Shuckle, which had gained a bit more confidence, feeling that its head would probably swell into a large lump in another moment.

"What the hell!"

Miss Qi Shu's face stiffened, and the gaze of the poor student unconsciously drifted toward the screen broadcasting the live chat comments nearby.

Very quickly, she found the explanation from that netizen named Xuecheng.

【Power Split】, a Psychic-type Status move, utilizes psychic power to combine one's own strength with the opponent's strength and distribute it equally between the two Pokémon.

And as mentioned before, Shuckle possesses extremely weak Attack and Special Attack stats.

This also meant that Raichu's strength was purely weakened, while Shuckle was purely strengthened.

"What a shameless move."

Because of Shuckle's incredibly weak Physical and Special Attack, the channel that should have been a two-way transmission completely transformed into a move that weakened Raichu's strength and enhanced itself without any side effects.

Miss Qi Shu's exquisite little face was completely replaced by the color of a bitter melon; she looked at Luo Mu with a condemning gaze, as if she were getting to know him anew.

Luo Mu's expression did not change in the slightest; he smiled slightly and said: "Toxic."

Shuckle opened its small mouth, and thick purple venom was sprayed out, landing on the head of the Raichu that was hugging its head and letting out cries of pain.

The slightly swollen large lump on Raichu's head was the first to contact the venom; the instant Toxic penetrated it, Raichu let out an even more tragic scream.

Its face immediately took on a hint of dark purple halo; evidently, it had fallen into the Toxic status!

When pain reaches a certain degree, it often transforms into rage.

"Rai-chu!"

With adrenaline soaring, Raichu temporarily isolated the pain; lightning flashed on its short arms, and it immediately struck down toward Shuckle!

Thunder Punch!

Even though anger blinded its eyes, this Lei Qiu still remembered to attack Shuckle's weak body outside its non-shell areas.

It must be said that Lei Qiu's choice was very correct.

Shuckle's own mobility is extremely low; it is almost unable to dodge attacks from a high-speed Pokémon like Lei Qiu and can only choose to tank the hit.

"Substitute!"

Just as Lei Qiu's Thunder Punch rapidly approached Shuckle's true body, Luo Mu's next command arrived right on time.

Sensing the situation tilting in their favor, Shuckle naturally responded actively to Luo Mu's instruction.

At the instant Shuckle felt its stamina draining, a colorless energy detached from its body, transforming into a Substitute identical in size to Shuckle and nearly indistinguishable aside from its entirely green color.

Although the move Substitute is particularly effective in the games, using it in reality comes with many limitations.

While the Substitute itself carries a faint energy compelling one to "attack that taunting target," many Pokémon, after training, can suppress this sensation and bypass the Substitute to attack the original body directly.

However, this exception does not include the Lei Qiu currently trapped in a state of rage.

"Something's wrong, Lei Qiu!"

The moment it saw Shuckle's 【Substitute】 appear before it, Lei Qiu subconsciously ignored Qitou's shout; with an angry brain, it thought nothing else and directly swung its fist onto Shuckle's 【Substitute】!

Blinding electric light exploded; only when Shuckle's 【Substitute】 dispersed into smoke did Lei Qiu realize it had been tricked.

"Sticky Web."

The next moment, Luo Mu's devilish voice sounded once again.

White insect nets carrying incredibly viscous liquid burst through the smoke, landing on Lei Qiu's body, making its originally smooth fur sticky and clumsy, causing its movements to become awkward and sluggish as a result.

After several consecutive strikes, Lei Qiu's emotions were finally forced to calm down.

At this moment, its expression mirrored Qitou's, resembling a five-year-old potato-headed child who had eaten green peppers, with a face full of bitterness.

Where exactly did Luo Mu and Shuckle pull out these strange, never-before-heard-of moves from!

They were beaten so frustratingly; wasn't it agreed that battles were meant to bring everyone smiles?

"Gurrr, to think you could push me, Qitou, to such lengths; I suppose this is what one expects from Mr. Champion?"

Qitou shifted her shark-like teeth as if grinding them, then abruptly pulled a round crystal stone from within her oversized trendy outfit.

"At this point, Qitou cannot lose in such a sorry state!"

That round crystal stone is called a Tera Orb; although it had been discovered and manufactured for some time, its exorbitant cost and the scarcity of raw materials had prevented it from gaining widespread adoption.

That was until those two Pokémon Professors entered the region they named the 【Zero Great Crater】.

The Tera Orb now in Qitou's hand was distributed by Geeta, equipment issued to Gym Leaders of the Paldea region!

Holding the Tera Orb which shimmered with a brilliant luster, Qitou aimed at the camera and flashed a cute wink smile; even the expressions of the two different-colored "Magnemite" serving as her hair ornaments became unusually serious and stern.

"Come forth, my flash of inspiration, little lightbulb~! Let me showcase my, Qitou's, potential!!"

"Lei Qiu, Terastallize!"

As Qitou accurately threw the Tera Orb onto the top of Lei Qiu's head, the glow of Terastallization rained down, and the illuminated Lei Qiu began to undergo drastic changes.

Lei Qiu's entire body became plated with a golden-yellow crystalline layer, while the Tera Crown atop its head resembled a brightly shining large lightbulb.

Just like the primary type of Qitou's Zapapico Gym, Lei Qiu's Tera Type is Electric!

With the aid of Terastallization, Lei Qiu replenished part of the power it had previously lost, glaring ferociously at Shuckle, clearly intending to seek revenge.

Qitou shared the same intention; they must break through Shuckle's turtle shell before Lei Qiu's stamina is completely depleted by the poison!

"Thunderbolt!"

Boom—!

Lei Qiu let out a silent roar; the rumbling sound of thunder completely masked its cry as blinding lightning surged from Lei Qiu's electric sacs, transforming into a roaring thunder dragon that tore through the air and crashed toward Shuckle!

Empowered by Tera energy, this Thunderbolt now faintly rivaled the power and momentum of Thunder.

Luo Mu did not get complacent and stated in a deep voice: "Protect!"

A pale green barrier expanded once again from Shuckle, but this time the Protect move could not perfectly defend against Lei Qiu's Thunderbolt.

Under the bombardment of the thunder dragon, the Protect barrier resembled a small boat on the sea during a storm, constantly swaying, ready to shatter at the slightest mistake.

Fortunately, the Protect barrier ultimately endured the Thunderbolt.

Before Shuckle could rest, the instant the lightning glow dissipated, Lei Qiu seized the opportunity, covering its entire body with violent golden lightning as it rushed at high speed to collide with Shuckle!

"Bang!"

As Wild Charge struck Shuckle, amidst the flashing electric light, a dull thud resounded.

Shuckle was actually knocked straight into the air by Lei Qiu!

A few scorch marks appeared on its shell; while feeling the pain, a desire for victory ignited in Shuckle's heart.

"Zibo!"

Shuckle opened its small mouth, gathering emerald-green Bug-type energy into sharp insect teeth, and using the momentum of its fall, bit directly toward Lei Qiu!

"Lai Qiu!"

Enduring the weakness brought by the poison constantly eroding its body, Lei Qiu clenched its right fist, exchanging a fierce collision between an Electric Upper Cut and Shuckle's Bug Bite.

Shuckle was once again sent flying by Lei Qiu; in terms of power, Lei Qiu had clearly regained the advantage.

But it did not fare well either; looking at the wound left by Bug Bite on its right hand, Lei Qiu, under Qitou's command, immediately caused its tail to gleam with a metallic luster.

"Iron Tail!"

Luo Mu knew this was a Steel-type move super effective against Shuckle, and also knew that the Substitute-Protect-Poison strategy could only serve a supportive and attritional role when the power gap was too large or equal, so he immediately spoke calmly: "Rock Slide!"

With a clang as it landed, having exempted itself from most damage thanks to its shell and suffering only minor shock damage, Shuckle extended its tentacles; Rock-type energy rapidly gathered underground, instantly transforming into many interlocking sharp rock pillars that surged toward Lei Qiu.

Bolstered by the Attack boost Shuckle had freely obtained through Power Split, this Rock Slide carried tremendous momentum, forcing Lei Qiu to constantly swing its tail to counter the rock pillars.

Seizing this opportunity, Luo Mu narrowed his eyes and said: "Earth Power!"

As earth-yellow energy surged forward along the ground, the earth cracked open with countless fissures; Ground-type energy gathered like a volcanic eruption and erupted beneath Lei Qiu's feet!

Boom!

Bathed in the super-effective power of the earth, Lei Qiu's already scant stamina swayed like a candle in the wind.

Even so, Lei Qiu gritted its teeth, stepping alternately on the rock fragments it had shattered, arriving before Torkoal with the speed of lightning!

A look of hope appeared on Kiri's face; as if she had discovered a chance to defeat Luo Mu, she couldn't help but excitedly shout, "Thunder!"

From Lei Qiu's electric sacs, current surged wildly; it stared fixedly at Torkoal, clearly intending to decide the victor with a close-range Thunder.

Knowing that Substitute could not deceive Lei Qiu, whose attention was now highly focused, Torkoal had already prepared to raise its Protect barrier to endure this strike.

But just then, Luo Mu suddenly spoke: "The time is about up."

"Eh?"

Kiri froze.

The next second.

A crisp sound like shattering glass suddenly rang out; Lei Qiu's body, which seemed to have transformed into a dazzling conglomerate of thunderstorms, staggered, and the currents surrounding it, as if no longer supported by anything, instantly scattered into countless shards of light.

At this moment, even the shattered Terastal light shards could not conceal the rich purple halo on Lei Qiu's body, so intense it seemed ready to bubble over.

Lei Qiu's body swayed two or three times in succession, before finally collapsing powerlessly before Torkoal.

The activated poison had completely stripped Lei Qiu of its last reserves of stamina and will.

This also meant that this battle was Torkoal's victory.

(End of Chapter)