As a Pokémon that once defeated Pikachu and had one win and one draw with Riolu, Grapploct is almost Bea's second strongest Pokémon.
Therefore, Baimu thought it wasn't so strange for it to easily take down the Gigantic Orbeetle.
The overall strength of newly trained Pokémon tends to be a bit lacking.
Unlike Ash Ketchum, who can raise new Pokémon from scratch to the level of old companions, or even better, in a short amount of time.
The Superpower User likely knew that Grapploct wasn't easy to handle, so they pondered carefully.
[You sent out Starmie]
The massive starfish fearlessly lunged at Grapploct. Both Pokémon have tentacles and a certain mastery of soft skills. However, one is a Psychic Attribute Pokémon disguised as a Fighting Attribute Pokémon, while the other is a genuine Fighting Attribute Pokémon.
The two Pokémon tangled with each other, but ultimately Starmie fell behind.
There was no other way.
With Grapploct's design inspired by judo, even a single Octopus Firm move was enough to trouble Starmie, not to mention those other advanced attack techniques.
Of course.
Such close-range combat was advantageous for Starmie as well, for instance, there was no worry of Spiritual Shock missing its mark.
Ultimately, the two Pokémon put on a very dramatic show.
Grapploct used its signature move, Close Combat, to dim the core ruby of Starmie, and Starmie delivered a deadly blow with Strong Mental Will.
Both sides ended up in a draw.
However, the battle wasn't over; being the fourth Gym in the Superpower User's challenge, that meant Bea could still send out stronger Pokémon and Gigantify them—
The trump card, Machamp, made its debut smoothly.
Even though the Superpower User could mobilize two Pokémon and had an Attribute advantage, he was still very wary of Machamp, so he sent out Slowking first.
Bea didn't disappoint. As soon as Machamp landed, it altered the rhythm of the background music and activated Gigantamax, turning into a four-armed Ultraman, launching its exclusive Gigantic Technique, Gigantamax Critical Strike, at Slowking from above.
The immense energy fist that descended almost smashed Slowking into the grass. The latter struggled to Defend, hoping to complete the Superpower User's assignment—the three Gigantic Techniques of a Gigantamax Monster Strength Machamp.
Undoubtedly, this was no simple task.
Baimu knew very well that Bea had already sent out her main Pokémon. From the moment the first two Pokémon were instantly defeated by Gigantic Orbeetle, Grapploct's power had already exceeded what was typical for a Gym challenge.
However, the challenge intensity of the Galar Region's gyms is generally higher than usual, and the rules differ from other regions, which is understandable.
Luckily, Slowking, focused on defense, fully demonstrated the strong capabilities it had accumulated over time, not only surviving the three attacks from Gigantamax Monster Strength but also launching quite effective countermeasures.
Even when Machamp reverted from Gigantamax, Slowking was already out of combat capacity.
Finally, a showdown of "King" versus "King".
Hypno, wrapped in a Machoke disguise, took the stage. With physical strength not inferior to its opponent, it faced off head-to-head with the four-armed Machamp, both like Stands battling each other in JOJO, each throwing punches, with flashes of pink and brown-red light. Explosive bubbles filled with "Ora ora ora" popped overhead.
Even Bea was stunned watching.
Her expression went from "I've seen it all" to "I really haven't seen this before".
Could Psychic Attribute Pokémon engage in close combat?
Of course they could, and quite a few do, but something like Hypno with its physique and strength... one can only say it has special talents not inferior to those of Ash Ketchum's peculiar Pokémon.
Off-screen, Baimu watched silently, already used to it.
With the advantage in both Attribute and stamina, Hypno undoubtedly gained the final victory. The special attack power of Strong Mental Will, wrapped around its fists to form "Strong Mental Fist", coupled with a Mind Head Hammer, gave Machamp a solid beating.
If it weren't for Machamp having four arms, it might have been defeated in just a couple of rounds, rather than being able to exchange blows for so long.
Bea fell silent, clearly deeply impressed by Hypno, who was capable of close combat as the greatest genius of Fighting techniques in the entire Galar Region.
The Superpower User still displayed that justifiable demeanor.
My Hypno winning a close combat duel against Machamp, isn't that a reasonable outcome?
Very reasonable indeed.
[You defeated the Ancestral Gym Leader Bea and received the Inheritance Badge.]
The disk holding the badges now had a fourth puzzle piece added, marking halfway through the Superpower User's journey to qualify for the Champion's Cup.
And after the usual engagements with reporters and the audience,
The Superpower User set off immediately for the next city, Ballonlea Town. This left Baimu somewhat disappointed, as he had hoped to see him and Bea exchange martial skills.
And then.
The screen darkened, followed by firefly-like lights flickering across it.
[You've arrived at Mist Forest]
Mist Forest, a magical place shaded by massive trees year-round, dimly lit by faintly glowing organisms,
It's also a location where Fairy-type Pokémon native to Galar gather in groups.
Within the first minute of arriving here, the Superpower User locked eyes with a Galarian Rapidash, just meters away, as it raised its head from grazing with alertness.
Then—
The Superpower User charged forward, leaving a bewildered Galarian Slowbro behind in their original spot.