At the same time, a very confident aura reached Roy through their bond.
"I know my abilities. Maybe I'm evenly matched with this powerful Pokémon right now, but if I truly want to gain more strength and protect my partner better in future battles, this is necessary. I must push myself to the limit in every battle. Only this way can I truly increase my combat power."
Faced with such reasoning, Roy had no way to argue. Perhaps if Lucario removed its weighted equipment and fought against this extremely powerful Pokémon, victory would definitely belong to Lucario.
But now that it wore these restraints that placed tremendous pressure on its body, the outcome of such a battle was uncertain. Without giving its absolute best, winning would be extremely difficult.
However, if Lucario could fight against this powerful Pokémon and win, no matter how many injuries it sustained, the growth it would gain would be enormous.
Seeing that Lucario was determined, Roy wouldn't stand in the way of his Pokémon's decision. How could he, as a Trainer, prevent his partner from pursuing such experience and growth? That would go against everything he believed in.
The light emanating from those weighted bracelets wasn't very bright, but rather dim. Roy knew that Lucario had increased the weight to at least level five.
At this weight level, the bracelets reached their maximum mass, and the light they emitted became dim, as if all the illumination had been completely absorbed to increase their density.
Although this was just a sparring match, these kinds of battles couldn't be encountered every time. Meeting such a powerful Pokémon for training was a rare opportunity.
Lucario knew that its Trainer greatly valued experience against opponents of exceptional strength. Although it had been with Roy since it was young, and it might not be the exact type of Pokémon Roy had originally hoped for, what it needed to do was become the best partner in its Trainer's heart. So naturally, paying extra effort on this path of growth was only natural.
The other Pokémon obediently cleared a large open space. Although when two powerful Pokémon fought, they wouldn't be constrained by the size of the battlefield, it was still better to provide them with adequate room for battle.
"I know you both intend to compete, but you need to exercise restraint. At the very least, don't let the surrounding Pokémon habitats be destroyed. Of course, you should control your power and make sure the energy you release doesn't cause the kind of devastating environmental destruction that Guzzlord creates."
Lucario nodded in acknowledgment. The combat power it could unleash was indeed focused on single-target attacks. If it directed its attacks solely at its opponent, it shouldn't have any negative impact on the environment in this area, only affecting the Pokémon itself.
Roy's body also glowed with a blue aura.
"I won't give you commands this time. You can fight according to your own battle style. After all, you've already mastered the rhythm of combat after experiencing countless battles. You know what technique to use at what time—you've already internalized it completely!"
Lucario acknowledged Roy's decision. After all, using the power of Aura to communicate during battle would be somewhat unfair.
If the two of them merged their consciousness here, Zeraora, who was preparing to rush toward them, would be able to sense it. Not to mention that in this confined space, even the slightest movement could be predicted. They would know what the next action would be before it happened, which would essentially be cheating. That would make the real battle somewhat unfair.
The weighted equipment existed not only on Lucario's wrists but also on its ankles. The weight these restraints created was enough to significantly affect its movements. The heavier the weights became, the more difficult it was to move. Speed and combat effectiveness were severely impacted by such restrictions.
"Let's start!"
Roy gave the command.
The yellow Pokémon across from Lucario transformed into a bolt of lightning and began spinning continuously around its opponent, seemingly increasing its speed with each rotation.
It appeared that Zeraora had started by using Agility, a move commonly used by Electric-type Pokémon to boost speed and make its movements more nimble, greatly reducing the chance of being hit by the opponent's attacks.
This high-speed movement already presented a troublesome problem for Lucario, whose movements were already somewhat restricted by its weighted equipment.
"Zeraora is both Electric-type and Fighting-type, and it also knows some Normal-type moves. You need to be careful," Roy called out. "You could think of it as a much larger Pikachu, but this is one of the strongest Electric-type Mythical Pokémon. The power it represents cannot be underestimated. Still, I hope you can gain what you're seeking from this battle..."
Roy had said he wouldn't interfere in the battle, but at least sharing information about Zeraora with his partner was necessary. After all, knowing some details about the opponent wouldn't make the fight unfair.
If the Electric-type Pokémon wanted to use electric attacks against Lucario, perhaps when battling other Normal and Fighting-type Pokémon, those lightning strikes would definitely be effective. But for Lucario, voltage of insufficient intensity was nothing more than the external electrical stimulation it experienced during regular training.
The pale blue aura around Lucario never dimmed. After all, against such a strong opponent, how could it win without going all out? Especially while wearing these restraints.
Zeraora, spinning rapidly, suddenly rushed directly in front of Lucario. Violent golden lightning gathered in its paws, and it struck fiercely at Lucario. The centrifugal force from the rapid spinning, combined with this electrified strike, made it comparable to a Fighting-type move from a Champion-level Pokémon.