Chapter 540: Knock Me Out, Fine—But Don’t Slap Me!

BOOM! BOOM!

Machamp and Solrock were hurled in opposite directions, each crashing hard into the battlefield and sending clouds of dust rolling across the arena.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then the dust began to settle.

Machamp lay sprawled on its back, all four arms limp at its sides.

"Maaach..."

A weak groan escaped its throat before its eyes turned into swirls.

Not far away, Solrock was in no better shape. Its rocky body had slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a shallow crater, and it now floated barely an inch above the surface before dropping completely still.

Both Pokémon were out.

Machamp had taken a point-blank Psychic—a STAB attack that was also super effective.

Solrock, meanwhile, had eaten two consecutive super-effective Bullet Punches from Machamp. After the second one, the front of its rocky body looked like it had been hammered repeatedly with a steel fist.

Neither side had anything left to give.

"Machamp and Solrock are both unable to battle!" the referee announced, raising both flags. "Contestants, send out your next Pokémon!"

"Come back, Machamp."

"Return, Solrock."

Gage and Mason recalled their Pokémon almost simultaneously.

That left both Trainers with four remaining.

Despite the even score, Gage still had the broader type advantage. He specialized in Fighting types, while Mason was clearly a Rock-type specialist. On paper, that matchup favored Gage heavily.

Of course, Onix had already proven that type advantage alone did not decide a battle.

The two Trainers reached for their next Poké Balls.

"Conkeldurr, you're up!"

"Golem, let's go!"

Two flashes of light burst across the battlefield.

A hulking Conkeldurr appeared on Gage's side, gripping a massive concrete pillar in each hand.

Across from it landed a stocky Golem covered in heavy stone armor.

The moment Conkeldurr materialized—

SHNK!

The hidden Stealth Rock sprang into action.

Jagged stones flashed into existence around it and sliced across its body before disappearing once again.

"Conk—!"

Conkeldurr grunted in pain and staggered half a step, but quickly steadied itself.

Mason gave it no time to recover.

"Golem, Earthquake!"

"GOLEM!"

A yellow-brown glow erupted around Golem.

It lifted both feet—

and stomped down.

THOOM!

The entire battlefield buckled.

RUMMMMMBLE!

Cracks raced through the ground as a violent shockwave tore outward in every direction.

There was nowhere to sidestep. The quake covered practically the entire field.

Gage clenched his fist.

"Conkeldurr, brace yourself! Push through it and close the distance!"

The ground rolled violently beneath Conkeldurr's feet.

"Conk... eldurr!"

Its body shook under the impact, but instead of retreating, it lowered its center of gravity and forced its way forward one heavy step at a time.

"Drain Punch!"

"CONKELDURR!"

The Fighting type suddenly surged forward.

White energy gathered around one massive fist as it charged straight at Golem.

Drain Punch.

If it connected, Conkeldurr could deal heavy super-effective damage while recovering some of the energy it had already lost.

Mason reacted immediately.

"Protect!"

"Golem!"

A translucent barrier snapped into place around Golem.

BANG!

Conkeldurr's glowing fist smashed into the shield.

The barrier rippled violently but held.

Gage's expression changed.

Mason had been waiting for exactly this.

"Now! Heavy Slam!"

"GOLEM!"

The protective barrier vanished.

A metallic sheen swept across Golem's massive body as it lunged forward from point-blank range.

"Conkeldurr, move!"

Too late.

Conkeldurr had committed all its momentum to Drain Punch and was standing almost directly in front of its opponent. With its naturally low Speed, there was no chance to escape in time.

WHAM!

Golem's entire body crashed into Conkeldurr's stomach.

"CONK—!"

The air was knocked out of it.

Its enormous frame folded around the impact before being launched backward across the battlefield.

THUD!

Conkeldurr hit the ground hard, bounced once, then rolled to a stop.

"Conk..."

It tried to push itself upright.

One arm trembled.

Then gave out.

After taking Stealth Rock, Earthquake, and Heavy Slam in rapid succession, it had finally reached its limit.

Its eyes rolled into swirls.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Gage, send out your next Pokémon!"

The situation had changed again.

Gage was now down to three Pokémon.

His face tightened as he recalled Conkeldurr.

"Come back. You did well."

Across the battlefield, Mason remained composed.

Golem was still standing.

Gage stared at it for a moment, then drew his fourth Poké Ball.

He took a breath.

"I'm counting on you."

He threw it.

"Mienshao, let's go!"

A burst of white light flashed across the field.

"Mien!"

A slender, weasel-like Pokémon landed gracefully on its feet.

Long fur hung from its arms like the sleeves of a martial arts uniform, and unlike Conkeldurr's heavy, powerful frame, Mienshao looked built entirely around speed and precision.

Mason did not hesitate.

"Same thing again. Golem, Earthquake!"

He clearly intended to repeat the same strategy that had just taken down Conkeldurr.

"GOLEM!"

Earthy yellow energy gathered around Golem as it braced itself to stomp the battlefield again. But Gage had already seen that trick once, and he had no intention of letting Mason get away with it twice.

"Mienshao, interrupt it! Fake Out!"

"Mien!"

Mienshao vanished in a blur. Before Golem could bring its foot down, the Fighting type was already standing right in front of it.

Then Mienshao raised one hand and slapped Golem straight across the face.

SMACK!

The sound was so crisp that the entire arena seemed to fall silent for half a second.

Golem's head snapped sideways, and the earthy yellow energy around its body immediately dispersed. Earthquake had been interrupted before it could even begin.

For a moment, Golem simply stood there.

Then, very slowly, it turned its head back toward Mienshao.

Mienshao calmly lowered its hand.

"Mien."

Golem stared at it in complete disbelief.

Getting punched was fine. Getting blasted across the battlefield was part of battling. Even getting knocked unconscious was something a Pokémon had to accept sooner or later.

But getting slapped across the face in front of ten thousand people?

That was personal.

"GOOOOLEEEEM!!"