You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 390 Breaking the Limits, One-Punch Super Dog Lucario vs. Gigantamax Duraludon! (136)

"Eh?"

"How come even my junior's Lucario has mastered Mega Evolution?"

Just as Qingyu expected.

Although theoretically, his and Lucario's Mega Evolutions are the most legitimate, and they occurred slightly earlier than Mewtwo's...

But he has never actually used this move in the public eye.

Therefore, when the audience noticed the obvious change in form and the more menacing look in its eyes and posture of Mega Lucario, most of them were subconsciously shocked.

After all, according to Blatano's research in recent years, adapting to Mega Evolution is a relatively long process. First, it requires a connection between the Pokémon and its trainer, and the generation of enough bond energy to connect the Key Stone and the Evolution Stone.

Theoretically, it cannot be mastered quickly.

As for more specific requirements, there is currently no information available.

However, some media outlets in the Carlos region have recently pointed out that there seems to be a special condition for achieving Mega Evolution without the need for Bonds.

Dr. Blatano, who first proposed the theory of bondage, has been embroiled in controversy over accusations of "academic misconduct" and "academic fraud," and has yet to make a formal statement to the public.

"Oh..."

Standing opposite Qingyu, Raihana, who had been pushed to a safe distance by Duraludon's Gigantamax form, stared at the Mega Lucario opposite him, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat subtle.

"I thought you would use the same crystallization technique as the other masters, but I didn't expect you to change your tactics again."

"But it doesn't matter, whether it's Mega Evolution or Crystallization, it's all the same, they can't possibly be a match for Dynamax!"

Suddenly, Cibana became passionate and raised his left hand, pointing to the sky.

"Duraludon, prepare to use Max Fist!"

The only response to Cibana was a deafening metallic sound coming from above.

This is a Gigantamax Duraludon that is over forty meters tall. Just a casual punch to the ground would probably be as powerful as any Fighting-type move. What's more, its range covers Qingyu's half of the field, leaving no blind spots where it can hide.

and……

The characteristics of this aluminum-steel dragon itself are still heavy metals!
Thinking of this, Cibana's smile grew even brighter.

In the Pokémon Champions game, heavy metals only have the vague effect of increasing weight.

In reality, a Pokémon's weight is largely related to its durability and attack power, which is the main reason why some trainers always strive to raise the largest Snorlax.

With its already exaggerated weight and a hard alloy shell protecting it, the Aluminum Steel Dragon has no blind spots in either offense or defense!
The previous seven main venue matches have all proven this point well.

To date, apart from Leon's Gigantamax Charizard, no one has been able to directly defeat his Gigantamax Duraludon.

Therefore, even Qingyu is no exception!
"Boom——!"

Under the gaze of the audience, Gigantamax Steelix slowly raised its arms and began to move.

Even a slight gesture like raising your hand or taking a small step forward can instantly create a powerful tremor, causing the entire arena to shake.

It's like... a huge mountain suddenly starting to move on its own.

Although the movement was quite slow, it made it impossible to even think of fighting against it.

Even Lucario, who always plays only high-level games, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat at this moment.

What a terrifying opponent.

"Lucario, use Foresight to dodge at the right moment and avoid damage as much as possible!"

Qingyu spoke up at this moment.

It's true that Dynamax moves have a very wide attack range and are difficult to dodge.

Lucario, unlike Aoki's Brave Eagle, obviously couldn't stall for time by dodging and weaving in the sky.

However, as long as you avoid direct contact with Duraludon's fists, seize the right opportunity to dodge the impact of the attack's aftershocks, or directly use Protect to block most of the energy, you can minimize the damage.

This is currently the best way to stall for time.

Before the Dynamax period ends and the counterattack arrives, Lucario must maintain its perfect condition as much as possible, so Qingyu has no intention of engaging in direct confrontation with the opponent right away.

"Luca...!"

Faced with immense pressure, Lucario simply closed its eyes, ignoring its opponent's massive size and focusing solely on the energy surging in its fist to determine the point of its attack.

Just as Gigantamax Duraludon's fist was about to strike, it suddenly opened its eyes and stretched out its leg to push forward—

While it's true that the Aluminum Steel Dragon's attack targets covered its own entire half of the field, the open space beneath its feet actually became a relatively safe area.

Having grasped this crucial information, Lucario didn't hesitate to slide and start moving from a standstill, narrowly avoiding the giant steel fist while accelerating to get behind the Aluminum Steel Dragon.

It seems to be using Duraludon's massive size to avoid the aftershocks of its Dynamax attack.

And as it turns out, Lucario's battle instincts were correct.

"boom--!"

It's called a Maximal Punch, but in reality, Gigantamax Duraludon just looks like it threw a heavy punch at the ground.

The moment the steel fist touched the ground, the originally flat ground instantly cracked, torn into countless fissures by the power unleashed by the aluminum steel dragon, and terrifying energy waves swept outwards in all directions.

Amidst the rising dust, Qingyu instinctively crossed her arms to block the flying debris before she could barely stand.

Just then, the audience suddenly noticed a scene that made them instinctively gasp in surprise—

"Teacher Yu's Lucario is right next to the Gigantamax Duraludon's body, and it seems to be completely unaffected by this Dynamax Fight!"

After Duraludon's first attack, Lucario immediately performed several backflips to create distance, entering a relatively safe range where it could react to its opponent's attacks.

"call--"

Aoki, who was in the audience, breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected, after the previous battles served as a demonstration, Aoba had already discovered a way to delay the Dynamax time.

but……

We can't let our guard down yet!

Qingyu actually understood this better than anyone else.

Besides being terrifyingly powerful, having a huge range, and being almost impossible to dodge, each Dynamax move also has its own powerful additional effects.

Max Knuckles, on the other hand, simply increases attack power.

After using Max Punch, Gigantamax Duraludon's combat power also increased to a higher level.

In other words, he and Lucario will have to be extra careful with every punch from now on, and their opponents will obviously no longer give him such an easy chance to dodge.

"Use Max Fist again, Duraludon!"

Just as Lucario was catching his breath, Cibana immediately gave instructions.

"This time, attack with both fists simultaneously, don't give it any room to dodge!"

Clearly, Cibana also realized that this was the best opportunity to attack.

Using Foresight or Protect repeatedly would be a huge burden for any Pokémon, making the success rate extremely low.

At least Qibana believed that, given Qingyu's tactical style, he would never take such a huge risk that could lead to unexpected problems at any time.

Before the next use of Foresight, Mega Lucario had no chance to defend and could only take the enhanced second Iron Fist Double Round!
"..."

Qingyu took a deep breath, silently took out the Taijing Bead that she had prepared in advance from her pocket, and threw it out without hesitation.

"Now, Lucario!"

"Use crystallization to avoid weaknesses, and at the same time close the distance with the opponent in one fell swoop."

"Don't be afraid of your opponent's attack; rush forward and return the attack to them."

"Luca!"

Mega Lucario nodded steadily, bracing itself against the risk of being attacked by its opponent, and stood still, waiting for the Tai Crystal Orb thrown by Qingyu to take effect.

"What the heck?! The Prism Bead can actually be used on Mega Evolved Pokémon?!"

When Qishu raised the question, this completely new knowledge point, which involved a blind spot in everyone's knowledge, immediately drew a moment of silence.

They, the Padians, do not have Mega Evolution. Even the gym leaders only learned about this special evolutionary phenomenon in the last two years. Of course, no one had ever thought of such an absurd operation as using a dual system at the same time.

Now, it seems that Qingyu has become the first person to try something new.

"Hmm...theoretically, it is indeed possible."

Even as spring arrived, Gurusha, who still covered half his face with a thick scarf, suddenly spoke.

"The principle behind using the Crystal Bead is to sprinkle a large number of Crystal Fragments all over the Pokémon's body to form a Crystal Armor of the corresponding attribute, thereby temporarily affecting the Pokémon's attribute."

"Mega evolution, on the other hand, allows Pokémon to briefly revert to their primal instincts, breaking through the evolution limit to become a completely new form. There is no conflict between the two in terms of mechanism."

"On the contrary, for Dynamax... because the size becomes too large, it is almost impossible to cover it with a layer of crystal armor. At least, it is definitely not possible to do it with just a single crystal bead."

"I don't know if the pre-metamorphosis can be maintained, but judging from Qingyu's confidence, it must have been tested before."

After saying that, Gurusha's gaze refocused on the field below. At this moment, the Crystal Orb thrown by Qingyu just passed over Lucario's head and immediately broke into several pieces, falling down with countless dark purple Crystal Fragments.

Did he really choose the Crystal Ghost?

Gurusha nodded slowly, instantly understanding Qingyu's thoughts.

Dynamax is indeed a very powerful mechanic. Although it has a time limit, both durability and move power will undergo a qualitative change after entering Dynamax mode.

However, even with Dynamax, there are insurmountable gaps.

That is--

As the cornerstone of Pokémon battles, type matchups are something every trainer is required to memorize in their first lesson.

Max Punch doesn't change the fact that it's a fighting move, but Lucario, by using a Crystal Orb to cover its entire body with a ghost armor, will now gain complete immunity to fighting moves!

This is also the reason why Qingyu dared to let Lucario withstand the opponent's attacks head-on.

Just as Lucario was covered in purple shards that gradually coalesced into a set of transparent armor covering its entire body, and the Crystal Crown, symbolizing the Ghost type, appeared on its head, Gigantamax Duraludon's terrifying fists followed, immediately engulfing Lucario, who had no intention of dodging.

After being enhanced by a Max Punch, its attack power has made a qualitative leap this time. Even before it touched the ground, it made the earth tremble again and immediately pressed a huge dent into it by its terrifying weight.

However, when Gigantamax Duraludon finished its action, its entire body radiating orange light and retracting its fists...

Lucario, who should have been rendered powerless by this punch, suddenly appeared on its giant arm.

“Luka!!”

Lucario, its entire body black, stomped its leg, unleashing terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, it ran a distance up its arm and lightly leaped to deliver a punch to Gigantamax Duraludon's face.

"Instead of using the Taijing Transformation for offense, he meticulously prepared a perfect transformation magic to create a valuable counterattack opportunity for himself?"

Aoki sighed.

These young people these days are really something else! Should I, an old-fashioned person from the old era, also prepare to retire?

However... youthful arrogance is definitely not a good thing; it's too easy to be blinded by flaws.

If Aoba can refrain from retaliating and instead use Iron Wall to further strengthen Lucario's defenses...

Combined with the Special Defense boost from Sylveon, this Mega Lucario should be able to easily survive three minutes and get through the toughest defensive phase of the match.

If we can delay the time it takes for Duraludon to Dynamax, it might even be able to sweep through the team in one fell swoop.

That's still too radical.

Even if Lucario's ability after Mega Evolution is Adaptability, it will only affect the type corresponding to Crystallization when in Crystallized state.

Regarding this point, the two doctors had already conducted experiments using wild bass when testing the crystallization mechanism.

In other words, the power of this move was actually weakened by the excessive crystallization...

and many more?

The next moment, after seeing what happened on the field, Aoki, who was originally lamenting that even Aoba could make a mistake, suddenly froze on the spot.

What did he see?
Mega Lucario's punch actually sent Gigantamax Duraludon staggering back several steps, its face showing obvious pain.

It looks like that punch caused quite a bit of damage.

But what exactly did Qingyu's Lucario do to severely injure its opponent even after its own battle power was weakened by crystallization...?

The same confusion arose in Cibana's mind.

It's just a matter of double the resistance; even if Leon's Gigantamax Charizard uses Max Earth, the damage it causes won't be enough to seriously injure Gigantamax Duraludon.

But this Lucario did it?
It's impossible that just because it's a Mega Evolution, its power has already surpassed Dynamax.

"It's double the return."

Just as Qibana was wondering what was going on, Qingyu suddenly spoke up.

"By doubling down on the attack from the previous Max Pistol, Lucario's punch of hatred will break through its limits."

"As for how Lucario did it..."

"I can only say that my Lucario has a different constitution?"

?

are you kidding me?

Cibana's expression suddenly became complicated.

In his opinion, Qingyu was just making a playful joke.

However, the truth is probably only known to Qingyu and Nemo.

Everything he said was true; he was not joking.

Back when it first caught Cyndaquil's Riolu, the little guy showed a talent for "predicting" when to pay back double.

The timing of Qingyu's throw of the Crystal Orb was also quite extreme, just before Lucario was hit by Max Fist.

Besides the consideration of preventing Gibana from reacting and stopping the move, it was also hoped that Lucario could feel the power of the opponent's move as much as possible.

For it, Max Pistol is absolutely a fatal blow that can finish it off.

Therefore, when it retaliates, its power can break through the limit, and a single punch can make the super giant aluminum steel dragon, which is tens of meters tall, stagger back several steps.

After all, with Lycanroc capable of returning four times the damage, it's reasonable for Lucario to predict the opponent's attack and return it twice, right?

Of course, the attack just now was far from being able to instantly kill Gigantamax Duraludon.

However, the current situation is absolutely advantageous for Qingyu.

Lucario, having climbed onto the top of the aluminum-steel dragon's head, did not choose to jump away, but instead remained in the most dangerous, and perhaps safest, place.

"Now, if Duraludon uses another Dynamax move, it will definitely hit itself as well!"

"Feel free to use Dynamax Bull if you wish."

Looking at the inscrutable expression on Qibana's face, Qingyu said only a couple of words before decisively issuing another command:

"Lucario, unleash a barrage of punches!"

"Luca!"

Now, it's Cibana's turn to make a decision.

Should we be decisive and risk attacking ourselves to defeat this Lucario, or let it continue to stall for time until its Dynamax energy is depleted...?

In fact, he had no choice at all, and Qingyu even predicted in advance what he would do next.

"Aluminum-steel dragon..."

With difficulty, Cibana roared out again in a somewhat frustrated voice.

"Use Dynamax Dark Templar!"

The only weakness of Dynamax is that using this mechanic creates significant offensive pressure, requiring you to race against time.

For him, time was running out.

Fortunately, Dynamax Darkrai is very effective against Crystal Spectral Lucario, but it should be able to withstand Gigantamax Duraludon as well.

Even Lucario, which uses a dual-system, is no match for him!

Only after Qibana finally made up his mind did Qingyu finally breathe a sigh of relief and immediately issue the final order.

Lucario, fight to the death!

So far, Cibana's three choices have all been exactly as he predicted before the game.

Now, it's time to bring this difficult battle to a close.

Strictly speaking, "Desperate Strike" is not a move, but it is definitely Lucario's trump card. He had only used it once before, when fighting against Master Ma's Martial Arts Urshifu.

With just one punch, Lucario, who had just evolved, defeated Ushio, who was not using his full strength.

However, the cost of this move is too high, and Qingyu doesn't plan to use it a second time unless absolutely necessary.

After using Desperate Strike, Lucario can unleash terrifying power instantly, but the price is that it will temporarily lose consciousness and its ability to fight after throwing the punch.

However, in order to break through Gigantamax Duraludon's shell...

Now there's no other way but to go for it!
We must not lose to our opponents in terms of momentum!
“LUCA!!!”

After receiving Qingyu's permission, Lucario seemed to have suddenly flipped a switch in his body. Not only did his aura suddenly surge, but his body also emitted white steam due to the sudden surge of hot blood.

Clench your right hand and throw a powerful punch.

boom--!
The punch and the dark-attribute energy wave generated by Max Dark Templar appeared simultaneously, making it impossible to tell whose move the explosion came from.

But soon, as the energy of the thunderous explosion dissipated, the figure of the steel behemoth on the field had disappeared without anyone noticing.

"Did they just buy enough time, or did they really defeat that almost invincible Gigantamax Duraludon...?"

Even someone as composed as Aoki unconsciously clenched his hands, his anxious gaze darting back and forth across the center of the field, trying to get a definite answer.

Only when the answer was revealed did the audience gasp in surprise.

Lucario, now back to its normal size, lay on its back in the deep crater it had created earlier, its closed eyes and prominent notch on its forehead a testament to its success.

"Wow!!! He did it!"

Haidai originally wanted to continue shouting wildly to vent the frustration of being defeated one by one by Qibana a few days ago.

However, when he looked at the still-sturdy Lucario, his eyes widened instantly.

Lucario, having delivered a desperate attack, remained standing on the ground even after landing, but...

Its open eyes had long lost their pupils, and its unfocused gaze and motionless posture spoke volumes.

"It turned out to be a lose-lose situation..."

Aoki sighed helplessly.

Honestly, this is probably the best-case scenario.

In terms of raw power, Lucario is not far behind Gibbanana, which can only be compared to the champion's ace, Gigantamax Duraludon. Therefore, even taking a hit from a Gigantamax Punch could cause serious problems for Lucario.

Normally, just being able to persist until the end of Dynamax would already be considered a very good result.

However, when it really came to this point, the one-for-one exchange left everyone feeling inexplicably empty.

Even if we try our best, is it impossible to achieve a perfect ending...?

If Lucario can maintain its fighting strength after defeating Gigantamax Duraludon.

With Coal Turtle already severely damaged, Qingyu's side is very close to victory.

However, it seems that some suspense remains.

……?

Not really!

“You’ve done enough, Lucario.”

Qingyu took a deep breath, and then, with a heavy heart, retrieved Lucario back into the ball.

"Now, let Erguipeng take over the game from you and bring victory in one fell swoop."

After speaking gently to the Poké Ball that contained Lucario, Qingyu took out his last Poké Ball.

Soon, accompanied by a flash of red light, the Evil Ghost Phantom, wearing a blue well mask, made a dazzling appearance.

From the very beginning, he was very clear about one thing—

For me, the only Pokémon I need to be wary of is Gigantamax Duraludon.

Even if you use Crystallize to make Evilgo go head-to-head with it, it's hard to guarantee that it can defeat the opponent during the duration of Dynamax.

But if you change your approach, the odds of winning suddenly become clear...

If Lucario can deal with Gigantamax Duraludon, regardless of whether Raihan uses the Sunny Day or Sandstorm strategy, an extremely awkward situation will inevitably arise.

With just one Pokémon, Suicune, you can completely suppress both of these systems!

"Bonnie~"

Beneath the mask, the elusive eyes of the Egui Peng warily watched its opponent, while its right hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the thorny vines wrapped around the water.

Now, it's Cibana who should be the one with a headache.

He knew, of course, that Qingyu had a Pokémon that could change its type, but he was out of options now.

Then the problem is coming.

With Torkoal and Blasttormon already confirmed in the back row, how can he possibly win...?

(End of this chapter)