Chapter 423: Challenge! The Northeast Elite Four!
Kenji took his time traveling north, spending a full month treating the journey
like a vacation. He trained, rested, and explored, eventually arriving at the
Northeast Regional Headquarters of the Huaxia League.
When he finally came face-to-face with Li Xisheng, he noticed the man had
changed significantly since their last meeting six months ago. The weight of his
new position had sharpened his aura; he carried himself with the quiet, refined
confidence of someone who had successfully transitioned from a student prodigy
to a high-ranking official.
"Hahaha! I've been waiting for you, Kenji!"
Inside the headquarters, Li Xisheng let out a booming laugh. He looked at Kenji
with eyes full of anticipation, unable to hide his excitement.
Li Xisheng had been the Grand Champion of the previous Huaxia League Conference.
Kenji was the current one. During this year's tournament, fate had ensured they
never crossed paths in the bracket.
In hindsight, that was a stroke of luck for the League. If Kenji had knocked Li
Xisheng out early in the tournament, the man might never have built the momentum
required to challenge for the Elite Four seat. Instead, Li Xisheng had risen to
the occasion, officially succeeding Rainey Chang as the Northeast Elite Four.
"Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up."
A familiar female voice drifted from the hallway. Kenji turned to see Rainey
Chang, the former Northeast Elite Four member, walking toward them with a
graceful smile.
"Director Chang? I thought you'd retired," Kenji said, blinking in surprise.
Rainey let out a long, dramatic sigh and shrugged. "Being an Elite Four member
is a massive administrative headache. I've stepped down, but the handover
process is a nightmare. I'm stuck here for at least another six months helping
this guy settle into the role before I'm truly free."
Kenji nodded. It made sense. The Elite Four weren't just powerful battlers; they
were the regional defense commanders. They lived under constant pressure, ready
to mobilize the moment a disaster or a Legendary threat appeared. Most veterans
retired the moment they found a competent successor just to save their sanity.
"Anyway, enough talk. When are you two going to fight? I've been looking forward
to this match all week," Rainey said, her eyes darting between the two
champions.
Kenji and Li Xisheng locked eyes.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Kenji said.
"Then let's do it now!" Li Xisheng replied.
Neither of them felt like wasting time. They moved immediately to the
headquarters' main arena. Kenji didn't underestimate his opponent just because
he was a "rookie" Elite Four; Li Xisheng was a tactical genius who had mastered
the physical-dominance playstyle.
Rainey took a seat on the sidelines. In her arms sat a beautiful Alolan Vulpix,
its snowy-white fur glistening.
"Mo…"
The little Alolan Vulpix nuzzled against Rainey, finding a comfortable spot in
her lap as it watched the field with curious, sky-blue eyes. Rainey
absentmindedly stroked its six icy tails.
Kenji glanced at the little creature. Personally, he had always found the Alolan
variant of Vulpix to be more aesthetically pleasing than the standard Fire-type.
Of course, his own Ninetales was the exception—her beauty was divinely unique,
even among her own species.
"The match... begins!"
"Go! Conkeldurr!"
"I'm counting on you! Ninetales!"
Two streaks of red light lanced into the arena.
Li Xisheng opened with his powerhouse, Conkeldurr. Kenji, sensing a physical
threat, countered with the speed and utility of Ninetales. With her mastery of
Psychic-type sub-moves, she was the perfect answer to a Fighting-type
specialist.
"Mo…"
On the sidelines, the little Alolan Vulpix perked up, her eyes sparkling as she
watched Kenji's Ninetales. She let out a soft, admiring trill.
"That Ninetales really is impossibly beautiful," Rainey remarked under her
breath.
[System Notification]
Target: Conkeldurr (Champion Tier) Gender: Male Level: 95 Type: Fighting
Ability: Sheer Force Potential: S-
Conkeldurr leaned on its massive concrete pillars like twin crutches, grinning
at the fox.
"Conkeldurr! Use Focus Energy!"
"JIAN!"
The muscular Pokémon took a deep, guttural breath. Its veins began to bulge as
its focus sharpened to a razor's edge. It locked its gaze onto Ninetales,
tracking her every twitch.
"Flamethrower!"
"MOOOOO!"
Ninetales didn't hesitate, unleashing a spiraling pillar of fire to test the
waters.
"Smash through it! Quick Attack!"
"JIAN!"
Faced with the incoming inferno, Conkeldurr let out a sharp bark. Its arm
muscles ballooned as it swung one of its massive stone pillars in a wide arc,
hurling it forward with the force of a ballistic missile.
WHISH!
Boosted by its raw Strength, the concrete pillar tore through the air, colliding
head-on with the fire. The impact caused the Flamethrower to explode into a
cloud of harmless sparks. Using the pillar as a shield, Conkeldurr closed the
distance with a sudden burst of speed.
But Ninetales was a master of evasion. Just as the brute reached her, she
vanished in a shimmer of psychic energy.
Teleport!
She reappeared several meters away, but Li Xisheng had anticipated the move. The
moment she materialized, Conkeldurr hurled its second pillar—the direction of
the throw aimed perfectly at her exit point.
Ninetales's eyes widened slightly. She didn't have time for another jump.
"Reflect!" Kenji commanded.
THUD!
The concrete pillar slammed into a shimmering barrier of psychic light. The
barrier groaned and shattered into a web of cracks, barely managing to deflect
the projectile.
Conkeldurr was already on her again. It scooped up its first pillar as it
passed, swinging it with one hand while its other fist glowed with a sharp,
high-frequency vibration.
Mach Punch!
CRASH!
The punch shattered the remains of the Reflect barrier. Ninetales used Teleport
again, putting distance between them, her eyes glowing with a sinister pink
light.
Baby-Doll Eyes!
Because it was a priority move, the debuff landed instantly. Conkeldurr's
aggressive aura dampened as its Attack stat was forced down.
The brute didn't let up. It slammed its pillars into the ground, summoning a
storm of jagged stones that flew toward the fox.
Stone Edge!
Ninetales retaliated by breathing out a series of fireballs, intercepting the
stones in mid-air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The resulting explosions created a thick curtain of dust and smoke between the
two. Under the cover of the smog, Ninetales quietly launched a globule of
Will-O-Wisp, aiming it at one of the discarded stone pillars.
On the other side, Conkeldurr suddenly vanished.
Dig!
The arena went silent. Ninetales closed her eyes, her fur glowing with a faint,
sky-blue aura.
Extrasensory!
Using her psychic powers, she levitated a few inches off the ground, her senses
reaching into the earth to track the vibrations.
BOOM!
The ground beneath her exploded. But the figure that shot out of the earth
wasn't Conkeldurr—it was a heavy, spinning stone pillar.
The real Conkeldurr erupted from a different corner of the arena a split second
later, launching itself into a pounce. It had used the pillar as a decoy! It
plummeted toward the levitating fox, its fist cocked back for a finishing blow.
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