"Azumarill, use Defense Curl!"
Defense Curl: By curling up its body, it increases its own Defense.
Although Ning Zhi could see that his opponent had an Electric-type Pokémon, jealousy made him want to test how strong this Shiny Electric-type Pokémon was.
Besides, he had some confidence in his Azumarill.
Azumarill had helped him defeat many Wild Pokémon.
Su Yi, however, had no intention of testing Ning Zhi's strength.
He looked at Ning Zhi as if he were an idiot.
And at Ning Zhi's Pokémon, too.
What a moron!
"Flaaffy, Thunderbolt!"
"Baa!"
Thunderbolt!
Powerful golden lightning crackled from within Flaaffy's pink-and-white fleece.
Flaaffy let out a loud cry. Azumarill was curling up, using Defense Curl.
But Defense Curl increased physical Defense, not Special Defense, and Thunderbolt was a special attack!
The powerful current sent every watching Trainer's eyes wide.
Unbelievable!!!
Did you freaking cheat?!
Flaaffy knew Thunderbolt?
Was it because it was a Shiny Pokémon?
"Azumarill!!"
Azumarill cried out in pain, its whole body billowing with black smoke.
The electric shock hit it directly.
It collapsed and couldn't get back up. It was knocked out in one hit!
[System: Congratulations, host! Flaaffy defeated Azumarill and gained Battle Experience. Its level has risen to Lv. 24!]
[System: Congratulations, host! Side Quest 11 is complete (18/20). Keep up the good work!]
Holy crap, it was a complete stomp. No one had expected this.
"I thought Trial Ranking No. 92 would be something special. That's it?"
That was what many of the watching Trainers were thinking.
But this only highlighted Su Yi's strength all the more.
No wonder he was the man who broke the Knowledge Ranking record. A big shot was still a big shot!
Ning Zhi's expression had turned much more serious. He looked at Su Yi, not expecting to lose one of his Pokémon right off the bat because he'd been careless.
"Not bad. I admit I underestimated you. But this is the kind of strength I'd expect from the top of the Knowledge Ranking. So, how will you handle this one? Sableye!"
"Kuoh!"
As Sableye entered the battle, a strong wind swept across the field.
Its two hands, as broad as giant fans, could stir up a gale with a single easy flap.
"Come back, Flaaffy. You did great."
Ning Zhi's mouth twitched at that. Of course it had done great—it had crushed his Pokémon in one hit.
He'd thought Su Yi wouldn't switch Flaaffy out.
But he wasn't afraid of the switch.
"Combusken!"
"Chamo!"
"Haha, Su Yi's Pokémon seem to cover all the bases. He's got another one that counters Ning Zhi!"
"Combusken and Shiny Flaaffy are both rare Pokémon. Su Yi must come from a powerful family, too, right?"
"Of course! He's got a Champion for a sister. Just imagine how great that must be!"
"Is this the true strength of the top-ranked Trainer on the Knowledge Ranking?"
"..."
"Sableye, use Growth!"
Sableye's Growth skill was one of the main reasons Ning Zhi had risen so quickly through the rankings.
Since Sableye had Purple Qualification, Su Yi didn't underestimate it for a moment.
Sableye was already quite high-level: a full Lv. 24!
It was no exaggeration to say that if Ning Zhi's other Pokémon were this strong, he'd have made it into the top twenty, maybe even the top ten.
"Kuoh!!!"
Sableye let out a loud cry and used Growth!
Growth: It instantly activates the energy in the body, making the body bigger while increasing Special Attack and Attack.
"A stat-boosting move? Combusken, use Bulk Up!"
Bulk Up: It tenses the muscles throughout the body, increasing Attack and Defense.
"Chamo!"
Combusken tensed its whole body, and a red glow rose around it.
Sableye's Growth made it grow a size larger, while Combusken was surrounded by a red glow.
Trainers always loved moves that boosted Attack or Defense.
Both sides had used stat-boosting moves, making the battle more and more exciting.
"Ning Zhi's Sableye is his trump card. I heard it has Purple Qualification, though I don't know if that's true. He is No. 92 on the Trial Ranking, after all."
"Why can't my Sableye learn Growth..."
"My Combusken still hasn't learned Bulk Up. Wait! Under normal circumstances, Combusken only awakens and learns Bulk Up after reaching Lv. 30, right? The stronger the qualification, the earlier a Pokémon awakens a skill. Huh..."
Everyone around them suddenly understood.
Su Yi's Combusken probably had high qualifications—at least Blue, maybe even Purple like Sableye!
That was more like it. This battle was turning into a real spectacle!
"Bulk Up, huh? Not bad. Sableye, show it your Grasstornado!"
Of the special attack moves Sableye had awakened and learned so far, Grasstornado was the most powerful.
Grasstornado: It instantly creates a large number of razor-sharp leaves, forming a tornado of swirling blades. Upon hitting its target, it has a 50% chance of lowering the target's accuracy by one stage!
An ordinary Grasstornado was already terrifyingly powerful, and Growth had boosted its Special Attack on top of that.
Under Sableye's control, countless leaves moved with fluid precision, finally forming a tornado that looked like a giant blender!
The powerful winds made some of the Trainers nearby unable even to keep their eyes open!
"What incredible power! What a move!"
Countless Trainers struggled to keep their eyes open, afraid they'd miss a moment of the action!
Su Yi looked at his opponent.
Combusken glanced at Su Yi, met his eyes, and nodded.
"Good. Use Flame Charge to break through, then use Fire Spin!"
Combusken had undergone more than twenty days of training and conditioning. Now was the time to see how well it had paid off.
Flames blazed over its entire body, wrapping it up as it charged into the Grasstornado amid countless shocked stares!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Flame Charge activated the flames within its body to build up power, and each use also increased its Speed.
In terms of raw power, though, the opponent's Grasstornado was still stronger. But don't forget—
Fire beats Grass!
The type advantage let Combusken's Flame Charge hold its ground despite being weaker, meeting the attack head-on!
The flames roared.
Sableye gathered the burned leaves together again.
"Kuoh!"
Sableye increased its power, but Combusken raised its head, unleashing a vortex of flames!
In the blink of an eye, the leaves in the Grasstornado's cyclone had turned into a fire tornado!
Combusken had actually turned its opponent's move into its own!
Sableye was engulfed in raging flames!
It gritted its teeth and held on, but Ning Zhi had never seen a Spirit Battle like this. He'd never even heard of one!
For a moment, he didn't know what to do!
He completely missed his chance to save the battle!
A glint flashed in Su Yi's eyes. His opponent might be an idiot, but he wasn't about to miss the chance to win in one decisive move.
"Go! Double Kick!"
Combusken leaped high into the fire tornado and delivered a beautiful Double Kick. The Fighting-type physical attack once again countered Sableye, which had the Dark Type!
Sableye couldn't take any more and collapsed.
[System: Congratulations, host! Combusken defeated Sableye and gained Battle Experience. Its level has risen to Lv. 25!]
[System: Congratulations, host! Combusken performed exceptionally well and triggered a hidden reward: Skill Awakening Card: Drain Punch!]
Nice!
Drain Punch: It drains the opponent's strength with a punch and restores HP equal to half the damage dealt!
It was a powerful Fighting-type physical attack!
"I've learned something today. No wonder he's first on the Knowledge Ranking. He even broke the all-time record. He's not just a big shot—he's a legend!"
"That was amazing! Who would've thought Combusken could break through Sableye's Grasstornado like that? I'm going to try that move next time too. Heh, learned something new!"
"Ning Zhi's definitely going to lose this time. He kicked a steel wall and probably broke his foot. Even his Starter Pokémon lost, and he's got only one chance left."
"I thought Su Yi was all talk, but he's actually a Tyrannosaurus. The Ning Family's in trouble. They spent all their resources on Ning Zhi, and now he's lost half his points. His Pokémon are badly hurt, and he won't be able to gather points for at least two days. He's finished."
Hearing the spectators, Ning Zhi's mouth twitched.
He still had one Pokeball left. It was his last resort.
But he wasn't actually stupid!
Only a brain-dead idiot would send out a third Pokémon.
Before you continue