Chapter 652: Monster Semi-God

"Then there's no time to waste—my first Pokémon… is this one!"

Shi Yuan Zhi threw his Poké Ball forward first.

Boom!

The red-and-white sphere opened, and a beam of white light landed on the open ground.

"Tōn mó!"

A giant, spherical, short-limbed, pillar-like Armoron with eyes positioned directly forward and a fiercely glaring gaze appeared.

Don't be fooled by its unevolved state—it's actually Shi Yuan Zhi's main Pokémon.

Though slow in movement, its reactions are swift, its defenses honed over years are astonishing, and its attacks are exceptionally swift.

During the Generation III era, it once calmly tanked Pikachu's Thunderbolt, then swiftly defeated it with a combo of Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw.

Even Gang, whose battle theory was extremely refined, was stunned.

With Xiao Zhi's prior experience as a warning.

Baimu naturally didn't underestimate this round-looking Armoron and sent out the Pokémon he had pre-selected as his first.

"It's up to you!"

"... Lū tuō."

Dragonalburto emerged, sensing the surrounding gazes and the mixed scent of Dragon-type Pokémon in the air, and nervously flicked its tail.

The Dragonmesia siblings inside the launch port, however, were quite excited, better adapted to the current environment than it.

Had it not been for the impending battle, these two recently overly wild creatures might have run off to play with the other Dragon-type Pokémon.

"It's Dragonalburto! Baimu used it in the tournament!"

"Its aura is extraordinary—I can feel it has known loneliness because of its strength…"

"Can Brother Baimu beat King Shi Yuan Zhi?"

"Of course! He's the Dragon Tamer favored by Black Rayquaza!"

The onlookers from the Meteor People watched the two Pokémon eagerly, whispering among themselves and almost blindly siding with Baimu.

At the edge of the arena.

Zhen Ya, who volunteered as referee, waved his hand forcefully.

"Begin the match!"

"Baimu, go all out," Shi Yuan Zhi said, hands in his coat pockets, voice low and commanding, his sharp gaze fixed on Dragonalburto, who dared not meet his eyes and was sweating from its back.

This socially anxious Dragon had never encountered a human who stared at it so directly—it felt the old man clearly disliked it, and vanished instantly.

It suspected it had somehow offended this human elder.

"Dragon Dance!"

The trainer's command interrupted Dragonalburto's wandering thoughts; it reappeared barely two seconds after vanishing, a crimson misty aura glowing brightly as it spun.

Seeing this, Shi Yuan Zhi said calmly: "Armoron, Ghost Face!"

"Tōn mó!"

Armoron's fierce eyes widened; black energy surged from its body, forming a grotesque, terrifying ghostly face that startled the Dragonmesia siblings immensely.

Dragonalburto was also frightened by the ghost face, but honestly, it thought the human elder who stared unblinkingly at it was even more terrifying.

After finishing Dragon Dance, it quickly re-entered invisibility.

Shi Yuan Zhi's gaze shifted slightly, then quickly returned to calm.

Dragonalburto, realizing it was no longer being watched, exhaled quietly and glanced at its trainer, whose brow was filled with solemnity.

【Ghost Face】 had no effect.

Because it is a Pokémon with the 【Constant Purity】 ability—its stats cannot be lowered by opponents' or allies' moves.

But even if Ghost Face had succeeded, the impact would've been minimal.

As is well known.

In the anime, stat changes from status moves are not fixed percentages like in the games; they vary greatly depending on factors such as proficiency and the user's condition.

So realistically, after Dragon Dance's boost and Ghost Face's reduction, it's impossible for its speed to drop by a third as exaggeratedly depicted.

Dragonalburto, reading Baimu's eyes, stealthily flew toward Armoron's head to avoid its front.

It understood Armoron's ocular anatomy was extremely unique—it struggled to immediately see opponents above, below, to the sides, or behind.

Thus, it didn't need to fly directly behind Armoron; even above or to the sides, there were vast blind spots.

At that moment,

the key factor determining whether Armoron would be hit would be Shi Yuan Zhi's reaction.

"Dragon Pulse!"

"Lū tuō!"

Dragonalburto didn't hesitate—it instantly reappeared, tilted its head, and unleashed a brilliant blue-and-crimson dragon flame aimed straight at the Armoron below!

Whoosh!

The dragon flame took the form of a ferocious energy dragon head, roaring as it opened its gaping maw!

At the eleventh hour,

Shi Yuan Zhi, unfazed, ordered: "Dodge!"

Armoron had already rolled forward ahead of the command, using its spherical body to successfully evade the incoming Dragon Pulse.

Boom!

The energy struck the ground and exploded, sending up a cloud of dust.

But more astonishing than Armoron's thrilling dodge was the terrifying synchronization between it and Shi Yuan Zhi.

Dragonalburto was astonished; Baimu frowned, then relaxed.

The Gym Leaders are not ordinary Trainers; though selected by recommendation, each is a pinnacle existence within their region.

To say they have all endured countless battles is no exaggeration.

Someone like Shi Yuan Zhi, a veteran Trainer who has served for decades as one of the Four Gym Leaders, stands at the very apex among them—his gap from the Regional Champion may lie only in "unique" talent.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Shi Yuan Zhi ordered again, clearly not intending to stop here.

"Grrrhh!"

Cradon swiftly halted its rolling motion with its four short claws, its golden, pendulous eyes piercing through the dust toward the hovering Dragapult, unleashing a torrent of multicolored Dragon-type energy from its face!

Shhh!

A massive torrent of energy tore through the air, forming a fearsome dragon shape that surged skyward, spreading its withered, enormous wings with a terrifying will to devour its opponent.

The sight of it blotting out sky and sun shook the heart.

Yet.

The energy dragon struck nothing but air.

Dragapult vanished from its spot like a phantom, as if teleporting, gone without a trace.

Seeing this,

Shi Yuan Zhi still maintained his cold expression; even as Cradon trudged slowly back before him, his demeanor did not change, nor did he prepare to launch an offensive.

Outside the arena,

young Dragon Tamers did not understand why Shi Yuan Zhi acted this way, anxiously asking the elder Tamers around them.

Old Qingliu whispered: "This is called a Counter-Defense Strategy—it looks like foolishly waiting for the opponent to attack, but it's actually a technique demanding immense skill…"

Counter-Defense.

It is one of Baimu's most skilled tactics, yet it is not a novel strategy—every Trainer whose Pokémon excels in both Defense and Special Defense has tried this approach to some degree.

But the strategy demands high standards from both Pokémon and Trainer: the Pokémon must withstand the blows, and the Trainer must seize the moment to counter.

Lose either condition, and defeat is immediate.

Measuring whether both are sufficient depends on the Pokémon's long-term cultivation of Defense and Special Defense and the Trainer's battle experience—this is a style honed by time.

Without doubt,

as a veteran Four Gym Leader, Shi Yuan Zhi lacks none of them.

After hearing this, the crowd was stunned and hurriedly said: "Then isn't Brother Baimu in serious trouble?"

"How could that be? There is no invincible strategy. Even with all their experience, Shi Yuan Zhi and Cradon will eventually slip up—machines break down eventually!"

Old Qingliu shook his head.

He had not even mentioned how Shi Yuan Zhi's aging mind struggles more and more to concentrate.

In his youth, he was too reckless, too impulsive, and often overconfident, losing repeatedly for a time.

When he finally awoke in middle age, he was overshadowed by even more brilliant figures.

Only after enduring into old age did his battle experience and Pokémon's refinement reach their peak—only for his body to collapse and his condition to decline.

Meanwhile, equally brilliant Champion Dawu and Mi Ke Li had long since finished their growth, surpassing one powerful Trainer after another—including him—to stand atop Hoenn's summit…

'Shi Yuan Zhi could have become Champion.'

All the Dragon Tamers of Meteor Village once believed this—who could have imagined that decades later, the boy who challenged every Trainer and defeated them all remained one step short of the summit?

What a pity.

Everyone thought so.

But no one knew Shi Yuan Zhi's own thoughts.

Old Qingliu squinted at the gaunt, aged Shi Yuan Zhi, as if gazing at an ancient pine standing firm.

It stubbornly grew upon solid rock; even when its needles fell and its cones rotted, even when the wind made it groan, it refused to wither, striving to display its indomitable spirit.

What astonishing vitality!

Shi Yuan Zhi.

No matter your reason for delaying retirement, I hope you achieve what you desire.

Old Qingliu thought silently.

——

In the arena,

Baimu also understood Shi Yuan Zhi's intent.

He knew the man was a powerful Trainer who adjusted his tactics according to his Pokémon's tendencies, differing slightly from types like early-to-mid-game Ash or Iris, who charged headlong with one fixed style.

Cradon's responsiveness had already been tested by the Dragon Pulse.

He had also glimpsed the creature's offensive power.

Honestly, it was frightening.

He strongly doubted Cradon's Special Attack had surpassed several 252 EVs—otherwise, how could it have produced such power with only its base stats?

Fighting a veteran is like this.

The Trainer possesses abundant battle experience; the Pokémon has accumulated extra capabilities through years of combat and training.

It's frustrating.

But one must accept it.

After all, Ash's twenty-year journey allowed Pikachu to defeat the Island Guardian Tapu Koko—why shouldn't Shi Yuan Zhi's decades as a Gym Leader allow Cradon to be slightly overpowered?

The fact that stats aren't fully maxed by time alone is already the anime world showing mercy.

Moreover,

Dragapult is not without ways to fight Cradon.

Baimu's team's top-tier Pokémon could barely touch the threshold of a Top King, yet he dared claim his stats matched Shi Yuan Zhi's, even slightly surpassing them.

"Shadow Clone!"

He waved his hand and shouted: "Use Dragon Arrow again!"

"Ruru~"

Dragonite shot up swiftly, and in an instant, it multiplied into thousands, its countless afterimages filling more than half the sky, blinding the onlookers.

From the Shellgon's perspective, only a small portion could be seen—most were merely illusions meant to deceive Shi Yuan Zhi.

The next moment.

Blue dragon flames erupted from behind the heads of Dragonite's afterimages; countless tiny Dragonites shrieked loudly, hurtling downward like miniature missiles.

"Xiya!!"

"Xiya~"

The vast number of Dragon Mesprit dazzled the eye; their tail flames left dazzling trails, like a meteor shower tearing through the night sky, leaving the Starfall folk spellbound.

Even distinguishing Dragonite's true body was already extremely difficult—now, with so many fast-moving tiny Dragon Mesprit added…

For any Trainer, finding their true forms would be a severe test—

But Shi Yuan Zhi didn't care.

"Long Juanfeng!"

In his hoarse voice, Shellgon curled up, drawing its limbs close and rolling in place; a furious indigo hurricane surged from beneath it, instantly engulfing most of the battlefield, forcing spectators to raise their hands to shield their eyes.

Immediately, the raging hurricane kicked up choking dust and sand, rumbling loudly as it effortlessly shattered the majority of approaching Dragon Mesprit and the Dragonite above.

In no time.

Only two tiny Dragon Mesprit remained in the sky, straining against the oncoming gale, shrieking as they charged toward Shellgon.

Not a single Dragonite remained in the air.

The combo that once toyed with Gao Mei in the tournament's round of sixteen had now been destroyed by Shi Yuan Zhi with a single simple move.

"…"

Baimu stared at Shellgon, rolling like a tire, utterly astonished that this creature—once so brutally beating Pikachu in the Generation era—was still considered "holding back."

You didn't roll like this back then!

"Xiya!"

"Xiya…"

The Dragon Mesprit siblings could not break through Shellgon's tornado defense; the dragon energy clinging to them faded, and they reluctantly returned to Dragonite's launch ports.

The slap came too fast.

Baimu did not hesitate—he immediately recalled Dragonite.

"Come back!"

A red light enveloped Dragonite, pulling it into the Poké Ball.

The opponent vanished.

The spinning Shellgon halted its motion, stepping forward on its four short legs and returning to Shi Yuan Zhi's side.

It seemed this position was especially important.

He withdrew his gaze from Shellgon, silently reflecting on what had just happened.

Dragonite's advantages and strengths were high mobility, stealth, and long-range output—the first two were flawless.

The key lay in that last one: long-range output.

After Dragon Dance, Dragon Arrow was its strongest attack—yet the tiny Dragon Mesprit couldn't even get close to Shellgon!

Before fighting Shi Yuan Zhi, he would never have believed it.

Of course.

The opponent's intent was obvious: force Dragonite into close combat; once the distance closed, Dragon Arrow might break through the tornado or Shellgon's other moves—

Dream on!

Baimu wasn't stupid—he wouldn't let Dragonite, whose breeding focused entirely on speed and offense with almost no investment in defense, engage Shellgon, a high-output tank, in close combat.

Defensive counterattacks from range favor stalemates, emphasizing the "defense" part—if the gap isn't too wide, trading blows and dragging out time is effortless.

Defensive counterattacks from close range favor breaking the status quo, emphasizing the "counterattack" part—if you seize the moment when the opponent's move ends and their strength is spent, knocking them out is effortless.

He knew this well.

Why would he risk it?

Facing a veteran Top King, caution could never be excessive.

Shi Yuan Zhi shifted to a stance with arms crossed, then suddenly spoke:

"Baimu, your Shadow Clone and Dragon Arrow were excellent. Had I never fought Dragonite before and not known its weaknesses, I might have fallen for it.

"So, what Pokémon will you send out next to face Shellgon?"

He did not answer—instead, he threw a Poké Ball.

Boom!

"Shasong!"

Gyarados reared its head and roared, its six black wings flapping, its eyes fixed on Shellgon below with primal battle lust—its nose told it this was a Dragon Pokémon of extreme power.

Stronger than ninety percent… no, ninety-five percent of the Dragon Pokémon in the Dragon Nest!

Perfect!

It loved powerful opponents!