Chapter 606: Welcome, Champion-Class Trainer

In the live broadcast, Kiku was gushing as she introduced various agricultural products, pulling out a nutritional facts sheet for Tapu Moumou Fresh Milk certified by a professional agency.

It had to be said, this future internet celebrity streamer was truly impeccable when it came to eloquence.

That mouth of hers could talk even more than a neighborhood committee auntie, yet somehow didn't make people dislike her.

It was just that—

At some unknown point, Luo Mu's face had turned completely dark.

That's right, the idea of having Kiku advertise his farm in her livestream was something Luo Mu had already been considering long before the farm even opened.

This time, he was simply taking advantage of the hype to make a bold attempt.

Considering himself a good client, Luo Mu knew clearly that he didn't understand livestreaming, so he left the crucial decision of when to insert the advertisement entirely up to Kiku.

Ideally, it should be something that wouldn't annoy people but still had sufficient advertising effect.

Yet Kiku had responded to his trust with such an answer.

Just as both sides were poised for battle, with everyone fully focused and afraid of missing the slightest detail of the fight's start, you directly cut the feed to run an advertisement!?

If he didn't know for a fact that Kiku hadn't been possessed by some strange soul, Luo Mu would have suspected she'd been taken over by a TV station director from Earth; otherwise, she wouldn't have come up with such a sky-high move comparable to edging.

Like when watching cartoons in childhood, just as the climax arrives, suddenly cutting to a stinky and long commercial break.

Luo Mu felt his dead memories were attacking him.

As expected.

The danmu in Kiku's livestream room paused neatly for a moment, followed immediately by an onslaught of countless question marks, which then transformed into remarks like, "I've already taken off my pants, and this is all you're showing me?"

"Good, good, good, you little Kiku!"

Gnashing his teeth, Luo Mu realized that from today onward, his farm would definitely be remembered by everyone in the livestream room; the promotional effect and the memory point were absolutely solid.

It was just that this kind of fame was something Luo Mu didn't really want.

As the young master of a Dragon Tamer family, Grusha's cultivation and command efficiency regarding Dragon-type Pokémon could be called art.

The Archaludon, which could only act as a sitting duck under Du Ruo's command, displayed an aura capable of rivaling Tyranitar when in Grusha's hands.

While engaging in close combat, Archaludon's mouth also continuously spat out dazzling bright white beams like an energy cannon.

When the beams struck Ursaluna's body, they instantly exploded a section of the already solidified peat coating.

While its excellent physique was one factor, the reason for Ursaluna's powerful defensive capabilities was also linked to this solidified peat.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Grusha had aimed to dismantle Ursaluna's defense.

Another "Flash Cannon" shot came flying; this time, Hearing Hearing Nimo made a new choice.

"Take it, then leap forward aggressively!"

Unlike trainers who were always hesitant and overcautious, Hearing Hearing Nimo possessed strength and trusted her partner, so her fighting style was destined not to be about wracking her brains to achieve victory.

—Instead, it was about crushing the opponent squarely with raw power.

From the very start, the one who had to figure out how to create an advantage and find gaps was Grusha!

"Roar!"

Ursaluna puffed out its chest, using the intact parts of its peat coating to forcibly withstand the incoming Flash Cannon, then immediately dropped low, its four limbs tightening and releasing like springs, causing its figure to leap high into the air!

Boom!!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, Ursaluna suddenly lowered its forebody mid-air; countless earth-yellow energy particles gathered on its surface, instantly forming a spiral jet carrying gravel!

As Ursaluna ferociously pounced toward Archaludon, everything resembled a meteor falling; an earth-yellow shockwave exploded outward in a ring, the suddenly cracked battlefield turning into rubble that shot out in all directions like bullets.

"Ai~"

Out of the camera's view, Rika was dragging the utterly stiff Brother Brother Qingmu to dodge the barrage of flying debris.

Meanwhile, the Archaludon directly under Ursaluna's pressure was enduring a force as if being crushed by a mountain range, its alloy body emitting a groan of unbearable strain under the external force.

The ground continued to rumble amidst the persistent vibrations.

A moment later.

Following an explosion that shook the entire Paldea Pokémon League, deep within the crater, Archaludon had clearly lost the ability to battle.

The referee's timely announcement was captured by the audio equipment and transmitted to every viewer watching the TV program or entering the livestream room.

In Pallet Town, Kanto Region, at Oak Laboratory.

Having willfully closed the recently acquired Viridian Gym for a break, Green had just returned home, planning to prepare before heading to Mount Silver for a satisfying battle; holding a water cup, he watched this scene on his grandfather's computer screen and couldn't help but whistle.

"This little girl is quite impressive; she has half the style that I, the great one, and that guy Red had in our youth~"

"Indeed, her talent is quite outstanding; I heard she has been a trainer for less than a year."

Professor Oak nodded slightly, affirming his eldest grandson's thoughts.

"With Ursaluna, does this also mean this little girl is Luo Mu's student? I thought he was just playing around casually, yet he has already cultivated such unpolished jade?"

Green rubbed his chin with his fingertip, marveling inwardly.

When he first heard about Luo Mu's identities as a farm owner and teacher, Green had always assumed the other party was just doing it for fun, essentially remaining a pure trainer at heart.

Just like himself becoming the Viridian Gym Leader.

But seeing it now, it seemed he had underestimated the other party too much.

The fact that the other party could reach the Champion Gauntlet, and according to his grandfather had already defeated two Elite Four members, meant that at least in Green's eyes, Hearing Hearing Nimo would not stop before Grusha.

"Interesting... doesn't this make me, the great one, want to battle you even more!"

Under Professor Oak's slightly helpless gaze, Green's "battle maniac" attribute, contracted from Red, was steadily acting up.

With Archaludon withdrawing, Grusha could only send out his second Pokémon.

—Featuring axe-shaped teeth with blood-red sharp edges, born for battle, with even its name containing the character "Battle," the innate dragon warrior, Haxorus!

Compared to the meticulous battle style of Rika and Brother Brother Qingmu, who were accustomed to setting traps for their opponents, Grusha, as an artist, inherited a trait common to most Dragon-type Pokémon in his fighting style—supremacy of power.

When facing trainers weaker than himself, Grusha would only end the battle with an overwhelming display of power, yet even when facing those stronger than himself, he would unleash extraordinary potential.

But when he encountered Hearing Hearing Nimo, unfortunately, he couldn't match her in raw power, and when it came to bursting with potential, he seemed to fall just a little short.

A crisp whip-crack suddenly rang out in the air as the thick, scale-covered tail of the Haxorus swept horizontally toward the Ursaring like a long lash.

This was not the forced-knockback move "Dragon Tail," but the wide-area sweeping attack "Wide Guard Break."

Yet the Ursaring, relying on its extraordinary physique, forcibly tanked the Haxorus's whipping tail, seized the opportunity to grab hold of it, and swung its arms to slam the opponent heavily onto the ground!

Several consecutive heavy slams caused the already injury-riddled Haxorus to lose its breath entirely, immediately rendering it unable to battle.

Geeta recalled the Haxorus; the losses in two consecutive matches had slightly affected his mindset. Originally planning to continue trading blows head-on, he pondered for a few seconds, glanced at the Ursaring—which had also accumulated injuries but still radiated imposing momentum—and ultimately chose to avoid its sharp edge for now.

"Noivern, soar in the sky above!"

A red flash passed, and a bipedal dragon with broad bat-like wings and a pair of huge ears atop its head capable of emitting powerful ultrasonic waves appeared.

"Here it comes."

Seeing Geeta's choice, Luo Mu paused his rubbing of Victini, silently thinking to himself.

Unlike a year ago, when Mimikyu had consecutively defeated several of Geeta's key fighters while saving most of its strength.

In reality, as the strongest among the future Paldea Elite Four, Geeta would absolutely require Hearing Nimo to expend tremendous effort to pass through his chamber.

And while Fairy-type Pokémon, which can "save" effort and hold a type advantage over most Dragon-types, existed, Hearing Nimo could not rely too heavily on them.

Diejie Diejie Mengmeng's types were Bug and Fairy; while immune to Dragon, it still possessed the weakness of the Bug type.

Coincidentally, many Dragon-type Pokémon also possessed the secondary "Flying" type, which was quite disastrous for the Bug-type Diejie Diejie Mengmeng.

As the only Pokémon in Hearing Nimo's team possessing moves to restore allies' status, Diejie Diejie Mengmeng was someone Hearing Nimo could not risk sending out, especially since Geeta still had a Dragalge eyeing them predatorily.

—She had to rely on raw strength to eliminate all Pokémon posing a threat to Diejie Diejie Mengmeng, ensuring complete safety before allowing Diejie Diejie Mengmeng to appear.

Geeta was also acutely aware of this, so from the very beginning, he had intentionally delayed the appearance of these "deterrents."

Facing the Flying and Dragon-type Noivern, the Ground-type Ursaring not only lacked range but also easily became a sitting duck; Hearing Nimo could only recall the Ursaring and send out her Goodra instead.

Under conditions where Dragon types countered each other, Goodra could well withstand Noivern's Dragon Breath and sonic attacks while delivering stable damage with its respectable Special Attack.

Luo Mu felt it was slightly pitying; if Hearing Nimo's Goodra were in its Hisuian form, it might have made Geeta doubt his very existence with that snail shell alone.

After grinding down the Noivern to defeat, facing the Dragalge that Geeta sent out next, Hearing Nimo switched to the Pawmot that had performed divinely in the earlier battle against Brother Brother Qingmu to avoid poisoning her Goodra.

Sweeping through six opponents without taking a single hit left an extremely deep impression on countless spectators regarding this Pawmot.

But correspondingly, the Pawmot's own stamina had been severely depleted; if Hearing Nimo hadn't lacked confidence in having other Pokémon quickly finish off the Dragalge without getting poisoned, she would never have forced the Pawmot to appear.

Had she been in perfect condition, Hearing Nimo would have had no need to be so hesitant or worry about the two battles following this one.

"The pressure of the Champion Gauntlet is beginning to show, is it?"

Noticing this, Geeta raised an eyebrow; lacking any sense of responsibility as a senior or teacher, he immediately attempted to have the Dragalge use the move "Toxic" to trap Hearing Nimo's ace, the Pawmot, in a vicious cycle.

Although the Pawmot was still panting slightly, its agility had not diminished in the slightest.

After consecutively dodging several blobs of foul-smelling venom spat by the Dragalge, it rapidly closed the distance and directly unleashed a smooth combo of "Farmer's Three Punches."

An explosive Fire Punch broke through the Dragalge's intercepting Dragon Pulse, a Thunder Punch slowed its movements, and an Ice Punch served as the main damage dealer.

"Exhausted to this extent yet still gritting its teeth to suppress the Dragalge, you rascal, Pawmot..."

Brother Brother Qingmu, with a numb expression, was also somewhat moved at this moment, perhaps resonating with the current experience shared by him and the Pawmot.

Being forced to overtime work to complete unavoidable tasks, that feeling of exhaustion burning within the chest was something Brother Brother Qingmu understood all too well.

Geeta fully capitalized on the Pawmot's lack of stamina, commanding the Dragalge to drift around the battlefield, using Poison-type moves to force the Pawmot into more stamina-draining dodges, while occasionally supplementing with Dragon-type moves that remained potent.

Hearing Nimo understood this clearly.

If things continued like this, even if the Pawmot wasn't worn down to defeat by the Dragalge, it would be completely unable to participate in the next room's battle, or even maintain peak condition for the final fight against the Top Champion.

"Is this the only way...?"

Murmuring softly, Hearing Nimo flipped over her trump card without hesitation.

"Pawmot... Double Shock!"

As an Electric-type physical move exclusive to Pawmot, it was a powerful strike released at the cost of exhausting the body's internal electricity and temporarily losing the Electric type.

Furthermore, since Double Shock benefited from Pawmot's "Iron Fist" Ability, this move had truly become Hearing Nimo's trump card.

Unless absolutely necessary, Hearing Nimo did not wish to use this move while the Pawmot was not Terastallized.

Her Tera Orb could only support one Terastallization, with two more battles awaiting her afterward; it was not yet time to play her ace.

After calculating the speed at which the Pawmot would recover its electricity and confirming it should be able to make it to the final battle, Hearing Nimo, in order to break the current stalemate, chose to go all-in without hesitation.

Blinding Lei Guang ignited upon the Pawmot's knuckles, bright lightning nearly turning the entire battlefield into an ocean of thunder.

With nowhere to dodge, the Dragalge, under Geeta's command, could only attempt to block the Pawmot's offensive with Draco Meteor.

But they had still underestimated the determination of Hearing Nimo and the Pawmot to crush their opponent.

The Pawmot allowed the Draco Meteor to continuously bombard its body, gritting its teeth to charge right up to the Dragalge before slamming out both fists simultaneously!

Zzz-Crash!

Dazzling Lei Guang rapidly expanded in the Dragalge's eyes, finally occupying its entire field of vision.

The violent Lei Ting seemed like greedy snakes, scrambling to cover the Dragalge's body, making it, despite resisting Electric-type moves, feel intense paralysis for the first time.

The next instant.

Accompanied by a dull "Thump," the Dragalge, like a baseball hit for a home run, was blasted away by the powerful fist force emitted by the Pawmot, embedding itself directly into the wall of the third room.

One didn't even need to look to know that the Dragalge had lost its ability to battle.

The Pawmot, as if burned out, remained in place, unable to stop panting heavily.

Geeta stared blankly at this scene, suddenly realizing what a desire for victory and what willpower this stubborn girl before him possessed.

Pingdie Town, Farm.

Picking up his phone, which was covered in fine cracks, Luo Mu dialed a number.

Meanwhile, at the top floor of the Paldea League Headquarters, Geeta, who was feeling the ground tremble and harboring a vague anticipation for the upcoming battles, answered the call.

She seemed to have expected Luo Mu's call; after quietly listening to the voice coming through the receiver, Geeta smiled slightly and said, "Although I knew you would make such a decision, I still want to ask one more time."

"Are you sure?"

Only after receiving an affirmative answer from the other end of the phone did Yezi's smile broaden considerably.

"From this moment onward, the cancellation procedure is void."

"—The League Headquarters welcomes your arrival, Champion-level Trainer, Luo Mu."

(End of Chapter)