Chapter 539: The Battle Continues

"PRIMEAPE!"

Primeape's eyes burned with rage as crimson Fighting-type energy flared around its crossed arms.

Then it brought them down directly on Onix's head.

"Cross Chop!"

BOOM!

The impact thundered across the battlefield.

"ONIX!"

Onix reeled from the blow with a pained roar. Cracks spread across the stone covering its head before its enormous body crashed heavily to the ground.

Another cloud of dust and shattered rock erupted into the air.

When it cleared, Onix lay motionless with swirls in its eyes.

It was unable to battle.

And worse for Mason—the Cross Chop had landed as a critical hit.

With STAB, a super-effective matchup, and the critical hit all stacking together, Onix never stood a chance.

One clean strike had been enough.

"Onix is unable to battle!" the referee announced, raising his flag. "Mason, send out your next Pokémon!"

Mason's expression immediately darkened.

Across the field, a small smile appeared on Gage's usually easygoing face. The nervousness from earlier had disappeared, replaced by growing confidence.

I can do this.

...

"Beautiful!"

Edmund laughed and applauded from the preparation area.

"Not bad at all, kid!"

Clearly delighted, he even shot a smug look across the arena at Marcus.

The Defense Academy president answered with a glare fierce enough to grind his teeth into powder.

Aaron, meanwhile, nodded in approval.

"That was good."

"He deliberately let Primeape become the target so Onix would have to surface. The moment it came up, he countered with Cross Chop."

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Risky, but calculated."

Gage might look straightforward and good-natured, but once a battle started, he clearly knew how to think a few moves ahead.

Braveon nodded in agreement.

Dorian and Ivy remained as composed as ever. Neither said anything, though there was still a faint trace of condescension in the way they regarded Gage.

...

"Come back, Onix."

Mason recalled his fallen Pokémon, then drew another Poké Ball.

He glanced across the battlefield before throwing it.

"Solrock, you're up!"

A flash of light burst over the field, revealing a strange Pokémon shaped like a floating sun.

Solrock.

A Rock/Psychic type.

And just like that, the type advantage had flipped.

Primeape's Fighting-type attacks had been ideal against Onix, but now it was facing a Psychic-type opponent capable of hitting it for super-effective damage.

"Primeape, close the distance! Cross Chop!"

Fresh off his first knockout, Gage immediately pressed the attack.

"PRIMEAPE!"

Primeape charged forward, Fighting-type energy gathering around both hands as it leaped toward Solrock.

Mason reacted without hesitation.

"Confusion!"

"SOLROCK!"

A pink glow flashed around Solrock.

Primeape suddenly froze in midair.

The same psychic light wrapped around its body, holding it completely still.

"PRIMEAPE!"

It thrashed furiously against the invisible force, but could not move an inch.

"Throw it!"

"Solrock!"

With a sharp pulse of psychic power, Solrock hurled Primeape across the field.

BOOM!

Primeape slammed hard into the ground and cried out in pain.

Against a Fighting type, even Confusion hit painfully hard.

Mason was not about to let the opportunity go.

"Finish it! Psychic!"

A purplish-pink aura flared around Solrock.

"SOLROCK!"

A powerful wave of psychic energy surged toward Primeape.

"Get up, Primeape! Dodge!"

Gage's expression tightened.

Too late.

Primeape had barely managed to push itself back onto its feet when the attack reached it.

BOOM!

Psychic struck head-on.

Primeape was blasted across the battlefield before crashing onto its back.

This time, it did not get up.

Swirls filled its eyes.

"Primeape is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Gage, send out your next Pokémon!"

Gage's expression grew more serious as he recalled his partner.

"Come back, Primeape. You did well."

Across the arena, several Defense Academy students immediately broke into cheers and mocking laughter.

Edmund's face darkened slightly.

Gage ignored them.

He simply pulled out his next Poké Ball and threw it onto the field.

"Machamp, you're up!"

White light flashed.

"MACHAMP!"

A powerful four-armed Machamp appeared on the battlefield, planting its feet firmly against the ground.

Back in League University's preparation area, Aaron frowned.

This matchup was becoming troublesome.

From what he had seen so far, Gage appeared to specialize entirely in Fighting-type Pokémon.

If that was true, Solrock was a serious problem.

As long as Mason kept a healthy Psychic type on the field, almost Gage's entire team would be fighting at a disadvantage.

If he could not take Solrock down quickly, this match could turn ugly.

...

"Machamp, Bullet Punch!"

Gage attacked immediately.

"MACHAMP!"

White light flashed around one of Machamp's fists.

Then—

WHOOSH!

The punch shot forward with explosive speed.

Bullet Punch was already a priority move, and Machamp had trained it all the way to Perfect proficiency.

That made the attack frighteningly fast.

Solrock barely had time to react.

BANG!

Machamp's fist slammed directly into it.

"SOLROCK!"

The floating Pokémon was launched backward, spinning through the air before barely stabilizing itself.

The damage was obvious.

Steel-type attacks were super effective against Solrock, giving Gage exactly the opening he needed.

"Again! Bullet Punch!"

He had no intention of letting the troublesome Psychic type recover.

"MACHAMP!"

Machamp surged forward and threw another lightning-fast punch.

But this time, Mason was ready.

"Psychic!"

"SOLROCK!"

Purple-pink energy exploded around Solrock.

Machamp's glowing fist reached its target—just as Psychic struck Machamp from point-blank range.

BOOM! BOOM!

Both attacks connected almost simultaneously.

Machamp's Bullet Punch smashed into Solrock.

Solrock's Psychic blasted straight into Machamp.

The resulting impact sent both Pokémon flying in opposite directions across the battlefield.