Ever Grande Stadium, countless eyes were fixed intently on the two Pokémon battling on the field.
Gallade used Teleport to appear behind Slaking. As it emerged, a brown light followed, forming an arc that struck the back of Slaking’s neck.
Norman’s Slaking had trained its vulnerable points to the extreme, so its response was very straightforward. In its Bulk Up state, its muscles tensed, especially at the spot Gallade attacked, where nearly half of Slaking’s strength was concentrated.
So when the attack landed, Gallade only felt its arm go numb, as if it had struck something made of reinforced steel.
But even reinforced steel shouldn’t be this tough. Just as Gallade was startled, Slaking’s arm swung along with the momentum. At the same time, the point Gallade had struck erupted with force, deflecting Gallade’s blade and exposing it directly to Slaking’s attack path.
Without hesitation, Gallade immediately used Teleport!
“Don’t worry, that move consumes a lot of Slaking’s energy. Keep up the hit-and-run strategy,” Terrance commanded.
Slaking’s Brick Break missed as expected.
Yet even that strike allowed Terrance to witness the Slaking’s power firsthand. The Brick Break sliced through empty air, compressing it into a violent gust that tore across the battlefield, leaving behind cracks like a spiderweb—an utterly terrifying sight.
A fusion of strength and defense; this was the defining trait of this Slaking. If not for its slower reaction speed, Gallade would already be in serious danger.
Compared to Gallade, which had mastered Teleport like an instinct, Slaking’s reaction speed couldn’t keep up with Gallade’s attacks. It could only rely on its powerful body to withstand them.
The clash between muscle and blade continued until the third exchange, when Slaking unleashed even greater power, instantly sending Gallade flying. At that moment, Slaking’s expression became extremely ferocious, as if enduring immense pain. Veins bulged across its muscles, and a shockwave burst forth, forcing Gallade to the edge of the field and dealing it significant damage.
“This Slaking…” Terrance gritted his teeth. That Counter move, combined with Slaking’s control over its entire body’s strength, had dealt Gallade severe damage, and for Gallade, it was nearly impossible to guard against.
“It’s poisoned! Slaking is poisoned! Its movements seem to be getting even slower!”
As Gallade was blasted back by the shockwave, a layer of frost spread across Slaking’s arms, causing it to involuntarily shake them. Seeing this, the announcer’s eyes lit up.
“Gallade has mastered Toxic move! Combined with the variation of Ice Punch, it injected poison into Slaking during the previous successful strike, reducing its mobility even further. It seems Terrance intends to stick with a hit-and-run strategy!”
“Facade!” Seeing this, Norman quickly commanded.
This move had demonstrated exceptional tactical value when used by Spinda, yet Norman did not apply it to his other Pokémon. Terrance guessed that this might be because that particular Spinda was unique, possessing the ability to master toxins that provided beneficial effects to itself, whereas other Pokémon lacked such a talent.
Now, following Terrance’s attack, Norman used the move again. But this time, Slaking’s poisoned state came from Gallade’s frost-infused toxin. With the two effects interacting, it was unclear whether Slaking actually held the advantage.
“Mr. Norman’s Slaking has no weaknesses at all in terms of strength and defense; it is powerful to the extreme. Gallade can only rely on hit-and-run tactics to look for a chance to win, but…” As Gallade and Slaking fought evenly, the several Elite Four fell silent.
Sending out a Slaking as the third Pokémon. What was he thinking?
“Mr. Norman has three Slaking of nearly equal strength, each with a different battle style. Any one of them alone is his ace and can handle any situation. In a typical Champion League match, Mr. Norman usually doesn’t send out Slaking. Only when facing somewhat capable opponents does he send out one. Against the current Elite Four, he sent out two Slaking in each battle, and against Mr. Steven, he even used all three! Each of these Slaking is strong enough to suppress ordinary Pokémon. Back then, Steven only managed to make a break through by fighting desperately with Metagross. That battle was even more grueling than the Elite Four matches.”
Having gone through multiple Champion Leagues, Norman had experienced several major battles, and his ace Pokémon were no longer unfamiliar to those in high positions. His three Slaking, each with a distinct battle style, were a nightmare for all Champion League contestants. Now that Norman had sent out a Slaking as his third Pokémon, many began to question his intentions.
One? Two? Three?
At this moment, many people were trying to figure out Norman’s plan…
As time passed, Mega Gallade and Slaking drained each other’s stamina and collapsed at the same time, prompting many sighs from the audience.
“Even Mega Evolution fell before Mr. Norman’s Slaking.”
“But that final burst of consecutive Teleports from Gallade was really impressive. It pressured Slaking so much that it couldn’t control its strength in time to counter, forcing it to disperse the power throughout its body and take the hits.”
“Still, the combination of Counter and Bulk Up was too much for Gallade to handle. Both Slaking and Gallade accumulated countless injuries. This mutual knockout isn’t surprising.”
With both Slaking and Gallade down, the audience buzzed with discussion. At the same time, both sides had lost three Pokémon each, and the match naturally entered the halftime break.
During this period, Steven left his seat and found Mr. Raoul Contesta.
“How many Slaking does Mr. Norman have in his lineup this time?”
“Three. All three of his Slaking are on the team. It seems even the Norman couldn’t withstand the pressure,” Raoul Contesta shook his head. “But Terrance has already secured qualification for the Elite Four matches. Even if he unexpectedly loses this battle, it won’t determine the final outcome. Let’s see how he performs, I believe in him.”
Before the second half began, an elderly man stepped onto the main platform.
He had a short, stiff mustache, deeply set brown eyes, and a head of messy gray-white hair. He looked completely ordinary, yet his arrival caused all four Elite Four members to show surprise and stand up to greet him.
“Chairman Nakai.”
“No need to mind me. I just felt like coming to watch the battle,” the old man said with a dry voice, waving his hand with a smile.
Chairman Nakai, chairman of the Hoenn League council, was the highest-ranking figure in the Hoenn League. He had once made tremendous contributions to the development of the Hoenn region, and although he was now advanced in age, he still held immense influence.
A figure like him would almost never appear at such events. Only Mr. Goodshow, the supreme president of the Pokémon League, enjoys wandering around basic conferences in various regions. Of course, this is also related to another of Charles Goodshow’s positions; only someone of his status is qualified to manage the Sacred Flame around the world.
The appearance of Chairman Nakai made this battle even more unpredictable. Each of the Elite Four had their own thoughts as they sat back down, looking at the empty field below with expressions of sudden realization.
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