Admitting Defeat

With an imposing presence, Gallade appeared on the battlefield and swiftly charged toward Absol, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Absol, seeing this, also charged toward Gallade, releasing its Dark-type energy along the way, leaving behind a trail of black mist.

Gallade's Leaf Blade clashed with Absol's Night Slash, but surprisingly, Gallade was sent flying.

As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Gallade excelled in physical strength, but even so, it was outmatched by Absol in terms of raw power.

Seeing this situation, Harris's expression changed.

His Gallade was on the verge of reaching the pseudo-Elite level, yet it was falling behind after a single exchange, especially considering that Absol had already been through two battles.

Gallade quickly flipped and adjusted its posture after being knocked back, launching another attack against Absol.

This time, it employed the disruptive move, Double Team, and a dozen Gallades simultaneously appeared on the battlefield, charging towards Absol again.

Absol, being more straightforward, didn't overthink it. It unleashed a Dark Pulse, shattering the illusory clones as Gallade approached.

Just as the Dark Pulse was about to hit the real Gallade, it abruptly halted its charge, swiftly swung the blade-like protrusions on its arms, and dispersed the incoming Dark Pulses.

Absol's special attack power wasn't as potent as its physical attacks, especially after its enhancement by the Seed of Unknown, making it relatively easy for Gallade to deflect the Dark Pulses.

Seizing the moment while Gallade was busy dealing with the Dark Pulses, Absol suddenly charged at Gallade.

Being a Psychic-type Pokémon, Gallade had highly acute senses and instantly detected Absol's attack trajectory. It used its Leaf Blade to block Absol's charge.

However, Absol's strength was quite astonishing. It forced Gallade to continuously step back, leaving deep marks on the ground with each movement.

As Gallade was about to be pushed to its limit by Absol, it continued to lower itself to face Absol, drawing upon its remaining strength. With one hand still supporting itself, it unleashed Thunder Punch with the other, landing a punch on Absol's forehead, causing Absol to stagger backward.

Even though Gallade managed to push Absol back, it was already heavily fatigued, panting heavily.

Gallade's strength was inferior to Absol's, and engaging in a direct confrontation had taken a toll on its stamina. Additionally, due to Absol's ability, it felt mentally exhausted.

At this point, Harris's expression became even more ugly. Underestimating Yuga had been his biggest mistake.

In contrast to Harris, the onlookers were applauding and cheering fervently for the valiant Absol. This was especially true for the children in the crowd, who looked up to Absol with admiration.

Most of these spectators were locals from the Verdanturf Town, and many were even neighbors of the YoYo Day Care.

In this match, unlike the outsider Harris, they hoped that Yuga, whom they had watched grow up since childhood, would win. Furthermore, Yuga represented the honor of Verdanturf Town as its future Gym Leader.

Harris wasn't foolish; he knew that winning was becoming increasingly unlikely at this point. However, he was reluctant to give up and hand over five precious Attribute Gems for nothing.

Seeing Harris distracted, Yuga took the opportunity to command Absol to attack.

Absol first used an Uproar, and the shockwaves it generated sent Gallade flying. Following that, it employed Stone Edge, causing stone pillars to rise from the ground and forcefully strike Gallade's slender waist.

Gallade's Special Defense was strong, much like that of a Gardevoir, but its Physical Defense was weak. Additionally, the Stone Edge struck its vulnerable waist. Gallade dropped to its knees, unable to stand.

The soft and slender waist was Gallade's weak point.

Gallade couldn't match Absol in close combat, and its only two ranged attacks, Psychic and Psycho Cut, had no effect on Absol due to being Psychic-type moves. Gallade was truly caught in a dilemma at this point.

As the Trainer of Gallade, Harris deeply understood this.

With no other choice, Harris loudly declared to Yuga, "Stop, I admit defeat."

Unlike his younger brother, Harrold, Harris cherishes his Pokémon deeply. Otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today.

Even though he knew winning was impossible, Harris would never let his Pokémon get hurt in vain. Compared to the well-being of his Pokémon, his pride and face were less important.

Yuga could hear Harris's reluctance in his voice, but Yuga didn't care. It wasn't him who had initiated the battle.

"Brother! Why..."

Seeing his brother admit defeat, Harrold's expression changed. He was about to intervene but was silenced by Harris.

"Shut up! I'll deal with you later when we get back!"

Harris shot a stern glare at Harrold, who quickly shrank back, not daring to speak up. Instead, he shot a resentful glare at Yuga.

Yuga, on the other hand, didn't back down. He raised an eyebrow, giving Harrold a look of disdain and provocation, making Harrold clench his teeth in frustration.

Yuga recalled Absol into its Poké Ball and approached Harris with a smile. He extended his right hand.

"My spoils of victory, thank you."

Harris, true to his word, took out five Fairy Gems and placed them heavily into Yuga's hand.

"I hope we'll have a chance to spar again in the future."

Yuga pocketed the Fairy Gems and replied with a half-smile, "You better prepare your wager in advance."

Harris's face stiffened at his words, then he snorted and turned to leave. Harrold, seeing this, hurriedly followed but not before shooting a glare at Yuga.

Yuga didn't care about the childish behavior of Harris and Harrold.

"Alright, the show's over. Everyone, back to work."

After Harris and Harrold left, Yuga called out to the surrounding crowd, which included many construction workers.

"Mr. Shimizu, well done!"

Mr. Ando somehow joined the crowd at some point and now gave Yuga a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, Yuga! Impressive! You've done our Verdanturf Town proud!"

Encouraged by Mr. Ando, another neighbor cheered, "Indeed, great job!"

"Count on you to represent Verdanturf Town in the future!"

"You truly are our Town's Gym Leader!"

...

The praise continued, with everyone lauding Yuga, practically elevating him to legendary status.

Even though Yuga had a relatively thick skin, the compliments made him feel a bit embarrassed.

On their way back to the Pokémon Day Care, Akihito and her four younger siblings trailed behind Yuga like a small tail, their eyes filled with admiration when they looked at him.

They rarely got to see Yuga battle with others, and the last time was on TV, which couldn't compare to witnessing it live.