"What's going on?"
"Slowking can face Alakazam head-on!?"
Upon seeing that scene, the entire stadium suddenly fell into deep confusion.
It must be remembered that this was a Quasi-Elite level Alakazam!
How was it possible that Slowking, which previously was only at the professional level, could now stand up to it?
Had Alakazam weakened, or had Slowking grown stronger?
"Quasi-Elite level..."
"This Slowking is also a Quasi-Elite level Pokémon!"
At the commentators' table, the guests, relying on their experience, suddenly realized it.
Immediately afterward, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief. After confirming it several times, they verified that the Slowking which had originally been at the professional level... had truly reached the Quasi-Elite level!
Upon hearing the commentators' exclamations, the audience erupted into an uproar.
Could it be that Slowking had been using the move Calm Mind the entire time?
But the move Calm Mind requires absolute calm and mental concentration to execute!
Right now Slowking and Alakazam were fighting intensely... how could it be using the move Calm Mind?
Fighting while meditating? Even if it could divide its attention, that should be impossible!
"Is it really impossible?"
Ethan, hearing the murmurs of the crowd, showed a faint smile.
A mind divided in two certainly would not be enough to fight and use the move Calm Mind at the same time.
But what about two minds?
That's right. At that moment, Slowking was using the technique of "two minds in use."
The "two minds" naturally referred to Slowking and Shellder.
The reason its strength had increased so quickly was that Shellder had been continuously using the move Calm Mind.
Moreover, at the beginning, Slowking was able to briefly face Alakazam because it borrowed Shellder's psychic power. With the two mental energies superimposed, its psychic strength reached that level.
While Shellder continued using the move Calm Mind to increase and restore its mental energy, Slowking could borrow more and more power, gradually becoming stronger.
Now, after several rounds of strengthening through the move Calm Mind, Slowking's strength had been pushed to the Quasi-Elite level. And with Shellder constantly meditating, Slowking was equivalent to having an inexhaustible source of psychic energy, able to unleash psychic power without restraint.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The battle continued.
After raising its Special Attack and Special Defense to the maximum through the move Calm Mind, Slowking now possessed the ability to confront Alakazam head-on.
Both Pokémon teleported and launched attacks endlessly. The audience no longer knew what to say.
"It must have used some kind of explosive method... But even if Slowking temporarily has Quasi-Elite level strength, it won't be able to maintain it for long."
Some spectators speculated. After all, any power suddenly obtained has limits and brings great exhaustion. That was the logical assumption.
Even Adrian thought the same.
Although he was surprised by Slowking's strength, he believed that power obtained through enhancements was not truly one's own.
What he was calculating now was how much mental energy and stamina Alakazam would have left after defeating Slowking.
After all, being one Pokémon behind, Alakazam had to defeat at least two of Ethan's Pokémon to prove the value of his ace.
If they only traded one for two, they would be tied, and the rest of the battle would still be uncertain.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The battle went on.
But what confused everyone was that, after fighting for so long, Slowking showed no signs of fatigue.
"What's going on?"
"Could it be that Slowking is actually a genuine Quasi-Elite level Pokémon?"
Seeing that the situation did not match his assumptions, Adrian's expression changed.
Boom!
In the next clash, before everyone's astonished eyes, Slowking's psychic power suppressed Alakazam's psychic power.
"Alakazam's mental energy is decreasing!"
The audience was stunned.
According to their calculations, the first one to give in should have been Slowking.
But now... Slowking showed no signs of weakness. It was terrifying.
"Hey... what if it really has been using Calm Mind the whole time?"
"After all, Calm Mind doesn't only increase Special Attack and Special Defense, it can also restore psychic energy..."
This time no one refuted the theory. Many began to seriously consider the possibility that Slowking was meditating while fighting.
"Impossible. You can't use the move Calm Mind while battling."
The Pokémon Researchers present denied it outright. They preferred to believe that Slowking had hidden its strength or was using some special method to increase its mental energy, something similar to how the move Rollout gradually increases its power without side effects.
No matter the discussions, the reality was clear: Slowking was beginning to suppress Alakazam.
"Why is this happening?"
Seeing Alakazam being suppressed, Adrian's heart sank.
The training path of his Alakazam had always been the most direct one: pure strengthening of psychic power.
Thanks to a special secret technique for training mental energy, it had managed to reach the Quasi-Elite level quickly, surpassing all its contemporaries.
But now, the weakness of that method was beginning to show.
Accustomed to crushing opponents with pure psychic force, when facing an opponent of the same level, that disadvantage became magnified.
Like now: being suppressed in mental power, Alakazam could not organize an effective counterattack.
"It seems there's no other choice."
"Alakazam, use Psychic Compression!"
Upon hearing the command, Ethan tensed up.
Alakazam's eyes shone with blue light. A terrifying mental energy violently burst out from its body.
Boom!
Its figure rose into the air.
Layers of almost solidified psychic energy wrapped around its body, distorting the air around it.
With overwhelming pressure, Alakazam fixed its bright blue gaze on Slowking.
Instantly, Slowking's body also began to glow blue, being completely suppressed by its opponent's mental force.
"Slowking, break free!"
Ethan's expression changed.
It was obvious: Alakazam was going all in, using all of its mental energy in one final attack.
Slowking reacted immediately. In front of it appeared the effects of the moves: Barrier, Light Screen, and Reflect. The three barriers fused into a supreme defense.
Boom!
The extremely compressed psychic power was fired, like a laser cannon piercing through the void.
Crack!
Crack!
The barriers began to shatter.
At the same time, Slowking completed the construction of a Water Tornado, wrapping itself inside it as a final defense.
Boom!
The psychic power pierced through the three barriers and collided with the Water Tornado.
After piercing it, it exploded into countless droplets of water.
"What a terrifying attack!"
"Has the battle been decided already?"
Everyone stretched their necks to see.
"Wait, look at Alakazam!"
Alakazam was sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. That attack had left it without mental energy.
It reacted quickly and entered the state of the move Calm Mind to recover.
"And Slowking?"
Suddenly, the move Hydro Pump shot through the curtain of water.
Before everyone's incredulous eyes, the attack struck directly at Alakazam, which was meditating, launching it into the air.
Without mental energy and taking the hit head-on, Alakazam exhausted its last resistance and fell out of combat.
(End of chapter)