"Oh ho ho, little brother is truly ruthless, not knowing how to show tenderness to the fairer sex at all." Minako sighed quite helplessly. "In that case, big sister here will have to get serious!"
She recalled Jynx into its Poké Ball and took out another Poké Ball instead.
Derick remained silent, simply staring intently at Minako opposite him.
Before he could give his mother a good life, nothing could stand in his way!
Accompanied by a flash of white light, a Pokémon that looked like a vulture appeared opposite Lucario. It had a ponytail made of feathers on its head with a bone acting as a hairpin, and wore a lower jawbone full of sharp teeth around its waist.
That Pokémon was none other than the Dark and Flying-type Pokémon, Mandibuzz!
"The final battle between contestant Derick and contestant Minako, Lucario vs. Mandibuzz, officially begins!"
The referee blew his whistle and then announced loudly.
"Mandibuzz, use Bone Rush!" Minako dropped her gentle big-sister persona, her tone suddenly becoming sharp.
The command was given, and Mandibuzz, circling in mid-air, used Lock-On on the Lucario below before diving towards it.
Derick was well-prepared; the moment Mandibuzz moved, he predicted: "Lucario, dodge it!"
Lucario began running across the field at high speed.
Mandibuzz's strike missed. Minako frowned and immediately launched a follow-up: "Air Cutter!"
Derick ordered almost simultaneously: "Aura Sphere!"
Whoosh, whoosh!
With a sharp sound of breaking air, the two moves collided in mid-air. Two completely different energies clashed violently, and as they reached a stalemate, a powerful explosion occurred.
Thick smoke immediately billowed across the battlefield, separating Lucario and Mandibuzz.
Lucario watched the smoke warily.
"In this situation—" Derick frowned. If it were him, he would definitely have Mandibuzz use the thick smoke to launch a Sucker Punch on the opponent.
"Lucario!" Derick ordered immediately. "Get ready, prepare for Counter!"
On the field, Lucario immediately assumed a parrying stance.
As expected, in the next second, Mandibuzz's swift figure burst through the billowing smoke. Its entire body was wrapped in a rapidly spinning airflow as it slammed into Lucario.
That was—Brave Bird!
This move was considered one of the most terrifyingly powerful among Flying-type moves.
The audience present let out a chorus of gasps.
But in the next second, what shocked them even more was—
"Heavens, Lucario parried it!"
The crowd cried out in surprise, the spectators all inhaling sharply in unison.
Following that, an even more incredible scene appeared.
Lucario's entire presence seemed to condense to its peak, then transformed into an unparalleled force that surged violently toward Mandibuzz.
Mandibuzz's body was instantly sent flying, crashing into a stone pillar of the Grand Arena and rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
Lucario was panting heavily; obviously, that Brave Bird just now had caused it significant damage as well.
"Lucario, end this battle!"
Derick immediately ordered a follow-up attack.
"Mandibuzz, get up!" Minako tried to call out.
But the Brave Bird sent back by Counter had caused a terrifying impact. Mandibuzz felt its head spinning right now; let alone standing up, it couldn't even hear its Trainer's voice clearly.
Under Derick's command, Lucario rushed toward Mandibuzz, condensing an Aura Sphere made of Aura energy in its hands and blasting it toward Mandibuzz.
"Boom!"
Mandibuzz was hit, making its already low stamina even worse.
At this moment, the pained Mandibuzz finally cleared its head a little, but Lucario was already in front of it.
Waiting for it was the physical attack Fighting-type Pokémon took the most pride in: Close Combat!
A moment later, after taking the entire combo, Mandibuzz's eyes were tightly shut, completely unable to fight again.
Lucario knelt on the spot, gasping for air. The battle was clearly over. It looked back at its Trainer with an expression that seemed to say it hadn't let him down.
"Lucario—" Derick gave it a thumbs up and praised, "You did a great job!"
"Mandibuzz is unable to battle. For the first preliminary match, contestant Derick from Castelia City successfully advances!" The referee announced the result of the match.
"Dammit!" Minako stamped her feet unwillingly on the opposite side, but it was to no avail.
After a brief silence, an unparalleled cheer erupted from the stands of the entire Grand Arena.
These Commoners and nobles were celebrating the birth of a winner.
Under the eyes of the masses, Derick couldn't help but clench his fists, an unprecedented feeling suddenly welling up from deep within.
This feeling—is this what it feels like to have people see the results of their hard work, to see them winning step by step?
He clumsily Mimicked a gentleman at a ball, bowed to the audience, and then took Lucario back to the backstage area.
In the audience, in a hidden private box, Draconis and Anna witnessed the entire battle.
"Little Anna, it looks like it won't be so easy for you to achieve final victory!" Draconis said with interest.
These Trainers really surprised him!
It had clearly only been a year, yet they had already cultivated to this level.
"I won't give up that easily." Anna's heart was full of confidence in Zoroark and the others.
"However, do you know why that Mandibuzz lost?" Draconis asked.
"Hmm, let me think—" Anna pondered carefully. "Teacher, was the move that Lucario used Counter?"
Draconis nodded slightly.
"I see! I understand!" Anna said, her eyes brightening. "Brave Bird's power is already very great, and after being returned by Counter, its power becomes doubled. Mandibuzz simply couldn't withstand that kind of force!"
"Correct." Draconis smiled and nodded. "More importantly, while using a move like Brave Bird that charges forward with no turning back, the massive impact also reduces one's own stamina and causes injury. If you face that Lucario later, how would you handle it?"
"Naturally, I'd have Zoroark use our best Illusion abilities!" Anna said.
Draconis chuckled and shook his head. "If you rely solely on that power, I'm afraid it won't have much of an effect on a Pokémon like Lucario."
"Why?" Anna asked in confusion.
"Lucario is the embodiment of Aura. They possess very powerful Aura energy within their bodies. Sometimes, even without using their eyes, they can perceive the surrounding environment, objects, and the opponent's movements just by the power of Aura," Draconis explained.
At this moment, he was no longer the King of this country, but Anna's teacher.
"Some powerful Lucario can sense the environment several kilometers away just by relying on Aura perception."
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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