Chapter 675

Boom!

Turquoise energy flames and black-gray smoke churned.

A pale gray spherical object flew out from within, rolling a great distance before stopping, revealing a Armored Lizard with multiple charred sections of its shell.

Who could have imagined that the leg structure of a Skarmory could generate such explosive ground speed?

In comparison, when Shi Yuan Zhi's Latias was forced into ground combat by gravity, its speed was far less agile than Skarmory's.

So much so that it held its own against the Nightshade Spirit.

But Baimu knew this had nothing to do with whether Shi Yuan Zhi's Latias was poorly bred—it was purely a difference between Pokémon and Pokémon.

As a Steel-type Pokémon, Skarmory's joint structures and talons, among other body parts, were far more resilient than Latias's, capable of withstanding the stresses of explosive ground movement.

Champion Dawu made excellent use of the physical strength granted to Skarmory by its Steel typing.

From the smoke, a silvery-gray bird burst forth.

But the Armored Lizard did not look at it; instead, it stared at the other side of the smoke and unleashed a massive, blazing fireball!

The fireball exploded mid-flight into a brilliant character-shaped burst, scattering all smoke in its path.

Missed?

Not missed!

As the Skarmory that had flown out slammed into the Armored Lizard without using any move—and failed to budge it—the audience suddenly realized this one was likely a "substitute."

The real one was hidden somewhere, waiting to ambush the Armored Lizard once it was misled.

Amidst the uproar, the fiery character exploded into the swirling smoke.

Suddenly, a silver flash shot upward like a bamboo shoot breaking through dry earth, spreading its wings—each feather sharp as an arrowhead—and dove toward the Armored Lizard, evading the flames!

Its speed was so great that the Armored Lizard's fierce white eyes dared not shift an inch.

Suddenly.

Shi Yuan Zhi's calm expression changed; the Armored Lizard swiftly turned, its face filled with disbelief, rolling desperately to the side.

But reacting now was too late.

The "substitute" revealed its steel wings glowing with a dark gray metallic sheen, like two razor blades slashing hard against the Armored Lizard's body!

This thing isn't a substitute—it's the real one!

In an instant, a shocking reversal occurred: Skarmory's steel wings struck with astonishing power, sending the Armored Lizard flying sideways straight toward the real Skarmory substitute.

The substitute showed no surprise; it had anticipated this, reaching out with its claw to grip the Armored Lizard's hind leg, then using the rotational force of its wings to hurl it into the air!

Real and fake, intertwined!

Champion Dawu had successfully deceived Shi Yuan Zhi and the Armored Lizard with a single trick!

Baimu couldn't suppress his astonishment; according to what he knew, Armored Lizard was exceptionally sensitive to type-based energy, and Shi Yuan Zhi was extremely cautious—logically, there was no way he'd mistake Skarmory's real body for a fake.

How could such a Pokémon and trainer be fooled by a mere shell of a substitute?

What kind of trap had Champion Dawu set?

He realized his long-range god's-eye view couldn't fully discern the details on the field—he'd have to ask Champion Dawu or Shi Yuan Zhi directly.

The same applied to his Polywhirl II; ordinary people simply couldn't imagine that his Polywhirl II could create perfect clones capable of using moves.

On the field.

The Armored Lizard spun in midair, its body coated in torrential crimson flames—clearly using the Dragon-type physical attack, Dragon Rage.

It fearlessly dove toward Skarmory, trailing behind it a comet-like streak of escaping energy.

But the substitute moved first, positioning itself directly before the Armored Lizard.

Though it immediately shattered into blue smoke, it allowed the real one to fully charge—now Skarmory was encircled by deep-blue energy currents, terrifying waves of power radiating from its body.

Sacred Bird Strike!

It raised its head toward the descending Dragon Rage Armored Lizard, then shot skyward like a rocket, colliding head-on with its opponent!

Boom!

In an instant.

A deafening roar erupted as a visible, milky-white shockwave exploded in midair, sending gales crashing into the spectators seated around the arena.

Many instinctively raised their hands to shield against flying dust, crying out in surprise.

What an incredible Sacred Bird Strike!

The Armored Lizard probably can't withstand it.

Baimu knew that most of a Pokémon's move power was concentrated at the point of impact, with the residual wave amounting to only one percent—or even less.

Yet the residual energy from Skarmory and Armored Lizard's clash was affecting spectators dozens of meters away—proof enough of Sacred Bird Strike's immense power.

The Armored Lizard had taken Stealth Rock, Brave Bird, Steel Wing, and now Sacred Bird Strike.

If it still couldn't be taken down, then Champion Dawu's Pokémon breeding method must be flawed.

Indeed.

When the smoke cleared, the Armored Lizard lay on its back, unconscious; Skarmory let out a hoarse, prolonged cry.

Its voice was even more raspy and grating than that of a Corviknight, yet no spectator cared—they were ecstatic, staring at it with pure excitement.

Champion Dawu successfully opened the Champion Defense Match with a bang!

Shi Yuan Zhi recalled the Armored Lizard and swiftly sent out Sandile, who had been blown off the field by the wind.

Stealth Rock emerged.

Boom boom—exploded.

The emerald-green Desert Spirit remained expressionless, transforming into white light and hurtling toward Skarmory at an absurd speed beyond human sight, leaving only the hum of flapping wings behind.

Skarmory, having been using Rest to recover, immediately interrupted the move and flew upward without hesitation.

After enduring consecutive battles against Double-Edge Dragon, Sandile, and Armored Lizard—and having actively used a move that drained its stamina—its condition had become critically dire; if it didn't use Rest now, Sandile would surely knock it out.

But using Roost for too long makes it easy for Vibrava to close in and pin it to the ground, defeating it with Earth Power.

Shi Yuan Zhi naturally understood this, so he again chose the fastest Pokémon in his hand, aside from his ace, to prevent its recovery.

Thus.

The Armored Bird, still in poor condition, found itself in a dilemma.

Champion Dawu made his decision, pulled out a Poké Ball, and prepared to swap it out during the brief gap after Vibrava's move—but Shi Yuan Zhi gave him no opportunity.

Vibrava closed in on Armored Bird and immediately flapped its wings, summoning a Sandstorm Hell!

Having lost its Flying type due to Roost, Armored Bird no longer had immunity to Ground-type energy and became trapped within the Sandstorm Hell.

Even if only for an instant,

Vibrava followed suit, charging in and suddenly seizing Armored Bird as both hurtled toward the ground.

From its mouth it blasted a pale yellow light toward the earth; the ground cracked open, and terrifying energy surged from the fissures, ready to overflow at any moment!

【Earth Power】!

Boom!

Armored Bird was slammed hard against the earth; the blue light shield it had just raised was shattered by the gushing golden wave, and a torrent of Ground-type energy instantly swallowed it whole.

Its hoarse cry was drowned out by the violent explosion.

The audience sat stunned—just minutes ago Armored Bird had been flaunting its victory, and now it was pinned to the ground?

The dust cleared.

The unconscious Armored Bird was too much for many trainers with little battle experience to accept.

Compared to Armored Bird, which used every trick to defeat Krabby, Vibrava's victory seemed far too easy.

But Baimu knew clearly that Armored Bird had given its all; Shi Yuan Zhi's main Pokémon's hexagonal strengths did not vanish just because it faced a Champion; compared to this veteran Sky King, Champion Dawu still had a gap in accumulated experience.

Moreover, it had forced Shi Yuan Zhi to deploy three Pokémon entirely on its own merit—worthy of praise from all who could see clearly.

Incidentally…

On the giant screen, Vibrava, given a close-up, suddenly stumbled; purple light surfaced on its face, and foam spilled from its mouth.

Poison again!

After Double Axe Dragon, Armored Bird had poisoned another Pokémon!

Champion Dawu switched just as swiftly—retracting one, releasing another; the replacement was a Psychic Clay Doll, six-eyed, jet-black like a giant ancient pottery statue.

Upon entering the field, it immediately used Cosmic Power to boost its Defense and Special Defense.

As a Pokémon with the Levitate ability and Ground type, Psychic Clay Doll also possessed immunity to Vibrava's signature move, Sand Tomb.

Fortunately, Vibrava's other signature move, Quick Attack, was still active; it surged forward at high speed, flapping its wings to release a dark green energy wave.

But Psychic Clay Doll did not dodge or evade—it constructed a wall of psychic energy to block it.

With its already formidable Defense and Special Defense, reinforced by Cosmic Power and the Psychic Wall, non-super-effective moves struck it with little effect!

On the giant screen,

Vibrava seemed momentarily bewildered by this sight.

It was certainly not its first battle against Psychic Clay Doll; its shock proved the latter had grown significantly over the past year—

No rule says a Champion cannot improve.

Baimu suddenly realized that the future Eight Masters' Champion Dawu might be even stronger than he is now; the same applied to Champion Dan Di.

"Hss."

Inside him, there was both awe and anticipation.

Inside the arena,

Psychic Clay Doll activated Reflect again, its dual layers completely cutting off Vibrava's hope of landing a physical attack.

Shi Yuan Zhi had no choice but to swap out Vibrava again, sending in Double Axe Dragon, still poisoned; Stealth Rock erupted for the fourth time.

Boom!

Double Axe Dragon staggered one step through the smoke.

Immediately, Psychic Clay Doll summoned a Sandstorm; Double Axe Dragon charged forward and used Low Kick—though its effect was surely like scratching, at least it could break through two layers of defense.

Champion Dawu naturally would not let Shi Yuan Zhi succeed.

As Double Axe Dragon used its powerful leg muscles to leap high, its crimson double axes about to strike in the final instant, Psychic Clay Doll vanished from its spot.

Teleport!

The move that drives all slow, close-range Pokémon to despair!

Due to its slow startup, it's hard to use against fast or long-range Pokémon—even expert Psychic-type Gym Leaders and Four Guardians dare not use it casually against opponents of equal level.

It's usually only used against weak opponents.

Who could have imagined that Champion Dawu not only had Psychic Clay Doll use it, but actually used it to evade Double Axe Dragon's Low Kick?

How bold!

Baimu heard the surrounding cheers like a roar, knowing that if Psychic Clay Doll had not dodged, countless netizens would have privately criticized the Hoenn Champion for acting recklessly and arrogantly.

Now that it succeeded, it was all cheers and applause.

Champion Dawu himself surely knew this—he still took the risk and used Teleport, but his purpose had nothing to do with letting his Pokémon show off.

His true intention was the Ice Beam—after creating distance!

Double Axe Dragon landed; Shi Yuan Zhi immediately guided it to dodge Psychic Clay Doll's attack.

But Champion Dawu fully exploited Psychic Clay Doll's body structure: while ordinary Pokémon can only fire one ice beam from the mouth, it could fire two from its gourd-like arms!

It nearly blocked all of Double Axe Dragon's evasion space!

How to dodge?

Champion Dawu showed you with action: there was no dodging.

A flash of icy light struck instantly; after a brilliant burst of blue ice, a lifelike ice sculpture of a Double Axe Dragon appeared in the arena.

Undoubtedly.

The Double Axe Dragon had lost its combat ability; otherwise, it could not have been frozen into an ice state while suffering from severe poison.

"Evenly matched… no, slightly stronger?"

Baimu stroked his chin, judging the relative strengths of the two main battlers.

Unlike Shi Yuan Zhi, who trained Pokémon's physicality and willpower, Champion Dawu leaned more toward awakening Pokémon's innate species abilities.

This allowed Champion Dawu to still manifest distinct powers, no matter how many Pokémon of similar types he bred.

Flower Moon and Fu Rong among the Hoenn Elite Four were similar to him; Baimu's own future path was this same one, so he devoted himself to developing the three heads of Garchomp, the massive jaw behind Duskull's head, and so on.

Of course.

It's not that Shi Yuan Zhi's chosen path is invalid—reaching the top tier of the Elite Four proves plenty; physicality and willpower are equally important, it's merely a matter of primary versus secondary emphasis.

Inside the arena.

Shi Yuan Zhi swapped out the Double Axe Dragon; after a brief silence, he sent out Kingdra, whose Stealth Rock exploded again with exceptional potency, leaving Kingdra slightly injured upon entry.

This was clearly a gamble on 【Critical Hit】.

As long as it lands a Critical Hit, the boosted Defense and Special Defense, along with Light Screen and Reflect, are all ignored!

Surprisingly, upon seeing Kingdra, Champion Dawu immediately swapped out the Hypno.

He even abandoned the boosted Defense from Cosmic Power, sending up a Pokémon whose appearance resembled some kind of Shi Qian plant.

It was Lilligant with the Ability Water Absorb!

Baimu's heart stirred—he remembered this Pokémon vividly, not only for its decent performance in the Eight Masters battle, but also because of its Hidden Ability.

In the games, Hidden Abilities only appeared in Generation V, yet in Generation III, Lilligant was already one of Champion Dawu's Pokémon.

He had assumed the anime's Champion Dawu should also follow the game stats—

Not so.

Online, the data on Champion Dawu's Pokémon clearly listed Lilligant as having the Hidden Ability Water Absorb!

And with Kingdra facing a Pokémon that immediately halved its own power upon entry, how could it fight? Would Shi Yuan Zhi switch it out?

The answer was clearly no.

Switching again would only waste time and expose it to more Stealth Rock damage; if he sent out Sandile, Champion Dawu would surely swap to Hypno again, and the end result would be nearly identical.

Besides, sending out Kingdra was precisely to gamble on a Critical Hit.

There's still a chance with Dragon-type moves and other attacks.

Kingdra, as usual, started with Smokescreen.

Lilligant chose to Root, and phantom root tendrils grew from beneath it, sinking into the ground as spherical energy flowed into its body.

Within the smokescreen, Kingdra unleashed its second move as a sniper—Shadow Clone.

Countless clones burst from the smoke and charged toward Lilligant, yet the latter stood unmoved, as if unaware, swinging its eight tentacles.

Stillness controls motion.

It was undoubtedly an excellent Pokémon employing a defensive counterattack strategy, fully grasping the essence of "if the enemy does not move, I do not move."

The clones rushed chaotically but failed to force Lilligant to act; Kingdra then chose to attack simultaneously with its clones, and instantly, countless beams of ice shot at it from all directions!

Yet only one of these ice beams was real; the rest were illusions.

Lilligant knew this well, so it allowed the ice beams to strike its immobilized body—and then…

Used the impact points to pinpoint the opponent's location!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Four tentacles lashed through the air, stretching and retracting like spring whips, multiplying their length manyfold—despite Kingdra's great distance, they touched its position in an instant!

Multiple coordinated blockades left Kingdra with no room to dodge!