Chapter 161

Although the speed of the Type: Null is not fast, Azumarill is not agile Pokémon either. In fact, it is even slower than the Type: Null!

"Hit!"

Qiao Ran thought to himself, "Great!" However, it seemed that the Water-type Gym Leader had no intention of letting him have his way.

"Azumarill, Liquidation!"

Suddenly, a surging jet of water enveloped Azumarill's body, and then, her originally round and immobile body was propelled into the air by the flow of water.

The attack, which dealt an attack with Type: Null, clearly missed its target. By the time it struck the spot where Azumarill had been standing, Azumarill had already vanished.

"What?!"

Qiao Ran was dumbfounded.

This little thing... it's so fast?

No... wait, this is to use the speed gained from the Liquidation skill to compensate for its own lack of speed!

In Pokémon games, Liquidation is not a priority move and does not increase speed. However, in reality, the surging water enveloping the body produces a special effect that causes the user to move as well.

Moreover, the petite size of Azumarill makes her particularly well-suited to this kind of water flow.

These are things that don't exist in games, but can be done in real life!

"How about it? As the Gym Leader, I naturally have some of my own little skills, haha."

Jiang Yuanhao, having outmaneuvered Qiao Ran, smiled and gathered his strength, throwing a punch forward.

"Azumarill, Brick Break from the sky!!"

"Marnie!!!"

Enveloped in water and suspended in mid-air, the blue Pokémon roared and raised its short arm. This palm strike seemed powerless, but it was like a thousand mountains descending from the sky, enough to make one breathless.

"Is this... Azumarill?"

Lillie's face paled; her worldview had been shattered once again.

When did Fairy Type Pokémon become like this?

"... It must be... related to the trainer, right?" Mei to the side, was also somewhat unsure. What kind of trainer could have raised such Azumarill?

This is really Azumarill, and not some Machamp or something in disguise?

No... wait, even Machamp isn't this terrifying.

On the battlefield, Qiao Ran also felt this powerful force, and the Type: Null on the ground was directly facing this immense Pressure.

Oh no.

The Gym Leader opposite him seemed to have Frisk his intention to create distance and use ranged attacks, which is why he attacked proactively. And once Azumarill engages in Close Combat, it will definitely use Fighting-type moves.

"..."

Unlike Mimikyu, Type: Null doesn't have any fancy "Disguise" Ability, nor can she use any special combat methods in battle. Her combat style tends to be more straightforward, which is the most suitable strategy for her.

But in this situation, a direct confrontation is definitely not an option.

Should I take it back and then trade it for Pokémon?

"..."

In the instant Qiao Ran was pondering, he had already received the message from Type: Null.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!!"

The colossal beast with claws and a fish tail raised its head, its eyes glowing red beneath its helmet, and roared loudly at the falling Azumarill.

She still has to fight.

She also wants to bring victory to her trainer, just like the other Pokémon.

To Qiao Ran's astonishment, an invisible barrier actually materialized in front of the Type: Null.

Then, Azumarill's Brick Break attack struck it, but it didn't completely shatter the barrier; it only destroyed Qiqi of it.

"Did Protect?"

Jiang Yuanhao let out a soft "hmm," as the other party's resistance was not unexpected. However, what he didn't expect was that Qiao Ran was also full of questions.

"Protect??"

Wait, when did Type: Null learn this skill?

"Roar roar roar roar (I learned this from other Pokémon back in the Wild Area)"

Qiao Ran: "..."

So... his Pokémon can learn moves on their own without his knowledge?

What else did you learn?

"Roar roar roar roar roar."

Qiao Ran then thought of the rapidly Extreme Speed Vulpix and Mimikyu. Could it be that they, too, were secretly developing... without his knowledge?

What kind of special training are they doing in Takumi?

Even if the previous skill Protect the day, what about the next skill?

Jiang Yuanhao, on the other hand, had no intention of letting Qiao Ran off the hook.

"Azumarill, keep the Liquidation!"

"Marnie!!"

Under Jiang Yuanhao's command, Azumarill, whose first attack failed, once again enveloped herself in a fierce current of water. Like a berserk Fighting type, she moved through the Battle Court at incredible speed, approaching the side of the Type: Null.

"Tsk!"

Looking at the terrifying little thing, Qiao Ran couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly. He understood the principle of protecting it or not. Although the previous Brick Break Type: Null blocked by the protective skill, if this skill was used continuously, it would likely become ineffective.

In other words, Azumarill's next attacks will no longer rely on the "Type: Null" skill!

What to do?

"Azumarill! Superpower!"

"Ali Ali!!"

Azumarill a Fighting-type Superpower move, charging with immense power toward the location of the Type: Null.

The Type: Null could only raise its head and unleash its signature Tri Attack, where the energies of the three attributes converged into a beam of light, attempting to attack Azumarill's body.

However, the water-covered Azumarill was incredibly agile, and its Type: Null attack only struck the ground, kicking up plumes of dust.

It had absolutely no effect! All the skills were dodged!

"Oh no!"

Lillie and Mei, who were watching the battle, gritted their teeth and watched the scene with bated breath.

Does this mean Qiao Ran is going to lose?

At this moment, Azumarill appeared beside the Type: Null, a devilish smile on her face.

A burst of Superpower erupted from its body, and its long, rabbit-like ears snapped straight up in an instant.

At that moment, it unleashed a punch that gathered all the power in its body.

"Marnie ~"

"Thump!!!"

A loud crash came from the Battle Court, and broken stones flew everywhere. Even Qiao Ran, who was standing at the other end of Battle Court Battlefield, felt an incredibly strong wind pressure.

It's hard to believe that this is just a Fighting type- type move from Pokémon.

As Battle Court smoke cleared, it seemed that the Type: Null was no longer there. What was pressed down on Azumarill's short hand was a small dinosaur-shaped doll.

Little... doll?

No, that's not right!

"Oops!"

Jiang Yuanhao broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but shout.

"Azumarill, behind you!!"

Azumarill turned around in surprise, only to find a giant beast nearly two meters tall standing proudly behind it.

The shadow cast enveloped its entire body.

Substitute.

A skill that consumes stamina to create clones that take damage in place of the clones.

Its defining characteristic is the doll, which is full of mockery.

The moment Jiang Yuanhao saw that thing, he knew— Azumarill had been tricked.

Even the rays that missed earlier were merely there to confuse the eye.

"...!"

"Boom!!!"

After Azumarill's attack, the Battle Court shook violently once again.

However, unlike the previous scene where all hope seemed lost, this time it was the towering Type: Null that crashed headfirst into Azumarill's body.

Double-Edge!

"Azumarill!"

Jiang Yuanhao watched helplessly as his Pokémon was knocked away; all of this happened in just a second.

"Azumarill is unable to fight; Qiao Ran wins!"

Watching Azumarill fly off the field, the Referee announced the final result. The Type: Null had made a series of moves collapsed onto the Battle Court after the Referee's announcement.

In the previous battle, she had already exhausted a lot of her mental energy. Moreover, the "Protect" skill in reality cannot completely block effectively. For example, when there is a huge difference in level and ability between the two sides, even if the Protect skill is used, the Barrier created may be directly shattered.

This was the case when the Type: Null before; the Barrier Protect was already on the verge of collapse, and Azumarill's attacks still managed to damage her.

When facing Type: Null 'Azumarill Superpower attacks, the "Substitute" skill she uses—which conjures a doll to absorb the damage—also requires her to sacrifice a quarter of her own health.

With that final, Double-Edge, Type: Null was no longer able to continue fighting.

"... I never imagined you would learn so many skills on your own, and such..."

Qiao Ran onto the Battle Court, gently stroked her body, and used the Tokiwa Power to slightly restore her health.

Protect, Substitute.

Although the type of skill seemed a bit strange, that wasn't something Qiao Ran, as a Trainer, should be concerned about.

"As a Trainer, I had no idea you had mastered a new skill; I only discovered it during the battle."

Looking at the fallen Type: Null, Qiao Ran suddenly felt a pang of self-reproach.

He was indeed too concerned about the stronger Pokémon; originally, he was pursuing...

Having become an excellent Trainer, after experiencing so much, he has gradually become a hardcore player, but... this is also the deepest confusion in Qiao Ran's heart.

If he weren't strong enough, could they have continued on this path?

"Roar."

"You mean you'll get stronger too?" Hearing the whispered question from the Type: Null, Qiao Ran still smiled. "Indeed, you're already strong enough."

Qiao Ran took out Poké Ball, intending to recall Type: Null and send her back to the Wild Area to rest for a while, but just then, a blinding white light suddenly emanated from Type: Null.

"What is this...?"

The onlookers all showed expressions of surprise, and Qiao Ran was so frightened that her heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

Could this be...?

No... no, I have to take it back right away!

Qiao Ran subconsciously thought this was a sign of Humanoid Transformation, but after observing it for a while and finding that the appearance of the Type: Null had not changed much, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So... it wasn't supposed to Humanoid Transformation?