"Mr. Mime?"
Paul had expected Lucian to send out Medicham. Medicham's heightened spiritual awareness could allow it to dodge all of Drapion's moves, close in, and finish the battle with precision.
But if Lucian chose to rely on Mr. Mime instead, then the match would take a very different shape.
Mr. Mime wasn't a powerhouse, it couldn't trade blows with Drapion head-on. Instead, it would try to stall and disrupt Drapion with tricky, annoying combinations of moves.
That said, Mr. Mime was a Pokémon Paul didn't have much experience against. He would have to see for himself how Lucian played this out.
"Acupressure, Pin Missile!"
Drapion showed no fear. The moment Paul gave his command, it was ready to strike. But before it could move, Lucian called:
"Fake Out!"
From a distance, Mr. Mime clapped its hands, releasing a sharp shockwave.
"Aggrrr—!"
Drapion's body stiffened, its muscles flinching involuntarily. The attack was canceled mid-motion.
Flinch!
At that moment, Trick Room still lingered faintly in the battlefield. Using Drapion's brief hesitation and the last "afterglow" of the dimension's distortion, Mr. Mime lifted its hands. Two shimmering barriers—one purple and one bronze, briefly flashed into being before fading into transparency.
Reflect!
Light Screen!
In an instant, Mr. Mime had armed itself to the teeth with double walls.
"AGGRRR…"
The moment Drapion shook off its flinch, it let out an angry growl, its tail claws glowing as it prepared to unleash a barrage of Pin Missiles.
"Psychic!"
Mr. Mime twisted its body comically and ducked behind a massive boulder. Its eyes glowed as fragments of shattered stone pillars—remnants of Bronzong's earlier attacks—lifted into the air, forming a makeshift shield.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The Pin Missiles pelted the rock barrier and the stone shields, holding—barely.
CRACK!
As the Trick Room shattered and the stone pillars collapsed, Drapion lunged forward, claws crossed. Both claws swung down at once—one shimmering with the force of Brick Break, while the other with Night Slash.
This time, Mr. Mime had nowhere to dodge.
"Protect!"
At Lucian's voice, a shimmering green barrier materialized in front of Mr. Mime. Drapion's double strike crashed against it, but the shield held.
The dual walls remained intact. Mr. Mime itself was unscathed.
"Focus Blast!"
Before the protective shield even dissipated, Mr. Mime raised its free hand. A glowing orb of compressed fighting energy surged forth, aimed straight at Drapion.
"Iron Tail!"
Drapion wasn't slow to react. Its claws couldn't guard in time, but its stinger-tail, charged with metallic force, swung down hard. The tail smashed the Focus Blast aside with a resounding clang.
"Teeter Dance!"
Taking advantage of the opening, Mr. Mime spun and shook its body in a bizarre, unsettling dance. The strange rhythm warped Drapion's senses—its eyes blurred, its thoughts muddled.
Confusion!
"AGGRRR…"
Drapion shook its head violently, then—still dazed—launched another Pin Missile.
This barrage was even stronger than before… but the aim was wildly off, its accuracy shredded by confusion.
"Nasty Plot!"
"Haah!"
Mr. Mime showed no panic. Its psychic senses easily tracked the Pin Missile trajectories. As it danced and laughed, its power grew. The missiles flew wide, hitting nothing but stone.
"AGGRRR…"
Perhaps fortune favored Paul this time. Drapion shook its head once more—its confusion lifted.
Furious at being mocked, Drapion's rage surged. With claws crossed, it lunged again, unleashing a devastating X-Scissor.
"Protect! Trick Room!"
Lucian remained calm. Mr. Mime raised a barrier once more, blocking the X-Scissor cleanly.
Then, without hesitation, it began weaving a new Trick Room.
But—
"Night Slash!"
Boosted by Acupressure, Drapion's speed was overwhelming. Just as Trick Room was about to re-form, its tail pierced through the Reflect barrier, striking Mr. Mime directly.
A critical hit!
Sniper ability activated!
It's super effective!
BOOM!!
The blow landed. Mr. Mime's perpetual grin froze. And a deep purple sheen spread across its body—Poison!
The amplified strike, boosted by Acupressure and Sniper was too much. Even with Reflect weakening the damage, Mr. Mime collapsed instantly—one-hit KO.
"Mr. Mime is unable to battle! Drapion wins!"
The referee's voice rang out.
"Sigh… return and rest, Mr. Mime."
Lucian recalled his Pokémon with a heavy heart, sighing as he admitted:
"Paul, your Drapion is even faster than it looked in your earlier battle recordings. I couldn't keep up… it's troublesome."
His intended strategy hadn't even unfolded. Moves like Encore, Power Swap, and Baton Pass never saw use before his Pokémon fell.
Drapion was simply too fast. No matter how skillfully he played Mr. Mime, raw stats crushed him in the end.
The first player could fail many times. The second could afford to fail only once.
That extra burst of speed forced Lucian to alter his move sequence mid-battle. And in the end, one slip was all it took for Mr. Mime to fall.
"Seems like a breakthrough."
Paul's response was calm, but he understood Lucian's thoughts.
Drapion had broken into Champion-level strength. Its boosted speed from Acupressure—especially when stacked with Poison infliction—completely threw off Lucian's calculations, shifting the flow of the entire match.
If Lucian had known Drapion's full potential beforehand, perhaps the result might have been different.
Conversely, if Paul had known Lucian's exact game plan, then even a stronger Mr. Mime would still have been felled.
But there are no "ifs" in battle.
"In that case… let's move to the final round."
Lucian shook his head, took a moment to think, then drew his next Poké Ball.
"Go, Medicham!"
"Medi…"
Medicham floated serenely in the air, legs crossed, and eyes closed in deep meditation. It paid no mind to the battlefield until Lucian raised his elegant pen-shaped staff—inlaid with a Key Stone.
"Medicham—Mega Evolve!"
A radiant light of bond and will surged forth, channeled through the Key Stone and Medicham's Medichamite.
Wrapped in multicolored light, Medicham's form shifted.
When the glow faded, Mega Medicham stood transformed. Four floating ribbons now trailed beside it, golden rings circled its arms, and its head resembled a monk's white headdress. Its smaller, narrowed eyes gleamed a piercing sky blue—overflowing with psychic power.
Though its frame wasn't large, Mega Medicham radiated the aura of a martial master—deep, calm, and unfathomable.
It was clear now—both Medicham and Bronzong had broken past the Champion-level threshold, each having carved their own unique path forward.
Drapion was immensely strong. After boosting its stats with Acupressure, its speed and power had grown even further. On paper, defeating Medicham shouldn't have been impossible. Yet sometimes, in Pokémon battles, type matchups and skill mastery couldn't simply be overcome by raw speed and strength.
"Let's give it a try." Paul muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Go all out—Night Slash!!"
Paul knew Medicham's style well enough. To bring it down, he had to fight with everything he had—no wasted motions, no reckless moves.
With a guttural roar, Drapion's eyes gleamed with a menacing red. Venom surged to the tips of its claws as it struck an acupuncture point, activating its hidden power.
Anger Point—activated!
Toxic Surge—unleashed!
In a flash, Drapion's form blurred and vanished, reappearing right before Medicham in an instant. Its massive claws struck in perfect synchronization, stabbing at impossibly sharp angles designed to leave no escape.
But Medicham's cool and azure eyes shimmered faintly, piercing Drapion's every move. At the last possible second, Medicham sidestepped most of the blows with graceful evasions, its palms deflecting the attacks it couldn't dodge.
As Drapion's assault slowed, Medicham pressed forward with a deceptive feint, placing a seemingly weightless hand against its foe's carapace.
Detect!
Force Palm!
BOOM!!
The force erupted instantly. Drapion was hurled backward, crashing into the battlefield with a heavy thud.
Fueled by the energy of Pure Power, the strike carried immense weight.
"Psych Up."
While Drapion struggled to recover, Medicham remained calm. Standing tall in a one-legged yogic stance, it folded its hands together. White light coursed around its body as its Attack and Speed surged dramatically.
Paul frowned. "It dodged all of that…? Tch. Drapion—Toxic Spikes!"
Slamming into the ground, Drapion unleashed streams of venom skyward. The toxins rained down in a purple storm, sinking into the battlefield until the entire arena shimmered with a poisonous haze.
Two layers of Toxic Spikes—set!
In official League battles, even without switching Pokémon, any opponent grounded on the field would eventually be poisoned.
But as Drapion completed the move, Medicham was suddenly in front of it again. Leaping high, it pressed its palm against Drapion's head—
Force Palm!
"AGGRRR—!"
Agony coursed through Drapion as it crashed to the ground, defeated.
Medicham landed softly and bounded back to Lucian's side, once again resuming its yogic stance. Its serene aura remained untouched by poison, the psychic barrier around its body shielding it completely from the Toxic Spikes' effects.
"Drapion is unable to battle! Medicham is the winner!" The referee declared.
Outside the ring, Barry erupted: "What the heck?! Even Mr. Mime couldn't beat Drapion, so how did Medicham manage it so easily? That makes no sense!"
Dawn frowned, equally puzzled. "Yeah… Drapion's speed is incredible. How did Medicham keep up?"
Lucas shook his head. "Mr. Lucian's Medicham isn't ordinary. It's special, just like Paul's Pokémon. Through Future Sight-like mental probing and Detect, it can anticipate almost any move. Against Pokémon of the same level, it's nearly unbeatable. Drapion's offense is fierce, but Pokémon like Medicham are its natural counter. Losing here is only natural."
Paul's victories in the past, defeating stronger opponents far above his level—weren't just about higher stats. They weren't only about clever strategies either, though both played a role.
The real secret lay in the unique combat styles and abilities he cultivated in each of his Pokémon.
Electivire once swept Barry's entire team of six, not because of raw power alone, but through relentless self-motivation and the speed granted by Motor Drive.
Most trainers would be lucky to raise one or two Pokémon with such mastery of a specialized ability. Paul, however… nearly every single one of his Pokémon had their own perfected combat system. Each one more fearsome than the last.
And the more Lucas studied Paul, the more unfathomable he became. Even if his Pokémon matched his in level someday, he still couldn't imagine battling him on equal ground. Paul's Pokémon only grew more terrifying as they matured.
"I'm curious." Lucas admitted quietly. "Which Pokémon will Paul use against Medicham?"
In his mind, he pictured Garchomp and Electivire—two of the Pokémon he found most impossible to read, alongside his enigmatic metaphoric epithet for Torterra.
On the battlefield, under everyone's expectant gaze, Paul recalled Drapion to its Poké Ball. He stared at the ball for a long two seconds before slipping it back into his pocket.
He felt no disappointment in Drapion, it had fought well. What surprised him was simply how powerful Medicham had proven to be.
Paul still had four Pokémon with him. Two had already battled. Two remained: Garchomp and Electivire.
Garchomp against Medicham? Normally, perhaps. But with Medicham boosted by Psych Up and sustaining itself with Calm Mind, even Cynthia's Mega Garchomp might have trouble. It wasn't a safe choice.
After a moment's thought, Paul released his most trusted partner.
"Get ready for battle—Electivire!"
"Vireeeee!"
With a roar, Electivire entered the field, fists clenched, and body buzzing with energy. Excitement coursed through it—until Medicham was suddenly right in front of it, a charged fist cutting through the air.
Drain Punch!
"Protect!" Paul shouted.
With perfect composure, Electivire raised its hand, conjuring a shimmering barrier just in time.
BOOM!!
Protect succeeded!
"Vireeee!"
Now fully focused, Electivire's blood boiled with battle lust. Sparks of electricity erupted violently from its body, surging outward in a storm that struck indiscriminately across the arena.
Thunder!
At the same time, its fists crackled with power as it charged—
Plasma Fists!
Medicham's eyes gleamed once more, using Detect to read the electric storm. With psychic finesse, it parted most of the lightning strikes and narrowly dodged Electivire's blazing fists.
But it hadn't expected Electivire's hands to move so fast, dozens of punches in the blink of an eye.
Were it not for its earlier stat boosts, even Medicham's body might have lagged behind its mind's predictions.
(End of Chapter)
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