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"Hey, hey, Junior brother, don't underestimate me so much! Even if Mega Gardevoir has the type advantage over Haxorus, aren't you being a bit too overconfident by getting so close?" Alexis grinned, sounding displeased.
Chris didn't respond. He wasn't underestimating Senior Alexis, but he hadn't expected Haxorus to react so quickly—countering Teleport's surprise attack almost instantly.
"Slash!" Alexis commanded, raising his hand.
Haxorus lunged forward, swinging its sharp, blood-red claws. A white, chilling light trailed behind, slashing diagonally like a long blade.
Without waiting for Chris's command, Gardevoir activated Teleport, vanishing just in time.
The cold, white energy streaked through the air, cutting across the battlefield even though it missed Gardevoir. The force of the slash was no different from an Air Cutter.
This wasn't the first time Chris had encountered such a move. He recalled when Vladimir's Machamp had used Slash, forcing him to counter with Greninja's Surf Slash.
"This should be a skill!" Chris thought. He had asked his Teacher to help him learn this technique before.
Turning back to the battle, he saw Haxorus suddenly leap into the air, as if it had already predicted Mega Gardevoir's landing point after teleporting.
Sure enough, as soon as Mega Gardevoir reappeared, Haxorus was already diving toward it.
"Haxorus has Future Sight?" Chris frowned.
Mega Gardevoir barely materialized before vanishing again.
"Roar!" Haxorus bellowed, unleashing a crimson pillar of fire—a Flamethrower.
Mega Gardevoir reappeared midair, right in the path of the flames. A Light Screen shimmered to life, blocking the attack completely.
"Haxorus isn't a Psychic-type. It doesn't have Future Sight," Alexis explained. "It's just a Pokémon with strong battle instincts."
"Can battle instincts alone rival Future Sight?" Chris wondered. Could Pokémon develop such an ability through sheer willpower?
But the evidence was right in front of him—he couldn't deny it.
Gym-level Trainers truly had the ability to handpick and train exceptional Pokémon.
"Then we'll have to overpower it," Chris murmured. He stretched out his hand, snapped his fingers, and launched his second wave of attacks.
"Gardevoir, Calm Mind!"
Mega Gardevoir closed its eyes, arms spread wide as psychic energy pulsed around it, intensifying.
"Don't give it a chance! Use Hyper Beam!" Alexis shouted.
Haxorus opened its mouth, unleashing a blinding beam of destructive energy.
The attack streaked across the battlefield in an instant, but it hit nothing but air. Mega Gardevoir had already teleported away.
Reappearing ten meters above, Mega Gardevoir remained in its Calm Mind state, further boosting its Special Attack.
"Teleport and Calm Mind at the same time? Interesting, junior!" Alexis praised.
But Chris ignored the compliment, issuing his next attack without hesitation.
"Moonblast!"
Mega Gardevoir raised its hand, and a cascade of pink energy rained down from the sky. Compared to the first Moonblast, Gardevoir now had even greater control over the attack.
If his Gardevoir had a unique talent, Chris thought, it was its incredible ability to adapt and learn quickly.
"This kid learns fast!" Alexis muttered.
"Wide Guard!" he ordered.
This time, Haxorus was prepared. It spread its arms and let out a roar, creating an invisible barrier that repelled the Moonblast completely.
"The same move won't work on me twice, little brother!" Alexis declared.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Chris countered without hesitation, launching another wave of dazzling light.
Mega Gardevoir vanished instantly, reappearing behind Haxorus in the next moment, holding a glowing pink energy orb.
The only difference this time was that Mega Gardevoir was even closer to Haxorus, as if preparing for a close-range attack.
"Shadow Claw!" Alexis had been waiting for this moment.
Haxorus reacted immediately, turning around as its claws became enveloped in a dark, shadowy aura—faster and sharper than before.
In a blink, the Dazzling Gleam orb in Mega Gardevoir's hands was pierced. But it wasn't just the attack that was struck—Mega Gardevoir's body was impaled as well.
The audience gasped.
"Junior, let me teach you something."
Alexis pointed at Chris, his voice carrying a knowing tone.
"When your Pokémon has a type disadvantage, even if you have a move that counters your opponent, don't act recklessly.
Wait for the perfect moment—the decisive strike that ensures victory!"
Then he turned to Elliot. "Get ready to call it. Haxorus' Shadow Claw wasn't meant to hold back."
"Senior is right," Chris agreed. But instead of showing regret, he simply raised his hand and gave his next command.
"Moonblast!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the body of Mega Gardevoir—still impaled—suddenly shattered, dissolving into a faint, misty smoke.
At the same time, the Moonblast raindrops scattered across the battlefield began to glow intensely.
Even though Haxorus had sensed the danger and reacted on instinct, it was too late.
It was already caught in the heart of the Moonblast onslaught, and Wide Guard couldn't save it!
"Boom!!"
A powerful explosion shook the battlefield, flooding the entire area with a dazzling pink light.
As the glow faded, Haxorus lay on the ground, unable to battle.
Despite being a Dragon-type nearly ten levels higher than Mega Gardevoir, it had been completely overwhelmed by its terrifying Special Attack.
The battle was over.
"Haxorus is unable to battle! Gardevoir wins! The final winner is Chris!" Elliot announced.
"Was that... Substitute?" Alexis was still in disbelief.
Substitute was a Normal-type move, but it was rare. Few Pokémon could naturally learn it, and Gardevoir wasn't known for using it.
Even fewer Pokémon could execute Substitute with such flawless deception.
And since Alexis had seen Gardevoir Teleport, he never considered that what appeared behind Haxorus was actually a Substitute.
"Tsk..." Alexis clicked his tongue, frustrated.
"I was just showing off a moment ago, and now you hit me with a complete reversal. My pride took such a hard hit—I feel like crying..."