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The switching period was brief.
But by the time the two commentators got carried away in their discussion, the captain from Hongcheng University had already sent out his second Pokémon.
A giant turtle Pokémon that resembled a Mata Mata turtle, mostly grayish in color, with a shell and head patterned in bright red and yellow, and spiky brownish-red spines growing from its carapace.
—Turtonator, the Fire/Dragon-type Pokémon from the seventh generation.
With the ability Shell Armor, it was a classic slow physical wall Pokémon possessing the signature move Shell Trap. When hit by a physical move, it would explode with unimaginable power.
Roughly equivalent to the power of Incineroar's standard high-temperature Flare Blitz.
In the games, it needed a turn to set up, but in reality, you just had to aim your shell at the opponent the first time.
Terrifying. No matter how you looked at it.
Corviknight's previously fierce expression instantly stiffened, feeling a bit stuck.
The Hongcheng captain only had so many Pokémon in his team, and Turtonator was the one Corviknight had the hardest time dealing with.
After all, it mostly knew contact moves.
Light Screen was still active, and Tailwind was still blowing, but it truly didn't dare get intimate with this Turtonator.
A single touch would cost half its life...
"Beep!."
'Huh?'
Corviknight looked back at Li Xiang incredulously, wondering if it had misheard.
'Trigger the first Shell Trap on purpose? Isn't that asking for my life?'
'I—Alright, alright, I'll go.'
Seeing the unsettling expression on Li Xiang's face, Corviknight flapped its wings and took flight helplessly. Roost had healed its external injuries, restoring its flight capability.
Fortunately, Salamence had only pierced the outer armor. If it had bitten into the bone underneath, Roost probably wouldn't have been as effective.
Think about it carefully; maybe the injury wouldn't be that severe. After all, Light Screen was still up, and its Special Defense wasn't bad. Half its health at most.
With that, Corviknight, wearing a look of grim determination, launched an attack that was essentially equivalent to suicide.
Flapping its wings, it charged!
In the distance, Turtonator used Shell Smash. Red light, like fragments, burst from its body, boosting its Speed and both attacking stats.
Then, facing the charging Corviknight, it bent down and fired a beam-like stream of bright yellow flames from the tube on its nose!
Temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees, scorching the air to the point of distortion!
Corviknight's eyes sharpened. It adjusted its flight angle based on Turtonator's nozzle, actually managing to dodge the beam-like flames thanks to its excellent physical capabilities.
It gained altitude, looking down at the Turtonator below, and dove down with the resolve of one facing death!
A layer of glowing green sheen appeared on its body.
"Trying to bait the Shell Trap? You still have to withstand it!"
Hongcheng University had great confidence in Shell Trap, letting Corviknight attack with Protect activated.
Turtonator twisted its body.
BOOM——!!
A deafening explosion!
As if missiles were carpet-bombing the small arena, flames, sonic booms, and smoke shot into the sky! A miniature mushroom cloud even rumbled upwards!
The shockwave swept across everything on the ground, like a moving high wall, shoving both trainers back.
Li Xiang adjusted his posture, landing firmly and covering his mouth against the dust. He used his PokéBall to recall Corviknight, which came running out badly battered.
Shell Trap was even more powerful than the data suggested. The moment of contact, he heard the sound of Protect shattering.
This was Corviknight's Protect!
The most skilled user of Protect on the team, with the strongest damage absorption for the move, plus a Light Screen. What couldn't it block?
Even so, it was still shattered by Turtonator's Shell Trap, showing its formidable power.
Should one say, as expected of a Dragon Tamer from Dragon City?
Li Xiang licked the corner of his mouth.
The Hongcheng captain was from Dragon City, a traditional Dragon Tamer. His Pokémon were either Dragon-type or in the Dragon Egg Group. This wasn't a secret.
And in this world with Fairy-type Pokémon, Dragon Tamers could still hold their own piece of the sky.
It definitely wasn't achieved through empty boasts.
Their strength was beyond doubt.
On the field, the dust lingered for a long time. The commentators raved about the Hongcheng captain's identity as a Dragon Tamer.
Although Dragon City was large, the traditional Dragon Folk numbered only just over a million, and those choosing the trainer path were even rarer.
Therefore, any powerful Dragon Tamer appearing in the Junior World Tournament was worthy of praise.
Switching Pokémon.
The second one sent out was Li Xiang's ace, Incineroar.
Considering the need to win without revealing too much strength, he had almost no other choice.
"Roar!"
The robust tiger roared furiously at the smoke-shrouded, faintly visible Turtonator not far away, activating Intimidate.
As a Dragon-type, Turtonator naturally had high mental resistance and wasn't affected much. Instead, it let out a wild cry that could be easily misunderstood.
But regardless, its Attack still dropped.
Simultaneously, the originally shattered spines on its back miraculously returned to their original state under a glow of red light.
Li Xiang knew this meant Shell Trap was ready again. Unfortunately, sorry, but he didn't have much intention of clashing head-on.
"Snarl!"
Incineroar took the initiative, unleashing an air-shaking roar at Turtonator.
A large black-purple energy ball shot from its body, exploding mid-air into visible sound waves!
Hum—!
The sound waves surged. Turtonator showed a pained expression but immediately took a step, took a deep breath, and exhaled a dazzling fire dragon of intertwining azure and crimson flames toward Incineroar!
The fire dragon clawed and roared in mid-air, emitting an ear-splitting roar!
This was Dragonfire, different from ordinary flames. It didn't have extremely high temperatures but was unyielding and fierce, dealing terrifying damage!
Ordinary Pokémon would writhe in pain upon contact.
Incineroar obviously wasn't among them, but it also had no intention of taking a free hit. It decisively activated Protect, blocking the fierce fire dragon.
The second shield under the crow, blocking Turtonator's STAB move was easy, even with its Special Attack boosted by Shell Smash.
After all, it had just been lowered by Snarl, and Light Screen was still active.
Seeing this, Turtonator regretted not having used Taunt first.
However, just as it intended to press the advantage and use another Dragon Pulse, Incineroar gave it a ferocious, taunting expression.
"Roar!"
'What are you looking at, turtle bastard!'
As soon as the words fell, Incineroar's body turned into a stream of light and returned to Li Xiang's PokéBall.
Turtonator's Attack and Special Attack dropped again. Not only was Shell Smash wasted, but there was even a downward trend.
The Hongcheng captain's face changed, knowing Li Xiang was starting to rotate.
'No, can't let him rotate.'
But there was no trapping move that could prevent Parting Shot.
It could only be blocked by Taunt.
On the other side, Li Xiang sent out his third Pokémon, undoubtedly Wash Rotom.
These three formed a combination that could handle almost any Pokémon, with good defensive synergy and offensive output.
Actually, switching to Greninja was also possible, but he somewhat wanted to keep the Concealment ability hidden.
There were too many knowledgeable people in the world.
Seeing the washing machine, the opponent's previously gloomy expression instantly brightened.
'If it's Volt Switch, then you're done for, right?'
In an instant, he devised a tactic, taking a PokéBall from his pocket.
On the field, Rotom indeed used Volt Switch on Turtonator. A shining electric ring shot from its valve!
"Protect!"
Swish!
A green shield appeared in front of Turtonator, nullifying the incoming electric ring.
Then, he decisively switched it out.
The one sent out next was a completely cyan-green flying dragon Pokémon with two red blindfolds and diamond-shaped wings—Flygon.
Its appearance meant Rotom couldn't switch out via Volt Switch; type compatibility affected Volt Switch.
Moreover,
"Protect."
"First Impression!"
Two commands rang out simultaneously, accompanied by the explosive sound of a green shadow striking the green shield before falling.
First Impression, an extremely fast move that could only be used upon entering the field.
Flygon punched Rotom at blinding speed, then rapidly retreated!
The speed was unbelievably fast!
The shield was gone!
"Ooh!"
Flygon cried out, wings vibrating. With Tailwind's help, its speed became a blur. On its hands, azure dragonfire formed glove-like structures!
Dragon Claw!
This claw strike would take at least half of Rotom's life, if not finish it off!
Faced with Flygon's such ferocious attack, the washing machine didn't even have the slightest thought of dodging. It actively took this Dragon Claw, and then—
Pain Split!
HP redistribution!
Boom!
Smoke scattered.
Two figures decisively retreated from the smoke.
Through Pain Split, the HP Rotom had just lost from the Dragon Claw attack instantly recovered to above the safety line.
On the other side, Flygon showed a pained expression, its body instantly weakened considerably.
'Didn't finish it off! A durability-built Rotom?'
The opponent's brows furrowed slightly. He knew his own situation. Although his Flygon was once called a pseudo-Garchomp, its Attack was absolutely maximized!
Even Salamence, with higher innate Attack, wouldn't dare say its Attack was stronger!
Just how much durability did this guy's Rotom have?
"Dragon Rush!"
'Then hit harder! Anyway, you don't have Destiny Bond!'
Flygon's body was suddenly covered in boiling dragonfire, transforming into a giant energy dragon!
It roared, diving toward Rotom!
—'Finally took the bait.'
'Overeager Hongcheng University captain.'
Li Xiang watched as Rotom opened the valve on its chest, aiming at the resolved to die, determined-to-finish-off-Rotom-without-leaving-any-room-for-it, and also unable-to-stop-itself Flygon.
He couldn't help but smile.
The next second, violent blizzard howled, with cold air capable of freezing the very air itself, transforming into flying snow that could freeze the soul of any spectator, completely covering Flygon!
'Sorry. It's not a Frost Rotom, but Rotom can still use Blizzard.'
"Hmph."
Li Xiang lowered his head with a light laugh.
A huge ice block fell from the sky.
In the Hongcheng captain's slightly agape mouth and sharply constricted pupils, it made contact with the not-particularly-hard ground, making a strange squelching sound.
The referee blew his whistle!
[Did you see that, audience! The determined Flygon actively fell into Rotom's Blizzard trap!]
[The battle between the freshman and the captain! Our national number one has finally secured the first knockout!]
Amidst the excited voices of the commentators, the entire stadium erupted!