Regarding Marshadow, Professor Oak's understanding of it was almost completely blank.
Even if all the Pokémon research professors in the world sat at the same table, put together, they would still be completely at a loss when it came to it—
Records of it were pitifully scarce. For over a thousand years, its name had only been mentioned in the oral accounts left behind by a few unsung heroes.
They called Marshadow the "Examiner of Shadows."
It seemed that only by gaining its approval could one truly become the agent of Ho-Oh's will—known as the "Rainbow Hero."
But one thing was certain—
Since Aiden dared to send Marshadow out in the finals, he must have his reasons.
They had to be on their guard!
Therefore, after thinking it through, Professor Oak immediately gave the command to Mega Evolve.
Right after him, Agatha and Cynthia instantly followed suit.
"Gengar, go all out!"
"Let's win this together, Garchomp!"
For a moment, three Pokémon on the field flickered with the light of evolution simultaneously, leaving only Marshadow looking a bit at a loss.
"It's okay, you don't need to Mega Evolve."
Aiden's voice came from behind, and he quickly added another command.
"Marshadow, use Role Play on Mega Kangaskhan!"
Professor Oak's guess was indeed correct.
Aiden had only decided to send Marshadow as his lead after careful consideration.
The reason was unexpectedly simple: type matchups.
Agatha's lead was bound to be Gengar, and Professor Oak's choices here were probably limited to Kangaskhan and Dragonite.
Both being Ghost types, a clash between Marshadow and Gengar would entirely depend on who could land a hit first. When facing Kangaskhan, they could also mutually ignore each other's lethal moves.
Almost all of Kangaskhan's standard offensive moves were completely ineffective against Marshadow. On the contrary, Marshadow could use Fighting-type moves to turn the tables.
As long as it secured the right matchup, Professor Oak's absurd "Parental Bond ambush" tactic would essentially be half-crippled.
Moreover, judging from Professor Oak's full-force performance in recent matches, the probability of him immediately using Mega Evolution was almost 100%!
Why was Mega Kangaskhan so formidable?
A large part of it was due to its absurd Parental Bond ability.
And it just so happened that Marshadow could learn the move "Role Play," which copied abilities—
By doing this, it was almost equivalent to giving Marshadow a Mega Evolution of its own, without even needing to lock in a held item.
It was an absolute jackpot!
As for what if the lead was Dragonite?
Given Marshadow's strength, Aiden believed it could at least hold its own.
No matter how he thought about it, it was a win-win situation, so there was naturally no reason not to try.
As it turned out, he succeeded.
"Marsha!"
When Kangaskhan completed its Mega Evolution and the baby Kangaskhan in its pouch nimbly hopped to the ground, Marshadow also used psychic power to lock onto its opponent.
The ability is Parental Bond, huh—
It matches the intel provided by the Hero.
Although I don't have a little Marshadow to coordinate with, are abilities really that inflexible?!
A moment later, Marshadow's aura surged sharply. It raised its two pitch-black little fists and continuously swung them in the air.
"Marsha!"
Parental Bond, you say? Taste my Single Parent Punch!
"Marshadow, dive into the shadows and look for an opening to use Drain Punch!"
After Aiden gave another command, Marshadow instantly melted into the shadows, rampaging through the alternate space beneath the field.
In actual combat, there was massive room to utilize abilities.
For example, due to the appearance of Mega Gengar, the ground beneath the field was now completely enveloped by the shadows extended by its Shadow Tag ability. With the naked eye alone, it was impossible to discern Marshadow's location, making it naturally difficult to dodge.
Even the highly experienced Professor Oak couldn't help but frown.
Another tactic I've never seen before—
This kid Aiden really lives up to his reputation of coming up with so many absurd tactics. I really can't let my guard down for even a second!
"Kangaskhan, use Earthquake to force it out!"
"Gengar, use Protect!"
If defending was extremely difficult, then using offense in place of defense might be the best choice.
Professor Oak was deeply versed in this principle, and Agatha, his partner on the side, very tacitly issued a defensive command to prevent friendly fire.
While Gengar used Protect, Cynthia and Garchomp's offensive options were also locked in.
"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush to dodge the Earthquake!"
"Kangaskhan!"
As Cynthia spoke, Professor Oak also issued another command.
As a battle-hardened Kangaskhan, as long as its Trainer gave a command, it could react immediately.
Even the baby Kangaskhan living in its pouch, having been immersed in this environment, could fully understand Professor Oak's commands.
So, right before Garchomp could make a move, the baby Kangaskhan suddenly darted out and forcibly grabbed the tail of the Garchomp that was preparing to take flight.
Then, Smack!
A loud slap landed on Garchomp's rear, leaving it completely stunned.
After doing all this, knowing that playing with fire was about to get it burned, the baby Kangaskhan stuck out its tongue and immediately scrambled back onto mother Kangaskhan's back as if fleeing.
"Garchomp!!!"
After recovering its senses, Garchomp's eyes immediately turned a deep crimson. It let out an earth-shaking roar, wanting to beat that little brat to the ground.
However, the Earthquake unleashed right after by mother Kangaskhan immediately forced it to focus entirely on stabilizing its center of gravity to prevent being knocked over and exposing a weakness.
Meanwhile, Marshadow, which had dived into the shadows, also seemed to be violently thrown off balance by this move, faintly revealing a bit of its body from the shadows.
The audience might have found it hard to notice, but it was incredibly obvious to the trainers on the field.
"Tsk— This Kangaskhan is really troublesome as expected!"
Aiden shook his head. While steadying himself by planting his feet in a horse stance, he gave another command: "Marshadow, use Phantom Force!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Marshadow instantly vanished.
Utilizing the connection between the alternate space and the Reverse World, it could temporarily dive its body into another world to dodge moves, and then strike from the opponent's blind spot when needed to deliver a fatal blow.
However, using this set of maneuvers required a little bit of time.
"Kangaskhan, Power-Up Punch, target Garchomp!"
"Gengar, Icy Wind!"
The two experienced veterans immediately seized the opportunity. As the situation quietly shifted into a two-on-one, they planned to focus their fire and take out Garchomp first.
"Protect!"
"Garchomp!"
Seeing this, Cynthia and Garchomp immediately took their stances, preparing for a flawless defense.
Right now, Marshadow was hidden in the shadows and could launch a surprise attack at any moment. As long as they could temporarily withstand the pressure on their end, they could definitely catch the opponents off guard.
"Hmph, too naive, kid!"
Noticing Cynthia's expression, Agatha suddenly slapped her cane and pointed it behind Gengar.
"I've been dealing with ghosts my entire life. How could that little energy fluctuation escape my eyes!"
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
"Gehe~"
Mega Gengar suddenly spun its body 180 degrees backward, revealing a face that looked like it was about to play a prank.
Then, a beam of light, formed entirely from pure ghostly energy, instantly fired from its mouth.
Boom—!
Gengar's Special Attack was already impressive, and it was greatly enhanced after Mega Evolving, making it a veritable "super cannon."
If this move hit, even a Legendary Pokémon would definitely not feel good!
However—
When the light cannon fired by Gengar shot straight into the sky and dissipated into light and particles, Marshadow's figure still did not appear.
"Gehe?"
Gengar blinked, seeming a bit surprised.
And just then—
"Marshadow!"
Marshadow's voice suddenly came from behind it, followed by two consecutive kicks that struck Gengar almost simultaneously.
"Beautifully done!"
Aiden breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly threw an uppercut.
In fact, Agatha's prediction just now was correct. Marshadow had indeed circled behind Gengar, preparing to launch a surprise attack.
However, she didn't have the time to hesitate, so she didn't realize—
At the start of the battle, Marshadow had already copied Mega Kangaskhan's Parental Bond ability.
Therefore, it temporarily gained the opportunity to use the same move twice simultaneously, and it used this second, temporarily released Phantom Force to dodge the Shadow Ball!
After kicking Mega Gengar away with one foot, Marshadow landed gracefully, its eyes staring straight at its opponent.
Based on the force of its kick just now, if Gengar didn't use any other means, it would definitely fly out of the arena soon.
According to the rules, the opponent would then be forced to make a switch.
Even if it didn't go out of bounds—it could always go over and kick it again.
"Gengar, we'll use Phantom Force too!"
Agatha could only utilize the move's properties to forcefully send Gengar into the alternate space, using this to avoid the subsequent impact.
At the same time, Professor Oak took action again: "Kangaskhan, charge up and use Ice Punch on Garchomp!"
Garchomp had just used Protect to stall for a bit of time, and now it was almost impossible for it to gather energy again to block this move.
Since we can't break through Aiden's side, we'll start with his teammate first!
That was what Professor Oak was thinking.
With the formidable strength of the Kangaskhan mother and child, Garchomp almost certainly wouldn't be able to withstand two punches!
However, what was even more important was—
"Marshadow, use Sucker Punch to intercept it for Garchomp!"
Aiden fell for the trick as expected and was forced to have Marshadow share the pressure.
In this way, Gengar's movements would go completely undetected.
"Marsha!"
In a flash of lightning, Marshadow was already blocking the path of the Kangaskhan mother and child.
The two punches, covered in ice shards and thrown in unison by the mother and child, were easily caught—one in each of its hands.
Marshadow was indeed very small, but its strength was in no way inferior to Kangaskhan's!
At the same time.
"Garchomp, Brick Break!"
"Garchomp!!!"
Cynthia decisively seized the opportunity created by Marshadow intercepting the opponent and commanded Garchomp to launch a fierce attack.
Garchomp's eyes glowed red, and it swung its scythe-like claws at both Marshadow and the Kangaskhan mother and child without hesitation.
Due to the highly special nature of a Ghost-type Pokémon's body, its attack actually passed straight through Marshadow, striking the completely unguarded Kangaskhan.
Even though Kangaskhan immediately reacted and used its other arm—which wasn't restrained by Marshadow—to block the attack, a glaring wound was still cut into it, with blood continuously oozing out.
Unfortunately, the power of this Brick Break wasn't overwhelmingly strong. Although Kangaskhan had suffered a rather severe injury, it barely managed to endure it.
Professor Oak's expression remained calm.
For a mother who considered protecting her baby Kangaskhan an instinct, getting injured wouldn't discourage her; instead, it would arouse even greater power.
"Kangaskhan, Outrage!"
"Roar roar roar!!!"
After being injured, Kangaskhan's eyes also turned crimson just like Garchomp's.
At this moment, its only thought was to annihilate all enemies, and its gaze locked completely onto Marshadow and Garchomp.
Its claws, swirling with powerful Dragon-type energy, began to wildly flail about. Every strike carried an overwhelming, earth-shattering force, forcing Marshadow and Garchomp to continuously retreat.
"Gehehe~"
What was worse was that the previously vanished Mega Gengar also returned at this moment, fiercely ramming into Marshadow from behind.
Gengar's physical strength indeed wasn't very high, but as long as it could temporarily restrict Marshadow's movements, it was enough.
Combining the full power of both it and Kangaskhan, even a Legendary Pokémon wouldn't be able to withstand it!
"Tsk—"
Aiden clicked his tongue.
Sure enough, this duo still had plenty of backup tricks they hadn't brought out yet.
Prior to this, it seemed no other trainers had seen a Mega Kangaskhan that had completely lost its mind like this.
Even if he had vaguely guessed it before, Aiden never expected Professor Oak to calculate the timing so perfectly.
Even if Marshadow used Phantom Force to dodge again, it would be meaningless; the one to suffer would just be Garchomp.
Using Protect was also useless. Because of the existence of that baby Kangaskhan, they were currently in a three-way pincer attack, meaning no matter how they defended, they would be full of holes.
So—
"Marshadow, now!"
Aiden didn't think about how to defend at all. Instead, a smile crept onto the corners of his mouth.
Just as Professor Oak had demonstrated earlier—
Sometimes, offense is actually the best defense, especially right now.
As long as they could get rid of Mega Gengar, wouldn't the predicament of being surrounded be instantly broken?
Although it might be a bit difficult—after all, Marshadow's Phantom Force earlier had failed to heavily injure Agatha's Ghost King—but the Ghost King? My Marshadow specifically fights Ghost Kings!
After a wicked smile, Aiden suddenly raised his arm, revealing the gemstone shining with golden light on his Z-Ring.
If normal moves can't solve it, it must be because the power and force aren't big enough!
This time, we're switching to a Z-Move!
"???"
When Aiden and Marshadow began to shine simultaneously, and a surge of golden energy suddenly erupted around the field, the audience was dumbfounded.
"Wait, how did I forget that Teacher Azure still had this trick up his sleeve!"
Flint suddenly slapped his thigh hard.
"His Z-Moves are completely unreasonable; he can use them even outside the Alola region!"
"Holy crap! Professor Oak and Senior Agatha didn't expect this either. Even if they realize it now, it's too late!"
Flint and Aaron exclaimed in succession, while Lucian next to them just nodded and casually pushed up his glasses.
"As expected of Teacher Azure—"
"Even when fighting Legendaries, he can still pull a fast one!"
On the field, the Kangaskhan mother and child, as well as Gengar, realizing that a crisis was imminent, had already grown tense. The eerie calm before the storm made their offensive rhythm even tighter, as they tried to forcefully take down Marshadow before it could strike.
However—
"Garchomp!!!"
Garchomp, however, suddenly unsheathed its dual blades, entirely blocking the Kangaskhan mother and child's offensive.
At the same time, it revealed a ferocious, terrifying smile.
You guys are cooked!
"I'm leaving Gengar to you, Marshadow!"
"Marsha—!"
Hearing Cynthia's voice, Marshadow nodded vigorously.
It could feel that its power had never been as overwhelming as it was right now!
The current me—
Even Lord Giratina would have to avoid my edge!
"Marshadow, Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike!!!"
Aiden had also finished an impromptu dance at this moment, and after a spin, he immediately pointed his right hand at it.
Marshadow violently kicked off the ground. Under the effect of this power, its originally pitch-black body seemed to ignite, gradually taking on a bewitching blue-green color.
And its target after taking to the air was naturally Gengar, who was charging straight at it!
"Marsha!"
Marshadow assumed a flying kick posture in mid-air, concentrating all its power into the soles of its feet. The explosively released power blasted a fierce gust of wind across the ground.
Rumble—!
The blue-green ghostly shadow and the purple-black charging figure overlapped, and an earth-shattering boom echoed in an instant.
Even though it was broad daylight, the audience's vision suddenly plunged into darkness. They could only see the blue lights arranged on the field like the Big Dipper.
And within that light, Mega Gengar's silhouette could be faintly made out.
At this point, its eyes had already rolled back, completely losing its ability to battle.
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