Chapter 706: Seizing the Weakness

Boom—!

The raging tide not only surged forward, but also spread toward the two directions other than behind.

"It's flooding!"

"The groundwater is gushing out again!"

"Idiot! That's a Blastoise surfing!"

The crowd scrambled backward to dodge the tide, yet still found time to bicker noisily.

In recent years, what the citizens of Silicon Beryllium City remembered most deeply, apart from the rescue organization breaking through the third-generation Shadow Squad, was the sudden gushing of groundwater.

This special phenomenon, which exceeded the common sense of the oasis residents, had flooded three whole streets before receding.

At the time, many said that before the groundwater gushed, a terrifying pitch-black giant bird had flown across the sky, but not too many people paid attention.

Setting aside whether non-human wild creatures existed in the Ore Region, a pitch-black giant bird the size of a house?

Must've been seeing things!

In any case, the Mega Blastoise's surfing truly made them recall that day — that wave of turbid water swallowing everything.

Zhengyi was startled as well.

Is your Blastoise a Water-type or something? I didn't see you draw water from the aqueduct either!

"Dig!"

"Sandshrew!"

Without needing the trainer to speak, the water-fearing Sandslash had already clawed open the ground beneath its feet and burrowed in, doing its best to make the tunnel complex enough that it wouldn't be swallowed by the water.

After all, it had been hit by an Ice Beam before, and the frost marks still left on its back meant it was far from peak condition; even when completely unscathed it wouldn't dare withstand such a massive wave!

Having once gone to Qinggang with its trainer, it even thought of the roaring ocean tide — it could never forget how it had trembled before the vast, magnificent sea, and had even been mocked by its companions for it.

Sensing water flooding in from behind, Sandslash hurriedly kept digging forward.

It planned to launch an attack from that fierce fellow's flank.

But before it could dig a few times, the trainer's vague, anxious voice faintly reached it, seemingly telling it to dodge quickly.

Immediately after, the trembling from the water striking the burrow suddenly intensified—

No!

The direction of the tremor was overhead!

Sandslash abruptly raised its head, and what greeted it was a silver-white claw that smashed the rock above its head to pieces; the hard quartzite was like melted chocolate before it, and hazy light invaded the underground world along with it.

"Sandshrew!"

It instinctively swung its sharp claws wreathed in earthen-yellow light to counterattack, only to find that its prized spear-like long claws couldn't leave even a mark on that fellow's silver-white armor!

Not even a white speck!

Instead, that very strike let its opponent seize its claw, and it was yanked out of the ground like pulling a radish!

"Gwoo—roar!"

Sandslash's vision blurred; first it heard that roar like thunder, then its gaze met a pair of water-blue eyes.

But before it could make out the emotion in those eyes, its attention followed the spin of its body upward — a dark cloud was swirling into shape.

"Defense Curl!"

Zhengyi's shout came just in time.

But Sandslash's attack speed couldn't keep up with the rhythm of his command.

Just as it curled into a ball, countless irregular ice crystals the size of human heads, mixed with Bai Xue, thundered down from the dark cloud — just like the instant a snow mountain collapsed—

【Avalanche】!

Used after being attacked and damaged by the opponent, power doubles!

Although the stamina the Mega Blastoise had lost from being hit by Dig might not even be as much as what it burned from a little exercise, since it had taken damage—

The power of emotion turned Avalanche into an Ice-type physical move whose raw power surpassed Blizzard!

Rumble rumble—!!

Sandslash was buried under deep snow in an instant; the vast white mist and flying snow spread wantonly to the surroundings, the lingering Sandstorm was completely swept away, and charged together with the cold fog toward the spectators far from the field.

In an instant.

They felt a chill that pierced to the bone; quite a few people were surprised to discover that the trouser legs soaked by the Surf were now frozen stiff, leaving large patches of frost-white marks.

Many instinctively wrapped their arms around themselves and began to shiver; some even stamped their feet on the spot, trying to drive the frost from their legs.

"S-so cold."

"This couldn't be what the outside world calls winter, could it?"

"Daddy, that's snow! That's snow, right? It's my first time seeing snow!"

The crowd burst into an uproar; countless gazes toward the Mega Blastoise were filled with awe.

Although it had only used two moves in total, anyone could see that the attacks released earlier by Chansey and the other Pokémon were on an entirely different level from this.

Surf, Avalanche — every move was perfectly suited.

Could Sandslash hold on against such an offensive?

The answer was no.

Even Zhengyi himself knew it was impossible, and what surprised him even more was that the Special Attack the Mega Blastoise had shown in the tournament finals shouldn't have reached this level.

Had it gotten stronger?

It's only been a month!

Zhengyi himself didn't dare believe he could have such obvious progress in a month — tactical changes aside; over the past half year, his frequent challenges against Battle Mountain Master Bartras had gone from losing basically every time to losing more than winning, and he was already quite proud of that.

His old teacher once told him that raising Pokémon was an extremely long journey, one that could be said to be no different from a marathon.

Yet All Baimu had shown clear progress in just one month!

Are you flying a plane?

"Mountain King…"

Zheng Yi spat out three words through clenched teeth; he had already seen his companion, now a snowball, twitching inside the pile.

He pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled it. "Thanks for your hard work."

Baimu, seeing this, also voluntarily ended his Bisharp's Mega Evolution; the severing of their mental link felt like unplugging a phone charger—click, and it was done.

Amid the light, Bisharp returned to its original form and turned to its trainer. "Grrr~"

Is that it? Already over?

I never thought it would come to this—having to step in and clean up. Usually, it was Salamence who handled the finishing blow.

The ace must maintain its dignity.

"She wanted to see Mega Evolution, and Plusle just had a makeover—you don't want to look at its sour face all day, do you?" Baimu patted its metallic arm.

Bisharp nodded instinctively at these words.

Meanwhile.

Zheng Yi walked around the snow pile from the opposite side, his expression tinged with disappointment but mostly excitement. He praised: "Ore's raw gem! Truly deserving of its reputation! The power of Mega Evolution leaves me in awe!"

He extended his hand.

"I'm flattered—Mr. Zheng Yi is also incredibly skilled." Baimu shook his hand; the words were sincere. In his view, Zheng Yi was no less than Alice from the League.

What a pleasant surprise.

But who gave me this nickname?

It's better than "Demon Wood," but I hardly qualify as a raw gem, do I?

Not a "jade gem" until I become Champion?

Zheng Yi grinned, already at ease: "Oh, nothing much. I was planning to drink orange juice, but now it looks like I'll have to settle for peach juice. Oh! By the way—I hate peach fruit, I love orange fruit…"

"Ahahaha…"

Baimu forced a laugh as he listened to Zheng Yi explain his preferences and self-motivation methods, then suddenly interrupted: "Mr. Zheng Yi, do you often issue challenges to strong trainers?"

"Of course!"

Zheng Yi nodded, clenching his right fist, eyes gleaming: "I've always believed that to make Pokémon grow, you must challenge as many strong opponents as possible. Winning proves my strength; losing shows me new paths!"

Excellent philosophy!

Baimu silently approved and asked: "Forgive my curiosity—how many memorable opponents have you faced in your challenges? I'd be grateful for your insights."

Zheng Yi clearly knew far more about the Ore trainer circle than he did; from him, Baimu could likely obtain the information he sought.

As expected.

He caught Baimu's implication and asked curiously: "You want to challenge them? Of course—you've made a name for yourself outside, so returning home, you'd want to defeat local trainers and make your reputation soar!"

"But if you ask me to list them offhand right now, I might struggle to recall them all. It's getting late—how about we find a place to sit and grab something to eat?"

Facing Zheng Yi's invitation, Baimu glanced at his watch and said regretfully: "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Zheng Yi, but I have urgent business and must return to Yellow Iron Town as soon as possible. Would you mind if we connect on Pokémon Line…?"

"Ah, I see… Fair enough!"

Zheng Yi's face showed clear disappointment. "I thought you'd stay in Silicon Beryllium City for a while—what a shame. But no matter! I'll come to Yellow Iron Town to find you!"

Baimu blinked in surprise: "Huh?"

"You can come to Silicon Beryllium City too—we'll just set a time for our next battle!" Zheng Yi clearly didn't intend to fight Baimu just once. This determined, highly motivated fellow seemed set on long-term training under Baimu's guidance.

Just like how he constantly challenged Bartlas.

Baimu wouldn't refuse. "Alright…"

Suddenly.

He realized something and asked Zheng Yi: "Mr. Zheng Yi, as the Gym Leader and Arena Master, you must have many trainee trainers under you, right?"

"Naturally. Why? You want to challenge them?"

"No. I've recently taken over the Yellow Iron Arena. I thought just the two of us battling might get dull—why not let our trainees battle each other too?"

"Brilliant idea!"

Zheng Yi's eyes lit up with admiration; he reached out to grab Baimu's shoulder in excitement, but Baimu dodged nimbly. Zheng Yi didn't mind, still thrilled: "Training together through battle fosters growth! Your idea is brilliant, Baimu!"

Baimu replied: "Just call me Baimu."

"Then you call me by my name too—no need for 'Mr.' or formalities. I hate all that politeness. Come on! I'll buy you juice! Don't tell me you don't even have time for a drink!"

Zheng Yi laughed heartily, enthusiastically inviting him.

Baimu accepted, leaving several nearby outsider trainers who had hoped to challenge him deeply disappointed.

Even outside, opportunities to battle strong trainers are rare—when someone of the caliber of a Four Sage or Champion appears, forget casual street battles.

Trainers eager to challenge them often must first win a preliminary match just to earn the right to fight.

When Koga, the former Kanto Four Sage, appeared in the Orange Islands, he did exactly that.

The crowd gradually dispersed, still eager for more.

The vendor, hearing they were coming for juice, ran ahead—and when the two approached, they saw him drenched in sweat.

Zheng Yi asked curiously: "Why are you sweating so much?"

"Hehe, it's hot."

The vendor wiped his brow with a Mao Jin, then grabbed a thick wooden mallet and began smashing several peach fruits inside an iron bowl—thump, thump.

It was hand-pounded juice!

Baimu was surprised. A juicer shouldn't be expensive—well, the stall's sign clearly read "hand-pounded."

He glanced at the modest sign, took the chilled peach juice Zheng Yi handed him, thanked him, and drank it down in one gulp.

Silicon Beryllium City wasn't any cooler than Yellow Iron Town; the trees surrounding the city clearly couldn't lower the region's overall temperature.

But.

With Lokia's persistent rain, Ore's temperature will eventually drop.

Perhaps it could even develop special zones perpetually shrouded in ice and snow, like other regions?

Baimu smiled, thinking himself absurd for indulging in such fantasies.

After chatting briefly with Zhengyi, they set a date for next week's first Silicoberyllium City and Huang Tie Town Trainer Exchange Competition at the Yellow Iron Arena, then parted ways.

——

The Mountain of the Great Beast.

When Baimu returned, he happened upon the wild Pokémon at mealtime; the moment he appeared, he was surrounded by wild Pokémon of all sizes.

But once they learned he had no food, they all left him behind.

"You're too realistic!"

Baimu laughed and groaned.

As usual, he practiced Gyarados's Mega Evolution; unlike yesterday's lethargy, this time to better channel its type energy, it unleashed a burst into the open ground.

This terrified the lead Mane-rock Wolfman, which had originally planned to ask him if he'd return to that spot in the afternoon to bite people's backsides for treats—now it dared not approach.

Until it was spotted by Dragonite, who informed Baimu.

"You still want to go?"

Baimu was surprised by the lead Mane-rock Wolfman's attitude; yesterday it had looked ready to tear him apart, and today it wanted to "work" for him?

Why?

Baimu quickly learned the answer from other Mane-rock Wolfmen.

Its child adored Poké Blocks, and the lead Mane-rock Wolfman doted on it dearly, so it set aside its past grudges.

Of course, this also had to do with Baimu consistently showing goodwill and demonstrating overwhelming power that subdued all the wild Pokémon.

"It feels like dealing with a middle-aged office drone."

He helplessly watched the Mane-rock Wolfman pack playing; honestly, he'd only wanted their help, but now it felt like he'd seized their "weak point."

He wasn't some demon.

If that's the case.

Baimu thought for a moment and decided to hold a Pokémon knowledge lecture for the Arena trainers that afternoon.

With literacy so low, expecting them to self-study was difficult; with so many Pokémon here, using real-life examples as lesson material would be far easier to understand than staring at a PowerPoint.

Afternoon.

Baimu drove back to Huang Tie Town.

Passing the excavation site of the underground dungeon, he found it surrounded by a crowd; he stopped the car and asked, "What happened here?"

"Baimu!"

"Boss Baimu!"

They all knew him and hurried to greet him: "We heard several people went down and collapsed immediately, unable to come back up—those who went down to rescue them also passed out! So many collapsed! It's incredibly strange!"

"So many collapsed?"

Baimu froze slightly, pulling out the Poké Ball containing Dragonite.

He remembered Shèkǒnglóng telling him that Wandering Souls posed no threat to the living!

Could it be—