"Doublade! Dodge, don't clash head-on! Then use Autotomize!"
Xie Bi'an shouted at once.
"Kinda cheap," Lin Yu muttered.
This Flying Field was brutal for any Pokémon that couldn't fly.
His opponent's plan was obvious:
use Lucario's lack of flight to stay out of range,
then stack buffs — Iron Defense, Swords Dance, and Autotomize.
Defense up, Attack up, Speed up.
He was clearly terrified of Lucario in its World King Fist state.
"I don't know why you're not using Charizard, but Lucario alone can't beat me!"
Xie Bi'an declared boldly.
As someone determined to become a Champion Trainer, he believed in fighting with everything he had.
Lin Yu smiled faintly. "Is that so?"
"Extreme Speed! Close in and stop its buffs!"
"Lucario!"
Red aura exploded around Lucario in an instant.
Xie Bi'an's eyes narrowed.
No matter how strong Aura made Lucario, any transformation had a time limit.
If he could just wait it out,
his fully buffed Doublade would take over.
"Doublade, evade! Fly toward the open space with no slabs!"
"Detect, then Bullet Punch!"
Detect — makes moves that normally don't affect Ghost-types effective against them.
Lucario's eyes flashed as it bounded between slabs. Its punch only grazed Doublade at the last moment.
The commentator burst into action:
"Lin Yu knows a boosted Doublade can fight Lucario evenly, so he's rushing it down!
But Xie Bi'an is just as experienced — he's having Doublade fly over empty areas to avoid direct fights!
If Lucario chases, it'll have to take long detours through the air… Will Lin Yu switch Pokémon?"
"Lucario, Extreme Speed!"
"Lucario uses Extreme Speed!
It's charging in? From this far, isn't Lin Yu risking a mid-air counter?!"
"Is he serious?"
Xie Bi'an frowned. It looked like reckless play — staying airborne too long left Lucario completely exposed.
Shadow Sneak!
Even though something felt off, Xie Bi'an couldn't waste the opening.
He telepathically ordered Doublade to strike.
A long shadow stretched across the stones and lunged at Lucario hanging in midair,
as if trying to yank it down.
On the referee platform,
even the Elite Four couldn't figure out Lin Yu's move.
Only Ye Rong muttered: "Weird… this kid didn't invent some new trick, did he?"
In the stands,
Ye Qingxue's brows furrowed, her hands clasped tightly. She too was confused why Lin Yu was fighting this way.
Gardevoir, Charizard, even Latias —
any of them would dominate the Flying Field.
"Moon Step!" Lin Yu called out.
"Lucario!"
Shadow Bind closed in. Just as everyone thought Lucario would be dragged down,
a sharp, sonic-like crack split the air.
The next second,
every eye went wide.
The commentator gasped in disbelief: "What?!"
Lucario, with nowhere to stand, stomped downward sharply —
as if stepping on an invisible platform — and closed in again.
Doublade, still recovering from Shadow Sneak, stared utterly dumbfounded.
The Master-rank commentator quickly regained his composure:
"I-It's stepping on air! Lin Yu's Lucario can jump off thin air?! What move is this?!"
"Aura Sphere, then close in for close combat!"
Lucario's red aura flared higher. A blue Aura Sphere formed in its palms and struck Doublade in a clean arc.
But it wasn't over.
Moon Step activated again.
Lucario pushed off the air and closed the distance completely.
From the smoke of the exploding Aura Sphere,
Lucario slashed through the haze like tearing paper, revealing Doublade inside.
"Doublade!"
It had lost all calm — panic flashed through it.
Lucario was right in front of it.
"Doublade, hold on! Use Night Slash!"
"Doublade!"
Facing Lucario's fist, the freshly buffed Doublade suddenly realized its boosts had plummeted.
[Sanction] activated — nullifies 50% of the target's stat changes.
"Lucario!"
At point-blank range, Doublade stood no chance against Lucario's punches.
The level gap was simply too large.
One close-combat strike, then a finishing Aura Sphere — Doublade wobbled and fell.
"Doublade is unable to battle! Xie Bi'an, send your next Pokémon!"
"Incredible! Lin Yu has stunned us again with his Pokémon's bizarre abilities! Just how strong is their Aura bond?!"
The arena erupted after a stunned silence.
"I thought Lin Yu messed up! He had a trick all along!"
"Can Lucario really step on air? Is that Aura power?!"
"No way — I have a Lucario and it can't do that!"
On the field,
Xie Bi'an's face turned serious.
"I planned to save this for the semi-finals… or even the finals. But I guess I have to use it now."
"Hm?" Lin Yu's gaze sharpened.
"Go, Flygon!"
The evolved form of Vibrava!
A slender, dragonfly-like Pokémon with large red compound eyes appeared on the field.
But when Lin Yu saw its level, he was genuinely shocked.
As expected, the capital was overflowing with prodigies.
[Pokémon: Flygon]
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Female
Potential: Champion-tier
Level: 44
Moves: Sand Attack, Sonic Boom, Sand Tomb, Phantom Force, Screech, Sandstorm, Dragon Tail, Hyper Beam, Toxic, Flamethrower, Substitute, Charm, Roost
Level 44 Flygon.
Even Lucario in World King Fist was slightly outmatched.
And chasing Doublade had already burned much of the World King Fist timer.
It was almost over.
Continuing would be a nightmare.
Better to switch.
"Lucario, return. Go…"