Seeing the situation, Nathan decisively chose to accept the challenge.
On one hand, he wasn't someone who feared battle—after all, he'd already participated in close to nine thousand battles.
On the other hand, he didn't want to put Yue in a difficult position because of him.
A chance encounter was still fate, and Nathan didn't want to be the bad guy here.
"Alright, it's settled then," Chad nodded, then turned to the driver and said, "Take us directly to the studio."
Because of how things were in this era, movies couldn't be separated from Pokémon. As a result, battles were permitted inside filming studios—to capture the coolest moments of Pokémon combat.
Yue was visibly upset and remained silent, making the atmosphere quite awkward. Nathan, caught in the middle, could only sit quietly.
…
The car quickly arrived at the studio, and the three entered together.
When the studio staff saw that Chad had returned, they immediately swarmed around him, chattering away.
Standing off to the side, Nathan listened in—it was mostly talk about filming matters.
"Alright, alright, let's not waste any more time. Besides, I made up for all the time we lost today," Chad clapped his hands and said.
Then, walking over to Nathan, he added, "I brought the national champion Nathan here today. We're going to have a friendly battle."
Since Chad had entered the studio first, everyone's attention was focused on him. No one had noticed the person behind him—Nathan.
"Wow! It's really Nathan!"
"Oh my gosh, he really is handsome!
...
Many of the female staff looked at Nathan with stars in their eyes.
"Hello, everyone," Nathan greeted awkwardly.
Under Chad's lead, Nathan entered the filming area.
Because the scene being filmed was set in a desert, the set was designed to resemble a barren, rocky wasteland.
"Come out, Lucario!"
Chad immediately sent out his Lucario.
Nathan was quite familiar with Lucario. Whether it was Fire-type or Fighting-type moves, both had an advantage over Lucario.
In other words, whether he used Volcarona or Pangoro, he could easily crush Chad.
But Nathan wasn't the kind of person who would do something like that.
"In that case, come out, Mewtwo!"
Ever since he had obtained Mewtwo, Nathan had loved using it in battles.
"You're not going to use your Volcarona?" Chad asked in surprise.
His Lucario was strong, but it was really his only strong Pokémon. If Nathan sent out Volcarona, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
"Defeating you by using a Pokémon that counters Lucario wouldn't reflect well on me," Nathan replied confidently.
This wasn't an official match—there was no need to go all-out just for the sake of winning.
Chad admired Nathan's choice.
Only someone like this deserved to be called a national champion.
"In that case, I won't hold back!"
"Lucario, use Quick Attack!"
Following Chad's command, Lucario dashed at Mewtwo.
But as Lucario charged, Nathan noticed something—the four appendages on the back of Lucario's head were floating.
Others might not know what that meant, but Nathan did.
Lucario could use those appendages to emit aura waves, allowing it to predict the opponent's movements and attacks.
"Mewtwo, use Psystrike! Then follow up with a flurry of Counter Attacks!"
The best defense is a strong offense.
Mewtwo's body emitted a faint white glow. As it activated the move, Lucario suddenly clutched its head in pain and stopped in its tracks.
The appendages behind its head fell limp.
Mewtwo's attack hit right after. The powerful blast sent Lucario flying back to Chad's feet.
"Lucario! Are you okay?!"
The battle had only just started, and Lucario had already taken a heavy hit. Chad was clearly distressed.
After the headache subsided, Lucario stood up again.
"I'm fine," it said via telepathy.
As a proud Pokémon, Lucario wouldn't accept being defeated so easily!
"In that case—Lucario, use Metal Sound followed by Metal Claw!"
Chad gave the command again.
Lucario's claws were suddenly coated in a metallic sheen.
Then it opened its mouth slightly, unleashing a piercing metallic screech.
Everyone in the studio instinctively covered their ears.
Thankfully, the cameras used to record Pokémon battles were made of special materials—otherwise, they would have been damaged in no time.
Even Mewtwo winced from the sound, covering its ears.
Lucario seized the moment and charged, its Metal Claw attack striking Mewtwo's armored exterior and breaking through its defenses with ease.
But before Lucario could follow up, Mewtwo recovered.
Its powerful leg muscles fired into action, launching a devastating kick at Lucario.
Lucario raised its arms to defend, interrupting its own attack.
"Mewtwo, use Focus Blast to force it to dodge!"
Hearing Nathan's command, Mewtwo formed a basketball-sized white energy orb in its right hand.
The blast shot toward Lucario, who didn't dare take it head-on and immediately dodged to the side.
"Now! Use Hyper Beam! Combine it with Sky Uppercut!"
Mewtwo's body shot forward like an out-of-control vehicle, ramming into Lucario.
Lucario couldn't avoid it in time and took the full brunt of the blow.
Immediately after, Mewtwo's fist struck Lucario's chin with a powerful uppercut.
Because they were inside a studio, the ceiling wasn't very high—this particular shoot didn't involve giant Pokémon.
Lucario crashed into the ceiling before falling to the ground.
Blood appeared at the corner of its mouth.
Dizzy from the impact, Lucario shook its head and stood up again.
"So strong…"
Chad stared at Nathan's Pokémon in disbelief. He had never seen a Pokémon like this before.
But he had to admit—its strength and speed were far beyond Lucario's.
All the resources Chad had ever gained had gone into training Lucario. And yet, it still wasn't enough against Nathan's Pokémon.
Was that news story right? That if Nathan entered showbiz, he would replace Chad?
If Nathan really did take his place… did he still have the right to pursue Yue?
Perhaps sensing its trainer's emotions, Lucario's battle spirit intensified despite its injuries.
Even without Chad giving a command, Lucario began to emit an intimidating aura.
That aura could cause certain Pokémon to become frightened—but against Mewtwo?
In Mewtwo's eyes, there was nothing to fear.
Aura was meaningless.
"Lucario! Use Heal Pulse! Then Close Combat, Swords Dance, and Bone Rush—go all out!" Chad shouted angrily.
He rattled off the commands in quick succession, and Lucario immediately followed them one by one.
Watching from the side, Yue was stunned.
This was clearly a rage-fueled assault.
In all the time she had known Chad, not once—not even when Lucario or she herself got hurt during filming—had he ever lost his temper like this.
But now was different. He wasn't just angry—he was furious. This wasn't a regular battle anymore. He was out for blood.
As Heal Pulse took effect, Lucario's injuries quickly began to heal.
Once recovered, it charged at Mewtwo again with everything it had.
…
Seeing that Chad had lost his temper, Nathan frowned slightly.
"Mewtwo, use Protect!"
A white shield-like aura surrounded Mewtwo, cloaking its entire body.
Lucario's barrage of attacks landed on the barrier, which trembled under the assault but did not break.
"Now, use Trick Room!"
Under Nathan's command, Mewtwo activated the move.
To Lucario, it seemed like Mewtwo was still defending—and it kept attacking.
But in reality, Lucario was just swinging at air.
"Chad, I gave you too much credit," Nathan said calmly as Lucario's attacks failed to connect.
"Too much credit? I don't need your approval! I will never lose to you! Lucario, fight back with everything you've got!"
Chad's expression twisted in anger.
He couldn't let others see him losing to Nathan—not if it meant losing his current status.
Even more than that, he didn't want to lose his chance to pursue Yue.
"Mewtwo, return."
(End of Chapter)