Chapter 1221

"The final showdown! Who will prevail — Duraludon or Tyrantrum?!"

Parkila's words tugged at everyone's hearts and minds.

Countless eyes fixed on the swirling gunsmoke, waiting for the dust to settle, waiting for Deng Pei to enter and render judgment.

On the big screen.

Close-up shots of Carney and Baimu appeared before everyone's eyes.

Yet compared to the Champion Actress, whose brow was full of gravity, the rookie Champion's expression seemed far too composed.

As if he didn't care about the match result at all.

This inevitably made people wonder — was he confident because he had a trump card, or was he forcing a calm front, unwilling to reveal his true emotions?

Many fans joked: "Maybe he has battle facial paralysis?"

After all, since video records began, no matter his Pokemon's condition, Baimu has always been abnormally composed, rarely showing intense emotion.

Not only that, the frequency and detail of his commands also fall far short of other trainers; one could even say the stronger he gets, the fewer commands he gives.

As if he entrusts all decisions to his Pokemon, while he is merely a cold spectator.

But in reality, everyone knows clearly that aside from his opening commands, Baimu's subsequent orders often come at the more critical moments.

Like a decisive, finalizing attack, a move to turn the tables; or when a Pokemon hesitates due to the opponent's decisions, unable to make a judgment that lets it be unwaveringly certain.

It's not that he's slacking off, but that the understanding between him and his Pokemon has long needed no words.

In most cases the moves they prepare to use are also the moves Baimu wants them to use.

Many times when he gives a command, it's mainly to boost their confidence.

Besides, trainer-Pokemon interaction never relies on sound alone; sometimes even the opponent's reactions can become a symbol of the mutual understanding between both sides.

To put it extremely conservatively, the relatively autonomous battle style of the social-anxiety dragons actually stems from thorough pre-match preparation.

Accustomed to absorbing relevant knowledge in daily life, preparing a year in advance for the Eight Masters is the current keynote of Baimu's entire team; I believe by the second half of the year, Champion Dan Di and the others' Pokemon will be the existences they are most familiar with aside from their partners.

And one undeniable point is that the relationship between Baimu and his own Pokemon has already become comparable to the two-person jaeger pilot teams in Pacific Rim — everything understood without words.

This battle style resembling 【Telepathic Understanding】 is an important cornerstone of a future goal — 【Spiritual Resonance】.

Ever since Shi Yuan Zhi told him about this state, and the Hydreigon achieved it once, Baimu has been pursuing methods to trigger it stably.

Inside the arena.

The choking thick smoke dispersed with the wind.

Before everyone's eyes, the massive Tyrantrum lay on its side, its eyes replaced by black circles.

The tall Duraludon's head hung low, suspended above it, silent as death.

And just when everyone thought it had also fainted, Duraludon suddenly raised its head, and together with the Duraludon siblings on either side of its head, let out furious roars in unison.

"Ruto——!!"

"Hiya!!"

We won!

Our victory!

Duraludon's emotions, suppressed to the extreme, gained complete release, like a tightly twisted rope finally coming undone.

The Duraludon siblings likewise cried out long and loud as if sharing in the honor, equally exhilarated at defeating a powerful enemy.

"Hmph."

Baimu's calm face revealed a trace of a smile.

Wah!

In a split second, the audience stands erupted in cheers like a bolt from the blue, suddenly surging!

Applause and shouts resounded through the universe!

Deng Pei raised his right hand high, "Tyrantrum has lost battle capability, Duraludon wins!"

"Baimu wins another round! An unexpected result!"

Parkila had to admit that just now even she thought Duraludon had a very high probability of being done in by Tyrantrum.

Only because it used the Ghost-type 【Phantom Force】, while the latter used the Dragon-type 【Draco Meteor】 that counters it.

At worst, mutual destruction was also possible, right?

Who knew Duraludon would laugh last!

She remarked with emotion: "A reputation well-deserved; in this Champion showdown awaited by millions, Baimu still holds the upper hand!"

The applause continued, everyone gazing at the big screen.

Ding!

Tyrantrum's portrait dimmed, leaving only Mega Gardevoir still lit, contrasting sharply with Baimu's side where the full lineup remained bright — the visual impact was tremendous.

You have to understand this is a Champion battle!

At this moment, all trainers who had ever lost to Baimu, including Gardevoir who nearly developed a heart demon, felt relieved.

Turns out it's not that I'm too weak, it's that this guy is strong to an inhuman degree!

"Got stronger again? Champion Dan Di, your throne is trembling again~" Chibana leaned lazily on the long bench.

Beside him was Champion Dan Di in casual clothes, reading documents while watching the match.

The League President's position is far more burdensome than he imagined, slightly affecting his daily training.

But for some reason lately Charizard's condition has been unusually good.

This makes him suspect whether he trained too frequently in the past, and should give his Pokemon more rest time.

Champion Dan Di looked up, gazed at Chibana and smiled: "If that's the case, it couldn't be better."

"... Tch, I just hate that look of yours that says you absolutely won't lose." Chibana was displeased, "Just wait!"

Currently he sits at Master Rank seventh; he needs to climb one or two more spots to encounter Champion Dan Di.

Only his next opponent is Zhu Lan.

Beat her, then beat Champion Dan Di!

Qi Ba Na is full of confidence, and also pondering how high his chances of winning would be if he ever encountered Bai Mu.

Hard to say.

He must admit that, in his view, Bai Mu now is a formidable opponent who requires full-hearted preparation like Champion Dan Di to challenge.

Qi Ba Na stared at the television screen, waiting for the subsequent developments.

Mi A Lei competition venue.

After Deng Pei's judgment, he swiftly flew upward to avoid affecting both sides' match.

And Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo shouted excitedly, then suddenly realized something, his body stiffened and his head slowly drooped, wishing he could dig a hole in the ground with his tail.

The audience's cheers could not make it feel at ease; instead, they formed a kind of pressure.

"Lu ta..."

It hurriedly hid itself.

Bai Mu, seeing this, followed by raising his hand, the Poké Ball's recovery beam precisely hit it, "Idiot."

Does the Jaw Dragon's wish-based HP recovery count as our side's crisis?

Absolutely not!

If Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo were steady enough, it could completely use Dragon Arrow to long-range snipe the Jaw Dragon, while the main body performs evasion.

Want to chase? Go ahead and chase!

Can't beat the Yopi Giant Voice, and still can't beat you, a Tyrannosaurus rex?

It's just that the Social Anxiety Dragon is eager to make a contribution, or perhaps worried about suffering defeat without having achieved anything, just like the Pokémon that lost to Mi Ke Li initially.

It has an impatient nature and also loves to withdraw; seeing the Jaw Dragon about to recover HP, it "flushed red" and, without a word, immediately rushed over to engage in a bayonet fight with the opponent.

The result is——

Fast!

Ridiculously fast!

The strong vision brought driving force, causing the wish to not have time to fully heal the Jaw Dragon before being interrupted mid-way by the Social Anxiety Dragon's tail snap.

As for 【Area-wide Destruction】, naturally it also hit the Social Anxiety Dragon.

The damage caused is not low.

Why didn't Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo fall down?

Because locked HP is never any Pokémon's exclusive skill, and Bai Mu has always firmly believed that the victory-aspiring Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo will never fall down.

Even if its decisions are relatively not that steady.

From forcing a switch via the self-damaging three-thousand 【Curse】, to subsequently accepting its charge into a bayonet clash, all are manifestations of his trust in Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo.

Dare to fight, and you can win!

So Bai Mu merely evaluated the Social Anxiety Dragon as being too hasty, in order to gain victory a bit faster, not sparing himself at all.

Rather than reckless, rash, or other harsher blame-laden terms.

'Being hit hurts, but Duo Long Ba Lu Tuo only wants to win.'

Bai Mu took a deep breath, gazed into the distance as he recalled the Jaw Dragon, his phoenix eyes fixed on her Karuloni.

Come on!

It's time for the final moment!

Bang bang!

White light flashed, the Poké Ball opened.

Super Sanaido's long dress fluttered, standing in the scorched field, as if a white lotus blooming alone in the mire.

This is its third appearance; although it was cursed in the previous round, due to timely withdrawal to remove the status, it has not been significantly affected so far.

In contrast, the Happiny's condition is slightly worse.

With about one-third of its stamina remaining, if hit by 【Mental Shock】, there is a certain probability it cannot withstand it.

Although it possesses an energy level as high as ninety, how much worse could the opposing champion's ace super evolution be?

"Taunt!"

"Taunt!"

The choices of both sides are exactly the same.

The two Pokémon quickly moved toward each other.

Taunt, as a skill, naturally has a higher success rate the closer to the opponent; if too far, the other wouldn't know what you're doing, so how could it be taunted?

The distance closed in the blink of an eye.

Clearly, Super Sanaido's movement speed is faster, but the initiation of Taunt remains synchronized.

"Wu na~"

Super Sanaido covered her mouth and laughed, Happiny pressed the corner of her mouth upward with her small hand, a faint black-red light flashed.

"Happy!"

The counteraction of 【Mockery】 and 【Fake Laugh】.

The result is——

"Taunt completely failed! Looks like both sides find it hard to provoke each other's anger!" Pa Qi La shouted loudly.

Taunt that struggles to provoke the opponent's emotions is not a good taunt.

Just now, Karuloni suddenly shouted in Super Sanaido's heart, distracting part of its attention, causing the fake laugh to fail to reach its inner self.

Happiny……

It never got angry even when bullied before, let alone reacting to mere mockery.

Extreme dullness shows its power!

Karuloni frowned, both provocations ended in failure—was it her Pokémon's issue?

Based on the current situation, Mega Gardevoir's move execution shows no abnormality.

It's likely that Happiny possesses some special means.

A bit troublesome.

Time to use some trump card methods.

She quickly thought of another countermeasure, calling inwardly.

'Use dance to 'seal'.'

Mega Gardevoir's eyes lit up with crystalline blue light, dancing gracefully as it pierced the air and descended upon Happiny.

"Susu~~"

"Happy?"

The latter sensed the opponent's movement, feeling a surge of mental power—was it a move change? A special attack?

The usage methods of partial Psychic-type moves are largely similar, causing their appearances to be highly alike; thus Mega Gardevoir deliberately blurred its own motions.

Happiny hesitated whether to use Lucky Egg, or perhaps hold its ground defensively?

"Lucky Egg."

The trainer's voice came, guiding the hesitant Happiny onto the correct path.

It silently embraced the nutrient egg before its chest.

"Happy~"

Brilliant white light formed a sphere above its head, gradually scattering sparkling emerald specks.

Simultaneously, its body surface glowed with a faint red light, forming a pattern similar to a no-entry sign.

Baimu narrowed his eyes instantly.

Seal?

A new move learned by Gardevoir?

He hadn't seen this move in Karuloni's match records—was it specially hidden, saved for this critical moment?

Using part of a move as payment to restore sufficient stamina.

A bit of a loss.

But even if 【Guard】 had been used earlier, it wouldn't have mattered much—Guard is ineffective against many status moves.

Baimu remained silent.

Karuloni felt she was gaining an advantage.

One hit of 【Mental Strike】 on Happiny's lifeline would suffice, but if the opponent used 【Light Wall】, or got provoked again and had its ability swapped……

Then her side would be in serious danger.

Our side has only one Pokémon left, urgently needing high error tolerance.

Patra: "Gardevoir's seal succeeded! Happiny seized the chance to restore stamina, both sides made different decisions! How many moves did Happiny actually lose?"

The annoying part of 【Seal】 is that if you don't know which moves the opponent has, you're prone to frequent move failures.

Battle error tolerance is already low—there's no room for several wasted turns.

Baimu frowned slightly; he knew all the skills Mega Gardevoir had used publicly, setting aside any hidden parts.

There are many overlaps with Happiny—setting aside offensive moves, just among status moves there are 【Magnetic Wave】, 【Light Wall】, 【Reflect】, etc. —most importantly, including 【Guard】.

This is getting troublesome.

Baimu gripped the Poké Ball; though Dragon Baruluoto could no longer fight, he still had a third Pokémon in hand.

Originally, he wanted Happiny to battle Mega Gardevoir to the end.

Should he use it?

He must use it.

Baimu didn't hesitate long—【Guard】, 【Light Wall】, and 【Mental Strength】 can all be used defensively, but none were exempt from being sealed.

This is not good news for Happiny.

Karuloni needs error tolerance, and so does he on this side.

"Mental Strike!"

"Minimize."

Countless purplish-red light orbs flew toward Happiny, which instantly shrank then expanded, dodging the light bullets with extremely abstract steps.

Bang bang bang bang—

Light bullets kept striking empty space, kicking up large clouds of dust.

Karuloni didn't care, shouting, "Keep using Mental Strike! It can't block many of these!"

Mega Gardevoir grew stronger with each fight, Happiny grew more exhausted from dodging—advantage is mine!

However, just as its eyes began to glow, a flash of red light suddenly seized Happiny and pulled it back.

"Susu……"

Mega Gardevoir was forced to stop.

But its mental power had not been withdrawn, only waiting for the opponent's next Pokémon to appear before immediately using its skill.

Boom!

Dust hadn't settled when familiar light flashed brightly.

"Mental Strike!"

Countless purplish-red light orbs shot out, leaping into the smoke and mist to attack the opponent.

In Baimu's Pokémon, only the Triple-Headed Evil Dragon can block attacks of the Psychic type.

But if he really sent out the Triple-Headed Evil Dragon, Kalloni would truly laugh herself crazy.

The Evil-Added Dragon is four times weak to Fairy-type—utterly unable to withstand a single blow!

Bang bang bang bang—

A series of explosion sounds rang out.

In the even thicker smoke and mist, under the tense and expectant gazes of Super Sanaodo and all the spectators.

Whoosh!

A pink storm swirled up!

Big-Mouth Baby burst through the smoke and mist, exposed before everyone's eyes.

"Chiduo~"

It landed lightly, and in an instant drew countless spectators' frantic screams!

Young Lady!

Appearance!