Chapter 342: VS Mega Alakazam, Cynthia's Surprise
The appearance of Mega Alakazam attracted the attention of all the spectators.
"Trainer Sabrina has used Mega Evolution! Alakazam has evolved into Mega Alakazam!"
"It is said that the IQ of a Mega Alakazam after evolution is as high as 5000, and its mental calculation speed even surpasses that of a supercomputer!"
As a dedicated commentator, Iono explained the knowledge about Mega Alakazam to the audience.
[Does it really have an IQ of 5000? I haven't read many books, don't lie to me.]
> [I won't believe it unless he does my math homework!]
[Math homework? The sound of your scheming reached me all the way in Alola.]
Up on the battlefield, Mega Alakazam hovered cross-legged in mid-air. After Mega Evolution, it had sacrificed physical strength for an immense boost in psychic power.
With just a glance, Mega Alakazam made Gengar feel as though a mountain had been dropped onto his back.
Gengar shrank back and shot a nervous glance toward Asahi.
Asahi responded with a calm and reassuring smile.
Immediately, Gengar regained his confidence, stuck out his tongue, and turned back to mock Mega Alakazam.
Mega Alakazam hadn't expected Gengar to still have the guts to taunt him. Its spoons trembled in midair as it raised both hands.
Hummm—!
An oppressive wave of psychic energy surged from Alakazam, shaking the arena.
Startled, Gengar instinctively tried to phase into the Ghost Realm, but only half his body made it in before the psychic blast struck his exposed backside and tail.
"GONGA!"
A miserable wail echoed from within the Ghost Realm as Gengar, tail ablaze in pain, frantically yanked himself fully into the shadows.
The crowd couldn't help but laugh at the comical sight.
Alakazam, now cautious, encased itself in a psychic shield, warily monitoring its surroundings.
Sabrina stared daggers at Asahi. "This time, I won't give you another opening!"
"As if I was the one who forgot to switch the telepathy channel..." Asahi muttered.
Sabrina: "...."
Before she could fire back, a new telepathic ping came from Alakazam: Gengar still hasn't resurfaced.
Sabrina's brow furrowed.
Phantom Ambush only allowed short-term traversal through the Ghost Realm. If a Pokémon lingered too long, they risked drawing the attention of the Gatekeeper of the Shadows—Dusknoir.
Could it be that Alakazam's earlier attack had left Gengar incapacitated, lost in the void?
Worried, she glanced toward Asahi—only to see him frowning too.
"...Asahi," she began, uncertain.
Then, just as suddenly, Asahi's frown shifted into a knowing smile.
From the shadow behind Mega Alakazam, two glowing red eyes appeared.
Two Shadow Claws shot out like chains, snaring Mega Alakazam in a vice-like grip, binding it tightly.
"!?"
Sabrina was stunned.
She had warned herself again and again to be wary of Asahi. And yet, she had walked right into his trap.
I'm so stupid...
From the sidelines, Gary let out a sympathetic sigh.
Finally—someone else understood the pain of battling Asahi. This was the exact feeling he'd been trying to explain!
On the field, Gengar's Shadow Claws kept Mega Alakazam firmly pinned.
Alakazam immediately tried to break free, mustering its massive psychic power—but Gengar had been preparing for this ambush for a long time. The claws didn't budge.
"Gengar," Asahi raised his hand, "show them your true power!"
Ghostly purple energy surged from the Z-Ring on his wrist, enveloping Gengar in a radiant violet glow.
Seeing this, Sabrina's face changed. "Alakazam, break free—Psychic!"
She realized what was happening.
Gengar was about to use a Z-Move.
If Gengar successfully Mega Evolved into Mega Gengar, the outcome of this battle would be impossible to predict.
At her command, Mega Alakazam gathered its formidable psychic might into a focused blast aimed at Gengar.
But Asahi simply smiled.
The energy surrounding Gengar wasn't the light of Mega Evolution.
"Gengar, Z-Destiny Bond!"
Gengar's eyes widened, filled with ghostly resentment. So "don't worry and go all out" had meant this...
But he didn't hesitate.
His eyes lit up with a sinister purple glow. Ghostly Z-energy cloaked his body, and as if draining the light from the world itself, the field around him grew dim. All eyes locked on Gengar alone.
Mega Alakazam, aiming to break free from the Shadow Claw's grip, suddenly turned its full attack on Gengar.
"No! Target the Shadow Claws, not Gengar!" Sabrina cried out.
But Alakazam seemed entranced. It saw nothing but Gengar—ignoring all commands, it poured its psychic power into a devastating blow.
BOOM!
Gengar was launched across the field, crashing hard into the ground.
A mega-evolved Elite-tier Alakazam, boasting a base Special Attack of 175 and launching an 80-power Psychic, gave Gengar no chance.
He fainted on the spot.
The Shadow Claws binding Alakazam dissolved into wisps of ghostly energy.
But at the same moment, a familiar violet light flickered in Mega Alakazam's eyes.
Still suspended in air, Alakazam's body trembled—then collapsed, reverting from Mega form back into regular Alakazam, unconscious.
> [Both Alakazam and Gengar have lost the ability to battle—it's a draw!]
Asahi returned Gengar to his Poké Ball, then glanced at Sabrina, who looked visibly confused.
"You seem a little puzzled," he said calmly.
"I don't understand…" she admitted. "I told Alakazam to break the Shadow Claws. Why didn't it listen?"
Had the attack hit the claws instead of Gengar, with Alakazam's power, it would've escaped eventually.
"That's the power of a Z-Move," Asahi explained to both Sabrina and the audience. "Z-Destiny Bond puts Gengar in a state where he becomes the sole focus of all attacks. In that moment, no matter the Pokémon, they can only target him."
"Z-Move... from Alola?" Sabrina murmured.
Her understanding of Alolan battle styles was limited at best.
> [So that's how it works! Learned something new today.]
[Z-Moves are seriously wild!]
[Is it too late to fly to Alola and start training Z-Moves now?]
"Wait... did Asahi plan this strategy the moment he saw Alakazam?" Iono wondered, staring at Asahi in awe.
Even though she already held Asahi's battle instincts in high regard, she realized now that she'd still underestimated him.
"As expected of Asahi! Truly a—"
Iono paused mid-sentence, remembering that Asahi had once gotten in trouble for detaining Gym Leaders. She coughed and changed the topic.
"W-What I mean is, who will Asahi send out next? Will it be Milotic again, or his third, still-unrevealed Pokémon?"
Sabrina didn't know—but she had no choice now.
She threw out her next Poké Ball.
A flash of light revealed a pink-hued Espeon, tail split at the end, gracefully stepping onto the field. It immediately turned and locked eyes with the Eevee perched on Asahi's shoulder.
"Espi~!"
"Bui~!"
Eevee squeaked happily, preparing to jump into battle.
Only for Asahi to grab it by the scruff of the neck.
"Where do you think you're going? You're not registered for this match."
"Buiii…"
Eevee pouted with a pitiful expression.
"Nice try, but rules are rules. I can't just rewrite the tournament regulations."
Not that I couldn't…
But Asahi prided himself on being a rule-abiding trainer.
Case in point: Even though the championship rules didn't ban Legendary Pokémon, Asahi had still shown restraint.
Tucking Eevee into his arms, Asahi drew another Poké Ball.
"Dragonite, you're up!"
Boom!
With a flash of light, Dragonite flapped onto the field.
"Wuuu~!"
The first thing it did was turn around and nuzzle into Asahi's arms affectionately.
"....."
Just like Milotic, huh?
"Asahi has chosen Dragonite! Just like Milotic, Dragonite seems to adore its Trainer!"
"But after a bit of convincing, Dragonite's now in battle mode. Dragonite enters the field!"
"Facing Dragonite, Espeon appears cautious—it seems to recognize the threat!"
"Dragonite makes the first move—Hurricane! Espeon struggles to stand against the raging winds…"
"Espeon retaliates—Draining Kiss! Is it trying to restore its strength by siphoning energy?"
"Incredible! Dragonite dodged with a speed completely unfit for its body size!"
"Wait—what's that? Dragonite used Aerial Ace!"
From the sky, Dragonite performed an elegant flip and dove toward Espeon with blinding speed.
Espeon fired off a Psybeam in desperation, trying to confuse Dragonite and fend off the charge.
But Dragonite evaded it cleanly with expert aerial maneuvers.
With no defense left, Espeon shut its eyes tight.
Whoosh!
Dragonite zipped past, scooped Espeon into its arms… and began rubbing it like a plush toy.
By the time Dragonite was done playing, Espeon looked thoroughly dizzy.
Sabrina let out a sigh, raised her hand, and said helplessly, "I surrender."
> [Trainer Sabrina has surrendered. Dragonite wins!]
[All three of Sabrina's Pokémon are unable to battle. The winner of this match is—Asahi!]
This had been the most one-sided match of the tournament so far.
To the average viewer, it looked like Asahi simply saved his trump card for last—but those who knew him well understood:
Everything up until now had just been warm-up.
Dragonite was Asahi's true power.
> [Congratulations! Your ranking has increased: #99 → #83]
"Sabrina, come on… I only moved up to Rank 83 after beating you," Asahi sighed.
Sabrina: "...?"
Fist. Clenched. So hard.
...
And thus, the first match of the Ultra Ball Tier came to a perfect end.
Asahi gained more ranking points, moving himself up the ladder—while Sabrina, once again, was demoted to the role of a gatekeeper at the Ultra Ball tier.
Of course, in Sabrina's own words, "It's only temporary."
She'd be back up in no time.
To that, Asahi merely responded, "Yeah yeah, of course," with an attitude so perfunctory it made Sabrina grind her teeth in frustration.
Back at the villa, instead of running into Green and the others, Asahi ran into Cynthia.
Cynthia was sitting on the sofa chatting with her Gardevoir, and upon seeing Asahi return, she greeted him with a smile.
"Asahi, I watched your match livestream—it was brilliant!"
Asahi waved his hand modestly. "It was nothing, really."
"And actually, you came at the perfect time. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"
"Oh? What is it?"
"Are you interested in Hisui?" Asahi asked with a faint smile.
"Hisui?"
As someone who adored archaeology and exploring ancient ruins, Cynthia certainly knew the name and what it implied.
But she wasn't quite sure what he meant by bringing it up here and now.
"You mean…"
"I've got another opportunity to travel through time and space—destination: the Hisui Region. I figured, since you're into ancient history, you might be interested in…"
Before Asahi could even finish, Cynthia had already stood up, walked over, and grabbed him by the hand.
"When are we leaving?"
The sheer urgency in her voice caught Asahi off guard.
"Uh… aren't you even going to ask whether I'm making this up?"
"I trust you," Cynthia replied simply.
From the side, Sabrina, who had just returned from having her Pokémon treated, couldn't help but cover her face.
Don't trust him so easily! This guy's definitely hiding something!
Feeling a bit sheepish at how much faith Cynthia had in him, Asahi decided not to keep her in suspense any longer.
"Not right now. After the World Championships wrap up, I'll send you an invitation via your phone. Just accept it when the time comes."
Cynthia nodded seriously, then asked curiously:
"Asahi, have you already been to Hisui? Can you tell me about it?"
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
"Well, let's see… I brought along two tagalongs, so I didn't really get to explore properly. Just took some photos and picked up a few local souvenirs…" Asahi took out the photos he snapped at Jubilife Village and showed her some Hisuian-style Poké Balls he'd collected.
Looking at the images and holding one of the Poké Balls, Cynthia's excitement was barely contained. After a long pause, she finally said, seriously:
"These materials are crucial! They could help shed light on the ancient history of Sinnoh!"
When he had taken the photos, Asahi had a vague idea they might be useful—but he hadn't expected this kind of reaction.
"So, should I send them to you?"
He was still considering whether or not to hand over that really important item he had.
Cynthia thought for a moment and then shook her head. "If I remember right, you're a registered researcher too, aren't you? These photos and Poké Balls alone could support a groundbreaking academic paper on ancient Sinnoh."