Reversal

Seeing Steven single-handedly facing four pseudo-Elite Trainers and an Elite level captain, Yuga quickly rushed in with the Lapras to assist.

Steven nodded at Yuga upon his arrival, showing no signs of feeling overwhelmed by having his Metagross in a two-on-one situation. However, he looked surprised when he noticed the Lapras by Yuga's side.

"A flying Lapras?" Steven thought in astonishment.

Yuga nodded to Steven and then led the Lapras to confront Steven's opponent, who happened fighting Audino.

This was the first time Yuga had seen Steven's Audino, and he couldn't help but be surprised. Was this still a Steel-type Trainer? Having a Claydol was one thing, but now he had a Audino too?

Yuga didn't know when Steven had obtained this Audino, but it was undoubtedly an Elite level Pokémon.

Steven had released a total of five Pokémon for this battle, all at the Elite level. Besides the peak Elite strength of his Metagross, his Claydol and Skarmory were roughly at the Intermediate Elite level, while his Audino and Aggron were just entering the Elite level.

In other words, as long as Steven had one more Elite level Pokémon in reserve, he would meet the basic requirement to participate in the Elite Challenge.

Yuga knew that Steven undoubtedly possessed more than just five Elite level Pokémon because he was aware of Steven's Elite level Aggron. This Aggron was raised later and was not his initial partner, but Yuga was certain that Steven's first Pokémon, the Lairon, had evolved into Aggron even earlier than his Metagross.

This Aggron was Steven's true starter Pokémon and should have already reached the Elite level. However, it had not been involved in this battle yet.

As the Initial Pokémon of the Devon Corporation's master, the qualifications of that Aggron cannot be bad.

It seems that it is not far away from Steven becoming the champion.

With Yuga helping to share the pressure, the Audino cast a grateful look at Yuga, and then abandoned his current opponent and turned to help Daigo deal with Nigra's two Pokémon.

The battle between the Elite level Pokémon cannot be decided in a short period of time.

As the battle continued, Nigra probaly only have two Elite level Pokémon in his hand, So even thought his Pelipper and Swampert force to retreat by Steven's Metagross. Nigra didn't seem inclined to release any other Pokémon, understanding that non-Elite Pokémon entering an Elite level battle were practically offering themselves as easy prey.

Just like Aggron, Claydol, Skarmory, and Audino, they all faced these pseudo-Elite level captains in battles where it was often one against many.

Without them, Liliana and the police officers she brought with her would have been unable to withstand these pseudo-Elite level captains.

With the assistance of Audino, Nigra's defeat came even faster, and at this point, his forehead was covered in sweat.

On Yuga side, he faced Steven's Audino original opponent, a female Team Aqua member, who was the only female among the group of captains. She had four pseudo-Elite Pokémon: Crawdaunt, Slowbro, Dewgong, and Gorebyss. Their strength far surpassed that of Yugo's allies among the captains.

These four Pokémon quickly surrounded Yuga and the Lapras.

While Gorebyss wasn't particularly suited for land battles, she had still been sent out, which indicated the pressure Steven's Audino had exerted on her earlier.

Yuga didn't release any more of his Pokémon for help. The Lapras was still getting accustomed to its powers, and besides, Yuga's Pokémon in the shadows, Mismagius and Gengar, were on standby, so he wasn't worried about handling these four Pokémon.

The four Pokémon surrounding Yuga and the Lapras simultaneously launched their attacks: Crawdaunt used Crabhammer, Slowbro unleashed Psychic, Dewgong fired Signal Beam, and Gorebyss shot Shadow Ball.

"Lapras..."

Upon witnessing this, the Lapras let out a crisp cry, and after a surge of Water-type energy emanated from its body, a towering wave formed around Yuga and the Lapras, acting as a watery barrier that engulfed all the attacks coming from the four directions without causing any splashes.

The visible gap in strength between pseudo-Elite and Elite level Pokémon was apparent as the Surf technique, typically used as an offensive move, served as a defensive shield against the four pseudo-Elite Pokémon, rendering their attacks ineffective.

Initially, when Steven's Audino left the battle, this female captain had a moment of relief because Steven's Audino had placed considerable pressure on her. However, the young man before her, who was not much older, had presented her with an equally daunting challenge, causing her expression to turn sour.

"What kind of misfortune has befallen our branch? Why do we keep encountering monsters?" the female captain complained inwardly.

Little did she know that if it weren't for their Team Aqua headquarters issuing a mission to eliminate Yuga, they wouldn't have attracted such formidable adversaries.

After repelling the attacks with the wave, the Lapras opened its mouth and exhaled a Blizzard. The roaring storm, accompanied by biting cold, submerged all four Pokémon simultaneously.

When the blizzard subsided, all four Pokémon had been frozen solid, and both the female captain and Yuga were astonished.

The Lapras's power exceeded Yuga's expectations. It was even stronger than Steven's Audino, as evidenced by how easily it dispatched the opponents. It truly lived up to its purple potential.

After defeating this female captain, Yuga and the Lapras suddenly heard two cries of distress. Turning their heads, they saw Nigra's Pelipper and Swampert, both looking anguished but experiencing a continuous surge in their auras.

Nigra's Pelipper and Swampert were initially at the Intermediate of Elite, but in the blink of an eye, they had reached the peak of the Elite level.

Pelipper, with a pained expression, released a Hurricane. The Audino, caught in the Hurricane, lost its fighting capabilities instantly. However, Audino was merely a Junior Elite level Pokémon and couldn't compare to Pelipper, who had reached the peak of the Elite level.

Seeing this situation, Nigra gleefully threw two bottles he held onto the ground, commanding Pelipper and Swampert to attack Steven's Metagross with all their might.

"Is he using some kind of drug?" Yuga wondered as he noticed the two bottles.

Yuga suddenly remembered that the original form of that banned substance seemed to have a temporary power-enhancing effect on Pokémon. But had Nigra lost his mind? Was he giving up on his Pelipper and Swampert?

Through Arata Yuuto, Yuga was well aware of the side effects of such a banned substance. He never expected the Team Aqua to still possess it; they seemed to have no regard for the well-being of their Pokémon.

After losing Audino, facing the combined assault of two peak-Elite level Pokémon, even Steven's Metagross was in disarray.

Yuga promptly ordered the Lapras to assist Steven and his Metagross. Just as Swampert's Muddy Water was about to engulf Metagross, the Lapras fired an Ice Beam, freezing the mudflow into chunks of ice.