Chapter 738: Time for Reckoning

Boom!

Like the rumble of thunder.

The Steel Armor Crow, having lost its ability to fight, flew out from the sand wall — or rather, was flung out — and crashed to the ground not far from Zhengyi with a loud clang.

"Gah…"

Its legs twitched for a while, then its eyes rolled back and it passed out.

The electronic referee quickly displayed the result on the scoreboard.

On the other side, some of the trainers from Huang Tie Town who couldn't see the Steel Armor Crow noticed the changed scoreboard and began shouting excitedly.

"Boss Baimu won!"

"It's over? That fast?"

"What are you on about — that Steel Armor Crow lost its ability to fight, just look at the scoreboard yourself!"

A crowd of people bickered noisily.

The trainers from Silicon Beryllium City were equally caught up in the uproar; the main point of their debate was how to break through the sand wall created by the Mega Steelix.

Some believed that although the sand wall looked fearsome, it was still essentially a weather-type move, and could be countered with an even stronger weather-type move — for instance, Torkoal's Drought Ability.

Others argued there was no need to break the sand wall at all; weather affected friend and foe alike, so it could just as well be turned to their advantage.

So what about the sand wall?

Pokémon that could roam the desert were a dime a dozen — and besides, Teacher Zhengyi was a master of both Sandstorm and Sunny Day!

In all their arguing, the youngsters rarely considered the sand wall unbreakable.

Jin Ge and Malin, the two who had battled Baimu before, were also asked for their opinions, but neither would commit; they silently watched Zhengyi, who was crouching beside the weakened Steel Armor Crow and speaking to it in a low voice.

The troublesome part of the sand wall was never the wall itself.

It was the way it forcibly separated Pokémon from their trainers.

If the trainer couldn't see what was happening inside the field, then a Pokémon left alone and outnumbered could only rely on itself — and for Pokémon with poor battle awareness, this was nothing short of a disaster.

Therefore.

On the premise that the sand wall couldn't be broken, Zhengyi had to figure out what was happening inside, otherwise no matter how many Pokémon he sent out, it wouldn't be enough for the Mega Steelix to beat.

After a brief exchange, Zhengyi comforted the Steel Armor Crow and recalled it into its ball.

"What a handful."

He gazed at the sand wall, deeply moved.

According to the Steel Armor Crow's account, the Mega Steelix's attacks were simply omnipotent — the originally planned last Pokémon had no way to withstand them at all—

He had to switch!

Zhengyi didn't dare waste any more time; otherwise, if the Pokémon switch took too long, the electronic referee might judge it as a loss of fighting spirit and rule him defeated on the spot!

"I'm counting on you! Mini Dachaobei!"

Bang!

Mini Dachaobei entered the field, and Zhengyi quickly spoke a few words to it.

"Nonsi!"

Mini Dachaobei charged into the sand wall at the sound of his voice. At first it stood as immovable as one of the Easter Island statues, but soon it began sliding sideways uncontrollably.

One had to remember that this fellow was at most one-point-four-five meters tall, yet weighed close to half a ton.

For it to be moved by the sand wall was proof enough of how terrifying the sandstorm weather created by the Mega Steelix was. Swap in any lighter Pokémon and they'd probably spin around helplessly, just like being thrown into a washing machine.

The only difference was that a washing machine used water, while the sandstorm used grains of sand.

"Begin!"

Zhengyi shouted at the top of his lungs, immediately getting a mouthful of sand for his trouble. Fortunately, the order got through — and amid flickering electric current, Mini Dachaobei lifted off the ground.

Right after that, it vanished into the sand wall.

The tactic Zhengyi instructed Mini Dachaobei to carry out was to hide inside the sand wall, not go to the spots where the wind and sand inside were weaker, and focus on remotely controlling the three Little Chaobei on its body to strike from afar.

On the other side, Baimu at first glance could only see what Pokémon Zhengyi had sent out through the scoreboard, but in reality the Mega Steelix was giving him feedback on the mental plane every single moment.

This was an advantage that even Shi Yuan Zhi — the originator of the sand-wall-splitting tactic — did not possess.

As long as the Mega Steelix described things properly, any trainer who encountered an unbreakable sand wall would face a two-versus-one situation.

Even if that "two" wasn't a complete "two."

When the three Little Chaobei flew out from the sand wall and Mini Dachaobei's main body vanished from sight, Baimu — who had "seen" this scene through the Mega Steelix — immediately figured out Zhengyi's plan.

"Hah, trying to hide? That might work against a Vibrava that can't control sandstorms, but against a Mega Steelix it's nowhere near enough!"

He laughed heartily and issued the command: "Adjust the rotation direction!"

The center of the sandstorm.

The Mega Steelix, with four horizontal crystal pillars above and below rotating like a windmill, threw back its head and roared, the sound shaking the air like thunder!

It ignored the approaching Little Chaobei and, like a large machine rebooting, switched its rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise!

Rumble rumble rumble—

A terrifying roar echoed across the arena!

Everyone stared at the awe-inspiring sight, speechless. Huge sandstorms weren't anything rare in the Ourei region, but those were formed by nature.

No matter how strong a Pokémon-built weather effect was, it only covered a range of a few dozen to a few hundred meters.

Yet at this moment, the sandstorm freely controlled by the Mega Steelix gave them the uncanny sensation of witnessing a natural disaster.

"A-amazing…"

Many stood with their mouths agape, unable to hide the longing in their hearts, and began to fantasize about their own Pokémon possessing such mighty power.

Mega Evolution! I want it!

If they also had Mega Evolution, could they be as strong as Baimu?

Even stronger than him—even if not as strong as Baimu, definitely stronger than Trainer Zhengyi!

Malin's close friend excitedly shared her aspirations with her. Malin forced a smile, well aware of the principle that the strong stay strong.

Owners of Mega Evolutions from the Carlos region could often be seen at League conferences, but in the end, how many emerged as famous champions?

Having dreams is a good thing. What's despairing is getting the result you wanted only to find it's still not as good as someone else's.

She looked at Zhengyi, who was shouting orders, and suddenly felt that compared to her, Zhengyi was the one who should be more despairing?

Inside the arena.

The Little Chaobei were blown this way and that by the suddenly shifting sandstorm, every beam of light shooting into empty air.

The Mega Steelix's head rotated a full 360 degrees, easily spotting the "reverse current" Mini Dachaobei.

Not good!

Zhengyi, who had also seized the chance to see the situation inside, wore a solemn expression. Ignoring the sand filling his mouth, he bellowed: "Hold the line!"

"Roar!"

A cold glint flashed in Mega Steelix's eyes. The silver metal fragments swirling around its body gathered sand grains and transformed into sharp golden stone spikes that shot outward!

Puff puff puff!

The stone spikes sank into the sand wall and hurtled toward Mini Dachaobei's location. The Little Chaobei scrambled to chase after it, each one lighting up with a spherical barrier of light on its surface.

But there were only three of them, while the stone spikes formed from metal fragments numbered over a dozen!

Bang bang bang!

Mini Dachaobei's main body raised its light barrier and dodged desperately, still getting hit by several stone spikes.

The smoke from the explosions rose within the sand wall and quickly dissipated.

Zhengyi faintly saw Mini Dachaobei still in midair and breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could see more, the counterclockwise-rotating sand wall blocked everything, including the cold smirk on Mega Steelix's ferocious face.

Zhengyi thought: "Hang in there, Mini Dachaobei!"

A brown-red light blazed forth that even the sand wall could not conceal.

Zhengyi, who had been closely watching the sand wall's changes, was slightly startled—

BOOM!!

An earth-shattering, world-rumbling explosion!

Countless grains of sand surged toward his position like waves crashing against a shore. Immediately after, Mega Steelix, shrouded in blazing brown-red light, burst forth, bearing a terrifying, heart-palpitating pressure!

BANG!

Zhengyi couldn't withstand the impact of the sand wave and was sent flying backward, mixed in with the gravel. Mega Steelix, meanwhile, like a high-speed bullet train, brazenly rammed Mini Dachaobei into the wall at the edge of the arena!

CRASH!

The wall exploded with a roar, countless fragments of rock flying everywhere. The trainers of Silph Co. City screamed in shock, the entire stadium trembling wildly as if an earthquake had struck!

But Mega Steelix still didn't stop its charge, ramming Mini Dachaobei through wall after wall without slowing down.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Not until it could see the road outside the stadium where vehicles came and went, and had charged another dozen or so meters out, did it finally come to a halt. Even so, it startled many passing hover-cars, nearly causing a traffic accident.

Light streamed in through the enormous hole, illuminating the interior of the stadium.

Everyone: "……"

Baimu: "……"

This idiot!

He ran quickly toward the spot where Zhengyi had been sent flying, and found the training center's gym leader sitting sprawled on the ground, looking completely dumbfounded.

"Gym Leader Zhengyi! Are you all right?" Baimu tried to help him up, but was refused.

Zhengyi dusted himself off as he stood: "I'm fine, I'm fine, just a small problem. Back in the day I got sent flying back and forth by a herd of Rhyhorn, and those guys couldn't even injure me. A mere sandstorm…"

Is…is that something worth bragging about?

Baimu broke out in a cold sweat, looking at Mega Steelix, which had bitten the unconscious Mini Dachaobei and was swaggering back through the big hole.

He glared at the fellow.

Once it gets excited it can't control its energy. It looks like the destructive power is tremendous, but in reality it also causes subtle damage to itself.

One week—was it still too short?

Control needs improvement.

"Grr…" Sensing its trainer's displeasure, Mega Steelix hadn't figured out what it did wrong and reined in its attitude.

Following the principle that whatever the trainer says goes, it carefully set Mini Dachaobei down.

The electronic referee silently kept score.

The trainers from both sides recovered from their stupor and both sucked in a cold breath.

Mega Mawile's violence, Mega Steelix's destructive power—the two Pokémon fully demonstrated what it meant to be powerful.

They watched Mega Steelix return into the sand wall, then looked at Zhengyi.

Is there still any need to keep fighting? There shouldn't be, right?

"Good work, Mini Dachaobei—truly a powerful opponent rarely seen in a hundred years."

Zhengyi comforted his fainted Pokémon, then looked at the dust-choked arena without a trace of disappointment.

He was very happy.

A hundred times happier than back when, under Elder Ejin's rule, he was the strongest trainer in Silph Co. City yet could do nothing but watch countless tragedies unfold before him!

"Even in defeat, I lose with a beginning and an end! Today's loss is the nourishment for tomorrow's strength!"

Zhengyi's gaze burned like torches. He hurled a Poké Ball forward: "Second time! I've taken this lesson to heart!"

He had never hoped to defeat Baimu on the second try. Zhengyi, who had gauged his opponent's strength from their very first battle, knew clearly that this time too probably wouldn't end in a perfect conclusion.

But so what?

Would he die if he lost a battle against All Baimu?

As long as he wouldn't die, one day he could gather all the intel on All Baimu's Pokémon, and then…

Turn defeat into victory!

Zhengyi looked at the Coal Turtle that hadn't even managed to trigger its Ability before being swept away by Sand Tomb, and the future he wanted seemed to float before his eyes.

—

"Thank you for your hard work this time, Gym Leader Zhengyi."

"Not at all, the same to you. I'm very grateful to you and your students for giving me and my students a truly eye-opening lesson."

Zhengyi smiled as though he hadn't just been swept three-in-a-row by a Mega Steelix.

All Baimu shook his hand, watched all the visiting Olivine City trainers get into their cars, and said, "For the next exchange, we'll come to you. When the time comes, I hope Gym Leader Zhengyi, as our host, will be patient with us."

"Really? That's wonderful! How about we set the time for next week?"

Zhengyi's eyes lit up, and he gripped his hand impatiently.

"Uh, let's make it half a month from now instead… heheh. Mainly I still have other things to attend to on my end, and I also want to exchange with other places…"

All Baimu forcefully pulled his hand free, smiling cheerfully.

Zhengyi immediately said regretfully, "I see, then alright."

He got into the car, looking back at every step, his reluctant gaze practically giving All Baimu goosebumps.

To be precise.

The people from Olivine City wouldn't leave until tomorrow morning; tonight they'd still rest in Iron Town.

All Baimu watched the vehicles drive off, turned to look at Ginba and the others following behind him, and finally a pleasant smile appeared on his face as he said, "Don't come to the arena to train tonight. All of you, get some proper rest, and get ready for tomorrow's post-match review."

Everyone shuddered at his words.

Was the reckoning about to begin?

Of the fifty people present, only ten had won from start to finish over the two days. Even Narihiro and Otsuka hadn't managed to laugh at the end. In other words, for the next day or two, the Lycanrocs would be very busy.

Argue?

The crowd exchanged glances. Having witnessed All Baimu's true strength, where would they find the courage to talk back? Having a powerhouse like All Baimu willing to teach them Pokémon knowledge was a blessing they couldn't earn in eight lifetimes.

Ginba's face fell, feeling as though the whole world had gone dark.

Apart from losing to Jin Ge on the first morning, he had won every other match. But no matter what, losing even one match meant facing punishment.

He'd wear an extra pair of pants tomorrow.

He left in a daze.

The rest dispersed one after another, and at the arena entrance only Silver Ape and All Baimu remained standing.

"My lord, my useless little brothers have given you a lot of trouble." Silver Ape said softly, his eyes full of emotion.

As someone who had personally experienced and witnessed it all, he knew very well that without All Baimu's week of teaching, let alone having ten people laugh at the end, even winning a few matches would have been a luxury.

Some people still hadn't figured out why they had managed to keep the score tight against the Olivine City trainers every time, but how could Silver Ape not know?

All Baimu shrugged it off with a smile: "I have my own purposes too. Besides, if they didn't want to learn themselves, no amount of pushing from me would help. They needed an opportunity, and I needed test subjects. That's all."

"Regardless, if there's anything I can help with in the future, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!" Silver Ape, a man who knew to repay kindness, said solemnly before taking his leave.

All Baimu stood in place waiting for a while, until a car stopped in front of him.

The driver's side window rolled down, revealing Yamatsumi's face.

He smiled and said:

"Congratulations, future Champion All Baimu. After today ends, you'll once again be famous across the land."

"Save it, my lord Mayor. You've been sneaking around watching battles for so long—did you find anyone you admire?"

All Baimu rolled his eyes and got into the back seat.

Yamatsumi said irritably, "Come up to the front! I'm not your chauffeur!"

"Nope." All Baimu closed the car door.

A few seconds later.

The hovering car carried its driver—the Mayor of Iron Town—and its boss—the President of the Rainbow Team—toward the setting sun.