Chapter 338: Muke Bird VS Fireburst Beast

The gap in level and strength was ultimately just there.

Fireburst Beast Lv far exceeds Shuang Ren Wan; its Shadow Ball, in both speed and power, far surpasses the Shell Blade's capacity to endure.

At first it could barely keep the pace, but as the Shadow Balls grew denser, Shuang Ren Wan's Shell Blade inevitably slowed, its movements becoming sluggish, and several swings missed, failing to slash the incoming Shadow Balls.

Fortunately Shuang Ren Wan's lithe form, with agile maneuvers, dodged left and right; even though it didn't slash every Shadow Ball, it barely evaded the attacks and sustained no substantive damage. Xiao

Xiao Zhao clenched his fists tightly and shouted urgently, "Shuang Ren Wan, give it more force! Hold steady!"

But this situation only lasted a moment before being completely reversed.

A Shadow Ball, seizing the gap as Shuang Ren Wan had just slashed the previous one and its form was still unstable, abruptly appeared right in front of it, so close there was no time to react.

"Boom" a muffled thud, the Shadow Ball slammed into Shuang Ren Wan's chest, the massive impact instantly blasting it into the air, crashing heavily onto the snow, spraying a spray of snow foam.

Before Shuang Ren Wan could struggle to rise, several more Shadow Balls came rushing in, following up, striking its body in succession; explosion after explosion echoed across the Snowfield, smoke instantly billowed, completely enveloping Shuang Ren Wan's figure.

Moments later, the blast's afterglow faded, the smoke gradually cleared, and Shuang Ren Wan lay wounded in the snow, eyes tightly shut, the Fan Shell in its hand fallen aside, breathing weak, no longer possessing its former agility and resolve, clearly having lost combat capability.

"Shuang Ren Wan!" Xiao Zhao's face turned pale, unable to hold back any longer, rushed forward, crouched and gently lifted Shuang Ren Wan, voice tinged with choking, "I'm sorry, Shuang Ren Wan, I'm still not strong enough..."

"Ta~" Shuang Ren Wan emitted a faint low hum, its eyes fully closed, slipping into a coma.

Huo La watched Xiao Zhao tightly holding Shuang Ren Wan, eyes rimmed with red, let out a soft sigh, his tone softened, and asked gently, "Continue?"

He knew Xiao Zhao had already worked hard, and didn't want her and her Pokemon to become overly exhausted.

Xiao Zhao listened to Huo La's question, rubbed her eyes forcefully, pressing down the moisture, carefully returned Shuang Ren Wan into a Pokeball, and when she lifted her gaze to Huo La, there was no hint of retreat in her eyes, only stubbornness and resolve: "Continue, I still have Muke Bird!"

Before the words finished, she pulled out another Pokeball, gently tossed it, "Come out, Muke Bird!"

Red Light flashed, a sleek Muke Bird flapped its wings and flew out, circling agilely in the air, its wingbeats stirring gusts, then it hovered steadily before Xiao Zhao, tilting its head toward her, eyes full of determination.

Xiao Zhao clenched her fist and shouted at Muke Bird, "Muke Bird, go for it! Show them our strength, we won't concede easily!"

"M—!" Muke Bird raised its head and let out a crisp shriek, its wings beating powerfully, a faint aura emanating, showing no fear of the yet-unentered Fireburst Beast in the arena.

"Oh oh oh! That momentum is quite impressive!" Shan Kui, watching nearby, felt his blood boil, waved his fist and cheered loudly, eyes full of anticipation, "Xiao Zhao, Muke Bird, charge!"

Huo La watched Xiao Zhao's stubbornness and Muke Bird's aura, slowly nodded, a hint of admiration in his eyes—though repeatedly set back, Xiao Zhao never gave up; this tenacity mattered far more than win or loss.

In his mind, Muke Bird's data sheet vividly appeared:

Pokemon: Muke Bird

Gender: Female

Level: Lv25

Su Xing: B

Status: Healthy

Nature: Slowpoke

Type: Normal/Flying

Ability: Self-sacrifice (Pokémon with this ability have increased move power when using moves that cause recoil damage.)

Height: 0.7 m

Weight: 16 kg

Carried Item: None

Moves: Tackle (Proficiency 66%), Electric Flash (Proficiency 28%), Wing Attack (Proficiency 28%), Shadow Clone (Proficiency 29%), Blow Away (Proficiency 31%), Air Blade (Proficiency 40%)......

Improvement Count: 0

Huo La thought to himself: although Muke Bird's overall strength might still be less than Shuang Ren Wan's earlier, its aura was by no means inferior.

Moreover, it possesses a suite of Flying skills, excels at aerial combat, so it could try a war of attrition against Fireburst Beast, using its aerial advantage to harass the Fireburst Beast!

As Huo La had expected, Xiao Zhao quickly formulated a tactic, and in a firm tone issued the command: "Muke Bird, take to the sky, use Shadow Clone together with Air Blade!"

Muke Bird instantly understood, flapped its wings high, its figure swiftly rose, evading the ground attack range.

Then, under the eyes of Huo La, Xiao Zhao, and Shan Kui, its form flickered slightly and instantly split into three—three identical Muke Birds darted through the air, looping one after another, tightly encircling the area where the Fireburst Beast was about to appear.

Immediately, the three Muke Birds flapped their wings together, forming sharp Air Blades that coalesced, bearing fierce gusts, sweeping down in unison, striking toward the ground.

Huo La's gaze hardened, and he instantly ordered the waiting Fireburst Beast, "Fireburst Beast, evade, don't Hard Clash!"

The Flying Type Muke Bird held absolute advantage in the air; Hard Clash would only put the Fireburst Beast at a disadvantage.

The Fireburst Beast responded, its form agilely twisting and turning, dodging one Air Blade after another.

Air Blades struck the ground, leaving deep gouges, snow spraying; yet the Fireburst Beast, thanks to its extreme speed, faced no serious difficulty in that moment.

Huo La silently calculated: if this drag continued, Muke Bird's stamina consumption would far exceed that of the Fireburst Beast, since flying and continuously unleashing moves heavily drain stamina.

But this was not the outcome Huo La wanted, and it contradicted the original purpose of this duel.

He wasn't aiming to defeat Xiao Zhao, but to help her harmonize with her Pokemon, letting her find her own battle rhythm. Continuous attrition would never achieve the training effect.

Just as the Fireburst Beast again nimbly evaded an Air Blade and paused briefly, Huo La's command was instantly issued, his tone firm and decisive: "Fireburst Beast, unleash Flame Vortex, dive in!"

The Fireburst Beast instantly understood, its claws gathering blazing fire, opening its mouth to spew a scorching flame; the fire spread rapidly in the air, instantly forming a massive Flame Vortex, the searing aura sweeping the arena, warping the surrounding air.

Then, the Fireburst Beast shifted, diving straight into the Flame Vortex; the fire enveloped its body, and through the vortex one could only glimpse a shadow.

"Huh? Huo La, what are you doing?" Shan Kui looked puzzled, scratched his head, "Hiding in the fire, how can we counter?"

Xiao Zhao also furrowed her brows, staring intently at the Flame Vortex, eyes full of caution: "Muke Bird, be careful! Don't approach the Flame Vortex, keep probing with Air Blade!"