Chapter 84: A Tough Guy's Fighting Style

Inside Grandma Ju Zi Academy lay a private battle arena.

Kukui stood on the left side of the field, Luo Mu on the right, while Eri stood in the center as the referee.

With her hands behind her back, Eri glanced at both trainers and announced in a clear voice, "A three-on-three single battle, no problems with that?"

Kukui grinned to show he had no issues, while Luo Mu nodded helplessly; as it happened, he had indeed brought exactly three Pokémon fit for battle today.

"Then—" Eri, her face containing anticipation, stepped back slowly until she had completely left the battle area, before declaring, "Battle, begin!"

"Lycanroc!"

"Swampert."

The red light from the opening Poké Balls flooded the entire field, subsiding moments later to reveal Swampert and Lycanroc (in its Midday Form) facing off against each other.

Raising an eyebrow, Eri remarked, "Is the opening matchup a one-sided type advantage for Luo Mu?"

Both trainers spoke simultaneously: "Stealth Rock!" "Sand Tomb!"

Dozens of rocks scattered from Lycanroc's fur, hiding themselves within the field and mid-air.

Meanwhile, Swampert let out a loud roar, transforming pure Ground-type energy into countless slowly rotating sand grains that gathered beneath Lycanroc's feet.

"Kukui has chosen to gain an advantage through switching, while Luo Mu intends to keep Lycanroc trapped on the field directly... This is truly becoming exciting."

Frowning, Lycanroc felt the faint pulling force rising from the ground; although it wouldn't overly hinder its movement, it could no longer return to its Poké Ball, so under Kukui's command, Lycanroc turned into Bai Guang and darted forward, challenging Swampert without any fear.

Although the better choice would have been to stall and wait for the effects of Sand Tomb to dissipate, Kukui was not the kind of Trainer who would flee from a challenge.

The instant Lycanroc approached Swampert, Kukui immediately ordered, "Now, Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc slammed the ground, causing sharp rocks resembling interlocking canine teeth to burst forth from the earth, attacking Swampert from all directions.

"High Horsepower!"

A red light that seemed capable of scorching human vision instantly ignited on Swampert's body; its arm muscles bulged, and as it spun once in place, the rock pillars shattered into a sky-full of debris as if they were fragile glass.

What terrifying brute strength!

Kukui's heart skipped a beat, yet his mind made a rapid judgment in the flash of lightning: "Bite the sharpest rock fragment and attack!"

Lycanroc moved with extreme agility; the moment Kukui spoke, it leaped high, snapping up the rock fragment closest to it in mid-air. Simultaneously, as it fell, Lycanroc used the sharpest side of that rock to slash at Swampert!

Holy crap, a dog wielding a sword in its mouth!

Luo Mu was momentarily startled by Kukui's ingenious idea, thinking that he truly deserved to become Ash's godfather in the future, yet Kukui's choice made the corners of Luo Mu's mouth rise as he shouted loudly, "Take the hit and crush them!"

Kukui cried out in shock, "What!?"

Swampert had completely abandoned its defense, allowing Lycanroc to leave an extremely deep wound on its sturdy body.

Swampert cried out in pain, yet its movements remained incredibly precise; accustomed to bearing scars left by Cang Yan Ren Gui's Flame Greatsword on its body, this single strike from Lycanroc meant nothing to it.

In Lycanroc's suddenly constricted pupils, Swampert's thick arms directly embraced it around the waist, and then—

Terrifying immense force transmitted from Swampert's arms; Lycanroc's most vulnerable spot could not resist such power, and a series of urgent whimpers immediately erupted from its mouth.

This was a battle, not a life-or-death duel; sensing that applying even a little more force would cause this Lycanroc to perish on the spot, Swampert let its strength recede like a tide and flung Lycanroc dozens of meters away.

Boom—

Lycanroc crashed heavily onto the ground, its legs trembling so violently that it could not stand up for quite some time.

"Lycanroc!" Kukui called out in worry, and once Lycanroc struggled unsteadily to its feet, he gritted his teeth and said, "Such a fierce fighting style; I misjudged."

In his expectations, even if Lycanroc was slightly weaker than Swampert, it should still have been able to maneuver using its agility.

He never expected Luo Mu to rely on Swampert's unparalleled physique to tank the attack directly, thereby enabling the less agile Swampert to make solid contact with Lycanroc—

It was not that Lycanroc lost to Swampert, but that he, Kukui, as a Trainer, caused Lycanroc to lose to Luo Mu and Swampert.

Under Luo Mu's command, who never forgot to deliver the finishing blow, Swampert immediately raised a towering wave; given Lycanroc's current condition, there was no way it could dodge the surging torrent.

Moments later.

Smiling, Eri announced, "Lycanroc is unable to battle, Swampert is the winner."

"Kukui, please send out your next Pokémon."

"Venusaur!"

With a huge flower blooming on its back and every movement exuding a sense of heaviness, the Pokémon Venusaur took root firmly in the ground, while thick vines mixed with poison powder invisible to the naked eye darted chaotically across the field, placing immense pressure on Swampert.

The dual Water and Ground typing, lacking the Grass Pelt ability, meant the strength gap between Swampert and Venusaur was neutralized by type matchups, and the injuries previously inflicted by Lycanroc further lowered Swampert's condition.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Luo Mu realized that continuing this way would not only prevent Swampert from touching Venusaur but might also result in Swampert being worn down to death directly.

Although his initial plan had been for Swampert to endure Venusaur's attacks for a while until the hidden energy of Stealth Rock was fully consumed, allowing Cangyan Cangyan Rengui to enter the field in perfect condition to secure victory,

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes; Kukui's Venusaur employed a fighting style that heavily countered Swampert's reliance on brute force, so it was time to make a decision.

As someone who had reached Champion level within a year relying solely on himself, Luo Mu possessed excellent judgment.

Taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, Luo Mu opened his sharp eyes and, seizing the brief instant when the wildly dancing Frenzy Plant, resembling a wooden dragon, exposed a gap, he pressed the button without hesitation.

The red light of the Poké Ball crossed the distance, precisely sweeping through the gap to descend upon Swampert.

Seeing Swampert successfully recalled, Kukui gritted his teeth; as expected of a Champion, even though he had intentionally positioned Venusaur's Frenzy Plant to block the necessary path for the Poké Ball's recall beam, Luo Mu had still utilized his exceptional eyesight to find that fleeting opportunity.

Compared to Lance, whose battle style was straightforward and showcased the power of Flying and Dragon-type Pokémon, Kukui felt that an opponent like Luo Mu, who possessed both strength and strategic thinking, was far more troublesome.

After recalling Swampert, Luo Mu quickly threw out a Poké Ball he had prepared in advance, and Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's figure appeared on the field.

The next moment, Lycanroc's Stealth Rock materialized from mid-air, launching an assault directly at Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, who had just landed and had no time to react!

Even though Cangyan Cangyan Rengui relied on instinct to swing its Flame Greatsword and block a portion of the Stealth Rock, quite a few rocks still exploded against Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's armor.

Shortly after, the smoke cleared.

Standing on the field was Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, its armor marked with numerous attack traces and its aura slightly diminished.

The second round begins!