Chapter 190: Advancement Battle

As soon as the referee's voice rang out, Ron immediately sent out his Machamp, while his opponent released a Gengar, a Ghost-type Pokémon.

Although Gengar did not have a direct type advantage over Machamp, Ghost-type Pokémon were immune to Fighting-type moves. To effectively land an attack, Ron first had to use Foresight to make Gengar susceptible to Machamp's attacks.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball followed by Dark Pulse!"

Several Shadow Balls formed in Gengar's hands before it swiftly launched them toward Machamp. At the same time, its crimson eyes gleamed ominously as it unleashed Dark Pulse, sealing off Machamp's escape routes in the blink of an eye.

"Machamp, clear the way with Aura Sphere! Use Shave to close in and hit Foresight!"

A bright blue Aura Sphere shot forward, and right behind it, Machamp vanished from sight, following closely behind the attack.

The explosion from the impact created a thick cloud of smoke, shrouding the battlefield.

"Gengar, get into the air to evade and prepare to use Confuse Ray!"

Through the smoke, Machamp dashed forward at high speed, heading straight for Gengar.

The moment Gengar saw Machamp, it instinctively launched its attack.

Confuse Ray surged forward but failed to halt Machamp's charge. In the next instant, Foresight enveloped Gengar, immediately followed by Machamp's Iron Fist.

Thunder Punch struck, and electric currents crackled across Gengar's body, the immense impact sending it plummeting downward.

"Hold on, Gengar! Use Night Shade!"

Hearing Yuma's command, Gengar recovered from the Thunder Punch and unleashed Night Shade to block Machamp's pursuit.

Landing cautiously on the battlefield, Machamp did not launch an attack. It stood motionless, as if someone had pressed a pause button.

"Gengar, charge in with Night Shade!"

Noticing Machamp's inactivity, Yuma seized the opportunity to command Gengar to take the offensive.

A dense mass of eerie shadows enveloped Gengar, carrying a chilling aura as it surged toward Machamp.

"Machamp, use Double Team to counter!"

"Gengar, stop! Detect the real Machamp's life force and pinpoint the genuine one!"

Gengar halted its charge, but the ghostly shadows continued forward, dispersing several Machamp illusions.

Using its ghostly instincts, Gengar carefully assessed each shadow clone, attempting to discern the real Machamp. Meanwhile, Yuma analyzed Machamp's movements, searching for any opening.

"Machamp, Foresight! Shave: Thunder Blade!"

Ron's calm command echoed across the battlefield. Even though they had yet to pinpoint the real Machamp, Yuma cautiously instructed Gengar to use Protect for defense.

One by one, the Machamp illusions dissipated, revealing the real Machamp standing not far from Gengar, completely motionless.

In that instant, Yuma realized he had been tricked.

Having already used Protect once, attempting to use it again carried the risk of failure.

After Ron's performance in the preliminary rounds, he had started gaining recognition. As the trainer who single-handedly wiped out an entire poaching syndicate, he naturally became the subject of intense research, particularly regarding his ace Pokémon—Machamp.

This was why Yuma had been so cautious earlier, fearing that Machamp would seize an opportunity to unleash a relentless barrage of attacks.

Sensing Yuma's growing nervousness, Ron deliberately slowed the battle's pace, gradually increasing the psychological pressure on his opponent. His goal was to further disrupt Yuma's judgment, ensuring that Machamp didn't have to reveal too much of its full strength.

Yuma tried to regulate his breathing and repeatedly told himself to stay calm, but the more he tried, the more restless he became.

Especially when Machamp charged forward once more—without hesitation, Yuma instinctively ordered a counterattack, unknowingly allowing Ron to dictate the battle's rhythm.

At this moment, Yuma resembled a moth ensnared in a spider's web—no matter how much he struggled, he was only hastening his own demise.

Although Gengar should have had the advantage due to its immunity to Fighting-type moves, Machamp continually closed the gap using Double Team combined with Shave, following up with Foresight and other attacks to harass and strike Gengar.

Within moments, Gengar began panting heavily, while Machamp remained as composed as ever.

"Gengar, charge with Night Shade!"

Determined to turn the tide, Yuma roared as he commanded Gengar to strike.

"Machamp, use Aura Sphere to intercept it!"

Gengar momentarily delayed the Aura Sphere with Night Shade before executing a nimble spin to evade Machamp's follow-up attack, desperately trying to close the distance.

In that instant, Ron saw through Yuma's plan.

"Machamp, Double Team! Use Shave to close in, then Foresight and Scary Face!"

Ron's commands rang out in quick succession, but Machamp's actions were even faster.

Several Machamp clones rushed at Gengar from all directions, leaving it unable to distinguish the real one through life force detection.

"Gengar, spread Thunderbolt in all directions!"

Golden electricity surged outward, obliterating the illusions one by one, but the real Machamp had already evaded using Shave, appearing right in front of Gengar.

"Now, Gengar! Use Curse!"

Seeing Machamp close in, Yuma hastily issued the command.

Ghost-type energy gathered as the Foresight move locked onto Gengar.

The Curse move was successfully executed. At the same time, Machamp successfully used Scary Face.

A momentary shock caused Gastly to feel a wave of fear, rendering it difficult to move.

"Finish the battle, Machamp—Finger Pistol: Thunder Lance!"

"Gengar, use Protect!"

At such close range, Gengar's Protect was a fraction too slow, and it was struck by Machamp's Finger Pistol: Thunder Lance.

Lightning energy surged. Already fatigued from battle, Gengar had also sacrificed half of its stamina to use Curse. Unable to withstand the powerful attack, it was sent flying and immediately lost its ability to fight.

The instant the referee announced the result, Ron swiftly recalled Machamp into its Poké Ball.

As an advanced piece of technology that defied scientific logic, the Poké Ball, upon recalling a Pokémon, could isolate it from various negative conditions—including the stamina-draining effects of Curse.

Hurrying back to the resting area, Ron feigned nervousness as he had Bellossom and Gardevoir work together to heal Machamp. Meanwhile, he anxiously fed Machamp a top-grade Pokéblock to restore its stamina, using his Fighting Aura as an additional means of treatment.

At this moment, Ron's acting skills reached their peak, flawlessly portraying his sense of urgency and concern.

Less than twenty minutes later, Ron's next preliminary match began.

The only good news was that if he secured victory in this match, he would officially qualify for the Indigo Plateau Conference.

Stepping onto the battlefield, Ron saw that the referee, seemingly in an effort to save time, quickly recited the battle rules before instructing both trainers to release their Pokémon.

A flash of white light revealed Machamp standing in the arena.

Just like before, the opponent's Pokémon held a type advantage.

What Ron hadn't anticipated was that his opponent would send out an Alakazam—a Psychic-type Pokémon at level 58.

Given that capturing a Psychic-type Pokémon was notoriously difficult for non-psychics, there was a high probability that his opponent was a psychic themselves. Naturally, this also meant they could use telepathy, further proving the resolve of those people.

"Battle start!"

As the referee's voice rang out, Ron's final match before advancing to the Indigo Plateau Conference officially began.

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