Chapter 200: Unveiling Strength

"Gardevoir, use Future Sight and Psychic!"

A blue glow enveloped Gardevoir as it unleashed its Psychic attack. Instinctively, Lily commanded her Infernape to defend, but she had unknowingly fallen into Ron's trap.

"Gardevoir, use Psychic in combination with Psyshock, then prepare for Ally Switch!"

Unable to hear her opponent's commands, Lily had to predict Gardevoir's next move based on its actions. However, this made it nearly impossible to defend against Future Sight.

The same strategy was being employed: first, using a Psychic-type move to attack oneself, then switching places to force the opponent to take the hit instead.

Against such a nearly flawless tactic, only a few moves could counter it. Otherwise, just like now, Lily could only watch helplessly as her strategy fell apart.

"Infernape, use Focus Punch to counter Gardevoir's attack!"

Estimating the distance between them, Lily ordered Infernape to use Focus Punch. Although the move's drawback would leave Infernape unable to act temporarily, it would still prevent Gardevoir from closing in for an immediate attack.

In fact, if the timing was off, Gardevoir might even walk into danger itself.

With sheer force, Focus Punch shattered the combined power of Psychic and Psyshock.

However, the move's side effect left Infernape momentarily immobilized.

At that moment, Gardevoir's previously cast Future Sight activated, striking the defenseless Infernape with full force.

Without waiting for Ron's command, Gardevoir swiftly used Teleport, instantly appearing in front of Infernape.

"Hold on, Infernape! Use Focus Punch again!"

Lily's voice rang out. Fighting through the searing pain, Infernape tried to launch an attack, only to be struck by Gardevoir's Psychic once more.

Immediately after, Gardevoir followed up with Disarming Voice, combining it with Psychic for a second wave of offense, completely disrupting Infernape's ability to counter.

The final Psychic attack landed, sending Infernape flying out of the battlefield.

Fatigue became evident on Gardevoir's face. Throughout the match, it had repeatedly used high-power Psychic-type moves, pushing itself close to its limit.

Fortunately for Ron, Infernape lost the ability to battle first.

"That was a formidable opponent. Alright, now it's your turn, Hitmonlee!"

"Return, Gardevoir! I'll be counting on you now, Bellossom!"

Seizing the moment while Lily switched Pokémon, Ron also took the opportunity to swap Gardevoir for Bellossom.

As the second-strongest Pokémon in Lily's team, second only to Machamp, Hitmonlee stood at level 52—the same as Bellossom.

"Hitmonlee, use Mind Reader and follow up with Mega Kick!"

With Mind Reader ensuring a direct hit, Hitmonlee dashed forward at high speed, launching a powerful Mega Kick.

"Bellossom, use Energy Ball to open a path, then execute Finger Pistol: Hexagram!"

A sphere of Grass-type energy shot forth. In the Grassy Terrain, Grass-type moves gained a power boost.

"Hitmonlee, counter with Rolling Kick to block Bellossom's attack!"

Having watched Ron's previous battle footage, Lily quickly ordered Hitmonlee to react upon hearing Ron's command.

Hitmonlee kicked the Energy Ball, shattering it, but before it could fully execute Rolling Kick, a green blur flashed before its eyes.

The first strike of Finger Pistol: Hexagram disrupted the remaining force of Mega Kick before rapidly encircling Hitmonlee with a series of pinpoint attacks.

The combination of Leaf Blade and the speed boost from Shave created an overwhelming offensive flurry. As the hexagonal pattern of strikes concluded, Hitmonlee was sent flying.

"Hitmonlee, use Blaze Kick to push Bellossom back!"

Even though Lily had already accounted for Bellossom's speed, she realized during battle that she had still underestimated it.

Shaking off her surprise, she quickly called out to Hitmonlee, preventing Bellossom from following up.

"Bellossom, One-Sword Style: Finger Pistol—Iaido!"

Leaf Blade energy condensed as Bellossom awaited Hitmonlee's landing moment before launching its attack.

In an instant, the sharp aura made Hitmonlee feel as though it were about to be torn apart, yet it still followed through with Lily's command.

Just as flames ignited around Hitmonlee's foot, a flash of swordlight streaked past. Bellossom had already moved behind its opponent.

"Bellossom, Two-Sword Style: Iaido—Rashomon!"

"Hitmonlee, use Protect, quickly!"

Lily's voice rang out. Enduring the immense pain, Hitmonlee mustered all its strength to execute Protect.

As Bellossom's attack flashed past, Protect shattered upon impact.

"Bellossom, follow up with Two-Sword Style: Clear Lance!"

In mid-air, Bellossom utilized the momentum of its descent to mimic another of Zoro's sword techniques.

Two deep cuts appeared on Hitmonlee's body. Along with the previous Iaido strike, they formed a distinct '艹' (grass) symbol on its chest.

Ron swore he hadn't meant to make it look like that.

Before Lily could issue another command, Ron instructed Bellossom to use One-Sword Style: Finger Pistol—Iaido again, but stopped just before it landed on Hitmonlee.

"I concede this match."

Recognizing that Ron had held back, Lily admitted her defeat with grace and withdrew Hitmonlee into its Poké Ball.

"Now, it's up to you, Machamp! You must defeat Ron's Bellossom!"

As Lily's strongest Pokémon, Machamp was level 55 and her final hope in this battle.

"Bellossom, One-Sword Style: Finger Pistol - Iaido!"

Taking advantage of the moment Machamp appeared, Ron commanded Bellossom to strike first.

A sharp aura surged once more—Bellossom moved like an unsheathed blade, dashing straight toward Machamp.

"Machamp, use Focus Blast to block Bellossom's attack!"

A deep blue sphere of energy shot forward, but in the next instant, it was cleanly split in two.

"Bellossom, use Shave to accelerate! Two-Sword Style: Iaido—Rashomon!"

After cutting through Machamp's attack, Ron immediately had Bellossom charge again.

"Machamp, Blaze Chop!"

With a combination of Cross Chop and Fire Punch, Lily, unable to track Bellossom's movements, could only have Machamp attack head-on.

A flash of sword light passed—Machamp's fiery arms were suddenly extinguished. Two faint cuts appeared on its forearms, a testament to the sheer power of the sword techniques.

At the same time, Bellossom also endured considerable recoil damage. Insufficient defense was the greatest weakness of both Bellossom and the path of swordsmanship itself.

"Bellossom, Two-Sword Style: Iaido—Rashomon Barrage!"

Seeing Bellossom's attack succeed, Ron commanded another onslaught of Two-Sword Style: Iaido—Rashomon.

Unable to keep up with Bellossom's speed, Lily and Machamp were forced into a defensive stance.

From Lily's perspective, sustaining such an aggressive offense would surely drain Bellossom's stamina far faster than Machamp's. If she could just endure, victory would eventually be hers.

"Bellossom, Two-Sword Style: Toro!"

Right after executing another Rashomon, Ron instructed Bellossom to strike again.

"Machamp, Blaze Chop!"

With flames engulfing its arms, Machamp barely managed to withstand Bellossom's second assault.

The moment it landed, Ron gave another command—"Bellossom, Finger Pistol - Hexagram!"

Though Lily and Machamp reacted swiftly, it was still too late to counter Bellossom, which had maintained the advantage from the very start.

-----

Want to read ahead of schedule? 

Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635