Slash~ Slash~ Slash…
Boom!
With a heavy thud, Richard's third Pokémon, Mandibuzz, was finally taken down by the "god-slaying Luck King", Togekiss.
"Mandibuzz has lost the ability to battle. Togekiss wins. As Trainer Richard's three Pokémon have all lost the ability to battle, the Kalos League must immediately send in their next participant!"
The referee announced flatly. In such a high-profile public exhibition match, he didn't dare make any questionable calls.
"YEAH, WE WON~"
Mark shouted in excitement, not forgetting to hug the soaring Togekiss tightly with joy.
A complete 3:0 victory!
Even Sato hadn't expected Mark to have grown to this level. But soon, the Kalos League sent out their second Elite Four candidate.
And for the opponent to step up at this moment, it was clear they had already thought of a way to counter Togekiss.
A flash of red light! Galvantula appeared on the field. Typing-wise, Togekiss still held the advantage.
But Sato had already sensed what the opponent was planning. He wanted to warn Mark, but the battle had already begun.
"Togekiss, Air Slash!"
"Galvantula, Discharge!"
Air Slash tore through the air straight toward the enemy, but Galvantula's speed wasn't slow. In fact… it was significantly faster than Togekiss!
Discharge burst forth, turning the entire battlefield bright yellow with crackling sparks. Its terrifying power drew gasps from the crowd.
And though Air Slash cut through a dozen electric arcs, it ultimately dispersed in mid-air due to the type disadvantage.
In the next instant, a voice rang out.
"Galvantula, Disable!"
Disable: sealing off Togekiss's most recently used move, which of course was Air Slash.
"Togekiss, charge in and use Ancient Power!"
Mark realized too, Galvantula might be a Bug-type, but its speed was clearly above Togekiss. There was no avoiding that Disable.
So brute force was the best choice!
"Toge~"
A strange red glow flickered over Togekiss, evidence that Disable had already sealed off Air Slash.
But Togekiss had reached directly above Galvantula, and as it flapped its wings, several massive rocks began to float into place around it.
Drop…
Boom!
Rumble… Rumble…
Galvantula's entire area was buried beneath the rocks summoned by Ancient Power.
At that moment, Togekiss suddenly spread its wings and let out a long cry. Its whole body flashed with a burst of intense orange light, and its aura surged dramatically.
Serene Grace activated!
Luck King power… activated!
When a Pokémon uses Ancient Power, there is a 10% chance to raise all its stats. But for Mark's Togekiss, that chance had always been…
100%!
"GALVANTULA, WILD CHARGE!"
Just then, Galvantula suddenly burst from the rock pile, its body wrapped in ferocious electricity, charging toward Togekiss without hesitation.
"Togekiss, dodge!"
"Galvantula, Aerial Ace-style Wild Charge!"
"Ancient Power!"
The battlefield shifted rapidly, leaving everyone wide-eyed, unable to blink.
With all stats boosted by Ancient Power, Togekiss's speed had caught up to Galvantula.
But who could have guessed…
Galvantula could fly too!
Just like Sato's Sharpedo, this Galvantula had fully integrated Magnet Rise into its core; able to activate it anytime, anywhere.
So when Togekiss dodged the first Wild Charge, Galvantula suddenly performed an Aerial Ace-style backward leap, cloaked in electricity, and struck Togekiss straight in the back!
In that moment of crisis, Mark only had time to call for Togekiss to use Ancient Power.
BOOOM!
Wild Charge slammed into Togekiss just as it was surrounded by the rocks summoned by Ancient Power, triggering a massive explosion.
In the cloud of dust, both Togekiss and Galvantula fell toward the ground, followed by two heavy thuds.
"Togekiss and Galvantula have both lost the ability to battle. Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Togekiss had been one-hit KO'd…
After dominating so confidently, Togekiss had fallen to a single blow, and the stark contrast left people momentarily dazed.
But many began rationalizing it. Togekiss had already defeated Malamar and Mandibuzz, and now it had drawn against Galvantula.
Though Air Slash looked effortless, if it truly had a 100% flinch rate, the energy consumption had to be enormous.
So in the end, being one-shot wasn't that hard to understand.
As for the current results, Mark was clearly the standout; he had already taken down four of the opponent's Pokémon while only losing one.
And he still had Lucario and one unrevealed Pokémon!
Bang! Bang!
Two Poké Balls burst open at once. Mark, unexpectedly, sent out his unrevealed Arbok, while the opponent released Kalos's Grass-type starter, Chesnaught!
First step of the Luck King: type advantage strikes again!
To others, it seemed Mark had read the opponent's mind… Chesnaught was clearly sent out to counter Lucario.
The match resumed quickly. Both Arbok and Chesnaught specialized in close combat, so they charged at each other without hesitation.
But then… "Pfft!" Chesnaught suddenly got a face full of poison sprayed by Arbok without any warning.
Toxic!
Immediately after, Arbok retreated wildly! The earlier aggressive charge had clearly been a feint.
Chesnaught was covered in spikes, and engaging in close combat would clearly leave Arbok at a disadvantage.
Oh right, Arbok doesn't have hands or feet…
Soon, a chaotic scene unfolded on the battlefield.
Chesnaught kept using Rollout, Vine Whip, and Leech Seed to try and catch Arbok.
But Arbok just kept fleeing without looking back; Dig, Glare, Haze, Dragon Tail… doing everything to avoid a head-on clash!
Until…
"Chesnaught, Pain Split!"
In an instant, the unscathed Arbok felt an invisible hand grasp its weak point! And its health/stamina began plummeting!
Pain Split adds the remaining health/stamina of both Pokémon together, then splits it evenly. No one knows exactly how it works, but it's undeniably nasty!
And now Arbok's stall tactic had failed. If this kept up, both Pokémon would be knocked out together.
"Arbok, Venoshock!"
"Chesnaught, Pain Split!"
Venoshock landed cleanly, but Mark's expression didn't look any better.
Because Arbok had once again lost a huge chunk of its health/stamina due to Pain Split.
Despite not taking a single real hit, Arbok was now in the same barely-holding-on state as Chesnaught…
---
"Arbok and Chesnaught have both lost the ability to battle. Trainers, send out your next Pokémon!"
"Sigh… Mark really played himself this time," Joseph sighed and shook his head.
Sato gave a cold snort. "Clearly has the strength, but insists on self-sabotage. He deserves it."