Kapitel 611: Reward
Under Yuga's command, Lapras opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump. The massive and sturdy blue water jet rushed towards Mega Metagross with a roaring sound.
Mega Metagross responded by using Agility, swiftly dodging the Hydro Pump's attack by moving several times. Then, it used Agility again to close the gap with Lapras.
Even though Lapras had mastered the ability to fly using water vapor, its movement speed couldn't compare to Metagross's. So, its goal was not to evade but to prevent Metagross from getting close.
After Mega Evolution, Mega Metagross's close combat abilities were further enhanced due to its Iron Fist ability. Lapras, which wasn't proficient in close combat, would be in dire straits if Metagross got too close.
"Lapras, use Blizzard!" Seeing that Lapras' attempts to stop Mega Metagross with Hydro Pump had failed, Yuga ordered Lapras to use a wide-area attack move, Blizzard.
Within the extensive coverage of the raging snowstorm, Mega Metagross had nowhere to hide. The biting winds and snow roared out of Lapras's mouth, quickly covering Mega Metagross in ice and snow, naturally slowing down its movements.
For Pokémon like Metagross, whose bodies were entirely made of iron lumps, smooth joints in their bodies were crucial. Currently, Mega Metagross's body was covered in ice and snow, immobilizing its joints and limiting its movements.
"Metagross, use Psychic!" Seeing Mega Metagross's situation, Steven quickly reminded it.
Purple psychic energy floated around Metagross's body, and all the ice and snow that had clung to it were flung away by psychic energy. Mega Metagross once again charged toward Lapras at high speed.
Yuga: "Lapras, Surf!"
As Mega Metagross was about to collide with Lapras, Lapras manipulated a massive wave to meet Mega Metagross head-on.
At this moment, Mega Metagross used the move Thunder Punch. Its four massive fists, crackling with electricity, struck the surging wave. Electric currents spread along the wave and soon reached Lapras, which was controlling it.
Lapras, hit by the electric currents, let out a sharp cry. The massive wave beneath it dissipated, and it wobbled in mid-air, almost falling to the ground.
At this point, Steven immediately wanted to press the advantage and issued another command to Mega Metagross.
"Metagross, charge in, Thunder Punch!"
Lapras had far less battle experience compared to Mega Metagross, which had accompanied Steven on countless adventures. When Lapras saw Mega Metagross charging again, it began to feel a bit panicked.
When Pokémon panicked, their coordination with their Trainer naturally suffered.
Yuga wanted Lapras to use Mist, which would affect Mega Metagross's vision and disrupt its attacks. However, Lapras instinctively closed its eyes and used Sheer Cold.
(Note: In the games, Sheer Cold fails when the user's level is lower than the opponent's. This book doesn't have this mechanic.)
Sheer Cold was a challenging move to learn and execute. Its principle was that the user released all its internal ice-type energy in a single burst, requiring an immense explosive force.
In other words, it was a one-hit-kill move, and if it failed, the Pokémon would be rendered unable to battle.
Many ice-type Pokémon, when using this move, did release their ice-type energy, but it lacked the explosive force needed to freeze the opponent.
Ice-type energy without the freezing effect was no different from the cold air in a refrigerator.
This was why Sheer Cold was often considered to have a low hit rate, but in reality, it was challenging to make the ice-type energy instantly freeze the opponent.
However, it was clear that Lapras had used Sheer Cold very successfully this time.
In just an instant, countless ice crystals bloomed across the entire battlefield.
The entire arena was frozen, and the closest Mega Metagross was directly encased in an ice pillar.
At this time, Lapras was lying in the middle of all the ice flowers, panting heavily. The Sheer Cold move had overdrawn all the power in its body, which was no different from losing its ability to fight.
Just when Yuga thought the game was going to be a draw, the icicle sealing Mega Metagross shattered, and Mega Metagross came out safe and sound.
Seeing this, Yuga shook his head helplessly.
It was too challenging for an Elite level Pokémon to defeat a Champion level Pokémon. Even having a purple potential wasn't enough!
The gap between Elite and Champion levels was like a chasm.
"I give up, I give up, I concede," Yuga said reluctantly. At the moment, even commanding an Elite level Pokémon was somewhat challenging for him, as evidenced by Lapras's earlier mistake.
"Alright, let's call it quits for now!"
By now, Steven had a good understanding of his Mega Metagross's strength after its Mega Evolution and agreed to Yuga's proposal for a ceasefire.
"Did the Gym Leader lose?" Anrin raised her little head and asked her teacher.
Hearing this, Beidou lowered his head and nodded.
"Really?"
"Why did it happen like this?"
"This person is so amazing!"
"The Gym Leader will win next time!"
"Yeah, the Gym Leader is younger!"
...
Several children were surprised and covered their mouths in disbelief, then they began discussing animatedly.
In their hearts, the Gym Leader was the most formidable Trainer, and they couldn't believe that someone could defeat him. However, this didn't shake the Gym Leader's position in their hearts.
Listening to the children's discussions, Beidou smiled wryly and shook his head in resignation.
Today, watching Yuga and Steven's match, he fully realized the gap between a genius and an ordinary person.
He was about the same age as Steven, and older than Yuga by quite a bit, but both of them were Elite level Trainer. And what about himself?
However, he quickly came to terms with it. He was who he was, and there was no point in comparing himself to others, especially when the gap was so significant.
Afterward, Steven stayed at the Verdanturf Gym for about a week before leaving, mainly because he received a mission. Otherwise, he would probably have stayed and enjoyed various delicious dishes that Audino would have prepared for him.
During this week, Yuga would take Lapras to fight against Noctowl, and Volcarona, helping Lapras become familiar with its newfound strength and accumulate battle experience.
Lapras progressed very quickly. In just a few days, even when Noctowl and Volcarona teamed up, they couldn't match Lapras anymore. While part of this was due to type advantages, the main reason was Lapras's purple potential and the Kyogre genes within its body.
The reason Yuga was so actively improving Lapras's abilities was to subdue the Archeops.
This mission had been dragging on for quite some time, and since Noctowl and Volcarona couldn't handle Archeops, Lapras was the clear choice, even if Archeops was a Peak Elite level Pokémon.
In addition to that, the League's rewards for Yuga had finally arrived.
Firstly, there were 50,000 Merit Points.
Earning Merit Points wasn't easy; it was a common belief among League Trainers. Even amassing a thousand Merit Points was something to be envied, let alone 50,000.
Secondly, he was granted the status of a direct-lineage Trainer of the League.
This equated to an increase in Yuga's status within the League, different from the status he held as a Gym Leader, which had its own evaluation system within the League.
Gym Leader status had varying weight and importance within the League, ranging from highly respected figures like Mr. Moore, Gym Leader Juan, and Mr. Norman, to relatively unknown Gym Leaders.
Being a direct-lineage Trainer added a bonus to the Gym Leader status within the League, and with further progress, Yuga might even become a Trainer like Mr. Norman, Mr. Moore, or Mr. Juan.
Furthermore, if Yuga were to have children in the future, they would be entitled to receive Starter Pokémon (the three starter types) from the League.
The advancement in Trainer status was closely related to their Merit Points, but with Yuga's 50,000 Merit Points, he still wasn't enough to become a direct-lineage Trainer. However, the League had decided to grant him this status regardless.
The final reward was an Items.
Three hundred Attribute Gems, with the choice of attribute left to his discretion.
This reward was equally generous, both in terms of value and Yuga's specific needs.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein