CHAPTER 1494: ELITE FOUR BATTLE

As Yuga and his group headed toward the battle arena, the spectator stands were already packed with people, and there were hardly any seats left.

"There are really so many people. I wonder if there are still any available seats," one student said, looking around without finding any vacant spots.

"Let’s go over there. There are still some open seats," Chikai said, pointing in a direction. Sure enough, there were still a few seats available over there.

So the group headed in that direction, but even there, the number of empty seats was limited and not nearly enough for all of them to sit.

Yuga, being the most respected and oldest among them, was naturally offered the best seats with the best view by everyone. But he waved his hand and said, "You all go ahead and sit. I’ll just stand to the side."

Seeing Yuga insist, and with the match about to begin, the others didn’t argue further and took their seats. Still, several people remained standing, just like Yuga.

Ninetales wasn’t interested in this kind of match. It yawned lazily, then crouched down at Yuga’s feet, resting its head against his leg. Ignoring the noisy chatter around them, it closed its eyes.

Doudou, on the other hand, looked quite excited. It stretched its neck to peer at the battlefield, clearly very interested in the match between the two Elite Four members.

Some in the audience had already recognized Yuga and were frequently casting glances in his direction. But none dared to disturb him, so they remained relatively restrained. Yuga pretended not to notice.

Most of the people in the stands were visiting Trainers. For many of them, this was the first time seeing Yuga in person—a figure that was almost legendary to them—so it was no wonder they were curious and awestruck.

Before long, a middle-aged man riding a Magnezone flew up to the center of the battlefield whole holding a microphone, and said: "Everyone must be eager for the match to begin. Today’s match is the first Elite Four-level battle since our arena officially opened. So I’ll keep it short. Let’s welcome Elite Four member Bruno from the Kanto League and Elite Four member Wikstrom from the Kalos League to the field..."

As the host’s voice fell, two burly middle-aged men walked out from either side of the field, and the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

A live match between Elite Four members was not something you got to see every day.

The man on the left was shirtless, with exaggeratedly bulging muscles and fierce features. He was none other than Elite Four member Bruno.

The man on the right wore a heavy silver suit of armor and had a stern expression and an aura of authority. He was Elite Four member Wikstrom.

Once the two entered the field, they nodded slightly at each other as a form of greeting.

Their meeting in Verdanturf City had been a coincidence—they had both come to check out the arena. But since they happened to run into each other, it would’ve been a shame not to have a friendly match. And so, this battle was arranged.

Once both sides were ready, the host announced: "Let the battle begin!"

As the words rang out, a translucent, eggshell-shaped barrier slowly spread across the sky above the field—this was the protective shield to keep the audience safe.

The barrier flickered once and then became invisible. But it wasn’t truly gone—just hidden from view so as not to obstruct the spectators. The moment any Pokémon’s move flew toward the audience, the barrier would reappear to intercept it.

As the barrier appeared, the two Elite Four members also released their Pokémon simultaneously. Bruno sent out a Machamp, while Wikstrom released an Aegislash—both iconic Pokémon for their respective Trainers.

"Aegislash, Aerial Ace!"

"Machamp, Fire Punch!"

As the two Trainers gave their commands, Aegislash drew its sword and slashed forward with a glint of icy light, while Machamp took a large stride forward, its huge fists igniting with a crimson flame.

Just as Aegislash’s slash was about to land, Machamp tilted its body slightly, dodging the Aerial Ace by a hair, and countered with a powerful punch straight to Aegislash’s blade.

With a loud "clang," Aegislash was sent flying backward, and a large black scorch mark appeared on its once-shining blade.

Fire-type moves counter Steel-type Pokémon, and Aegislash in its Blade Form doesn’t have outstanding defense. That single hit almost knocked it out cold.

Machamp seized the opportunity and chased after it, raising its fist to smash down on Aegislash again. But Aegislash reacted quickly—no longer daring to be careless—and switched to Shield Form, unfolding its signature move, King’s Shield.

Boom~

Machamp’s fist slammed into the King’s Shield, but not only did it fail to harm Aegislash, the backlash from the force caused Machamp to stagger back several steps. At the same time, its aggressive momentum clearly weakened.

King’s Shield not only protects the user but also reduces the attacking opponent’s offensive power.

Aegislash then swiftly closed the distance and used Toxic on Machamp before it could stabilize itself.

In Shield Form, Aegislash’s physical and special defenses became its strong suit, but its attack power paled in comparison to its Blade Form. Naturally, it needed other tactics to deal with opponents—and Toxic was one of them.

Poisoned, Machamp’s cheeks took on an unnatural purplish hue, and its face twisted in pain. However, the physical agony seemed to ignite its fighting spirit. Instead of retreating, it advanced, its massive fists glowing red as it once again swung at Aegislash.

Aegislash raised King’s Shield once more, blocking Machamp’s attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Now fully composed, Machamp was no longer knocked back by the shield’s recoil. Punch after punch rained down on the King’s Shield, giving Aegislash no time to respond. With every punch it threw, the muscles on Machamp’s body visibly swelled—each blow was accompanied by the use of Bulk Up to strengthen itself, counteracting the debuff from King’s Shield.

Seeing this, the audience couldn’t help but gasp and admire silently in their hearts: Truly worthy of being an Elite Four’s Pokémon!

Crash—

After who knows how many punches, the King’s Shield finally couldn’t hold on any longer—it shattered!

Aegislash tried to form another shield, but King’s Shield becomes harder to successfully use the more it’s cast. Unfortunately, its luck had run out, and it failed on the third attempt.

Boom~

Aegislash was sent flying, crashing into the invisible protective barrier. The transparent screen flickered rapidly a few times before fading again.

Shakily, Aegislash got back into the air. A flash of silver light shimmered across its body—as King’s Shield was no longer viable, it used Iron Defense to enhance its durability.

After finishing the defense buff, Aegislash drew its blade and quickly switched from Shield Form to Blade Form—it was time to go from defense to offense.

Aegislash understood clearly that in its current state, it couldn’t take even one more hit from Machamp.

With its sword unsheathed, Aegislash’s attack power surged. It unleashed the move Sacred Sword, and a humming sound echoed across the battlefield as the spectators’ vision was overwhelmed by a blinding white light.

A giant sword formed from Fighting-type energy slashed across the sky, bearing down hard on Machamp.

Machamp raised its four arms to block it, with the two arms on its back catching the blade perfectly. But just as it did so, the poison inside its body surged violently—Machamp winced uncontrollably from the pain, and the blade came crashing down.

Boom~

With a thunderous impact, Machamp was struck and flung back, slamming into the barrier wall.

Fortunately, because of its brief guard, the Sacred Sword’s power had been greatly reduced. This allowed Machamp to slowly rise again.

Whoosh~

A sharp slicing sound cut through the air—Aegislash used Aerial Ace again, slicing toward Machamp. But Machamp seemed to be prepared this time. It made no attempt to dodge and simply let Aegislash’s blade slash across its chest.

"Machamp~!"

Machamp let out a fierce roar, and a bright light flared from its body. It then dropped to one knee—but strangely, the one who collapsed... was Aegislash.

With a loud "clang," Aegislash crashed to the ground, completely losing consciousness.

It turned out that Machamp had anticipated Aegislash’s next move and had used Counter.

As the announcer declared the result of the match, a wave of cheers erupted from the stands, the hearts of all the Trainers burning with excitement.

Both Elite Four members recalled their Pokémon and walked toward each other, extending their right hands.

"That was a spectacular match," said Bruno.

"I’ve learned a lot," replied Wikstrom.

As the two shook hands, the crowd erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers.

Wikstrom happened to be facing the stands and unintentionally caught sight of Yuga standing there. He said something to Bruno, and Bruno turned back as well—his eyes also landed on Yuga.

Once both Elite Four members had left the stage, Yuga also prepared to leave. The students around him were still buzzing excitedly, unable to stop discussing the intense match they’d just witnessed.

Just then, a staff member from the arena rushed over and said to Yuga, "Gym Leader Shimizu, Mr. Bruno and Mr. Wikstrom would like to invite you backstage."

Yuga was surprised at first but soon nodded and said, "Understood. Please lead the way." With that, he left, bringing Douduo and Ninetales along with him.

The students watched Yuga’s back with envy. Someone said, "So lucky... I wish I could meet Mr. Bruno and Mr. Wikstrom too. If I could get their autograph, that’d be amazing."

Hearing this, Anmu commented, "Then you’d better work hard. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll get to battle an Elite Four member yourself. Just don’t embarrass yourself when the time comes."

The student immediately agreed, "You’re right! I’ve gotta give it my all!" His face radiated determination.

But then Chikai chimed in, "Anmu, you’re an apprentice at the Verdanturf Gym, right? So you should be able to battle Mr. Shimizu anytime, no?"

While most students didn’t know Anmu and the others’ identities, Chikai did.

Only after hearing Chikai’s comment did the classmates realize the connection between Anmu, Anlin, Ayaya, and Yuga. Someone even threw an arm around them and said:

"So you guys are apprentices at Verdanturf Gym! That’s amazing! You must’ve seen Gym Leader Shimizu all the time. Come on, tell me everything about the gym... and can you get me his autograph too?"

Though Bruno and Wikstrom’s autographs were nice, what everyone really wanted now was Yuga’s.

In an instant, Anmu, Anlin, and Ayaya became the center of attention among their classmates. Everyone talked over one another, eagerly asking about life at the Verdanturf Gym.

Meanwhile, Yuga followed the arena staff to a lounge where Bruno and Wikstrom were already waiting for him.

Upon seeing them, Yuga smiled and said, "Bruno, Wikstrom—it’s been a while."

The two Elite Four members stood up at the same time to greet him and said, "It really has been a while. We were actually planning to visit Verdanturf Gym soon, but we didn’t expect to run into you here today, Yuga."

Yuga then asked, "May I ask why you’ve invited me here?"

The two exchanged a glance. Then Bruno said, "I wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to have a friendly match with you."

Yuga wasn’t surprised—in fact, he had more or less already guessed it on his way over. So he turned to Wikstrom and asked, "Do you wish to battle as well?"

Unexpectedly, Wikstrom shook his head and said, "That would take up too much of your time. Just getting the chance to witness a battle between you and Bruno is already more than enough for me."

Of course, Wikstrom also wanted to challenge Yuga. But just as he had said, it would take up too much of Yuga’s time. In the previous match, he had lost to Bruno, so he figured it was only fair to let Bruno have this rare opportunity.

Hearing this, Yuga nodded, then turned to Bruno and said, "It would be my honor to have a battle with you. When shall we begin?"

Bruno replied, "There’s no time like the present. Today would be best." This visit to Verdanturf City was only a stop along Bruno’s journey—he couldn’t stay too long, so the sooner the match, the better.

Yuga had no objections. "Then let’s do it today."

The nearby arena staff member, upon hearing this, immediately exclaimed, "We’ll make the preparations right away!" He then dashed off excitedly, practically beaming with joy.

Having celebrities like Yuga, Bruno, and Wikstrom visiting the arena was obviously fantastic for business—it attracted more and more Trainers to come.

Though the arena was affiliated with the League, since it operated like a business, there were still performance metrics and targets to be met.

Very quickly, the arena announced that a match between Yuga and Bruno would take place in thirty minutes. Upon hearing the announcement, many Trainers who had been getting ready to leave sat right back down in excitement.

Ryota said to Ayaya and the others excitedly, "I knew it! There’s no way Mr. Bruno would ask to see Gym Leader Shimizu for no reason. Good thing we didn’t leave!"

"Yeah, yeah! We’re so lucky today. It was totally worth the trip," another student echoed in agreement.

In the blink of an eye, thirty minutes had passed. The same host from before, riding his Magnezone, returned to the stage, his face brimming with excitement.

"I’m sure everyone here feels the same way I do right now—we are unbelievably lucky today! Right after witnessing a battle between Elite Four Bruno and Elite Four Wikstrom, we now get to watch a match between Gym Leader Shimizu and Elite Four Bruno." The host paused for a moment and took a deep breath, adding, "I can barely contain myself. So without further delay, let’s welcome Gym Leader Shimizu and Elite Four Bruno!"

Amid the deafening cheers of the audience, Yuga and Bruno stepped onto the battlefield. The only difference was that Yuga had Douduo by his side.

That’s right—Yuga had decided to use Douduo in this match.

Faced with the roaring crowd around the arena, Douduo was visibly excited. Once the host declared the start of the match, it glanced at Yuga, then, encouraged by the confident look in Yuga’s eyes, strode proudly to the center of the battlefield.