Chapter 268: Bisharp and Greninja

Chapter 268: Bisharp and Greninja

Two Poké Balls appeared in his hands.

"Come on out, Stoutland, Bisharp!"

With flashes of red light, a long-haired canine Pokémon and a Pokémon whose body resembled blades emerged.

Bisharp and Stoutland!

Seeing Gardevoir instantly teleport Hikaru and Sakura away, Shawn Quinn laughed angrily.

"Hikaru, I've watched your battles. You're indeed impressive—perhaps the most talented new student Central Youth University has seen in a decade.

"But Elite is Elite, and Master is Master. Even if your Latias is a Legendary, your other Pokémon haven't had enough time to grow!"

He shouted his orders.

"Bisharp, Guillotine! Stoutland, Thunder Fang!"

Bisharp crossed its arms in an X-shape, a glaring white light gathering around them. At the same time, Stoutland's jaws crackled with fierce electricity. One on the left, one on the right, they rushed toward Hikaru.

Just before colliding, a faint barrier materialized out of nowhere—

Bang!

Protect!

Blade and Thunder Fang slammed against the translucent shield. Sparks crackled and sizzled.

Latias watched the three opposing Pokémon warily. They were all Master-level. Quite a tough trio.

"Greninja, come on out!"

At Hikaru's signal, Greninja emerged in a flash.

"Kukkaa!"

Its gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto Bisharp with a fierce battle spirit. Fighting a Master-level Bisharp would be a challenging ordeal. The higher a Pokémon's level, the greater the gap became with each rank. Differences in strength could compensate for many type disadvantages or skill factors. But nothing could fully bridge raw species value gaps, especially between Elite and Master tiers. The energy within a Master-level Pokémon was just on another level.

Hikaru quickly assessed the foe's status.

[Pokémon: Bisharp]

[Ability: Pressure]

[Gender: Male]

[Talent: Elite]

[Level: 53]

[Moves: Scratch, Fury Cutter, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Swords Dance, Night Slash, Iron Defense, Double Team, X-Scissor, Guillotine…]

At level 53, this Bisharp was almost certainly Shawn Quinn's strongest Pokémon. Its gaze was keen, its stance showing plenty of battle experience. A single unsuccessful strike, and Bisharp immediately dropped back to a defensive posture.

"That shield was tougher than expected…" Shawn Quinn frowned.

Protect normally stood a good chance of blocking a move from a similarly strong or even somewhat stronger foe, but deflecting both Bisharp and Stoutland so effortlessly was rare.

"Latias, Psychic!"

Bisharp had pulled back, but Stoutland was still out front. Hikaru wasted no time aiming for it first. In a battle like this, taking out one opponent early was ideal.

A tidal wave of mental power surged forth, directly striking Stoutland. The moment Latias unleashed Psychic, Shawn Quinn's face changed drastically.

Stoutland's body lifted into the air as Psychic energy crushed and twisted it.

"Urrr… ruff…"

No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free of that invisible force. Its pained howls echoed through the forest. The strength on display was clearly more than just Elite-level. Even a Legendary at Elite rank couldn't unleash this kind of power—so there was only one explanation: Latias was already at Master rank. Possibly a high Master rank.

Shawn Quinn realized, in a flash of panic, that he had to save Stoutland fast.

"Bisharp, Night Slash!"

"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Hikaru interrupted, not about to let him rescue Stoutland so easily.

"Kukkaa!"

Greninja's arms glowed with white, blade-like energy. It exhaled sharply and dashed forward. Bisharp and Greninja clashed repeatedly—blade against blade—over ten exchanges in just a few seconds. Shockwaves from their impact rattled the nearby Changchun tree, causing its leaves to sway fiercely.

When they broke apart again, Greninja was breathing a bit heavily, a slash wound marking its back. Unlike Charizard, it lacked significant endurance. It had only recently begun consuming higher-level Energy Cubes, so dealing with a powerful adversary drained it rapidly.

But Bisharp hadn't escaped unscathed.

A small gap had been cut into the metal on its right-arm blade. Greninja's strike had forced open a notch in Bisharp's steel-like armor.

Shawn Quinn's shock grew. An under-Master Greninja keeping up with Bisharp's Night Slash was impressive enough, but now it seemed it was actually capable of fighting head-to-head. The new students this year were unbelievable.

"That's enough. Bisharp, Guillotine!"

He apparently forgot that another "new student" stood beside Hikaru. Sakura snorted softly. She raised two Poké Balls.

"Go, Kecleon—Vikavolt, I need you!"

In the secret realm, large-scale destructive moves were prohibited. Kecleon and Vikavolt were perfect for avoiding big collateral damage.

The moment it appeared, Kecleon vanished into thin air, while Vikavolt hovered with a crackle of electricity, sizing up Golduck at Shawn's side. Although neither was Master-level, at levels 46 and 48 respectively, they could certainly keep Golduck busy—especially since it had to stay near its trainer to protect him.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the battlefield, Stoutland was still pinned by Latias's powerful Psychic. Its eyes were rolling back in pain; it no longer had any strength to fight.

Victory was tilting in Hikaru's favor. Shawn Quinn's expression shifted. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Latias was already Master-level. He couldn't believe that this first-year student—rumored to be only sixteen—had progressed so fast. Becoming a trainer in just a single year and already possessing such might… impossible…

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