Noticing something special about Ursaluna, Blue reacted quickly and immediately commanded Ursaring to adjust its strategy—locking on to Ursaluna's vulnerable spots, the areas not protected by soil.
As a trainer, Blue was remarkably pure in his approach, never rigid and always searching for openings to attack, ready to adjust his thinking on the fly.
Even though some of his commands might seem a bit "ruthless" to bystanders, he himself didn't care the slightest.
In the face of victory, strategies and means are just tools to the same end.
"Stone Edge!"
Countless azure stone pillars erupted from the ground like lances, with razor-sharp tips aimed at Ursaluna's weakest points.
Ground and Rock types were closely related, so Ursaring's Stone Edge attack was both visually and forcefully impressive.
After repeatedly shattering these stone pillars with its paws as they tried to ambush it, Ursaluna was finally inspired to fight in full.
Smashing another of the rising pillars, Ursaluna roared, stomping the ground with force.
Explosive energy surged below the surface, tearing forward through cracked earth, crushing every stone pillar trying to rise and erupting into a wave of scorching, wild energy at Ursaring's feet.
Boom!
With an earth-shaking explosion, Ursaring was sent flying as if struck by the power of a volcanic eruption, subconsciously crying out in pain.
"Earth Power." Other than its signature roar, Earth Power was one of Ursaluna's most frequently used Ground-type special attacks.
As for its power—
Looking at Ursaring now, the answer was obvious.
Watching Ursaring struggle to stand in the dust cloud, Blue had to admit he'd underestimated Ursaluna after all.
Even with similar strength, as the old man had said, Ursaluna, as a special individual with nearly impossible-to-duplicate changes, still held many trump cards even he hadn't anticipated.
But wasn't battling this way even more interesting?
Feeling a pressure he hadn't felt in ages, Blue ignored the strong winds tossing his hair and gave his next command, eyes alight with excitement.
"Stomp!"
"Cross Chop!"
Lucas responded swiftly.
The two giants clashed fiercely once more.
In the thick of battle, Blue couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
Ursaring's claws could probably leave marks on even a Steel-type Pokémon, let alone dig holes.
But since Ursaluna was also a Ground-type and could use Stomping Tantrum, it meant it could use Earthquake. Even if Dig would open up tactical possibilities, the risk was too high.
Suffering an Earthquake underground would be far worse than being hit by that Earth Power.
Meanwhile, Ash stood at the sidelines, eyes wide as he watched Ursaluna and Ursaring's clash, feeling his heart shake with every tremor in the ground.
Was this the battle between top-tier trainers? Compared to this, his own matches were child's play.
The Pikachu on his shoulder was similarly awestruck, clearly shaken by such a fierce scene.
Could his Pikachu one day become this strong, shaking the earth and mountains with every move?
He yearned for the future!
After nearly ten minutes of intense fighting, the battle between Ursaluna and Ursaring reached its climax.
Both Pokémon were marked by wounds.
Ursaring was more seriously injured, while the mud armor on Ursaluna's right shoulder had started to crack.
That was the result of Ursaring braving Hyper Voice and ramming into Ursaluna with a Reckless Charge.
This only made Ursaluna firmer in its conviction that its past choices were correct.
"All the trainers in the human world are monsters. Their freshly evolved Pokémon can already fight me this hard. Is this that so-called mystical training power? Thankfully, I was just a shut-in bear for a hundred years. If it weren't for Lucas, I'd still be hiding out at home."
Both Pokémon panted heavily, eyes fixed on each other with vigilance.
Ursaring waited for Blue's next command.
Ursaluna, on the other hand, felt it was nearly time. Even though it was daytime and not as strong as under a cloudless night, this was the time to pull ahead—only this move would do it.
As expected.
Lucas issued his order immediately.
"Ursaluna—!"
Ursaluna raised its head, its right eye shining with an unmistakable green glow, licking its lips as if in anticipation.
"Blood Moon!"
The moment Lucas's voice fell, Ursaluna released a terrifying wave of energy without reservation.
"Blood…Moon?"
Tasting the words, Blue instantly realized it was the name of a move.
The waves of energy rolling off Ursaluna made that clear enough!
Blue's eyes grew solemn. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Ursaring, use a full-power Giga Impact!"
After all, Ursaring had primarily trained in Normal-type moves before. Despite picking up some Ground-type skills recently, Normal-type moves still let Ursaring unleash its true strength.
A surging gale rose out of thin air, forming a giant white-violet spiral that enveloped Ursaring, locking onto Ursaluna with terrifying intensity!
On Ursaluna's side, a phantom blood moon emerged from the clouds of energy, exuding a chilling aura that seemed to suck in all surrounding light—plunging the field into darkness.
Boom!
The crimson light burst forth, accompanied by a sky-tearing roar. A pillar of bloody light shot from the blood moon like a flood, blasting straight for Ursaring.
Everything the light touched was dyed scarlet; the air whimpered as the pillar pierced through, stray stones instantly reduced to powder.
Two powers collided—Giga Impact and Blood Moon.
Red light dominated all sight. Lucas, watching Ursaluna casting Blood Moon against Ursaring, suddenly recalled another recent night.
Back then, he remembered Ursaluna fighting Nemona's Ursaring—Blood Moon pierced through Giga Impact, landing a decisive blow.
But this time—
Even as Ursaring faltered, it was not blown away by Blood Moon. In the aftermath of a massive secondary explosion, Ursaring, battered and wounded, still stood tall.
It could still fight!
Ursaring stared fiercely at Ursaluna, chest brimming with fighting spirit.
Now, after unleashing all its strength for Giga Impact, Ursaring was unable to move.
But just give it a bit of time, and it would be fighting again.
It figured Ursaluna, after such an attack, should be in the same state.
Staring at Ursaring's back and Ursaluna's dual-colored eyes visible in the swirling dust, Blue unconsciously exhaled.
"Blood Moon, huh? What a terrifying move. Next time, I'll have to be ready and not force Ursaring to take it head-on."
As Blue pondered his next move, Lucas's voice rang out powerfully in the silence:
"One last move—Hyper Voice!"
Ursaluna's massive body moved again.
Blue's pupils contracted. Even he, always steady in a crisis, couldn't stay calm—after unleashing such a monstrous move, Ursaluna didn't even need to rest and "cool down"!?
For Ursaluna, Hyper Voice was as instinctive as breathing.
With a roar that shook the forest, Ursaring was battered by tangible sonic waves. Unable to withstand it, Ursaring fainted before its recovery time ended.
Ursaluna actually felt a bit disappointed—it had thought that if Hyper Voice wasn't enough, it could always use another Blood Moon.
Ursaring collapsed with a crash. Blue, hands in his pockets, was silent for a second before closing his eyes.
It had been a long time since he'd tasted defeat—even if the final blow was delivered thanks to an information gap.
But isn't dealing with information gaps part of being a trainer?
Blue opened his eyes again, hiding well his lingering unwillingness. Expression calm, he raised his hands.
"I lost."
As a trainer known for his legend, Blue was admitting that Lucas was worthy.
You're worthy to be my opponent.
Professor Oak, who had been watching all along, was filled with mixed emotions.
As expected, only these outstanding trainers could win heartfelt recognition from his proud grandson.
…
League Calendar, Year 798. November 13th.
Inside the Oak Laboratory.
Forced to listen to Blue—whose personality had become even more familiar—brag about his past "accomplishments" all morning, Lucas could only eat in silence as his mind buzzed.
"Is this chatterbox really the Blue I remember? Swapped by someone else? Still, anyone who can befriend and understand the taciturn guy Red probably isn't a 'normal person' anyway."
Originally, Lucas had planned to leave in the morning.
But after the battle, Blue insisted he stay for lunch before leaving.
Lucas had grumbled internally: "What, are we having fancy instant noodles for lunch?"
Instead, the table was full of fragrant, beautifully presented regional dishes—he hadn't expected the gentlemanly Blue to be such a skilled cook.
What a contrast!
Ash went home for his meal, Tracey finished lunch with Professor Oak and rushed off to work on his thesis.
At the table, only Lucas and Blue remained. The Pokémon ate together in the more spacious backyard.
When Lucas helped clean up after, Blue—still wearing an apron—suddenly asked, "You're really not going to be a trainer anymore?"
Lucas paused, then nodded.
"Being a trainer was never my main job—I'm a farmer, first and foremost."
"Battling is just a personal hobby to me now."
"I don't mind battling anyone these days."
Though if I'm lazy, I'll just come up with an excuse to bail… the last bit, Lucas kept to himself.
Blue's normally cold face broke out in a smile.
That was perfect.
It was rare to find an opponent who interested him this much—it'd be a shame if Lucas wasted that.
Thinking it over, Blue realized he really wasn't much different from Red at heart.
Obsessed with strength, driven to battle the strong, always striving for the peak.
Setting down a spotless plate (he had a touch of OCD), Blue suddenly said, "If there's a chance, let's have an all-out full team match someday."
"…?"
Lucas stared at Blue in shock and wariness.
Why say something like that out of nowhere!?
Just imagining a 6-on-6 against a powerful trainer like Blue sounded exhausting.
The Pokémon would be fine, but for Lucas, it'd be a mental and physical ordeal.
Couldn't he just refuse!?
"…Next time, for sure, next time."
Lucas tried to brush him off, and luckily Blue let it slide as a verbal agreement.
He would wait for the right time to officially challenge Lucas to a full-power Pokémon match.
As he tidied the kitchen, Blue the chatterbox was back, now regaling Lucas with the saga of his rivalry with Red after becoming a trainer.
At the end, Blue remarked that whenever he felt the itch, he'd run off to Mt. Silver's summit and battle Red, who lived like a monk up there.
Curious, Lucas asked, "So, how does he solve his food problem, living up on that frozen peak all year?"
The question stumped Blue. He pondered, then said uncertainly: "He must survive on Berries? Besides, he has a Snorlax, so it's not like he's short of food."
Lucas remained doubtful and told the story of when he accidentally ran into someone nearly starving on Mt. Silver.
Blue was silent for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! That's exactly the kind of dumb thing he'd do!"
At first it sounded unbelievable.
But thinking it over, Blue realized the battle maniac probably did forget about food while training and nearly perished atop the mountain.
Decision made—next time he visited Mt. Silver, he'd give Red an earful!
Blue tried to probe for more info, but Lucas had only met Red once and couldn't say more, so Blue had to give up.
After thoroughly cleaning the kitchen, Lucas dried his hands, then said, "Well, I'm off. Thanks for the wonderful lunch."
Blue, accustomed to saying farewell to friends, waved easily. "I'll come visit your farm if I get the chance."
Lucas gave Blue a questioning look. "Aren't you going to take over the Gym?"
Blue replied evenly, "Isn't it normal for a gym to close for a month's break?"
…
…
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