Chapter 430

Gender: Male

Type: Dragon, Ground

Ability: Sand Veil

Stats: HP (SS), Attack (SS), Defense (S), Sp. Atk (S), Sp. Def (S), Speed (SS)

Potential: Pseudo-Legendary

Strength: Ordinary (Peak)

"Battle begin!"

"Challenger attacks first!"

"Gible, Dragon Breath!"

"Dodge it!"

Hitmonlee flashed to the side, dodging the shockwave, but Gible's Dragon Breath kept coming, sweeping sideways in pursuit.

Wei Feng frowned slightly and ordered, "Agility!"

"Mach Punch!"

Hitmonlee pulled out an afterimage to evade the shockwave, then threw a punch comparable to the speed of sound straight at Gible!

Though calling it the speed of sound was a bit of an exaggeration, the punch was truly swift as thunder—there was no time to dodge!

"Dragon Claw!"

Claw met fist, and since it was rather hasty, Gible couldn't match its opponent and was sent flying.

"Pursue!"

"Bullet Punch!"

Another incomparably fast punch came chasing after!

"Not a chance!"

"Gible, Dig!"

The instant Gible burrowed underground, Hitmonlee's punch slammed down right where it had been—a hair's breadth from disaster.

Wei Feng frowned; Hitmonlee had no moves that could deal with Dig.

"Stay on guard!"

The moment the words fell, Gible burst out from behind Hitmonlee, a mouthful of Dragon Breath striking its back dead-on.

"Damn it!"

Having landed a hit, Gible had already ducked back underground, leaving Hitmonlee with no target for revenge.

"Prepare Mach Punch!"

Hitmonlee's whole body tensed, poised to strike at any moment.

At times like this, it all came down to the trainer's skill, for the trainer standing on the sidelines took in the whole battlefield—his eyes were the Pokémon's eyes.

"Left rear!"

Receiving the order, Hitmonlee didn't hesitate; it spun around and threw a punch, scaring Gible into ducking back in a hurry.

Dammit, it had just opened its mouth and hadn't even launched its attack yet—who expected the opponent to react so fast!

Wei Feng frowned as he thought it over. Being this passive wasn't going to work; he had to break the deadlock!

"Hitmonlee, use Mega Punch on the ground!"

A ferocious punch slammed into the ground, making the earth tremble slightly.

Though it couldn't compare to a real Earthquake, it did have some effect.

Bai Jing understood—the opponent's intent wasn't to deal damage, but to force Gible out.

"Still not coming out?"

"One more punch!"

Bai Jing's lips curved up as he watched with a smile.

When the punch came down, to Hitmonlee's great shock, the ground was actually soft and spongy—its entire arm sank right in.

"What?"

At this moment, the ground beneath Hitmonlee's feet began to soften and turn to sand, forming a pit that was swallowing it whole.

Wei Feng's face changed. "It's Quicksand!"

That's right—Gible had used this trapping move underground.

"Hitmonlee, get out of there, quick!"

"It's useless—the more you struggle, the faster you'll sink!"

At this point, one of Hitmonlee's hands and both its feet were firmly held fast, and it was slowly sinking; with only one arm still free to move, what could it possibly do?

Gible burrowed out from behind it, shook its somewhat dizzy head, and glared furiously at Hitmonlee.

The earlier hit had affected it somewhat.

Hiding underground was like being in a sealed space; even the slightest tremor was devastatingly effective.

"Gible, the moment for payback has arrived!"

"Dragon Claw!"

Dragon Claws raked wildly at its back, the pain making Hitmonlee roar again and again, yet utterly helpless.

"Curses!"

Wei Feng could only fret helplessly, with no solution at all!

"Finish it off!"

"Crunch!"

Gabite leaped behind Hitmonchan and sank its jaws hard into its head!

A sharp scream rang out, and Hitmonchan collapsed completely.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! The challenger wins!"

Wei Feng sighed; he had been careless. Had his movements not been restricted, it would not have been difficult for Hitmonchan's strength to defeat the current Gabite.

Pseudo-legendaries are synonymous with power, but that refers to their later stages; early-stage pseudo-legendaries are generally weak.

Pseudo-legendary Pokémon have another description: late-blooming Pokémon. This metaphor means they are weak early on and evolve slowly, only becoming truly powerful in the later stages.

"It's my turn!"

Deng Xin sent out a Meganium, defeated Wei Feng's Hitmonlee, and likewise earned a Fighting Badge.

After leaving the gym, the two wandered around the small town, eating snacks and buying local specialties.

Early the next morning, they returned to the arena.

Today's event was a long-distance triathlon.

Ten kilometers of swimming, one hundred kilometers of cycling, and fifty kilometers of running.

The three events were held separately, and the rules differed greatly from the short-distance format.

For each event, one could choose a different Pokémon to assist.

The first event, swimming, was held by riding Pokémon; the Pokémon must know the Water Gun move, which was the only move allowed.

During the process, they had to navigate around obstacles and use Water Gun to hit targets.

Scoring would then be based on the overall results.

In other words, it was best to send out a Water-type Pokémon for this stage; if one had no Water-type, that was fine too—any Pokémon that could swim and knew the Water Gun move would do!