There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [51]
Gazing at the Vulpix on the screen, the man smiled faintly and gently stroked the Ninetales beside him. "Not bad, this kid," he muttered. The Ninetales' pupil-less eyes glowed faintly blue, its presence nearly imperceptible, cloaked in the hidden aura of its psychic abilities. It kept its gaze fixed on the Vulpix.
As the man absentmindedly touched the deep scar on his face, he picked up an old-fashioned phone resting on his lap. "Have you found that old man from Yulin?"
The phone, resembling a bulky brick from decades past, occasionally crackled with static noises from the receiver.
"Even if we haven't found him, it doesn't matter. The plan in Qianjiang will proceed as scheduled." After hanging up the phone, the man anxiously rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why did he suddenly choose to leave at a time like this? The net had already been cast, but years of instinct told the man that things were far more complicated than they seemed.
Letting out a long sigh, the man made up his mind. He would have to visit a few places personally. This instinct, sharp like that of a wild beast, had saved him from countless perils and ensured his survival up to now.
Gazing at the confident child on the screen, the man waved his hand, cutting off the signal.
---
"Winner of Arena 9: Wang Yingjie!" Even after making it to the top 128, Wang Yingjie continued his domineering "one-hit victory" approach. Faced with a Tangela that had a significant type advantage over his Wartortle, he unleashed an unexpected trump card—Ice Punch. One single hit secured victory, causing a sensation at the scene. This violent, aesthetic fighting style earned Wang Yingjie immense popularity and a rapidly growing fanbase, placing him at the top of the tournament's list of favorites to win.
"Winner of Arena 16: Hu Sheng!" To everyone's surprise, despite his sloppy battle commands, Hu Sheng's Charmeleon proved to be impressively trained, even mastering the Dragon-type move Dragon Rage. Using this move, he blasted his opponent's Graveler clean out of the ring, scattering rocks everywhere. It's said Hu Sheng's arrogant laughter was so loud it could be heard in the neighboring arena.
"Winner of Arena 3: Kevin!" Hailing from U-country, Kevin, with his golden hair, sparked a massive uproar upon his entrance. Nearly 90% of the audience were female fans, having already fallen for his striking looks before the match even began. However, Kevin's Ralts had yet to evolve, and despite a close call, he managed to defeat his opponent's Nidorino. Even so, the cheers from the crowd were deafening, almost lifting the roof. Kevin, somewhat embarrassed, waved to the audience and thanked them with a flawless smile.
"Winner of Arena 21: Su Xiangrou!" Su Xiangrou's match had barely any spectators. She was an unknown competitor, quiet and solitary, to the point that no commentators were assigned, and her match wasn't considered worthy of broadcast. However, her Porygon defeated a Magnemite within three minutes with precise, no-nonsense efficiency—like a well-oiled machine.
"Winner of Arena 47: Gao Chi!" One of the tournament's highest-ranked contenders, Gao Chi, was a cold and reserved young man dressed in a karate uniform, complete with a black belt. His Pokémon was still a Machop, yet even against an evolved Primeape, Machop landed a clean chop followed by a devastating Seismic Toss. When Primeape fell to the ground, Machop followed up with a Flame Punch from the left and a Thunder Punch from the right, leaving Primeape with no chance to counterattack. By the end, Primeape was in a truly pitiful state.
With most of the matches nearing their conclusion, Lu Cheng, who had finished his own match, greeted Su Xiangrou as she exited the arena, surprised that she had also wrapped up her battle so quickly.
"Hey, are you heading back?" Lu Cheng asked.
Su Xiangrou gave him a cold, calculating look, as if analyzing data, making Lu Cheng feel a chill. After a long pause, Su Xiangrou finally responded, "I'm going to check out a few more arenas."
Collecting intel was something Su Xiangrou simply couldn't resist. Lu Cheng nodded and awkwardly smiled. "I'm going too. A-Le's match should still be going on, so I'll go take a look."
Just as Lu Cheng was about to wave goodbye, he noticed Su Xiangrou hesitating, as if she wanted to say something. As he was about to walk away, he heard her voice again.
"I'll go with you," Su Xiangrou said expressionlessly.
---
On the battlefield, A-Le was locked in a tough battle.
"Ding Chong's Zubat dodged Pelipper's Aerial Ace from an unbelievable angle. My goodness, Pelipper is once again confused!" the commentator shouted with excitement as the audience held their breath, captivated by the intense match.
"Another Leech Life! Zubat's injuries are visibly healing right before our eyes." "The same move has landed three times already!"
A-Le's expression was unusually serious, but Pelipper's condition on the field looked grim.
"Baozi, use Quick Attack and fly into the sky!"
At the start of the match, A-Le had managed to deal some damage to Zubat with Pelipper's speed, but Ding Chong gradually turned the tide using a "Supersonic + Leech Life" combo. Now, A-Le was desperately trying to find a way to break through. As long as Pelipper could fly above Zubat, its Supersonic wouldn't have any surfaces to reflect off and hit.
However, Ding Chong remained incredibly calm. With a swift hand gesture, he commanded, "Zubat, use Astonish!"
The small, black Zubat, its eyes barely visible, bared its short fangs and rushed toward Pelipper just as it was accelerating, flapping its wings right in front of Pelipper's eyes.
"Ou-le!" Pelipper cried out in pain as its vision was momentarily blocked, and its movements were interrupted.
Ding Chong, never one to miss an opportunity, immediately ordered, "Zubat, Confuse Ray!"
This move, which Lu Cheng's Vulpix had also mastered, was wielded with such skill by Zubat that it required almost no preparation. As soon as Pelipper regained its vision, a glowing orb of light was flying straight toward it. A-Le, sweating profusely, bit his lip before calling out, "Baozi, use your Rain Dish ability!"
Baozi's ability had changed to Drizzle after evolving, allowing it to summon rain, but A-Le had been reluctant to reveal this trump card due to the potential for it to interfere with his own strategies. But now, with no other option, he was forced to gamble on the new technique he had recently practiced with Baozi.
"Pelipper, use Haze!"
Suddenly, dark clouds formed over the arena, but only in the small section where the battle was taking place did rain start pouring down. Hidden within the misty rain, Pelipper concealed its form.
"This haze will also hinder Pelipper's vision," commented Su Xiangrou from the sidelines, frowning slightly. "Without the Keen Eye ability, it's going to be hard to land a hit in these conditions."
Lu Cheng nodded. "But Zubat's sound waves will also weaken in a different medium, and its speed will be limited as well."
The rain began to fall in earnest, and under these conditions, water-type moves would be enhanced. A-Le shouted, "Baozi, use Water Gun!"
A jet of water shot from Pelipper's beak. Zubat, flying around erratically like a headless fly, seemed lost, but just as the Water Gun was about to land, a green shield appeared around it. Protect!
"Getting Zubat ready for defense in advance was the right move," Ding Chong murmured. "Now, let's finish this..."
"Zubat, use Swift!"
A series of star-shaped projectiles, like homing missiles, shot toward Pelipper hidden in the haze. Swift was a move that never missed! The haze dispersed, revealing Pelipper, already exhausted from repeated Leech Life attacks, collapsing from the blow.
"Winner of Arena 23: Ding Chong!"
---
T/N: It seems that Xiangrou's starter is a Porygon and not a Fakemon... I will go change it now.
If there are any mistakes let me know!
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