Chapter 359: Going Easy, Surrender

When Huo La emerged from the spatial tunnel and returned outside the cave, a figure immediately hurried forward and gently steadied his unsteady steps.

"Huo La, are you okay?" Huo La turned his head, saw it was Xiao Zhao, and was slightly startled: "You've already passed the trial?"

Xiao Zhao nodded vigorously, a hint of relaxed smile on his face: "Hmm, I came out a long time ago. You Ke Xi only asked me a few questions, and once I answered them, he let me leave."

"What did it ask you?" Huo La was somewhat curious.

Xiao Zhao tilted his head, recalled for a moment, and replied offhand: "Nothing special, it just asked me how many eyes the Three Bees, Ultrasonic Bat and Wandering Night Spirit each have."

"I told it: the Three Bees have six eyes, the Ultrasonic Bat has no eyes, and the Wandering Night Spirit has only one eye."

"Ugh…" Huo La was at a loss for words.

You Ke Xi clearly symbolizes knowledge and wisdom, so this trial was a bit too lenient.

"I know the answer to that question too; I could have gone in earlier," Shan Kui's voice sounded a bit dissatisfied.

"What about Ming Yao? He hasn't come out yet?" Huo La snapped back to attention and asked.

"I don't know; I've been waiting here and haven't seen him," Xiao Zhao shook his head.

Huo La fell silent.

Ming Yao was facing, as should be, Ai Mu Li Duo, who governs emotions.

The tests of will and knowledge were already over; only the emotional trial remained, the most tangled and hard to cut through, and it was unclear what trial he was undergoing.

As he thought this, light began to swirl above the cave, and a clear image projection suddenly appeared.

In the image, Ming Yao's figure was clearly reflected in the light above the cave.

At that moment he was half‑kneeling, breathing heavily, and several Pokemon beside him lay collapsed; only Pikachu stubbornly stood in front of him, its tiny body covered with scars, tail trembling slightly, yet it still refused to retreat a single step.

Opposite them, a Sticky Beauty Dragon loomed high, scrutinizing them; although its scales bore scars as well, its aura remained steady, its condition far beyond that of the exhausted Ming Yao party.

At that moment, Ya Ke Nuo Mu's cold voice quietly echoed in Huo La's mind: "His trial is to defeat this Sticky Beauty Dragon."

Huo La's gaze sharpened as he carefully examined the Sticky Beauty Dragon's aura and pressure; after a moment he gently shook his head, showing a helpless wry smile.

Putting aside skills, nature and innate talent, just the near‑eighty level alone already exceeded the current Pokemon's response limits for Ming Yao.

This so‑called "defeat the Sticky Beauty Dragon" trial was utterly an impossible mission.

In the image, Ming Yao propped his knees, gasping heavily, looked at the Pikachu before him, and hoarsely said: "Pikachu, can you… still hold on?"

"Pika—!" Pikachu also panted heavily, yet strained its small body, clenched its tiny fists, and resolutely responded that it could keep fighting.

Ming Yao's gaze swept over the Suction Cup Puppet, Murk Eagle and Sniper Tree Owl beside him.

Although they hadn't completely lost combat ability, they were all scarred and weak, even standing was a struggle.

A sour feeling rose in his heart, and he couldn't help a bitter smile.

The Sticky Beauty Dragon opposite was far beyond expectations. Worse, this trial was inescapable.

If he surrendered now, according to Ai Mu Li Duo's words, it would be a trial failure, and the Stone Tablet would be completely unattainable.

But if he forced the battle onward, win or lose aside, whether his Pokemon could survive the next round was also unknown.

Advance, and defeat is certain. Retreat, and all prior effort is wasted.

Ming Yao slowly clenched his fists, the struggle in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a desperate all‑or‑nothing resolve.

He took a deep breath, let out a full‑throated roar, his voice hoarse yet firm: "Everyone, give it one last try!"

As the words fell, the Pokemon that had been wilted on the ground seemed infused with a final spark of power, and they struggled to stand up.

The Suction Cup Puppet shook its weary body, a pale violet aura surrounding it; countless fragments of Spirit Shock coalesced into a sphere—its final Telekinesis, hurling the technique toward the Sticky Beauty Dragon.

Murk Eagle spread its scarred wings, flapped powerfully upward, surrounded by sharp wind energy; diving down, its wings sliced through the air, striking the Sticky Beauty Dragon's back hard, executing its signature Brave Bird.

Sniper Tree Owl steadied itself, its tail feathers slightly raised, a few sharp leaves fell from between them, the leaves brimming with dense Grass-type energy like sharp arrows, precisely targeting the Sticky Beauty Dragon's abdomen, and Leaf Blade activated.

At the front, Pikachu's cheek sacs flashed dazzling yellow electric light, currents raging wildly around it, hotter than ever before; it summoned all its strength, condensing all electricity into a massive Thunderbolt.

The four attacks, bearing the Pokemon's final stubbornness, surged from different directions toward the Sticky Beauty Dragon, colliding instantly and producing a deafening explosion.

Blazing light enveloped the whole scene, dust billowed, stones splintered, and even the projection above the cave trembled slightly.

Huo La and Xiao Zhao stared intently at the projection, daring not to breathe.

But as the dust gradually cleared, the Sticky Beauty Dragon's form still perched firmly in place; the scars on its scales deepened slightly, its aura a bit chaotic, yet its gaze remained sharp, showing no loss of combat ability, even a hint of impatience.

"Still not working..." Huo La murmured softly, his eyes full of regret.

He had long anticipated this outcome, yet seeing Ming Yao and his Pokemon give their all in vain still made his heart sink.

In the image, the Sticky Beauty Dragon was utterly enraged, letting out a deep roar; dense Dragon-type Energy swirled around it, a pale green aura enveloping its body, and the next second, countless green energy balls burst from within, indiscriminately hurling toward Ming Yao and his Pokemon.

Dragon Breath, its power colossal, was impossible to dodge.

"Careful!" Ming Yao roared, trying to rush forward to protect his Pokemon, but his body was already exhausted, even a single step was extremely difficult.

Pikachu gave its all to block in front of Ming Yao, attempting to use Electroweb, but the feeble Electroweb was like paper against the raging Dragon Breath, instantly shattered.

Dragon Breath slammed down on Pikachu, the Suction Cup Puppet, and the others; several Pokemon let out a painful cry, collapsed to the ground, completely losing combat ability, without even the strength to struggle.

Pikachu lay on the ground, its tiny body twitching slightly, its sacs completely dulled, and it weakly whispered: "Pika..."

Ming Yao staggered forward, carefully cradling Pikachu, his fingertips brushing over its wounds, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He looked at all the Pokemon beside him that had lost combat ability, and the resolve in his heart completely collapsed, leaving only endless bitterness and guilt.

He knew that persisting any longer would only cause his Pokemon greater injury, perhaps making recovery impossible forever.

From the start, this trial gave him no chance of victory; rather than let his Pokemon suffer pointlessly alongside him, it was better to let go.

Ming Yao slowly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on the void, his voice trembling with an unhideable choke yet unusually firm: "I concede... I give up this trial."

As the words fell, the Sticky Beauty Dragon in the image gradually retracted its attack stance, and the Dragon-type Energy around it slowly dissipated.

The projection above the cave flickered faintly, then gradually faded, as if it had never appeared.

Huo La and Xiao Zhao stood where they were, faces solemn, silent.