Chapter 63

"It's over. This is my victory."

Old Lady Ouyang shook his head and announced the result of the Competition: although the battle was very close, she was ultimately victorious.

She could tell that the large bird was at its last gasp; if the Decidueye landed one more shot, it would be unable to hold on any longer.

However, things didn't seem to go as she had imagined.

Just as the Leaf Blade of the Decidueye was about to strike Yveltal, Qiao Ran suddenly sprang up and roared out the final command.

"Now, Yveltal! The final roar!!!"

"Roar roar roar roar roar!!!"

A soul-shaking Roar echoed powerfully throughout the Battlefield...

Section 118, page 115 [Y!]

"Roar roar roar roar roar!"

The roar of the behemoth is as terrifying as a thunderclap, and the Dark Type skill Snarl is most effective at very close range.

Moreover, when using her skills, Yveltal's body was enveloped in dark energy, and under this dark atmosphere, her aura surged once again.

--Power increased by 30%! Dark Aura!

"Juuuuun!!!!!!"

The Decidueye, which had been poised to attack Yveltal with its Leaf Blade, widened its eyes in surprise. At that moment, it was astonished to discover that it had become the one at a disadvantage—the powerful sonic attack left it with no way to defend itself.

"Boom!!!"

The shockwave struck the Decidueye directly, sending it flying backward with an unprecedented scream, Tackle into the ground.

With the skill's power increased and double the advantage, the originally not-so-powerful Snarl has become a terrifying finishing move, and the situation has been reversed at this moment.

"What...!"

Old Lady Ouyang stared in shock at the scene unfolding before him, gripping his cane tightly.

In an instant... the situation reversed?

"It's not over yet! Yveltal, deliver the final blow!"

Qiao Ran pressed his hands down, Yveltal also swiftly descended from the sky, his claws pinning him down.

She Decidueye's two wings, crushing countless pebbles on the ground. Her wings folded, and Black and Red aura began to gather on her chest.

The spot she aimed at was the body of the Decidueye. The Decidueye, lying on the ground, could only look in terror at the large bird that stood before it, as if blotting out the sun.

It was pinned down by its opponent and had no ability to resist.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Go to hell...

"Boom!!!"

A terrifying shockwave erupted, completely engulfing the Decidueye. This time, it had lost the ability to fire arrows to dodge and could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded.

Black and Red wave spread across the ground, its violent force causing everyone present to swallow hard.

However, this situation did not last long, Yveltal soon took to the air.

"Roar roar roar roar!"

--Yveltal in the sky let out an excited roar; through Oblivion Wing, she had recovered a considerable amount of health.

Meanwhile, the Decidueye on the opposite side spun around in circles and collapsed to the ground like a salted fish, seemingly completely unconscious.

"Battle... Battle over! Decidueye is incapacitated!!"

The Referee was somewhat moved. She knew the strength of their Gym Leader, and this boy had actually managed to Defeat Gym Leader... Just how strong was this guy?

"The ultimate victor is Qiao Ran from Longjiang City!!"

The female Referee dutifully announced the final result, which brought a smile to Qiao Ran's face.

"Phew... we finally won!"

He let out a deep breath. Although the first two Competition were quite easy, this last one still put him under immense pressure. Every time such a battle occurred, it would take a huge toll on his physical and mental health.

Having won the battle, Yveltal arrived before Qiao Ran.

"I ho ho ho."

"What about the reward?"

At first, Qiao Ran thought she had come to share the joy of victory, but after hearing what she said clearly, Qiao Ran simply let out a soft "eh".

"Huh?"

Award?

"Yes, they told me last night that there would be a reward if we went out and won the Competition."

"This..."

Qiao Ran's lips twitched. What on earth were those guys saying?

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Faced with Yveltal's expectant yet curious gaze, he could only brush it off for now. Putting aside his own physical limitations, now was not the time to do such a thing.

"Alright, I won't forget, and you better not forget either. Hmph."

Yveltal temporarily acquiesced to Qiao Ran's statement, but she would not forget this matter. If Qiao Ran did not remember it afterward, she would definitely settle the Qiao Ran with him.

"I know, I know."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Qiao Ran's forehead. Listening to Yveltal's words, for some reason, he had a feeling that he was going to have to go back and kneel on a washboard.

After calming Yveltal down and recalling it to its Poké Ball, the Old Lady Ouyang, leaning on his cane, came to stand before him.

"Well done... Young man, your name is Qiao Ran, right?"

With a smile still on her face, she handed Qiao Ran a bright green tree-shaped Badge. However, the tree was not a single tree, but rather two trees overlapping each other, which seemed to have taken some thought.

"Even if I were to reveal my true power, I would have no way to defeat you. Your strength is already quite formidable, and your future will undoubtedly be even brighter than it is now."

Old Lady Ouyang was praising Qiao Ran without reservation. After all, after such a battle, even she had to admit the talent and fighting ability of the young man in front of her.

If such a being doesn't deserve praise, then who does?

"Thanks."

Qiao Ran accepted the Badge from the old man. Although the Badge could not be used as a stepping stone to join the Pokémon League, experiencing such a special battle, winning the Competition, and Harvest the spoils was still an extraordinary experience for Qiao Ran.

However, after the battle, Qiao Ran still had some questions in his mind. Although he forced himself not to think about them during the Competition and tried to focus his attention on the Competition, his doubts only deepened after the Competition ended.

How exactly did this old man manage to Decidueye?

"I know you still have doubts. In that case, please come with me."

Old Lady Ouyang seemed to have seen through Qiao Ran's thoughts, so she turned around and began to lead the way.

This was definitely not the place for a conversation, and what she was about to discuss was something she only wanted Qiao Ran to know.

"..."

Qiao Ran didn't make a sound, but simply followed quietly behind the other person, secretly hoping for what would happen.

Section 119, Chapter 116 [Special Power]

Perhaps

Because it was a newly established Gym, the interior design of this Gym was obviously not as complicated as those in Longjiang City and Jinling City. After walking for a while, Old Lady Ouyang had already led Qiao Ran to a rest room.

The lounge was decorated in an antique style, with wooden furniture and ornaments everywhere, clearly showing the old man's preferences.

The old man smiled and gestured for Qiao Ran to sit down, and Qiao Ran did not refuse.

"Please sit down. Feel free to ask me anything, and I'll do my best to answer it."

In her opinion, Qiao Ran is a very talented child. There are some things that he will definitely discover in the future even if she doesn't tell him. However, if he knows them now, he can avoid a lot of unnecessary detours in the future.

"Then I'll ask... how did that Decidueye manage to do all that?"

Qiao Ran gazed at the patterns on the trees on the table, carefully considering her words.

"Generally speaking, shouldn't those Pokémon without physical bodies be able to do these things? Like Gengar or Shuppet. Pokémon like Decidueye probably can't do these things, right?"

"Hmm... a regular Decidueye can't do that."

The old woman nodded, not denying Qiao Ran's statement. However, she suddenly changed the subject halfway through her sentence.

"However, once Pokémon reach a certain level, they may be able to do things they couldn't do on their own."

"This..."

Qiao Ran's heart stirred slightly. Although he had long harbored this thought, the feeling of having a guess was different from hearing someone else admit it directly. Even he couldn't help but feel a wave of surprise.

However, what truly surprised Qiao Ran was yet to come. Old Lady Ouyang continued speaking, and what she said opened a new door for Qiao Ran.

This is also why there is a distinction between the so-called "Elite Four".

Old Lady Ouyang paused for a moment, and when she saw the gleam in Qiao Ran's eyes, she nodded in satisfaction. This was the kind of young person she wanted to see.

"Because below the Elite Four, Pokémon battles are confined to the existing framework, while above the Elite Four, there are more possibilities. Although these possibilities are traceable—for example, my Decidueye can temporarily merge into the shadow when it fires an arrow—this time is very short, unlike Gengar which can merge into the shadow for a longer period."

"Of course, it's unlikely that these special abilities will result in something as outrageous as a Fire -Fire-type Pokémon the Water Absorb Ability, but even so... it's still a very considerable boost to combat power."

"..." Qiao Ran did not answer, but simply closed her eyes slightly.

A massive amount of information swirled in his mind. To him, it didn't sound like he had "comprehended" any new abilities, but rather like his original abilities had "evolved." For example, Decidueye, this Pokémon already had the ability to manipulate shadows, and when this ability evolved in other directions, it also gained the ability to temporarily merge into shadows.

"However... if we're talking about Decidueye..."

"My Decidueye, like myself, is getting old, and her combat strength has declined considerably compared to her younger days. However, her combat experience is undeniable."

Old Lady Ouyang answered another question that Qiao Ran had in mind: Generally speaking, Elite Four level Pokémon are above level 50, so why could this Decidueye do such a thing at only level 40?

There's only one answer—it's old.

"So that's how it is..."

Qiao Ran silently thought to himself: So, after one's strength declines, even their level will drop?

Therefore, the ranking should reflect the actual combat strength?

And... this old man originally possessed an Elite Four-level Pokémon?? Then why did the nurse at the Pokémon Center say she'd never heard of him?

Strangeness...

"I don't know the specific reason why it gained this ability, but... it's something that truly exists. So I guess it's because, as Pokémon learn to borrow power from the world."

Old Lady Ouyang tried her best to explain things clearly to Qiao Ran. However, there were some things that even she only had a superficial understanding of, especially in this area, where she was not really an expert.

"Borrowing power from the world...?"

Hearing this, Qiao Ran couldn't help but think of her own Legendary Pokémon. Were they borrowing power from the world, or supplying power to the world?

Perhaps, both?

"Oh, right, I have another question, if it's convenient..."

Suddenly, Qiao Ran thought of something else, a detail he had noticed during the battle. Although it was a very small detail, his keen eyes had captured it.

As his combat abilities improved, Qiao Ran's eyes were able to capture more information during battles. After all, the battlefield is ever-changing, and as a commander, dynamic vision is a very important skill.

"Ask away. I've had no more worries since I became the Gym Leader. Please feel free to ask me anything."

Old Lady Ouyang smiled and told Qiao Ran not to worry.

"Then let me ask you this: when you were directing the Decidueye, there was a special glint in your eyes. What was that?"

Qiao Ran remained silent for a while.

He still asked his question, but he keenly noticed a hint of surprise in Old Lady Ouyang's eyes when he said it.

"Such keen insight... You've already noticed all of this?"

She originally thought these things were well hidden and that Qiao Ran had no reason to discover their secrets, but since the other party had already pointed it out, she readily admitted it.

"That's right, I did use some special techniques, but they didn't originate from me. They came from one of my... um... old friends, so I can't tell you the specifics yet."

Old Lady Ouyang's hand trembled slightly, and he averted his gaze to look out the window.

She seemed somewhat reluctant to bring these things up at this time, but since she had promised Qiao Ran, she continued.