Chapter 287

"Starting from carriage number one, the three of you will each take three challenges to reach Carriage 5. The person who completes the most carriages within one hour will qualify for the final challenge. If the number of carriages is the same, the time taken to complete them will be compared. The winner among the three will then fight our Train Conductor in Carriage 6."

"So, it's not just about winning; we also have to consider how fast the other two players complete the level—we have to be faster than them, right?"

Qiao Ran glanced at Mei Mei beside her and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Yes, everyone will be a competitor. Overcoming time pressure while maintaining composure and calmness are both essential conditions."

The Secretary adjusted her glasses.

"You can take a break now. Our staff will notify you when it's time to start. Of course, if you need anything or have any other concerns, please feel free to let us know, and we'll have a plan."

"Okay, okay."

Qiao Ran could tell Secretary the secretary's businesslike attitude that she didn't feel like chatting much anymore. Besides, she did have a series of battles to participate in next, so it was essential for her to rest and calm herself down.

"By the way, I heard that your show will be streamed online?" Qiao Ran suddenly asked.

"Well... it was originally planned to be streamed online, just like an online program."

The Secretary paused slightly, but still replied, "However, with everyone's participation, our production team has made a few minor adjustments these past few days, canceling our plan to broadcast live directly. We're preparing to optimize the content with more refined editing and post-production."

"The TV station is currently considering whether to broadcast our program directly on television. If the final product is of acceptable quality, it might actually be possible."

"On your marks—"

After a short break, filming officially began.

Led by the Competition, Qiao Ran and Mei introduced themselves one by one. Each of the three also said some clichéd trash talk such as "I won't lose, please support me." These were basically arrangements by the production team to increase dramatic conflict.

However, their desire to be number one must be exactly the same. Even if the two people next to them are the people they know best, as a Trainer, one should only have that one and only peak in their eyes.

The three of them boarded carriage number 0 of the train together. As the carriage doors closed and the train started moving, the show officially began.

Of course, the rest of the production crew, as well as Lillie and the others who were not involved, were actually hiding at the other end of carriage 0. Unlike Qiao Ran and the others who were officially participating in the Competition, they were able to observe the entire Competition through the cameras.

Moreover, this place is also used for commentary after the official start of Competition. Some invited professional guests will provide real-time commentary and analysis of the Competition. Lillie and Acerola, who happened to be passing by, were temporarily pulled over because they were vouched for by Sabrina Gym Leader and Qiao Ran, and because they also looked quite good.

Even if it's just used as a mascot and only gets a few shots from the camera, the production team still profits.

Let's turn our attention back to Qiao Ran and the other two.

"Alright, first of all, let's draw the order of action for the three contestants!"

In front of the host, a Rotom screen began to Rollout, and soon the Rollout wheel finally landed on the position where Mei's portrait was drawn.

"The first one to start... is our Mei!"

Mei became the first person to take on the challenge. She stepped forward with some excitement, having long been eager to try this form of entertainment that was so similar to the Battle Subway in her hometown.

"Thank you, and everyone—just watch how fast I go!"

She excitedly smiled brightly at the camera in front of her, and even turned around to Taunt wave her fist at Qiao Ran Mei.

Qiao Ran Mei could only watch her performance with mixed feelings of amusement and exasperation. However, they knew in their hearts that they would both give their all in this Competition. Mei, who had just broken through to the Elite Four Realm, was indeed a formidable opponent, but... this was Competition on a train, and even Mei's Serperior might not be able to unleash its full power.

"..."

Moreover, the same applies to Qiao Ran's side; many Legendary Pokémon tend to be large, which limits their performance in such confined spaces.

Mei thought to herself that she definitely still had a chance to win this Competition.

Qiao Ran Mei, waiting in carriage 0, were unaware of the battle situation on the other side. However, after about forty-five minutes...

Only later did the two receive the news.

"Congratulations! 44 minutes and 32 seconds! Less than an hour! Mei has set a new speed record for the first round since our train began operation!"

The host clapped his hands to congratulate Mei on her achievements, but then added one last thing.

"Of course, this is also the first runner since our train service began! Since it's the first runner, breaking the record is indeed very easy."

"..."

Qiao Ran's lips twitched, suppressing the urge to complain, because his gaze had already fallen upon his image on the spinning roulette wheel that had resumed its rotation.

"Alright, our second contestant has been selected."

"He is our most watched young Trainer recently—in the Performance Competition, he brought us an unprecedented aesthetic experience; at the Magic City Gym, he fought against the Old Gym Leader Nian Hai, presenting us with a grand finale battle that spanned the centuries. This time, can he surpass the achievement that our Mei just created?"

Let's wait and see!

Mei, having finished the battle, returned to her original carriage, number 0. Judging from her appearance, she did indeed seem to have expended some energy.

"..."

Qiao Ran didn't say much, but stood in front of the gate between the carriages. As the host announced "Start!", the gate slowly opened, and his turn began.

Qiao Ran took a few steps forward and soon arrived at another carriage.

As a newcomer to the challenge, Qiao Ran observed the situation around him. To be specific, there was nothing particularly special about the place. In terms of decoration style, it was very similar to Carriage 0. As for the interior layout, it was very similar to the interior of a subway without automatic doors. There was a row of seats on both sides of the carriage, while the middle area was left empty for fighting.

At each of the two doors on either side of the carriage stood a Mr. Mime dancing, while at the other end of the carriage sat a girl dressed in a JK uniform.

"Come on, I'm the first Trainer to accept the challenge!"

Just call me Pleated Skirt.

She seemed very Vital Spirit, but as the first gatekeeper Trainer, her strength was undoubtedly the lowest among the Trainer.

Moreover, her name was referred to by a code name instead of her actual name, which was probably at the request of the production team.

However, Qiao Ran was still not careless. In order to be even faster than Mei, he had to defeat his opponent even more quickly.

"Come on, my Pokémon!"

As the woman in the Pleated Skirt threw out her Poké Ball, a Pokémon with droopy eyes, clear liquid dripping from its mouth, and resembling a "flower" Pokémon in the carriage.

With the appearance of this Pokémon, a strange scent was also released.

"Gloom?"

Qiao Ran frowned subconsciously. Although he didn't dislike any Pokémon, he still couldn't help feeling nauseous every time he smelled this scent.

However, according to the information he had, Gloom seemed to be an important source of some "perfumes." Apparently, after being diluted and processed, this stench would produce a special fragrance, but he didn't know the specific details.

"Then—I've chosen you!"

"Vulpix!"

Qiao Ran's first Pokémon was Vulpix, an Ice-type Pokémon that would undoubtedly perform better in this battle.

Moreover, Vulpix is petite, so even in such a crowded carriage, she can jump up and down freely without any restrictions.

Most importantly, Ice-type skills are different from skills of other attributes; they usually do not produce strong "destructive power," making them most suitable for fighting inside a train carriage.

So cute~

The woman in the Pleated Skirt opposite seemed to like Vulpix too, and even gave Qiao Ran a special compliment.

"Choosing Pokémon like this shows you really understand this kind of battle. It wouldn't be right to just pick some large Pokémon right from the start."

"Well then, the battle is about to begin."

As the timer above the carriage quickly reached zero, the Hilbert inside the carriage instantly erupted.

"Gloom! Sludge Bomb!"

Pleated Skirt took the initiative, immediately having her Gloom use Sludge Bomb. However, her Sludge Bomb seemed a bit special; instead of Spit Up a large amount of venom from its mouth like other Pokémon, it shot out little by little, like tiny bullets.

"So fast!"

Qiao Ran was surprised by the speed of the opponent's attack. Perhaps this is the meaning of Bullet Train combat—controlling the power of moves and achieving more effective damage.

However, its raw strength is still significantly inferior to that of the Vulpix.

"Vulpix, Icy Wind!"

The cramped carriage was perfect for using Ice-type moves. Under the blowing of the icy wind, Gloom's Sludge Bomb turned into a frozen marble and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Moreover, in the intermittent Icy Wind

In the blink of an eye, Vulpix had already jumped onto the seat next to it and sprinted all the way to Gloom.

"What?"

"The Vulpix is so fast?"

This time, it was the woman in the Pleated Skirt who was startled. In her opinion, Pokémon that did not choose to evolve were mostly those whose strength had not reached a certain level, just like her Gloom, which had been accumulating the power to evolve into Vileplume. However... this Vulpix did not seem to be like that.

As she watched the white, fluffy ball rushing towards her, she even hallucinated a giant white tiger baring its teeth.

"Zen Headbutt!"

As Qiao Ran spoke, a blue light emerged from the top of Vulpix's head, and she leaped high off the seat, crashing straight into the Gloom on the ground.

During his time at Sabrina's house, Qiao Ran's Pokémon also learned some Psychic type moves, which are among the few physical attack moves in the Psychic type.

The reason Vulpix learned this skill was simply because neither of her attack stats was particularly outstanding, so there wasn't much difference between physical and special attacks.

"Bang!!!"

The Headbutt, imbued with Psychic type, sent the Poison/ Grass-type Gloom flying. But that wasn't the end of it. After knocking it away, Vulpix casually followed up with an Ice Beam.

"Click."

The Gloom, now an ice cube, landed on the ground spinning in circles after a series of fluid combos. Even Pleated Skirt stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.

"Battle duration... one minute?"

"The battle is over?"

She walked forward shakily and applied the thawing medicine to the Gloom. The carriage door behind her slowly opened, and the red light above turned into a safe green.

"Congratulations."

As Qiao Ran passed by her with Vulpix, she couldn't help but say something.

"But don't be careless, I'm just the weakest of the five."

Among the five gatekeepers in the first round, her skill and experience were inferior to the others, so it was surprising that she was Defeat so quickly. However, being placed first, her Fate was probably to be Defeat.

Therefore, there's nothing to be proud of in Defeat her.

"Don't worry, the rest are the same."

Qiao Ran smiled and Vulpix jumped onto his shoulder.

"In this kind of battle, the Vulpix is the strongest."

As Qiao Ran stepped out of carriage number one, he couldn't help but utter a harsh remark. In fact, before the official recording began, the production team had emphasized that they should say more things like "flags" during the challenge to enhance the show's entertainment value.

However, after saying that, Qiao Ran couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

There's nothing particularly special about the statement itself, but... if I switched to a different Pokémon halfway through to speed up the game, wouldn't I be contradicting myself?

Fortunately, the level of the Vulpix is indeed a strong suppressive force. Although she has not kept up with the first tier, her level has always been very stable, and now she has even reached the standard of level 40.

A Vulpix, whose level is even higher than that of Elite Trainer team, would probably have no problem challenging some weaker Gym Leader.

Not to mention that this Vulpix is Vulpix of his own.

Upon arriving at carriage number two, Qiao Ran employed a similar speedrun technique: first, he used the Icy Wind for Defensive Counterattack, while simultaneously disrupting the opponent's vision. Then, he used the Vulpix white body to conceal himself within the attack, stealthily approaching his opponent before finally securing Competition.

"Here you go."

Qiao Ran approached Vulpix, bent down slightly, and let Vulpix jump onto his shoulder. Then he jogged to the next carriage.

The first few carriages weren't very difficult, but starting from the second carriage, Qiao Ran's time increased significantly.

In the third quarter, he encountered a young man dressed in a mascot costume who sent out Flareon Pokémon. When facing Fire type, Vulpix's weakness as a pure Ice-type began to show.

If you use Ice-type ranged attacks, they will almost always be wiped out by the opponent's fire attacks. If you try to get close to the opponent, it's practically suicide.

"Flareon, Flamethrower!"

Upon hearing its Trainer's command, Flareon pursed its lips slightly and Spit Up a thin stream of flame, making a significant sacrifice in order to control its power.

However, it is precisely this control over power that directly leads to a prolonged battle. If Pokémon can only withstand a few moves from their opponent in normal battles, in this situation, the number of moves they can withstand undoubtedly increases significantly.

"Get out of the way! Then Extrasensory!"

The Vulpix fox's petite size gave her room to dodge. She slid to the side and landed under the seats, using the seats on both sides of the carriage to block a wave of attacks.