Pokémon: Starting with a Volcarona

Its entire body transformed under the white light, turning into a dazzling and stylish Bond Evolution Form!

The black lightning patterns stored with unparalleled electric energy continuously released arcs of lightning.

His claws, resembling armored gauntlets though limited only to the hands, repeatedly clenched and opened.

Compared to Zeraora's claws in his normal form, those in his Bond Evolution Form were undoubtedly sharper and more powerful!

At the same time, Zeraora's body was filled with explosive power!

This incited even greater cheers from the audience—so much so that many male spectators' faces flushed red!

After all, men at their core might be unreliable, but they all love mechas, Gundams, and hot-blooded action!

"Now's the time! Gain some distance and use Indra's Arrow!"

Nathan remained completely unaffected by the commotion and instead entered synchronization mode, issuing his command swiftly.

He was a cold and ruthless kind of guy—at least, that's how Nathan liked to describe himself.

Following his command, Zeraora leaped into the air.

He drew his bow, nocked an arrow—

And fired mercilessly!

Compared to the previous version of Indra's Arrow, this was on another level now that Zeraora had advanced to the Elite rank.

The azure arrow radiated unimaginable power, wrapped in dense lightning!

To the average viewer, it didn't even look like an arrow anymore—it looked more like a spear.

The Thunder Spear—Gungnir!

The mythical weapon of Odin, the king of gods in Norse mythology!

"Raichu, hurry! Use Thunder—Thunderbolt Frenzy!"

Seeing this, Mira paled, a flush of urgency coloring her cheeks as she gave the command.

Meanwhile, online, the live chat barrage had clearly split into two factions:

[Nathan, you heartless bastard! I stand with Mira to the end!]

[That golden-blue lightning… It will forever be my unwavering faith!]

The first group was almost entirely male, condemning Nathan's cold-blooded tactics.

After all, unless it was about his own Pokémon, Nathan had never shown mercy—

Whether it was beautiful girls, mature women, cute boys, or dashing older men—

If he could end a battle fast, he wouldn't waste a single extra second!

Back on the battlefield, Raichu wasn't entirely defenseless in the face of Zeraora's ultimate move.

Following Mira's command, eight massive thunder pillars suddenly emerged around Raichu!

They surrounded it, forming a glowing golden ring of electricity.

To everyone's shock, Raichu actually blocked Indra's Arrow!

Some male viewers were even moved to tears.

But the next second, Nathan's lips curled into a smirk.

He had already discovered the girl's weakness—

Her commands were starting to slow!

"Zeraora—now!"

He didn't even need to issue a full command. Zeraora had already vanished from the sky.

When he reappeared, one of his razor-sharp claws was raised high—

Right behind Raichu's back!

Mira's pupils shrank as she tried to call her Pokémon back to defend,

But it was too late!

A flash of deadly light—

Raichu collapsed to the ground, unwillingly but utterly defeated.

It could no longer fight.

"Raichu may be tough, much stronger than it was back when it was a Pikachu…"

"But it still has a weakness—right where the tail connects to its spine!"

"Sorry, I happen to know a little bit about Pokémon biology."

…

Adjusting imaginary glasses on his nose, Nathan confidently struck a galaxy-like pose with his fingertips.

Even though he wasn't as focused on academics as he was on training and battling,

As the national exam's top scorer, Nathan was far from a simple brute!

At least when it came to Zeraora's unique skills,

He never developed them without a deep understanding and preparation.

It wasn't just book knowledge, either—

Even the system shop provided Pokémon expertise.

That's why Zeraora had progressed so quickly in techniques like Chidori, Indra's Arrow, and Thunder Beast Battle Form.

Mira, for some reason, suddenly felt the oppressive gaze of a top student looking down on her—

Even though she had already graduated!

"G-Go, Onix … I'm counting on you!"

Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Mira shyly sent out her second Pokémon—

An Onix at level 53!

A perfect counter to Zeraora!

Whether it was Chidori, Thunderclap, or Indra's Arrow,

No matter how they were specialized, their core was still Electric-type.

And against a Pokémon like Onix, electric attacks were basically useless.

But—

"You think I'll give up just like that?

Adjusting his imaginary glasses again, Nathan's smirk deepened.

"You're betting that after Zeraora's Bond Evolution, Zeraora won't be able to bond evolve a second time, right?"

"And yeah, you're right. Your plan succeeded perfectly."

"But do you really think your strategy worked?"

Mira didn't reply. She simply gripped her sleeves tighter.

It was true. She couldn't bring herself to meet Nathan's gaze—

Not because she wanted to defeat him—

But because her real purpose was just to reveal all of Nathan's trump cards!

After all, in tournament sub-brackets, many trainers hide their true strength until the very end.

And Nathan never expected that someone would go this far just to counter him.

"G-Go, Onix —use Sand Tomb!"

Closing her beautiful amethyst eyes, Mira gave a soft but apologetic order.

Roaring loudly, Onix obeyed its trainer.

Countless stone spikes erupted from the ground, completely sealing off Zeraora's escape routes.

"Then… Bind it! I'm sorry…"

For some reason, she apologized again as she issued what she thought was the final command.

She believed she had successfully neutralized Nathan's ace.

And since Nathan didn't have any Water-type Pokémon,

Onix could probably take down a second one too!

After all, neither Pangoro nor Metagross had the overwhelming presence that Zeraora did!

"Interesting… Trying to wear Zeraora down completely through bind tactics? That's really interesting!"

"Zeraora—Thunder Beast Battle Form!"

A battle-crazed smile appeared on Nathan's face.

Yes, this was it.

Pressure he hadn't felt in a long time!

They were already in the national semi-finals, yet Nathan hadn't been pushed this hard.

If this continued, he could easily get careless and lose the finals!

So, in this battle, he would push himself to his absolute limit!

After all, people perform differently under different mental states.

That's why there's a difference between "normal" and "peak" performance.

Even with his rich experience, if Nathan kept crushing weaker opponents, his form would naturally slip.

And he might not recover in time.

Don't think it's strange—this kind of situation is all too common among trainers!

"Zzzzzaaaaaa——!!"

With a roar different from his usual, Zeraora's body became shrouded in a powerful lightning aura!

Navy Six Style – Moonwalk!

Combined with Zeraora's innate ability to move through the air, his speed reached new heights!

"Use Shave! Then close in on Onix's head and land a point-blank Storm Leg!"

Hands in pockets, Nathan was now completely immersed in battle mode.

Zeraora now resembled a full-on Fighting-type Pokémon—

Not just incredibly fast, but moving through the air with consecutive sonic booms.

It appeared above Onix's head and struck down with a merciless Storm Leg!

The massive Onix was slammed into the ground by Zeraora—

Its head smashing into the dirt and leaving a huge crater!

"H-How… can this be…?"

Mira's mind went blank as she watched.

Wasn't Onix supposed to be the perfect counter to Electric-types?

Not to mention it was even higher-leveled than Zeraora!

And it hadn't even evolved into Steelix yet!

"Disappointed, huh? Your tactics were actually excellent. I barely saw through them and still fell for it."

Looking calmly at Mira, Nathan's tone took a teasing turn:

"But the reason I dared to have Zeraora undergo Bond Evolution wasn't because your strategy didn't work."

"It's because I have absolute faith in Zeraora—and in Thunder Beast Battle Mode!"

(End of Chapter)