"Mr. Lucian."
Paul gave a slight nod in greeting. During his travels with Reggie, he had encountered Lucian before—even witnessing Reggie challenge him.
At that time, Reggie's team had a variety of Pokémon, but during his journey, he leaned heavily toward Poison-types. The outcome was obvious.
Reggie, with his Gym Leader-level strength, challenged Lucian and suffered a crushing defeat. However, Lucian's personality was quite charismatic, and the loss did not leave any negative impact on Reggie.
As Paul looked at him, Lucian smiled and said;
"I was hoping to capture another Steel-type Pokémon to train for my battle against Aaron."
Although Aaron was considered the weakest of Sinnoh's Elite Four in terms of overall strength, Lucian specialized in Psychic-types, which were naturally weak to Bug-types. Moreover, Aaron had also developed a solid understanding of Poison-types.
In a battle between the two, Lucian didn't necessarily hold an advantage.
However, if he were to train a Steel/Psychic-type Pokémon as a main battler, he could completely suppress Aaron.
"I heard there was a particularly strong Metagross around here, so I came to check it out. Unfortunately, I was too late."
Lucian sighed with slight regret. He had finally decided to raise a Metagross, but Paul had beaten him to it.
It seemed he would have to visit Iron Island later and see if he could find a promising Beldum or Metang to train.
After all, with his experience in training a Bronzong, raising an Elite-level Metagross shouldn't take more than a few years.
Besides, Metagross could Mega Evolve—it was an excellent choice.
"Mr. Lucian, I'd like to challenge you to a battle."
Paul didn't waste any time and, just like Reggie before him, issued a challenge.
"A battle? There's still plenty of time. I suppose I can spare a match with you."
Lucian glanced at his watch and nodded in agreement.
Paul scanned the Pokémon behind him. He initially considered using Ninetales or Metagross, but—
"Buzz!~"
Electabuzz, who had been resting nearby, could no longer hold back. After gulping down two Berries, it leaped forward, reminding Paul of their agreement.
Last time, Paul had promised that if they encountered a strong opponent, Electabuzz would get priority. The fact that Paul was treating this battle with such respect meant the opponent must be powerful. There was no way Electabuzz was going to sit this one out!
Paul was reminded of their agreement. Since Electabuzz had no real disadvantage in this battle, he nodded and said;
"Electabuzz, get ready for battle!"
"Buzz!~"
Electabuzz immediately stepped forward, eyes burning with fighting spirit as it faced Lucian.
This battle… was a fight to the finish!
"Electabuzz, huh… Go, Medicham."
Lucian smiled slightly as he tossed out a Poké Ball.
"Mediii!"
A flash of white light revealed a Medicham, seated cross-legged and levitating in midair.
Even after being released from its Poké Ball, Medicham kept its eyes closed, continuing to hover in silence.
"Buzz…"
Electabuzz could feel Medicham's indifference—almost as if it wasn't even worth acknowledging.
This made Electabuzz furious, but it didn't act rashly. It knew this opponent was no pushover.
"Thunder!"
Paul didn't waste time with formalities—he immediately commanded an attack.
Without hesitation, Electabuzz unleashed a golden lightning bolt toward Medicham.
At the same time, it activated its own Motivational Combat technique, using the momentum of the attack to strengthen itself and rush forward.
"Yoga Pose—block it!"
Still floating in midair with its eyes shut, Medicham instantly activated its move. A white light flickered—its Attack Power increased!
Just as the Thunder attack was about to strike, Medicham's eyes suddenly snapped open, its fist glowing with Psychic Energy as it punched straight into the incoming lightning.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, the lightning bolt shattered into countless sparks, dispersing harmlessly into the air.
By then, Electabuzz had already closed in, aiming a Thunder Punch at Medicham.
"Now!"
Lucian smirked.
A faint blue glow flickered in Medicham's eyes as it struck back with its own Thunder Punch—which was even stronger than Electabuzz's!
BAM!
In the blink of an eye, the two Pokémon exchanged dozens of punches. No matter where Electabuzz tried to land a hit, Medicham's fists were always a step ahead, perfectly blocking the attacks with mirrored moves.
Not only Thunder Punch, but Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and even Brick Break—Medicham was proficient in them all. On top of that, it had mastered Drain Punch and Mega Punch, making its offensive capabilities incredibly diverse.
As the battle continued, Electabuzz began to feel a strange sense of helplessness.
Still, it didn't panic.
Relying on its hidden use of Motivational Combat, it focused on overwhelming Medicham with relentless attacks, refusing to give it a chance to counter. As long as its power increased beyond Medicham's, victory would be assured.
But as time passed and Electabuzz reached its peak strength, it noticed something unsettling—Medicham's power was still greater than its own.
"Yoga Power… and Yoga Pose…"
Paul had figured it out.
Medicham, as the ultimate embodiment of yogic energy, had mastered this power completely.
By continuously activating Yoga Pose throughout the battle, it wasn't difficult for Medicham to keep itself at the peak of its strength.
Moreover, Medicham already had a natural power advantage over Electabuzz. There was no way Electabuzz could overpower it in raw strength alone.
After another flurry of attacks, Paul suddenly commanded:
"Screech!"
Amidst the rapid exchange of blows, Electabuzz abruptly opened its mouth and let out a piercing, earsplitting cry. The harsh soundwaves struck Medicham head-on.
Normally, an opponent hit by Screech would become flustered and lose focus, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
However—
A faint blue aura flickered around Medicham's body, completely neutralizing the sound waves. It had used Yoga Power and its Psychic Energy to block Screech entirely!
"Kicking Strike!"
"Detect!"
Electabuzz did not falter. Without hesitation, it crouched low and swung a sweeping kick toward Medicham's legs, aiming to knock it down with a powerful strike.
Just as the attack was about to land, Medicham's eyes glowed blue. In an instant, it saw through Electabuzz's movements, shifting its stance in an almost ghostly manner, effortlessly dodging the Kicking Strike with precise footwork.
"Now! Flying Knee Kick!"
Lucian commanded.
Medicham, having avoided Kicking Strike, charged forward with its knee radiating energy, delivering a devastating Knee Kick aimed directly at Electabuzz, which had just finished its sweeping motion. There was no way to evade this!
At the crucial moment, Electabuzz conjured a protective barrier in front of itself.
Protect!
The barrier held for a brief second, absorbing the brunt of the attack. However, against Medicham's overwhelming strength, cracks quickly formed across its surface before shattering like glass.
Seamlessly, Medicham transitioned into another move, its fists glowing with concentrated energy as it prepared to strike—
Drain Punch!
"Dodge!"
Having fought countless battles, Electabuzz's reflexes were razor-sharp. It knew the limits of Protect's durability and had already anticipated the worst. Without hesitation, it activated Magnet Rise, accelerating into a swift tactical roll to narrowly evade the incoming blow.
"Buzz?"
Just as it regained balance and prepared to ascend for a high-altitude Thunder Strike, Electabuzz noticed something strange—Medicham had not attempted to pursue it.
It knew Medicham had moves that boosted its offensive power.
Calm Mind, perhaps? But Medicham hadn't used it.
That meant its Psychic abilities shouldn't be able to withstand a full-force Thunder attack, right?
"Thunder!"
Trusting its instincts, Electabuzz unleashed Thunder, sending bolts of lightning crashing down in an inescapable bombardment that engulfed Medicham from all angles.
Yet, Lucian remained unfazed.
If his Pokémon had been Bronzong or another similar opponent, he might have been worried. But his ace Medicham?
Not at all.
"Detect!"
Medicham's eyes gleamed with blue light once more. It perfectly read the trajectory of every lightning bolt, maneuvering through the barrage without being struck even once.
But Electabuzz didn't care.
It continued its relentless Thunder assault, refusing to believe that Medicham could evade forever.
"Psych Up!"
Dodging in between attacks, Medicham activated Psych Up, copying all of Electabuzz's stat boosts.
And Electabuzz?
Its Attack and Special Attack had already been maxed out through Power-Up Punch and its own battle-driven adrenaline.
That meant Medicham's offensive power had just skyrocketed as well.
"Not good."
The moment Paul heard the name of that move, a sense of unease crept into his heart.
In the very next second, a powerful Psychic pulse erupted from Medicham's body, shattering all the lingering Thunder attacks and surging forward with unstoppable force toward Electabuzz.
"Protect!"
In desperation, Electabuzz raised another defensive barrier.
But the Psychic energy tore through it in an instant, breaking through as though it were nothing.
The attack sent Electabuzz plummeting from the sky in freefall.
Before it could hit the ground—Medicham moved.
In a single explosive burst of speed, it struck Electabuzz with a crushing Drain Punch.
"Boom!"
"Crash!"
With a heavy impact, Electabuzz's body landed in a crater, unconscious.
Victorious, Medicham hopped back to Lucian's side, crossing its legs and closing its eyes—Returning to its meditative state, continuing its path toward Champion-level mastery.
Yes, after obtaining Mega Evolution, Lucian had invested everything into Medicham's training.
Now, at last—
Medicham had become his true ace, second only to Bronzong.
That made perfect sense.
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