Chapter 452: The Meeting of Aces
Arcanine struggled to evade, but its terror-stricken movements were sluggish.
The Dark Pulse whistled past its ear, singeing its fur.
Looking at the "Legendary Legacy" now, no one would believe it was a Level 100
Master-tier Pokémon. Compared to the majestic, commanding beast that had first
appeared, this Arcanine was a ghost of itself—paralyzed by a fear so deep it had
lost the ability to think for itself. It moved only when Zhurong Yun shouted a
command, its independent combat instincts completely suppressed.
In a match of this caliber, a trainer's orders were no longer the primary driver
of victory. At the Master Tier, a Pokémon needed the autonomy to read the rhythm
of the battle and react in microseconds. A Pokémon relying entirely on a human's
verbal commands was like a man trying to run a marathon on crutches.
THOOM!
The final Dark Pulse connected.
Arcanine let out a pained shriek as the explosive impact of the darkness pinned
it against the golden containment barrier. The sheer pressure ground the beast
against the psychic shield until, with a heavy thud, it collapsed into the dirt.
For a Pokémon trapped in the realm of the Nightmare God, unconsciousness was
less of a defeat and more of a mercy. A look of profound relief washed over
Arcanine's face as its eyes rolled back.
"Arcanine is unable to battle! Darkrai wins!"
As the verdict was announced, the shadow-armor on Darkrai's body dissolved into
black mist, spiraling back into the Dark Void beneath his feet.
Darkrai drifted in the center of the arena, his posture firm and triumphant.
Only Kenji, looking through their bond, could see the truth: the Mythical was
exhausted. Maintaining Nightmare Manifestation against a Level 100 Master was
ten times more taxing than using it against a standard opponent. His pride
wouldn't allow him to show weakness before the Zhurong Clan, but his reserves
were nearly empty.
Kenji didn't let him suffer. He quickly raised his Poké Ball, recalling the
Nightmare God to his rest.
Across the field, Zhurong Yun recalled his grandfather's partner, his face a
mask of solemn respect.
Five Pokémon down on each side. The stadium—and the entire mountain—went silent.
The preliminary rounds were over. The intermission was done. Now came the moment
everyone had been waiting for.
The Champion's Ace versus the Challenger's Legend.
"Go! My Sovereign! My Ace!"
"The stage is yours, my most reliable partner!"
Two Poké Balls were hurled simultaneously.
"HUO-QIAAAAA!"
Blaziken materialized mid-air, its silhouette emerging from the red light with
the grace of a falling hawk. It landed light on its feet, its golden hawk-like
eyes burning with a terrifying intensity.
Golden flames erupted from its wrists, the heat so intense the air around its
hands began to ripple and distort. Those flames were a physical manifestation of
its battle spirit. It was ready.
On the opposite side, the red light from Kenji's ball cleared to reveal
Beedrill.
The insect didn't roar. It didn't flex. It hovered a few inches off the ground,
its twin stingers held at its sides, its expression utterly calm.
The Elders on the stone benches leaned forward, their eyes widening.
"This Beedrill..."
They all felt a chill. Apart from Yun and Xun, the Elders were seeing Kenji's
ace for the first time in person. They were shocked to find that they couldn't
sense a single drop of energy leaking from the insect. No aura, no pressure, no
bloodlust.
To a layman, it looked like an ordinary Pokémon. To a Master, it was terrifying.
Such absolute restraint proved that Beedrill's control over its own power had
reached a level of perfection that bordered on the divine.
Zhurong Yun watched the insect, his gaze heavy. He had seen the footage of
Beedrill dismantling Grandma Liu's Gengar, but seeing it now, he realized the
tapes hadn't done it justice.
It's stronger than before, Yun thought, his hand hovering over his Mega
Bracelet.
He looked at Kenji, expecting him to reach for his own Key Stone. But Kenji
simply stood with his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on Beedrill. He had
no intention of Mega Evolving yet.
Yun narrowed his eyes and lowered his hand. If the challenger wouldn't start at
full power, the Champion would match his pace.
[Pokémon Status]
Target: Blaziken (Champion's Ace - Phoenix Blessed) Gender: Male Level: 100
Type: Fire / Fighting Ability: Speed Boost Potential: S+
"Let's go, Blaziken! Consecutive Blaze Kicks!"
"HUO-QIA!"
Blaziken launched. It moved like a kinetic missile, its legs propelling it
across the arena with a speed that defied its bulk. A normal Blaziken could leap
over a thirty-story building in a single bound; the Champion's Blaziken treated
a hundred-story skyscraper like a minor hurdle.
It reached Beedrill in a heartbeat.
Blaziken's signature move, Blaze Kick, was lethal enough on its own. But this
was a custom combo: Blaze Kick merged with Double Kick and Triple Kick. It was a
rhythmic sequence of burning strikes, each one faster and more powerful than the
last. By the fourth kick, the power would be doubled.
Against this blurred barrage of fire, Beedrill's expression remained unchanged.
The first kick arrived. Beedrill performed a microscopic tilt of its body. The
flaming heel whistled past its wing, missing by a hair's breadth.
To Blaziken, it felt like the insect was moving in slow motion.
The second kick came from a different angle, faster. Beedrill drifted to the
left. The third kick, a high-arcing roundhouse. Beedrill ducked.
Every movement from the insect was casual, almost accidental. It was as if it
already knew exactly where the fire would be before Blaziken even committed to
the strike.
Then came the fourth kick—the peak of the combo. Blaziken's leg was a pillar of
white-hot Phoenix fire, aimed directly at Beedrill's head.
This time, Beedrill didn't dodge. For the first time in the match, it raised a
stinger.
THOOM!
The moon-white stinger intercepted the kick with surgical precision.
A shockwave of heat and wind swept across the arena, but Beedrill didn't budge.
Its single arm held back the full, double-damage weight of a Level 100
Champion's ultimate.
Blaziken's pupils shrank. It felt an impossible, immovable force radiating from
that stinger. It was like trying to kick a mountain. No matter how much it
pushed, its leg couldn't advance a single millimeter.
With a casual flick of its arm, Beedrill shoved.
"HUO?!"
The "Sovereign of Fire" was sent reeling, forced to perform a backflip mid-air
to stabilize its landing. It landed safely, but the shock in its eyes was
palpable.
Zhurong Yun was equally stunned. The gap he was seeing was nonsensical.
A year ago, Beedrill had struggled against Mega Gengar, winning only because
Grandma Liu had tested Kenji's resolve. Today, against a Phoenix-Blessed
God-tier ace, Beedrill was acting like an adult humoring a toddler.
Yun had assumed Beedrill was nearing its peak back then. He had been wrong. That
wasn't the ceiling; it was the starting line.
Kenji looked at his partner, a surge of pride in his chest. Beedrill wasn't just
a Champion anymore. It had officially stepped into the realm of the Eight
Masters.
[Pokémon Status]
Name: Beedrill (4-Star) Gender: Male Level: 100 Type: Bug / Poison Base Stats
(Total 735):
- HP: 110 / Atk: 155 / Def: 70 / SpA: 75 / SpD: 135 / Speed: 190 Abilities:
Swarm, Huge Power Items: Radiant Infinity Edge, Radiant Last Whisper,
Radiant Deathblade. Potential: Limit (The end of all potential... or is it?)
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