Chapter 304: Victory!
[Exploding Fist]: An all-out physical strike that guarantees confusion upon landing.
As the explosive punch connected with Charizard, Kosuke's tense expression finally eased.
Since banning Latias, he had clearly sensed that Hikaru's remaining two Pokémon—Charizard and Gardevoir—were only at the Elite peak level, not true Master-class.
And yet, that Charizard had chosen to brawl head-on with his Urshifu rather than relying on ranged firepower.
What was worse—Urshifu couldn't take it down quickly.
In fact, under the influence of those strange, pale flames, things were starting to tilt in Charizard's favor.
This Charizard had stamina well beyond expectations.
A war of attrition was not an option.
Even if Charizard managed to land a Slash in retaliation, Kosuke was determined to land Exploding Fist and inflict confusion first.
Boom!
A deafening impact rang out.
"Raaah!"
Charizard grunted from the heavy blow to the chest, its wings faltering slightly.
At the same time, Urshifu absorbed the hit from Charizard's Slash—using the force of the impact to propel itself backward toward Kosuke's position, just narrowly avoiding the incoming Psychic blast from above.
Gardevoir, mid-air, instantly teleported back to Hikaru's side, eyes alert and glowing.
"Raaaah!"
Charizard, oddly enough, looked more excited than injured.
He let out a thunderous roar, white flames flickering wildly around him like ghostly firelight.
Despite taking the worst of the hits this round, his Life Leech and Ghostfire Curse traits were kicking in. His health was already on the rebound.
Meanwhile, Urshifu was trying to suppress the white flames with its internal energy—but the more it focused, the worse its expression became.
It couldn't extinguish the flames.
Kosuke gave quick, precise commands:
"Urshifu, Charge Focus, then Force Palm! Slaking, Sucker Punch!"
As a Master-level Trainer, he understood his Pokémon deeply.
Urshifu began charging for a devastating strike while Charizard was still in confusion.
Slaking—finally shaking off its laziness—stood tall, its eyes sharp.
Its gaze locked onto Hikaru—the Trainer himself.
It charged forward, massive limbs pounding against the mountain stone.
But Hikaru was ready.
'Gardevoir—Psychic! Stop it!'
'Charizard—Fire Blast!'
Gardevoir's mental force slammed into Slaking mid-charge, but its ridiculous HP allowed it to barrel through the damage.
In seconds, it was right in front of Hikaru.
Slaking raised a massive arm, energy coalescing—aimed directly at the Trainer.
But Gardevoir appeared again in front of Hikaru, arms wide.
Her power formed a translucent barrier just in time.
"RAAAHH!"
Charizard soared upward, scanning the battlefield.
Below, Urshifu continued charging Force Palm.
With a smug grin, Charizard opened his maw.
Boom!
The Fire Blast ignited into a massive burning sigil that flew straight at Urshifu.
Kosuke and Urshifu stared wide-eyed.
Then—Charizard spat a tiny white ghostflame at Kosuke himself.
"Impossible!"
Kosuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
His voice cracked, stunned by the fact that Charizard didn't seem affected by confusion at all.
That Exploding Fist had landed cleanly.
But Charizard had somehow resisted its secondary effects?
He couldn't wrap his head around it.
In the end, all he could do was watch as Fire Blast slammed into Urshifu.
Meanwhile, the pale ghostflame flicked Kosuke's energy shield, triggering a loud warning beep.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Gardevoir's Protect absorbed Slaking's Sucker Punch, though the force still pushed her back a few steps.
But she held the line.
'Gardevoir—Psychic again, then Mind Storm!'
The moment Slaking's attack window closed, Hikaru took full advantage of the Truant effect.
"Garde!"
Her eyes glowed. Slaking's body rose into the air, limbs flailing.
A cyclone of mental force swirled violently around him, tearing through even his bulky frame.
Even with high physical defense and resistance, Slaking had already taken heavy damage—and with the [Magical Girl] trait buffing Gardevoir's output, this combo was devastating.
Wham!
Slaking crashed into the ground, eyes rolling shut.
This time—it wasn't laziness.
He was out cold.
Above, Gardevoir hovered, panting hard.
She was clearly spent.
But this time, unlike previous battles, she wasn't completely drained.
Hikaru quickly equipped the [Rapid Recovery] trait to her, smiled gently, and whispered:
"You've done well."
Then, he returned her to her Poké Ball.
By then, the battle's outcome was already sealed.
Urshifu had taken the full brunt of Fire Blast.
Though still standing, its body was covered in white and black flame, flickering ominously.
Its breathing slowed. Its arms sagged. Its eyes dimmed.
Even the Force Palm it had been charging began to dissipate.
And Kosuke's energy shield?
It was flashing red and emitting loud, urgent beeps.
"The assessment is over! Hikaru has successfully passed the Master Trainer certification!"
The sky boomed with the voice of Hu Ba, riding atop his Skarmory.
The declaration echoed like a victory drumbeat across Jingwu Mountain.
Hikaru's lips curled into a small smile.
Charizard never let him down.
Not even against a full-fledged Master-level Urshifu.
He raised a hand.
Charizard swooped down and landed beside him, glowing with pride.
Hikaru approached Kosuke, and Charizard gently breathed fire to extinguish the lingering ghostflames on Urshifu and Kosuke's shield.
Hikaru bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for the battle."
Above, Hu Ba descended from his Skarmory...
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