"Electabuzz has stood up again! Again and again! What incredible willpower!" shouted Lu Ming excitedly from the commentary booth.
Since becoming a commentator for the Pikachu Cup, Lu Ming had seen countless trainers and Pokémon of every kind.
Most Pokémon fought to win, of course, but a Pokémon with fighting spirit as indomitable as Electabuzz was exceedingly rare throughout the entire tournament.
For a brief moment, he was reminded of Butterfree, whose flames had flickered within the raging blizzard.
No.
To be more precise, before being struck by the blizzard, Butterfree had avoided nearly all of Frosmoth's dangerous attacks. Aside from stamina depletion, it hadn't suffered much direct damage.
Electabuzz was different.
Although it had dodged and blocked many of Banette's attacks, it had also taken plenty head-on.
And yet, despite being battered and covered in wounds, it still rose to its feet.
Lu Ming felt that this iron-like determination might have surpassed even Butterfree's performance in the semifinals.
Was it fighting for its trainer?
Or was this simply an obsession with victory itself?
As Lu Ming pondered the question, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
The electricity surging around Electabuzz had become wildly unstable.
Powerful currents erupted from its body, affecting the entire battlefield. Dust and broken stones were lifted into the air.
Wrapped in golden lightning like some kind of Super Saiyan, Electabuzz left Lu Ming completely stunned.
Meanwhile, in the contestants' waiting room, Gao Tianming's eyes widened.
Seeing the scene, he immediately thought of his own Charmeleon.
"That's Blaze!" he shouted instinctively.
Song Qingyun stared at the screen with equal astonishment before replying:
"Idiot. Electabuzz is an Electric-type Pokémon. What Blaze?"
"I get it now! Then it's... Electric Blaze!"
"..."
The entire stadium erupted into discussion.
Even Lu Ming could no longer maintain his composure.
He hurriedly turned toward Chen Mo and Zhou Yichuan.
"Teachers, what's happening to Electabuzz right now?"
"If I'm not mistaken," Zhou Yichuan quickly explained, "this is related to the measures Electabuzz took while Banette was suppressing it earlier."
"Think back carefully. Every time it found an opening, it used Charge on itself."
Charge was a rather unique move.
In the games, it doubled the power of the next Electric-type attack and increased Special Defense by one stage.
In reality, however, the effects didn't simply disappear after one Electric-type move.
Instead, Charge increased the amount of Electric-type energy within the Pokémon's body.
Naturally, how much power could be stored depended on the Pokémon's physical condition and durability.
In other words, Charge functioned more like a buff move for Electric-types, though it was considerably less effective than moves like Dragon Dance, Quiver Dance, or Swords Dance.
Those moves directly enhanced a Pokémon's overall state for a period of time.
Charge, on the other hand, gradually weakened as Electric-type energy was expended.
"But..."
Zhou Yichuan frowned.
"I understand that Electabuzz accumulated a lot of electricity through repeated Charges."
"But the energy it's displaying right now has already exceeded what Charge alone should be capable of providing."
At that moment, Chen Mo smiled.
"Brother Zhou, I've said many times during my streams not to judge Pokémon solely through fixed research data."
"Because as long as a trainer and Pokémon stand together and understand each other's hearts…"
"They become beings of limitless possibilities."
"Understand each other's hearts?"
Zhou Yichuan froze.
Then realization struck him.
Meloetta's blessing!?
On the battlefield, You You immediately realized the situation had changed completely.
Looking at the overwhelming aura erupting from Electabuzz, she reacted cautiously.
Banette instantly widened the distance between them, preparing itself defensively.
Yet several seconds passed.
Electabuzz remained where it stood.
No movement.
No attack.
After a moment of thought, You You decided to probe first.
"Xiao Ji, Shadow Ball!"
Banette obeyed without hesitation.
Ghost-type energy gathered rapidly between its hands.
Within moments, a Shadow Ball radiating powerful energy fluctuations had formed.
"Shii-tah!"
With a sharp cry, Banette hurled the attack.
The dark sphere shot toward Electabuzz at tremendous speed.
Many spectators were already convinced it would hit.
Then—
Electabuzz moved.
It was so fast it resembled a bolt of golden lightning.
Only an afterimage remained.
"ELEEEEE!!!"
Its roar echoed throughout the stadium.
Faced with Electabuzz's sudden charge, You You remained calm.
"Phantom Force!"
One of the most troublesome Ghost-type moves.
It could be used both offensively and defensively.
Banette instantly vanished from sight.
Electabuzz stopped.
Its sharp eyes calmly scanned its surroundings.
You You clenched her fists.
Above Electabuzz, Banette silently emerged.
Now!
The attack was ready.
At that exact moment, Qiao Cheng shouted:
"Above you!"
Countless spectators looked at Electabuzz.
Its attention seemed focused entirely on the shadows beneath its feet.
They could already envision Phantom Force landing successfully again.
Too late!
But then—
Without even looking up, Electabuzz swung its Thunder Punch.
The crowd froze.
The lightning-covered fist struck Banette directly in the abdomen.
Like a bolt of thunder.
Like a cannon shot.
Electric arcs exploded violently.
Banette's body visibly caved inward from the impact.
Pain twisted its face.
Yet the thing it couldn't understand wasn't the pain.
It was Electabuzz.
Why was it so fast?
Why could it hit so accurately without even seeing it?
Banette couldn't understand.
Behind it, You You cried out anxiously for the first time in the entire match.
But it was already too late.
Banette flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
Boom!
It crashed heavily into the ground and rolled across the battlefield.
Dust erupted everywhere.
"It hit..."
Lu Ming muttered blankly.
Then his voice suddenly exploded with excitement.
"Electabuzz's fully charged Thunder Punch landed perfectly on Banette!!!"
Regardless of how it happened—
A hit was a hit.
Enhanced by Charge, that Thunder Punch had undoubtedly dealt enormous damage.
Ghost-types tended to be frail.
While Banette's HP wasn't actually much lower than Electabuzz's on paper, not every Pokémon had gone through what Electabuzz had experienced.
Back in Evergreen Forest, before evolving, Elekid had practically spent every day getting beaten up—or walking toward its next beating.
Its iron will had been forged there.
In Ah Hui's hospital room, Chen Haoran muttered:
"The momentum's shifting now..."
Ah Hui remained silent.
Having personally experienced Meloetta's blessing, he understood better than anyone.
Qiao Cheng and Electabuzz had most likely already received that blessing.
Their ability to counter Phantom Force was proof that trainer and Pokémon had become one.
What you cannot see, I will help you see.
As for Qiao Cheng's seemingly delayed warning—
"In the air!"
—it was simply a reflexive reminder.
Even if he hadn't spoken, Electabuzz would have already understood.
"Let's settle this, You You!"
Qiao Cheng shouted.
His eyes burned with the same fighting spirit as Electabuzz's.
"Electabuzz! Thunderbolt!"
Before the command was even fully spoken, Electabuzz had already begun gathering electricity.
A dazzling bolt of lightning shot toward Banette.
"Xiao Ji! Dodge!"
Banette gritted through the pain.
Tracking the trajectory perfectly, it narrowly avoided the Thunderbolt.
Yet Qiao Cheng smiled.
Because from the beginning—
He never expected Thunderbolt to hit.
Thanks to Pikachu, many people viewed Thunderbolt as an iconic move.
But after learning that Electabuzz's final evolution, Electivire, specialized in physical attacks, Qiao Cheng had respected Electabuzz's preference for close combat.
They had never focused heavily on mastering Thunderbolt.
Meaning...
This Thunderbolt was merely bait.
Its true purpose was to close the distance.
Avoiding a drawn-out battle.
Because Electabuzz's explosive state was already rapidly deteriorating.
It needed to finish things quickly.
And Banette—
Was also a high-burst physical attacker.
Perfect.
Let's decide everything right here.
"Electabuzz!"
"Full power!"
"Thunder Punch!!!"
With Qiao Cheng's roar, Electabuzz sprinted across the battlefield.
Electricity gathered around both fists.
Banette's expression turned grim.
It had no desire to clash head-on in its current state.
Victory for its trainer was what mattered most.
Its first instinct was to retreat and stall.
But then—
Electric arcs erupted throughout its body.
The paralysis triggered again.
Banette froze.
"The worst possible scenario has happened!" Lu Ming cried.
"The paralysis lingering inside Banette has activated again! At this distance, there's no way to dodge now!"
For once, he sounded like he was cheering for Banette.
"Xiao Ji!"
At that moment, You You's voice rang out.
Firm.
Resolute.
"Trust me."
Without hesitation, Banette squeezed out every last bit of Ghost-type energy it possessed.
A Shadow Claw formed.
Around the world, viewers stared at their screens without blinking.
Everyone knew.
The next exchange would likely determine the winner.
Fifteen meters.
Ten.
Five...
Closer and closer.
Then—
Qiao Cheng, sharing vision and perception with Electabuzz, noticed something.
The paralysis vanished.
Banette moved.
Not away.
Toward them.
Perfect.
"Now!"
"ELE!"
Lightning exploded.
Air pressure surged.
Electabuzz's Thunder Punch crashed forward.
At the same time—
Banette's Shadow Claw pierced straight toward Electabuzz's chest.
The two attacks met.
Electricity and ghostly energy collided.
Sparks burst between them.
Then—
The two Pokémon passed each other.
Qiao Cheng's eyes widened.
Disbelief filled his face.
The next second—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted.
Within the rising smoke, Electabuzz's massive body let out one final unwilling growl...
And slowly collapsed to the ground.
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