Chapter 26: Shooting Star

Chapter 26: Meteor

A powerful electromagnetic field filled the arena of the Hualan Gym, the oppressive atmosphere making it hard to breathe.

Lu Yun floated calmly in midair, eyes opening as a yellow spark of electricity flashed by.

During the week of intense training with Electivire, not only had he greatly enhanced his physical strength and ability to store electricity, but he had also mastered two new moves.

One was Thunder Punch, and the other was the skill he was currently using—Electromagnetic Levitation.

Electromagnetic Levitation created a magnetic field through electrical energy, allowing the user to ignore gravity and float freely within the field.

Perhaps as a benefit of transmigrating, this Mareep, which Lu Yun had reincarnated as, possessed an innate talent for controlling energy. It only took him two days to master Electromagnetic Levitation, a feat that even the usually stern Electivire couldn't help but be impressed by.

Armed with the knowledge and creativity from an era of information explosion in his previous life, Lu Yun had many ideas for developing his skills that were unheard of in this era. He was particularly fascinated by combination techniques, like the previous pairing of Cotton Spore and Static. Previously, his options were limited by his low level and the few skills he knew—after all, one cannot make bricks without straw.

But now, with the necessary conditions met, he couldn’t resist experimenting in training. Although some attempts failed, there were also unexpected combinations that produced astonishing chemical reactions.

"For example, this move..."

The magnetic field around Lu Yun in midair began to tremble slightly. Flecks of yellow light, visible to the naked eye, shimmered in the air like starlight, gradually gathering toward him.

The crystal orb at the end of Lu Yun’s tail glowed brighter and brighter as he drew in and stored vast amounts of electric energy from the air, activating Charge.

Feeling the surging electricity inside his body, nearly overflowing, Lu Yun carefully guided it into his right arm. With a piercing whine of current, wild electricity spun and coiled around his limb.

Dazzling light blazed above the arena, like a miniature yellow sun.

Thunder Punch was ready to strike.

Lu Yun’s eyes locked onto the Cloyster below, who was panting heavily after expending a large amount of water-type energy. His fighting spirit surged forth.

His right arm bent back, crackling with electricity, powerful energy gathering in preparation.

Boom!

With a thunderous sonic boom, Lu Yun hurled his fist toward Cloyster.

Surging electric power propelled his body forward like a missile aimed at his opponent. A pale yellow shockwave burst through the air, and the rampant currents thrived within the electromagnetic field, accelerating Lu Yun to a frantic speed.

The airflow around him crackled with electricity, trailing dazzling yellow streamers behind him. From afar, he looked like a meteor composed of pure lightning, plummeting toward the earth.

Charge + Thunder Punch + Electromagnetic Levitation—a triple combination move!

This was one of the combo techniques Lu Yun had developed during special training: using Charge to dramatically increase his internal electric reserves, Electromagnetic Levitation to set up a magnetic field in the air, boosting speed and impact, and finally focusing the immense current into a terrifyingly amplified Thunder Punch.

This combination, where one plus one plus one was greater than three, was by far Lu Yun’s most satisfying creation.

At the edge of the arena, Lanny stared wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape, fixed upon the rapidly descending meteor above. His shock was plain to see.

“Is this the kind of move a typical ‘Professional Tier’ Pokémon can unleash?”

The scene before him shattered Lanny’s expectations.

“Are organizational Pokémon always this terrifying?”

“And this is just a Mareep—if it evolves into an Ampharos...”

A chill ran down Lanny’s spine.

On the other side, Misty’s normally rosy, adorable face had turned pale, cold sweat beading on her brow.

“Are all new trainers at this level now?”

“This sort of combo could be used in the Elite Four tournaments...”

As a professional trainer, Misty knew she stood little chance against the overwhelming force bearing down from above, but she still did her best to have Cloyster use Withdraw.

Boom! Boom!

The yellow meteor finally struck the ground. Waves of electric force exploded in all directions.

At the center, the pent-up electric energy in Lu Yun’s fist was finally unleashed, a monstrous torrent of electricity rampaging like a beast unchained, tearing through everything in its path.

The magnetically accelerated force fractured the rock beneath Cloyster, while wild arcs of lightning lit up the arena, dancing across the scattered stones, nearly shattering them.

Lu Yun’s electrically charged fist smashed down onto Cloyster’s armored shell. A faint cracking sound followed.

Lu Yun knew that if he pressed down a little harder, his current would pierce Cloyster’s shell and electrify the soft body inside to a pulp—but he would not do that.

He had already recognized the female trainer not far away as Misty, a member of the protagonist group from the anime of his previous life. Coupled with the familiar setting, Lu Yun could confidently deduce that he was now helping a fellow organization member in a gym battle.

Regardless of why a member of "Dark Star" could openly challenge the gym, if he were to kill Misty’s Pokémon here, it could cause trouble for the organization and put himself in danger, which did not align with Lu Yun’s plan for steady progress.

Withdrawing the force from his fist, Lu Yun, still crackling with electricity, slowly floated back into the air, then descended onto a patch of ground.

After all, he was still just a Mareep, with many shortcomings, and couldn’t maintain Electromagnetic Levitation for long.

“Cloyster is unable to battle! Mareep wins!”

The referee’s voice echoed through the empty gym.

Misty recalled Cloyster and, seeing that its injuries were not life-threatening, finally relaxed.

Lu Yun panted, clearly exhausted from the previous combo, but he had no regrets. This display was the best way to prove his potential and value, securing more resources within the organization.

Turning to wave Lanny off the field, Lu Yun retreated into his Poké Ball. After two battles, he was spent; if he fought again, he would likely be defeated or even seriously injured, so he decided to quit while he was ahead.

Satisfied, Lanny stowed Mareep’s Poké Ball. A two-against-one result had exceeded his expectations, and Mareep’s performance was nothing short of astonishing.

Silently, he wondered which bigwig in the organization had been raising such a powerful Mareep. Taking out Cyndaquil’s Poké Ball, Lanny thought to himself that if he couldn’t win even with a 2v1 advantage, he might as well quit the organization altogether.