Chapter 627: The Advantage Is Mine!

Inside the arena.

Wisps of green smoke drift up into the clouds.

The fainted Poliwrath Emperor lay on its back, four legs in the air, amid the charred grass that had been blasted open; its vivid lime-green skin was coated in dust and turned a dull shade.

"Poliwrath Emperor is unable to battle! Boulderdoll wins! The first half is over!"

The referee pitilessly raised the red flag high.

The commentator shouted: "A sudden exchange of attacks! Boulderdoll ended the first half of the match at lightning speed!"

Buzz!

The crowd in the stands kept cheering, leaning out excitedly to look down at Boulderdoll through the rain, cheering wildly for this terrifying steel behemoth.

Several Rotom drones flew about, capturing this important moment.

Baimu recalled Boulderdoll, turned and walked down while speaking to the two Poké Balls:

"Good work."

In battle, hesitation is the greatest taboo—when the opponent switches Pokémon, if you can't quickly decide whether to switch or attack, then don't blame others for seizing the chance to strike hard.

Of course, being at a disadvantage really tests one's mindset, especially when the opponent holds a big advantage.

The other side.

"..."

Leon's hands trembled as if he had Parkinson's; he nearly couldn't even grip his Poké Ball.

So close.

Just that little bit!

He clenched his teeth in extreme unwillingness, and only when he noticed a Rotom drone pointing at his face did he, in a daze, recall the Poliwrath Emperor and turn to leave the stage.

Reviewing everything that had just happened, Leon believed that if he had pulled out the Poké Ball in time, there would have been a chance to recall the Poliwrath Emperor.

Why had he hesitated?

Had he seen Boulderdoll's Water-typing and thought there was an opening to exploit?

Yet that single second—or even less than half a second—was all it took; even if he realized something was wrong, Thunder had already fallen from the clouds.

Nothing to be done.

The Hydreigon that had taken out two of his main Pokémon in a row had put too much pressure on Leon.

In all his previous tournament appearances, he had never been pushed to this point.

The miserable situation made him extremely agitated.

The more anxious he got, the more chaotic things became.

The Poliwrath Emperor hadn't achieved a thing before being taken down in one hit by Boulderdoll's Thunder, and his mindset suffered an even heavier blow because of it.

It wouldn't be wrong to say his fighting spirit was gone.

Fortunately, it was halftime now—even just five minutes could be enough to try to adjust back.

Rest room.

【32】 Rest room.

Baimu finished feeding the Hydreigon some berries and held down its restless head.

"Alright, you'll get to go in the second half."

The dim-witted dragon had a one-sided competitive streak against Boulderdoll, so it was unusually resentful that the Poliwrath Emperor had been taken down by the latter.

If a different Pokémon had been switched in to fight, it might not have been this angry.

"Shaao~"

The Hydreigon buried its big head into its trainer's embrace, letting out a hum that made the latter feel his upper body vibrate; it was hard to say whether this fellow was complaining or acting cute.

Second half.

As expected, the Hydreigon and Boulderdoll wrapped things up together.

Leon's Pokémon were far too lacking in overall ability; a complete team composition couldn't make up for the gap in raw strength. Forget fighting him—even against Ilima, they would crumble under the latter's endless variety of moves.

In the end, the outcome would be no different from Ilima losing two or three Pokémon and smoothly advancing to the next round.

What a pity.

With him here, the two were destined never to meet.

Speaking of which, Leon only used his rain-team physical attacker in the first half; in the second half, should we get to see his remaining special attacker?

One of them might even be his ace Pokémon.

Hopefully it won't be too disappointing.

Baimu took a sip of water, caught sight of Brock and the others coming in from outside in his peripheral vision, pushed away the Hydreigon that was howling meaninglessly in his arms, and went to meet them.

"Shaao?"

The Hydreigon was bewildered; only when it turned its head and saw the others did it understand what was going on.

For a moment.

Its gaze toward Brock and the others was slightly resentful.

"What's wrong with the Hydreigon? Its performance in the first half was clearly beautiful, wasn't it?" Alice asked in confusion—she always paid special attention to the emotional changes of Dragon-type Pokémon.

After all, her special ability was specifically directed at the Dragon-type area.

Baimu waved his hand, indicating there was no problem.

——

The second half began right on time.

Roar!

The sound of mechanisms thundered!

The terrain changed; a massive pool of water rose up from underground.

Leon stared at the rippling water before him, first stunned, then his face broke into wild joy.

"It's a Water field!"

He had been considering how to withstand the pressure in the second half and look for a chance to counterattack, but unexpectedly the computer gave him a huge surprise.

The Rainy Season duo encountering a Water field!

The advantage is mine!

Leon clenched his fists, feeling the blood that had gone cold now boiling once more, burning him awake and refreshed.

Even the heavens are helping him!

What reason does he have not to perk up?

"Bring it on!" Leon swapped out the Poké Ball he had originally prepared, ready for a do-or-die fight.

Above the battlefield.

The commentator's voice rang out clear and bright.

"Ladies and gentlemen! In the second half of the first match of the Championship Tournament semifinals, what we see is a Water field! Trainer Baimu currently has six Pokémon available, while Leon has only three remaining! So what will be the first Pokémon they send out?"

Both sides threw their Poké Balls.

"Brace yourselves, here we go!"

"You be the one to sound the horn for the first wave of our counterattack! Go, Pelipper!"

Bang bang!

Light flashed.

Large bird-like Pokémon appeared in the sky on both sides.

On Baimu's side, the choice was unmistakably Hydreigon, while Leon's was Pelipper, whose beak occupied two-thirds of its body.

"Shaaag!"

"Pree!"

They cried out in unison, and lead-gray rain clouds once more descended over the battlefield.

Raindrops fell even harder than in the first half.

Swoooosh——

Waves churned in the pool, scattered raindrops splashing up countless ripples, making most of the battlefield somewhat damp.

Baimu wiped his moist face, looking at Pelipper with some surprise: "Same Drizzle ability, but this one seems stronger?"

If Politoed's rain was a moderate drizzle, then Pelipper's was a proper downpour.

Two different scales, so the duration should presumably differ as well.

He glanced up at the sky.

The rain in the first half had lasted a very long time, only showing signs of stopping when Hydreigon used Draco Meteor; he wondered how things would go in the second half.

The referee's gaze swept over the two trainers in position, and the flag waved.

"Begin!"

"Tailwind!"

"Tailwind!"

Both sides called out in unison, their commands even identical in content.

And when Hydreigon and Pelipper each beat their wings, summoning a visible breeze, the two men realized they had chosen the same opening.

Leon snorted and shouted: "So what if you're faster? First strike wins! Hurricane!"

This guy, seeing the computer randomly select a Water field, was like a man injected with adrenaline, completely forgetting his slump from the first half.

But thanks to this, the chance of him being affected by his emotions and acting up was much smaller.

Baimu unhurriedly waved his hand: "Dragon Climb!"

"Shaaag!"

Hydreigon roared loudly, pouring the resentment of having its prey stolen in the first half onto that Pelipper across the way, and blazing dragon flames instantly engulfed its entire body.

Whoosh!

Three ferocious energy dragon heads raised themselves and let out terrifying howls, its sky-covering wings spread wide.

Beneath the overcast clouds, it looked exactly like a calamity dragon about to destroy the world!

"Pree!"

Pelipper gazed at the enormous energy three-headed dragon, feeling as if locked onto by a terrifying killing intent, its whole body as though about to plunge into an icy abyss.

But it dared not slacken in the slightest, beating its wings with all its might to stir up the tide of the Water field below.

Roar!

Like a muffled thunderclap, a terrifying waterspout shooting straight to the heavens suddenly took shape!

At the same time.

The giant energy three-headed flying dragon on the opposite side also charged forward, seemingly completely unafraid of the waterspout formed by Hurricane.

Roooar——!!

An invisible howl shook the air.

"Don't stop! Speed up your wingbeats!"

Leon shouted at the top of his lungs to guide his Pokémon—not that he was overly excited, but the wind was so loud that if he didn't yell, Pelipper very likely wouldn't hear him clearly.

Fortunately, the two still had a certain tacit understanding; Pelipper beat its wings desperately, actually triggering a second "resonance" with the Water field.

Another surge of water rose up to become part of the waterspout.

Facing the once-again expanded technique, the giant energy three-headed dragon showed no sign of hesitation, charging head-on into the sky-piercing waterspout!

"Shaaag!"

The wind nearly drowned out the roar of the Three-Headed Dragon.

Boom!

The terrifying water spout reaching to the heavens instantly shattered at its center under the violent collision, utterly feeble.

But before the spectators could cheer, its center rapidly reformed as the Gull's wing flaps summoned an even stronger storm.

The massive energy Three-Headed Dragon, unable to break through, was immediately trapped within.

As if imprisoned by the storm.

"Roar—"

The massive energy Three-Headed Dragon roared within the storm, yet could never break free.

The commentator cried out: "The Three-Headed Dragon is trapped by the combination of water and storm! Gull's hurricane is incredibly powerful!"

Leon's face lit up with joy: "Well done!"

No wonder it's the most powerful special attack among Flying-type moves—thanks to the rain's acceleration and convergence effect, it has matched the Three-Headed Dragon's attack!

—No.

It's dominating!

He watched the undamaged Gull and the Three-Headed Dragon trapped in the waterspout, his heart racing faster: "When it emerges with Water Cannon—"

Boom!

Before he could finish, the entire waterspout exploded from top to bottom, merging with the azure dragon flame into a sky-wide mist.

The Gull had no time to reform; the shockwave, mixed with mist, engulfed it.

Leon froze, his heart suddenly sank.

"Gull! Fly out now!"

Too late.

Reacting now was too slow—the Three-Headed Dragon had already used Dragon Dive and the explosion's shockwave to charge toward the Gull like an arrow released from a bow.

With the tailwind already boosting it, plus the shockwave's acceleration, the Three-Headed Dragon had become a blurred shadow!

Whoosh!

The gale howled!

The Gull couldn't dodge—it was rammed headfirst into the Three-Headed Dragon's mouth; the force sent both flying out of the arena, shooting over Leon's head and crashing toward the sideline near the spectator seats.

"Gull! Use U-turn and get back!"

Leon's face turned pale; he pulled out a Poké Ball, but the retrieval beam could only catch the Three-Headed Dragon—he had no choice but to try commanding an exchange move to recall it.

But it wasn't that easy.

After flying out of the arena, the two Pokémon tumbled beneath the stands; the aerial Rotom clearly captured the image of the Three-Headed Dragon's central head fully swallowed by the Gull's beak.

Buzz!

The spectator seats erupted in chaos.

The commentator shouted excitedly: "Third close-quarters struggle! Every time the Three-Headed Dragon aims to defeat its opponent, it uses its immense physique to crush them! Is this its special tactic?"

Baimu's expression didn't change; at this distance, even if he screamed himself hoarse, the Three-Headed Dragon wouldn't hear him.

But it didn't matter.

The Three-Headed Dragon had already memorized exactly which move to use next—it wouldn't waste a single opportunity, pressing the advantage to crush its opponent without any command.

Leon wasn't as calm—he kept searching desperately for a chance to recall the Gull, sweat and rain dripping from his forehead, yet he didn't dare blink.

The problem was, the Three-Headed Dragon's position was perfect—he couldn't leave his trainer's seat, and had no angle to adjust from.

At the arena's edge.

Without hearing its trainer's command, the Gull decided to give the Three-Headed Dragon a point-blank Water Cannon—to show it that not every place could be entered so carelessly.

But—

As the attacker, the Three-Headed Dragon's speed far outpaced this big-mouthed seagull.

Its two side heads bit down hard on the Gull's wings; electric currents instantly surged through its fangs into the Gull's body.

"Peelii?!"

The Gull's energy had barely begun to flow when it was stunned by the shock—it reflexively tried to spit out the Three-Headed Dragon.

The latter had no intention of letting go.

Though its main head was dangerous, it was also the best attack position; seeing that Thunder Fang hadn't knocked the opponent unconscious, it spat a blast of dragon flame straight inside!

"Peh—"

The Gull's eyes widened; a brilliant azure glow exploded from its mouth!

Boom!

Rolling smoke burst from its beak, along with a soiled, massive head.

"Sshhh…"

The Three-Headed Dragon's main head also spat smoke; using a high-power move in such a confined space inevitably caused mutual damage—one thousand lost, eight hundred lost.

Like throwing a grenade at an enemy's feet from one meter away.

He gets blown up, but you won't escape unscathed.

But the Three-Headed Dragon had superior endurance and had deliberately held back—once the smoke cleared, it would be fine.

The Gull, without any doubt, collapsed on the spot; though most of the energy blast was confined to its beak, it was more than enough to knock it out.

The referee confirmed the situation via the aerial Rotom and swiftly raised the flag:

"Gull is unable to battle! Three-Headed Dragon wins!"

"First point of the second half! What an incredibly powerful Dragon-type Pokémon! It has already defeated three opponents—and this still isn't its limit!"

The commentator's voice sent many spectators into near-frenzied cheers.

The Three-Headed Evil Dragon flew back to the field.

Rainwater fell onto its body, once again wetting its six wings, but it did not affect its ability to fly — after all, its flight relied primarily on its Levitation trait.

However.

Leon's heart had already gone completely cold.

He hurriedly recalled his fainted Pelipper, feeling a pang of ruefulness.

He had actually thought the field would bring a huge advantage enough to turn the tables, and had even gotten a bit carried away — when clearly the opponent's overwhelming raw strength had been made obvious to him in the first half…

He hadn't learned a thing!

Leon tormented himself with self-criticism, realizing that compared to winning this match, what he should be considering was whether he could defeat the Three-Headed Evil Dragon at all.

…What a sad thought.

He let out a sigh, then suddenly noticed All Baimu recalling the Three-Headed Evil Dragon.

"Hm?"