There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [55]
On the battlefield, Hu Sheng, sporting freshly tattooed eyebrows, glared at Wang Yingjie with intense animosity. This guy's been gaining way too much attention lately. Meanwhile, Wang Yingjie remained calm, wearing a serene smile on his dark face, showing no signs of stress. His Wartortle stood confidently, its arrogant stance only irritating Hu Sheng's Charmeleon even more.
"Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!" Hu Sheng immediately went for a powerful move. Charmeleon let out an angry roar as a fierce, glowing blue energy formed in its mouth. If this attack connected, it could leave Wartortle severely injured or worse.
As the crowd gasped at the sudden display of power, Wang Yingjie remained unfazed. "Wartortle, Dig!" The turtle Pokémon swiftly burrowed underground, narrowly avoiding the blast. The Dragon Rage exploded against the barrier at the edge of the field. Furious, Charmeleon roared into the sky.
"Smokescreen!" Hu Sheng commanded. Thick black smoke poured from Charmeleon's tail, enveloping the arena and concealing Charmeleon's position. Yu Lei, observing the fight, commented, "That Hu Sheng may seem brash, but he's got a solid strategy in battle."
Wang Yingjie only smiled. He couldn't help but think about his opponent's background. Hu Sheng was well-known as a wealthy heir. Kids like him, born into riches, never had to work hard to obtain rare Pokémon like the starters. His family had probably provided everything Charmeleon needed to evolve.
But Wang Yingjie? He had to fight tooth and nail just to get his Squirtle to evolve into Wartortle.
"If I had money, I wouldn't need to endure the daily grind of going out to sea. My dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer wouldn't be trampled on so easily." Wang Yingjie's eyes turned cold as he recalled all the hardships he had endured to stand here. People like Hu Sheng could never understand what it took.
"Wartortle, use Dig again, judging the position from its tail!" In an instant, Wartortle shot out of the ground, slamming hard into Charmeleon. The force of the double-damage attack sent Charmeleon flying over a meter!
"Oh no, even though Hu Sheng used Smokescreen to obscure his position, it looks like Wang Yingjie has seen through it!" Yu Lei's voice was filled with excitement as he commented, "That Dig attack was highly effective!"
But something was off, and An Tongxin, seated beside him, furrowed her brows. "No, that didn't hit."
Wang Yingjie, too, noticed something wasn't right. "It didn't land…" he muttered.
As the smoke cleared, Charmeleon was still standing, albeit a bit out of breath. The Dig had connected, but only with Charmeleon's Substitute!
Hu Sheng burst into a fit of laughter, triumphantly shouting, "Kid, just to humiliate you, I made sure Charmeleon learned this move yesterday!"
His words were like a needle stabbing at Wang Yingjie's pride. Why aim for a one-hit knockout? Because matches like that were exciting. Sponsors paid more, which meant he could grow stronger with more resources!
Wang Yingjie's face twisted into a snarl as he shouted, "Wartortle, rush in with Water Pulse!"
Having lost the chance to finish the battle in one blow only fueled Wartortle's determination. It charged at Charmeleon, using its sturdy shell to take the hit from Charmeleon's claws, and in return, unleashed a point-blank Water Pulse!
"I'll make sure you lose in the worst way possible," Wang Yingjie muttered under his breath. He had already decided to revert back to his original strategy, sooner than expected. Since that was the case, he would end this battle with utter domination from start to finish.
On the other side, Charmeleon's situation was looking grim. Hu Sheng, who relied entirely on instinct during battles, was providing rough and inconsistent commands. Meanwhile, under Wang Yingjie's precise direction, Wartortle was relentlessly closing the gap, landing blow after blow with Ice Punches, each punch smashing into Charmeleon's face with brutal force. Wartortle wasn't rushing to finish the match; instead, it was systematically destroying both Hu Sheng's and Charmeleon's confidence.
"Isn't this method a bit too much?" An Tongxin, after a long pause, finally voiced her concern. To her surprise, Yu Lei also nodded. As a commentator, he was supposed to remain neutral, free of personal bias.
"Wang Yingjie could easily finish this battle with Water Pulse, but this kind of command... it's a bit inhumane," he remarked.
The difference in strength between the two was already painfully clear. Wartortle was toying with Charmeleon, its arrogant face full of malice. Yet another Ice Punch landed, and Charmeleon's flame seemed to flicker and dim.
"Charmeleon!" Hu Sheng roared in desperation. He had been confident that Charmeleon could breeze through to the finals, but reality had hit him hard. Even someone as prideful as Hu Sheng couldn't help but feel a deep pang of sorrow. Seeing Charmeleon covered in injuries, Hu Sheng shouted at Wang Yingjie, "End the match already! Why are you still going so hard?!"
"You can always forfeit," Wang Yingjie replied coldly.
Initially, the damage caused by Water Pulse could have been treated easily at a Pokémon Center, but the repeated Ice Punches were leaving Charmeleon nearly immobile. If this continued, Charmeleon could end up permanently disabled! This wasn't just a battle anymore—it had turned into a street brawl where the goal wasn't just to win, but to utterly break the opponent's Pokémon.
The audience began to murmur, but the referee stood firm and did not blow the whistle. This situation was similar to when Kevin's Ralts evolved mid-battle. Without a clear winner, the match had to continue. In a way, this was meant to teach the young trainers that battles could have unexpected and harsh outcomes. However, no one had anticipated such a brutal lesson.
"I believe the referee should call the match in Wang Yingjie's favor right now," An Tongxin said bluntly.
Yu Lei, however, shook his head without saying a word. He had commentated on many street battles, where the match wasn't over until the very last second, and anything could happen.
"Wang Yingjie, you're something else!" Hu Sheng's eyes were bloodshot. For someone as proud as him, this was the second time in his life that he had tasted the bitter flavor of humiliation.
At that moment, something unexpected happened. Charmeleon, who had been knocked to the ground by Wartortle's Ice Punch, suddenly let out a furious roar. Thin layers of ice coating its body began to crack, and the flame on Charmeleon's tail flared up intensely, emitting a terrifying heat. Charmeleon's ability, Blaze, had activated!
In this moment of crisis, Charmeleon unleashed a move it normally wouldn't be able to use. Wartortle, standing too close, had all its limbs exposed outside its shell. Charmeleon seized the opportunity and lunged forward, biting down on Wartortle's outstretched fist with a powerful Fire Fang!
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