Chapter 198

This polarization was even more obvious among the audience.

The female spectators were frantically cheering for Nathan, while the male spectators were rooting for Mira.

The divide couldn't be clearer!

And in the midst of this charged atmosphere, Zeraora raised its sharp right claw high into the air.

In an instant!

Azure lightning, accompanied by a chirping thunderous sound like a thousand birds, echoed throughout the arena!

This was Chidori—a move that abandoned the paralyzing properties of electricity in favor of maximizing speed and piercing power.

For anyone below the Elite-tier, taking a direct hit from Chidori meant the battle was practically over!

But Zeraora didn't stop there.

It kept channeling an even fiercer current of electricity!

"This is a move only Zeraora can use!"

"Because unlike other Electric-type Pokémon, Zeraora doesn't have the strange limitations of needing to generate or store electricity!"

Watching the increasingly radiant golden figure, Nathan's lips curled slightly as he thought to himself:

If it weren't Zeraora, most Pokémon wouldn't even be able to learn Chidori—let alone Raikiri.

And it wasn't just because of its electrical organs.

Lightning itself is a power that's incredibly hard for Pokémon to control!

You could see this just by looking at the common Electric-type moves—

Thunderbolt, Discharge, Thunder...

Sure, they're all powerful, but in terms of technique, they pale in comparison to Chidori and Indra's Arrow.

Not to mention, after Bond Evolution, Zeraora could almost manifest lightning into semi-physical form.

Whether it's offense, defense, or speed—Zeraora was virtually flawless!

No matter how much other Pokémon evolved...

Reaching Zeraora's level was basically impossible!

But Mira had no intention of just sitting there and doing nothing.

"R-Raichu, please use Thunderbolt..."

Looking at her Raichu, Mira's voice was incredibly timid.

No—timid wasn't even the right word anymore. She was downright frightened!

And perhaps, it was this fearful demeanor that made her so popular among men.

After all, those scummy guys all dreamed of a wife who was beautiful, unique—and wouldn't resist them.

In contrast, Nathan could proudly say:

"My Lily has always wanted to be the boss of me!

And she's not timid or obedient!"

...But why did that thought make him feel such a wave of sorrow?

"Raaaai~chuuuu!!"

Regardless of what anyone else thought, once it received its Trainer's command, Raichu burst into action!

Golden electricity surged and crackled around its body!

While it couldn't compete with the blue lightning in sheer power, you couldn't deny—it looked cool as hell!

At the same moment, Zeraora completed its Raikiri!

Unlike Chidori, which pierced like a spear, Raikiri—though also a thrusting attack—resembled a razor-sharp blade!

It was denser and more solid, as if lightning had truly been forged into a sword held in Zeraora's hand.

It resembled the semi-solidified lightning from Bond Evolution...

But without that evolution, Zeraora would never be able to pull this off.

In other words—

If you give up on perfection, Raikiri is lightning's ultimate form of offense!

"Zoar!"

"Chuuu!"

Almost simultaneously, Zeraora and Raichu launched their attacks!

Zeraora charged ferociously toward Raichu, while Raichu unleashed all of its gathered electricity in one massive blast!

"Go, Zeraora! Your Raikiri—it's meant to cut through lightning itself!!"

Unable to restrain himself, Nathan clenched his fist and shouted loudly.

"Zoooaaaar!!"

Empowered by its Trainer's voice, Zeraora's presence grew even more intense.

Its speed skyrocketed—it looked like a bladed bolt of lightning, woven from gold and blue!

"Raichu, dodge it! Quick!!"

Seeing the scene unfold in the arena, Mira finally cast aside her timid demeanor and cried out.

Zeraora swung its Raikiri—

And actually cut through Raichu's Thunderbolt!

Even though this was a Pokémon move, not the merciless wrath of nature's lightning—

A cut is a cut!

At the commentary table, the three commentators leapt to their feet in unison!

No matter how much they liked the pretty girl, even Lee and the Draven couldn't help but steer the conversation back to Nathan!

But the battle wasn't over yet.

Even though Raichu took damage, its HP bar dropped by less than one-tenth.

After all, this was the first time Nathan and Zeraora had tried using Raikiri in a real battle.

"Raichu, p-please use Iron Tail... counterattack…"

With her arms crossed over her chest, Mira returned to her timid self.

Even her voice sounded pitiful, like she was about to cry.

In fact, if someone had looked closely, they would've seen the tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

Maybe this girl... didn't actually like Pokémon battles at all.

…

"Zeraora, dodge!"

Seeing the white glow at the tip of Raichu's tail, Nathan's pupils contracted sharply.

To be honest, he hadn't expected this timid-looking girl to react so quickly.

Not just her—the Raichu too!

It had just used Thunderbolt and could immediately follow up with Iron Tail?

Nathan silently noted this in his heart.

Mira's status as an opponent was rapidly rising in his mind.

This... was a real challenger.

Possibly the strongest opponent he had faced since becoming a Trainer!

"Zoar!!"

Zeraora didn't hesitate either.

The moment lightning surged across its body, it vanished, reappearing elsewhere in an instant.

Raichu's Iron Tail—which had enough force to destroy the arena—was never going to hit a speed-type like Zeraora.

Of course, this also had to do with the fundamental difference between Raichu and Pikachu.

If Pikachu was a true electric assassin—a stealthy striker with electric power—

Then Raichu was a durable spellcaster, a tanky mage with high HP.

It had great strengths, but agility was not one of them.

Seeing this clearly, Nathan gave his next command in a firm voice:

"Zeraora, kite it!

That kind of opponent isn't a weakling you can just one-shot!"

Nathan knew the only way to defeat Raichu was the Ultraman vs. Kaiju method.

In simple terms—

Whittle down its HP, then finish it off with a big move once it's in kill range!

Otherwise, if the finishing blow failed, Zeraora would be vulnerable due to post-move lag!

In fact, Nathan was already preparing for Bond Evolution.

His golden eyes gleamed with an unnatural brilliance!

Meanwhile, Mira couldn't even make eye contact with Nathan.

In a weak, trembling voice, she issued more commands to Raichu:

"Discharge... p-please..."

"Thunderbolt... p-please land this time..."

"Mega Punch... please don't fall, Raichu…"

…

And so, Nathan—who usually preferred flashy one-hit-KOs—found himself in a rare war of attrition.

"Wild Charge! Then follow up with Fury Swipes!"

"Don't go blow-for-blow with it, there's no need for that!"

"Hmph, trying to wear down Zeraora's stamina? Too bad I trained it especially for endurance!"

With one hand in his pocket, Nathan remained calm and analytical as he observed the battlefield.

While coordinating with Zeraora, he was also watching closely for any weakness in the opponent's rhythm.

Not a fatal one—even a small weakness, accumulated over time, could bring everything crashing down.

"Incredible! Truly incredible! This is what a semifinal match should be!"

"Even I'm having trouble keeping up with the action!"

Watching both sides clash so intensely that it was hard to tell who was attacking and who was defending, Lee couldn't help but cheer.

On one hand, Raichu responded to everything calmly, spamming its skills like crazy so Zeraora had no chance for a direct confrontation.

On the other hand, every time Zeraora dodged, it would strike back with absolute confidence!

Surrounded by crackling blue lightning, Zeraora looked like it had mastered Double Team, with golden and azure flashes weaving around Raichu from all directions.

Its attack speed and angles were dazzling beyond belief!

Although one-hit victories had their own thrill, in this moment—

The audience was even more excited than before!

"Tch... still not using her trump card?"

Watching the seconds tick away, Nathan finally lost his patience.

"Zeraora—Evolve!!"

With a voice as calm and clear as ever, Nathan gave the order.

Zeraora responded without hesitation.

(End of Chapter)