Chapter 148
Mawile's previous punch had left a scar on the collective sanity of the crowd.
A single blow had not only vaporized Darmanitan, but it had also successfully stacked a layer of Power-Up Punch.
Watching the surge in Mawile's aura, every member of Team 2 felt a crushing weight.
If she could one-shot people before the buff, who could possibly stand against her now?
For a moment, no one dared to step into the ring to face that tiny, three-foot-tall body.
They desperately needed to redefine the word "frail."
After a full minute of silence, Lorze finally lost his patience.
He signaled for the rest of Team 2 to get in the ring together.
One at a time was too slow; maybe the numbers would give them some much-needed courage.
Team 2 hesitated, but eventually, their Captain signaled for a group assault.
Against a monster of this caliber, a gang-up was hardly a disgrace to SMU High's reputation.
"I suspect her speed is linked to those light particles she gathered earlier."
"The second we start, everyone focus fire. Do not give her a single second to Stockpile energy."
"Also, Number Three and Number Four—your partners are Fliers. Get as high as you can."
"Rain down ranged attacks from the ceiling. Do not land under any circumstances."
"No matter how strong she is, she's a Steel-type. Her range is her biggest weakness."
"As long as you're high enough, what can she do? Fly up and slap you?"
The Vice-Captain took over command, laying out the plan under immense pressure.
The logic was sound: Stockpiling takes time. During that window, she was vulnerable.
Suppress that exaggerated speed, and she was just a high-attack slug with tiny legs.
With air support raining hell from above, they actually had a path to victory.
The teammates nodded in unison. A viable strategy at last.
Raw power is useless if you can't touch your target!
The four remaining students summoned their partners.
A Noctowl and a Corvisquire immediately took to the sky, soaring as far from the ground as possible.
Unsure of Mawile's vertical reach, they flew until they were brushing against the top of the energy barrier.
The other two—a Poliwhirl and an Electabuzz—stood guard, their eyes fixed on Mawile.
They didn't dare get within ten feet of her.
Facing a "zero-windup" Focus Punch at point-blank range was pure suicide.
The female coach waited for her students to finish their deployment before officially starting the round.
Mawile's body immediately began to glow with white sparks. She was entering the Stockpile phase.
The four SMU trainers didn't hesitate.
A barrage of Thunderbolt, Bubble Beam, and multiple Air Cutters tore through the air.
They were desperate to break her rhythm before she finished the charge.
It looked like they were fast enough. Facing a localized carpet-bombing, Mawile was forced to evade.
She abandoned the charge and used Double Team, blurring across the field to avoid the impact.
Team 2 smirked. Their plan was working.
She didn't dare tank the combined fire to force a charge.
Without that terrifying speed, she was a sitting duck.
"Don't celebrate yet!"
The female coach barked, her face darkening.
You haven't won a damn thing, and you're already smiling?
Did you idiots not notice the clones?
Under the coach's warning, the four students realized something horrific.
Every single afterimage of Mawile was also glowing with white sparks...
"Holy shit... that's cheating!"
Their lips twitched as they stared in disbelief.
Why were the clones gathering energy too? Was she Stockpiling while maintaining Double Team?
Is that even biologically possible?
Stockpile isn't a physical stance like Swords Dance; it requires total mental focus.
Who has the brain capacity to maintain a dozen decoys, move at high speeds, and hold a high-density energy charge all at once?
Was this tiny creature's multitasking ability even real?
"Shit! Stop staring and break those clones!"
The Vice-Captain yelled, frantically ordering his team to hunt for the real one.
But it was too late.
With Lorze's Telepathic Resonance, Mawile only needed 3 seconds for a single stack of energy.
By the time they snapped out of their shock, those 3 seconds were gone.
She reached two stacks of Stockpile before they could even land a secondary hit.
Every remaining clone simultaneously performed the "Jaw Clamping" animation, compressing the internal pressure.
Team 2 knew exactly what came next. The sonic boom was imminent.
Before a single counter-order could be given, Mawile's body erupted with force.
Whoosh. She vanished.
Everyone realized another "unlucky bastard" was about to meet the barrier.
Who's the victim this time~?
BOOM.
A dull, wet thud echoed from the Poliwhirl's direction.
The water-type let out a pained shriek as its body was launched backward.
It slammed into the barrier and slumped into a heap, instantly unconscious.
Poliwhirl: Out of Commission.
Power-Up Punch: Stack Two!
Mawile didn't stop. She immediately cast Double Team again.
A dozen tiny, glowing "Battle Maids" began skipping around the arena.
She even started humming a creepy, childish nursery rhyme about dolls as she skipped. It was adorable~.
Adorable my ass!
This is a literal horror game!
"Don't freeze! STOP HER!"
The Vice-Captain was genuinely terrified now. He didn't even check on his teammate.
He ordered the remaining members to dump everything they had into the clones.
He was starting to develop permanent Mawile-related PTSD in real-time.
The remaining three trainers unleashed a desperate, colorful rain of moves on the decoys.
In seconds, the afterimages were popped, leaving only one standing.
The real one was finally exposed!
But... when did she get behind the Electabuzz?
Damn it... They were so focused on the clones they forgot to check their blind spots.
Mawile used a low-power Spit Up burst to bridge the gap instantly.
Her Focus Punch, now backed by two stacks of Power-Up Punch and True Qi, slammed into the back of its head.
Electabuzz: Out of Commission!
Power-Up Punch: Stack Three!
Once again, Mawile used Double Team and resumed her cheerful, bouncy skipping.
She hummed the nursery rhyme with a vacant, "happy" expression.
Even the female coach's lip was twitching now.
In all her years of teaching, she had never seen a partner so... unsettling.
Is this really a Steel-type?
I'd believe you if you said it was a Ghost-type serial killer!
In less than twenty seconds, two SMU mainstays were erased.
They hadn't even grazed a single hair on her body. She was playing with them like toys.
However, the only targets left were the two Fliers.
No matter how creepy she was, surely a Mawile couldn't fly up to slap a bird out of the sky, right?
Go ahead! Fly for me! I dare you!