Chapter 73
: Feel my will to block the bridge!
Next, approaching Xia Ming and Younggiras—
It is the badge of the beginner dojo, one of the eight dojos, which I completed in just two weeks after graduating.
On the arena, he outmaneuvered three professional trainers in a one-on-two push team with his level 22 Rascal, while also outmaneuvering four professional trainers in a one-on-two push team with his level 23 Piglet.
It was Naruto, a rookie trainer who had just been traveling for a month and was full of arrogance and determination to take revenge!
Wearing yoga pants, Mingyi held the injured Green Vine Snake and pouted. Beside her were Ashu, the second-place contestant who had unfortunately lost, and Bailu, who had been eliminated at the start of the competition.
"Hehe, is it too late to make up now?"
After watching all of Mingyi's battles, Xia Ming smiled as Mingyi walked towards him. This guy is practically a human-shaped Treasure Trove!
You can't beat them, you simply can't beat them. It's like a new Minecraft player seeing a master builder and feeling completely bewildered and helpless. Why is it that even though they both have steps and stairs, the roofs they build look a million times better than yours?
Anyway, Xia Ming didn't know. In his view, Mingyi's battle was just a series of steps, then she would slap the opponent's Pokémon away and that would be the end of it.
There was no psychological game, nor was there any overwhelming force.
It's as if Mei has activated mind control, always able to know the opponent's thoughts in advance, then manipulate the opponent to perfectly avoid her Pokémon, and then find the right moment to unleash a combo attack.
This combat instinct is like... it's like...
Just like when Xia Ming reached out and grabbed the negatively charged pat, it was an almost instinctive action, a feeling of doing it decisively even knowing what kind of damage it would cause.
He knew he would win if he did that, so he did it immediately, and he won.
It's that simple.
Without thinking, without anticipation, just acting on instinct!
"I made you laugh before, now it's your turn to make me laugh, hahaha~"
Mingyi made no attempt to hide her joy. After seeing Xia Ming's expression of not knowing how to win, she turned her head and burst into laughter.
I was just joking around!
"Yes, yes, you are indeed very strong, Miss Mingyi, but your bag is really full. I still don't know how to spend all the inheritance you left me."
“…………”
No more giggling.
Mingyi's laughter abruptly stopped, and she clenched her fists.
This guy... he really knows how to bring up the most sensitive topics, it makes me want to beat him up!
"Hmph, get ready to face me."
After uttering those harsh words, Mingyi angrily dragged Bailu toward Electric City, leaving Ashu awkwardly unsure how to face Xiaming.
My companion seems to be... sigh.
"Um, Mr. Xia Ming, I'm sorry, Mingyi, she..."
"It's alright, let's get acquainted. My name is Xia Ming."
"My name is Ash, you can call me Ash or Ash, it's a pity I never beat that guy. How about we have a match sometime?!"
It's clear this kid is a battle fanatic, the kind who, like Ash, would yell out when a girl confesses her feelings:
I will definitely win.
That type.
………………
The next two days of competition were more exciting than the first day but less interesting than the second. The two newly crowned champions were not on the same level as Mingyi at all, and were even inferior to the champion from the first day.
They were all among the top 64 in the previous Higanbana Tournament, having traveled for a year and earned eight League-certified gym badges. The entire team was at least level 36 in training.
The fifth day arrived quickly.
Miss Skirt took over the work of Young Gilas and Aluminum Steel Dragon. She stood behind Xia Ming in the battlefield, helping him take pictures while keeping an eye on his safety.
Natsume's son has passed away, and she can't let something happen to Natsume's grandson as well, otherwise everyone might never be able to gather on the farm again.
"Skirt~"
Filming is ready.
"Very well, so the fifth day's challenger is in place. Now, who would like to be the first to challenge me?"
"Of course it's me!"
Mingyi was the first to step out from the crowd without hesitation. There was only a cute Whimsicott perched on her shoulder, while the other two Pokémon were put into her Poké Ball.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now, she was going to give Xia Ming, who had stolen half of her life, a good beating for the first time!
Is Xia Ming scared?
After watching Mingyi's performance in battle, I was a little scared.
But if you back down because you're afraid of the strong, wouldn't you easily be looked down upon by your own Pokémon?
He was going to lead Larvitar to block the escape points! Without an unwavering will, how could he lead Larvitar to successfully block every escape point and ensure that the trainers who returned with their spoils left behind!
To retreat is the cowardice of the weak!
Facing challenges head-on is the mark of a strong person!
We will not back down because of our weakness, nor will we yield because of our strength. The weaker you are, the more I will block your retreat; the stronger you are, the more I will block you.
This is the purest form of the will to block the bridge! It is also Xia Ming's will!
"Trains, please take your positions. The battle is a one-on-one match. Each trainer may have two Pokémon. You may freely switch Pokémon during the battle. Please prepare your starting Pokémon. Battle—begin!"
"I choose you, Aluminum Steel Dragon!"
"Let's stir-fry some pork!"
Was it predicted by...?
As soon as the show started, Xia Ming's forehead was already sweating.
His Pokémon and Naruto's Pokémon have a relationship of mutual restraint and resistance:
Fried Pig can't beat Larvitar, Larvitar can't beat Green Vine Snake, Green Vine Snake is hard to beat Duraludon, Duraludon is hard to beat Fried Pig.
He predicted that Naruto would start with Snivy, so he fielded Duraludon, which has a 4x resistance to Grass-type attacks. However, Naruto also predicted that he would not start with Larvitar, so he switched to Stir-fried Pig at the risk of being stomped half to death by Larvitar!
In some matches, you can already tell the outcome just by looking at the starting lineups.
Although fire attribute does not resist or counteract Dragon Steel, dealing 1x base damage, Xia Ming was not confident that he could defeat Ming Yi without any advantage.
He excels at open-field battles, not formal matches like this.
So what? If we don't have an advantage, we'll create one!
"Shovel the pig! Use a powerful push on the substituted Youngster!"
"Come back, Aluminum Steel Dragon, get on Younggiras!"
However, it was as if Mingyi had seen through all of Xia Ming's thoughts. In her eyes, Xia Ming was practically naked except for his underwear.
Before Young Gilas was substituted in, she resisted fire-attribute skills and then used a move to reduce the power of the Green Vine Serpent that she substituted in. She also predicted Xia Ming's next move!
Yes, she did reveal that her Green Vine Serpent wasn't "going against the grain" in the previous battle, but so what?
If my Green Vine Snake doesn't go into battle as you expect, you'll have to think carefully about whether you want to get close to me and switch to a counter-attack!
In our first encounter, I emerged completely victorious!