Chapter 349:
The scattered sludge from the Sludge Bomb formed a fan-shaped curtain, blanketing the sky above Gardevoir like an inescapable net.
But the moment Hayashi Kaede's words fell, Gardevoir, who had turned to look at him, simply waved its right hand.
Threads of psychic energy seeped out, and the sludge-filled sky seemed to press pause instantly. Everything halted, suspended in mid-air, unable to move an inch.
Whether it was the kinetic energy from the explosion or the spreading sludge, everything was locked firmly in place!
Most crucially, after doing all this, Gardevoir hadn't even bothered to turn around.
"You've got to be kidding me? How is this possible?"
The scene froze, leaving only the howling wind and Haruki's completely stunned expression on the other side.
What was this?
The shockwave from his Seismitoad's Sludge Bomb, after exploding, was so easily controlled?
And with one hand, without even turning around?
At this moment, shock, confusion, and various emotions churned within him, finally coalescing into sheer disbelief.
His Seismitoad, not to boast, had defeated many powerful opponents alongside him.
Its most glorious achievement was defeating a Gym Leader's main Pokémon in a provincial gym.
That was a Gym Leader-level Pokémon!
Yet, the move unleashed by such a accomplished Seismitoad was so utterly insignificant before this Gardevoir?
Just how powerful was this Gardevoir?
Edited four level? Of Champion level?
He didn't dare think further.
The outcome of the match was no longer in doubt.
Haruki looked at Gardevoir standing in the distance, showing no intention to attack, then at Hayashi Kaede shaking his head on the other side.
The fierce fighting spirit that had just surged within him slowly faded.
At this moment, in his heart, the exclamations from the audience, the announcer's passionate commentary, everything around him seemed to slowly blur, even becoming inaudible.
In his eyes, the vast battlefield seemed to zoom in at near-infinite speed.
The smiling Gardevoir now loomed like a mountain, pressing down before him.
Fighting spirit arises when facing a beatable opponent, or at least one you can exchange blows with.
But this Gardevoir truly made him feel no desire to battle at all.
As a trainer, he wasn't like the spectators in the stands.
Most people in the audience couldn't understand; they only thought Gardevoir was amazing for directly controlling Seismitoad's move.
But this method of control...
They didn't get it.
If it were the entire Sludge Bomb being controlled, or if Gardevoir had erected a psychic barrier, or used Protect, he would still feel there was a chance.
But this was an exploded Sludge Bomb, consisting of hundreds or even more individual sludge projectiles, each with its own power and trajectory.
Using psychic power to control such a thing...
Too little psychic power, and you couldn't hold the sludge; too much, and the already formed sludge would explode.
But even so.
This light-blue Gardevoir before him had precisely controlled every single droplet of sludge, without letting a single splatter reach the ground.
Hundreds of sludge droplets...
He didn't even dare imagine how incredibly precise Gardevoir's energy control must be.
"Absurd..."
This scene made even Kazephyr, sitting at the highest point of the spectator stands, mouth twitched.
If Haruki below could see the precision of Gardevoir's energy control, then with his own insight, he understood even more deeply what it signified.
In short, he had battled a Psychic-type Elite Four member before. Although he won, he hadn't even seen such precise psychic control from that opponent's Gardevoir.
"Quite a shame, really."
Kazephyr shook his head and turned his gaze back to Haruki below.
This trainer actually had quite some talent.
So young, yet he had raised a Seismitoad to this level and had bonded with some other good Pokémon. Given more time, he might potentially shoulder the responsibility of the Poison-type specialty.
But now, his eyes were full of confusion.
It seemed he had been thoroughly discouraged.
...
*'Hiss, is this a bit too harsh?'*
Looking at the opponent who hadn't issued a command for a long time, the thought flashed through Hayashi Kaede's mind.
But to be honest, wasn't this the request he made?
Ah, never mind.
"Gardevoir, use—"
Before his command finished, Seismitoad croaked first.
"Ribbit..."
"Ribbit...."
One monotone croak after another came from Seismitoad. Hayashi Kaede stopped his command, his gaze instead turning interested.
This Seismitoad was counseling its trainer.
It was recounting their past battles together, times when they faced similar situations.
Back then, it was still a Palpitoad, facing a Gyarados.
It wasn't even a meter tall, but that Gyarados was ten meters long.
Wasn't this moment just like that time back then?
They were in the wild then, with no one around and no help in sight, but they could still battle together, couldn't they?
Now they were on a battle stage; they didn't even need to run away.
After this speech, a look of shame slowly appeared on Haruki's face. Soon, however, his expression became determined again.
"Seismitoad, use Hyper Beam!"
The bumps on Seismitoad's body made intense sounds. Then, panting heavily, it mustered all its strength and charged toward Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir, use Psychic!"
Seeing the opponent's trainer successfully regain his fighting spirit thanks to Seismitoad's encouragement, Hayashi Kaede also issued a new command.
Before such a vast difference in power, any skills or tactics were meaningless.
Haruki recognized this, so in this final clash, he directly used Hyper Beam.
Since the outcome was decided, he might as well use his strongest move recklessly and just charge!
*Thud!*
A pink energy mass, summoned by Gardevoir, collided with Seismitoad, producing a dull impact sound.
Gardevoir modulated the intensity of Psychic. The contact allowed Seismitoad to maintain its Hyper Beam state without sustaining too severe injuries.
Finally, after ten seconds of stalemate, Seismitoad's stamina was completely depleted. It was gently enveloped by Psychic and delivered to its trainer.
"Whew..."
Letting out a long sigh, Haruki looked at the Seismitoad before him and whispered softly, "You worked hard..."
He then looked at Gardevoir standing gracefully in the distance, its face still wearing a faint, gentle smile.
With a flash, it returned to its trainer's side.
"Really strong..."
Arai Haruki murmured.
But, just as Seismitoad said, back when they encountered that Gyarados, they hadn't felt disheartened or afraid either. They only felt the excitement of youth and surging adrenaline.
And the determination to challenge that Gyarados in the future.
Now they had reached the level where they could challenge a Gyarados.
So why be afraid now?
It's just a Gardevoir, right?
Maybe in the future, they could battle it too!
"Thank you!"
He bowed to Hayashi Kaede, then recalled Seismitoad and walked calmly out of the battlefield!
At this moment, he suddenly rediscovered the passion of his youth! The fire that once drove him was rekindled.