"Urshifu!"
Seeing Lucario crouch to dodge its attack and rapidly spin into a low sweep kick aimed right at its single supporting leg, Urshifu didn't retreat but advanced. Borrowing the momentum of the kick, it lifted its other leg and executed a flawless mid-air backward somersault, completely dodging Lucario's low strike.
It simultaneously used the gap to create distance, ensuring its mid-air vulnerabilities weren't exposed to Lucario.
"Tsk, how can a bodybuilder be this agile?"
Aiden shook his head, looking a bit helpless.
Lucario's response was already excellent in his eyes, but the opponent's footwork just defied logic.
A 200-plus-pound muscle mountain doing a flawless mid-air flip? Wasn't that completely absurd?
"Luca."
Lucario didn't press its advantage. Both sides called a temporary truce and reset their stances.
Just then, Master Mustard suddenly shot a glance at Honey. He didn't say a word, but a single look was all it took for her to instantly understand his intent.
"Darmanitan, use Rock Tomb on Gastrodon!"
She knew very well that her husband's fundamental reason for coming out of retirement at this exact moment was to gauge Aiden and Lucario's true strength. As his wife, all she needed to do was play along. By splitting the Doubles match into two separate 1v1s, she was giving them plenty of room to fight.
"Gastrodon, Protect."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes and commanded calmly. With Gastrodon's speed, dodging was completely impossible. However, there was simply no need to dodge.
From the very beginning, she and Aiden had roughly guessed Master Mustard's plan, and this was exactly what Aiden wanted.
So—she just had to believe he could defeat Senior Mustard!
Cynthia and Honey locked eyes and shared a knowing smile.
As for the other side, the clash between Urshifu and Lucario had just truly begun.
"Hah!"
"LUCA!!!"
Both Pokémon took their stances, each throwing a straight punch wrapped in surging water currents.
BOOM—!
The two fists violently collided, generating a shockwave of sound and splashing water across the arena floor.
The second punch immediately followed, crashing together.
Then the third, the fourth—
Every punch surpassed the last in both power and speed. The consecutive explosive booms echoed the terrifying force behind their strikes.
This was the essence of the Unseen Fist's Rapid Strike style—making the fist winds surge like the ebb and flow of the tide, each wave stronger than the last. The hurricane-like barrage was so dazzling that it was impossible to clearly track the situation on the field. All anyone knew was that countless afterimages of fists were intertwining in the air, accompanied by the fierce roars of the two Pokémon.
"Mmm—"
"Its footing is incredibly stable, and its punching power doesn't lose out to Urshifu at all. It has completely grasped the true essence of Rapid Strike."
Since he didn't need to command, Master Mustard simply narrowed his eyes, fully focused on appreciating the progress Aiden's Lucario had made over the past year. He remembered when he first saw it last year; it was just a little guy with some raw strength but absolutely no technique...
"Little Aiden, your Pokémon are all absolute monsters."
Master Mustard rubbed his chin and laughed heartily.
However, if this was all it had, it still wasn't qualified to become the helmsman of the new generation!
"Urshifu, use Wicked Blow!"
"Urshifu!"
Hearing the command from behind, the Rapid Strike Urshifu suddenly widened its eyes. It transformed its fists into open palms, continuously deflecting Lucario's incoming double punches, borrowing the force to shove them aside.
(T/N: Nah bro's hacking wtf)
Theoretically, Surging Strike could sustain an endless offensive, but once its rhythm was disrupted, there would be a split-second opening before the body's instincts and conscious mind could react!
Having practiced martial arts for years and being the creator of both styles, Master Mustard naturally had his own profound understanding of them. He even knew a thing or two about their fatal weaknesses!
"HAH!"
Urshifu fiercely threw another punch. This time, it put in over 100% effort, aiming directly at Lucario's head.
With Urshifu's raw power, if Wicked Blow landed, Lucario would at best get a concussion and become confused, and at worst, instantly faint and lose its ability to battle!
"Luca!"
At the critical moment, Lucario reacted instantly. It threw itself backward, narrowly dodging Urshifu's fist, only to be forced back by a second punch that followed right on its heels.
Seeing Lucario and Urshifu locked in a deadlocked fight, with Lucario subtly falling into a disadvantage, Aiden suddenly raised an eyebrow and let out a heavy sigh.
"Tsk, I knew something felt off—"
Looking at the many iron rings bound to Lucario's arms, ankles, and waist, Aiden was truly out of ideas. This bastard Lucario really kept a trump card hidden even when fighting its own master! I acknowledge that level of purity!
"Idiot! Today's situation is special, you can take off all the weights!"
"Luca—"
Getting Aiden's permission, Lucario, which had been consecutively retreating, quickly steadied itself. It looked back at its trainer.
If it weren't for the trainer reminding it, it actually would have forgotten it was even wearing them—
According to its trainer, it takes 21 days for a human to adapt to something and form a habit, and the longer you stick to it, the harder it is to forget. As for itself, it seemed to have formed the habit of weight training ever since it was still a Riolu. To fully adapt to the extra weight, it never took them off, even when sleeping, only occasionally removing some to trade for a burst of speed.
However—this time, the trainer's request seemed to be to take them all off?
Lucario looked up at its Urshifu master, who was also its friend. Urshifu stood with its hands behind its back and slowly nodded.
This was its disciple's true graduation battle; it wasn't about to ruin Lucario's fun. And—it actually dared to wear weights while fighting me? What an arrogant brat!
"Luca!"
"Urshifu."
Lucario solemnly cupped its fists, bowed respectfully to the arrogant Urshifu, and then brought its right hand to its left arm. Forming a blade with its hand, it struck out.
Crack! The weights on its joints instantly snapped in two.
Thud.
The audience stands instantly erupted in an uproar.
[Wait—are all of Teacher Azure's Pokémon monsters? These iron rings look like they weigh dozens of pounds each!]
[And it's not just one. Lucario is covered in weights on all four limbs. I totally missed that if you didn't look closely—]
[What do you mean 'I haven't used my full power against a Battle Legend'? Teacher Azure, do you hear yourself?! Is that something a human should say???]
The audience was wide-eyed, forced to just stare as Lucario continued its performance.
Afterward, the weights on its right arm, left leg, and right leg snapped off one after another. When they all hit the ground, smashing large and small craters into the earth, even Urshifu was left a bit dumbfounded.
"Urshifu—"
It subconsciously gulped, furrowing its brows for the first time since the battle started.
Wait, is it really that ridiculous?
Does that mean it was fighting me to a near standstill while wearing all that extra weight?
This is—way too interesting!
As a martial arts maniac, what could be more exciting than finally meeting a powerhouse strong enough to push its limits?!
"Hah!"
Without needing Master Mustard's command, Urshifu instantly made its judgment and threw another full-power punch forward.
However, just as the fist wind was about to hit the motionless Lucario, a sudden breeze swept by, and Lucario's figure instantly turned into an afterimage, like a ghost.
It disappeared?
Realizing it had punched empty space, Urshifu instantly twisted its body and launched a fierce strike with its other hand toward the rear.
But it hit nothing but air.
Master Mustard's squinted eyes finally snapped open, looking up and down at Lucario, who was standing perfectly still as if it hadn't moved at all.
Its speed is almost exceeding Urshifu's reaction time?
As expected, Little Aiden and Little Luca didn't disappoint me!
"Urshifu, if you can't beat its speed, suppress it with brute force!"
"Use Close Combat repeatedly!"
"HAHHH!!!"
Reminded by Master Mustard, Urshifu instantly changed its tactics. Although it specialized in the Surging Strike Rapid Strike style, years of martial arts training had allowed it to completely master the broader "Unseen Fist."
Thanks to its insane weight training, Lucario could indeed burst with terrifying speed in short bursts, but its raw power boost wasn't quite as exaggerated.
So, all it needed to do was use brute force to break all techniques!
Urshifu completely abandoned its previous precise striking stance, transforming into a wide-open, berserker rushing forward, choosing a high-risk, high-reward trading blows style, like a runaway train barreling down the tracks.
"Luca—"
Lucario narrowed its eyes. After dodging Urshifu's first wave of attacks by leaning sideways, it countered with a reverse karate chop aimed at its neck.
Unfortunately, its attack was successfully predicted by Urshifu. The hand it had kept in reserve suddenly exerted force, attempting to wrap its palm around Lucario's incoming strike.
Urshifu's logic was simple: no matter how fast you are, if you get grappled, it's meaningless.
However—it once again underestimated Lucario's explosive power.
"LUCA!!"
Lucario had zero intention of pulling its punch back. Instead, it clenched its palm into a fist and drove it directly into Urshifu's palm with all its might!
BOOM—!
A terrifying numbing sensation hit, and Urshifu felt the sensation in its palm vanish instantly. What was worse, Lucario's Iron Fist drove straight through the cushion of its palm, maintaining its full momentum. Even with the soft palm acting as a buffer, Urshifu still felt like its neck had been slammed by a heavy object. It winced in pain, yet its face was still brimming with a smile.
This kid really has some tricks!
How long has it been since someone actually landed a clean hit on me?
"Urshifu!"
Pushing aside Lucario's spent fist, Urshifu immediately threw a dual-punch aimed at Lucario's left and right temples.
However, Lucario simply copied the exact move Urshifu had just used to break its Surging Strike, gently swiping its hands outward to effortlessly deflect the attack.
Another punch followed. This time, it was Urshifu's turn to lean back to dodge.
But Lucario had clearly learned from its previous exchange; as it punched, it generated power from its lower body. It suddenly whipped out a kick. With nowhere to hide, Urshifu could only tank it and was sent flying.
"Truly amazing, Little Luca!"
Looking at Urshifu being backed into a corner, Master Mustard let out another booming laugh.
"It's only been a year, and you're already almost more than a match for this old man and my Urshifu!"
"Since that's the case, just like last time, let's decide the match with one final punch!"
"As long as you can knock down Urshifu this time, you win today's battle!"
Before Aiden could even reply, Master Mustard dropped his smile and roared his command: "Urshifu, Close Combat!"
"URSHIFU!"
The risen Urshifu charged forward once more, rushing at Lucario with a fierce grin.
On Aiden's side, he also smiled.
"Let's go, Lucario!"
"Bring out everything you have and win with Close Combat!"
"LUCA!"
Lucario took a step forward, spinning into an afterimage as it charged straight at the incoming Urshifu.
Their fists, packed with all their energy, swung simultaneously. The speed was so blinding that it caused the surrounding space to slightly distort!
BOOM—!
The moment the two fists crossed, the previously flat arena suddenly fractured around the two Pokémon. The entire stadium could visibly feel the ground shaking, and the thunderous, explosive boom left them in awe.
"Beautiful!"
As a Fighting-type specialist, Bruno was incredibly hyped right now.
Just being able to witness a match like this made his early elimination completely worth it!
It's just a shame I didn't get a proper 1v1 with Aiden's Lucario!
The two Pokémon stood tall in the center of the field, having tanked each other's full-power blows, seemingly frozen in time.
"Urshifu—"
Suddenly, Urshifu took a step forward and slapped its remaining hand onto Lucario's arm.
Its mountainous frame collapsed forward, and Lucario reached out to catch it.
"Luca—"
Lucario let out a breath. It cradled the unconscious Urshifu, whose full weight was now transferred to it, and gently lowered it to the ground.
I won.
Master, your fists weren't fast enough, and they weren't ruthless enough.
That was what it originally wanted to say.
But after feeling its chest and abdomen churning as if a storm was raging inside, and realizing it barely had the strength to even stand—
Lucario suddenly realized that if the Single Strike style Urshifu had been the one on the field instead, it likely would have been the one losing consciousness right now.
Lucario collapsed onto the ground, its body heaving as it gasped for air.
In the end, I'm still not strong enough!
"I lost—"
Master Mustard shook his head helplessly.
Unexpectedly, even in terms of raw strength, they lost to that little guy.
However, rather than the frustration of defeat, what he felt more was relief.
Ever since little Leon left halfway through, he had finally found another genius who had grasped the true essence of Unseen Fist and could carry it forward—
"Congratulations, Little Luca. You have graduated."
"And Little Aiden too, remember to help me fiercely beat up that old coot Oak tomorrow! Get back at him for me for the time I couldn't beat him back in the day!"
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)