The Main Tournament Begins / The Law That Failed

That's what she said, but Alisa quickly turned her attention to other things. She glanced through the list, found Yuan Ying's name, and realized that if they wanted to face each other in the main tournament, they would have to win all the way to the quarterfinals. She murmured to herself, "You better not fall before you meet me..."

Seeing this, Phile didn't know he could offer much advice, so he turned to ask, "Brother You Zhi, where's your opponent?"

"I got a bye."

You Zhi pointed to where his name was.

Alisa and Phile immediately looked in that direction and found that his opponent's column was indeed empty, with no name.

"That's incredibly lucky! It's almost a one in seventeen chance, and they actually got lucky."

"Ha, I've always been lucky."

You Zhi doesn't feel like he got the better deal or that it was unfair to the other contestants, since he didn't engage in any underhanded tactics and got the bye purely based on his own ability.

Luck is also a part of ability!

Phile suggested, "Why don't we predict who will win in the second round and see who has a better chance of winning? It'll be a good opportunity to gather information and prepare in advance."

Alisa glanced at the list, pointed to one of the names, and said, "No need to predict, it's definitely this trainer named Lihua who will advance."

"You know her?"

"During the preliminary rounds, I happened to see her duel with someone. The two were completely outmatched, like an adult toying with a child. Even if I went up against her myself, I wouldn't have much of a chance of winning without using my trump cards. So it left a deep impression on me, and afterwards I specifically asked around to find out her name."

Alisa paused, then added, "It's said she even defeated an A-rank trainer from the Celebrity Ranking. Not to mention champion, she's at least a strong contender for Elite Four. To encounter such a strong opponent in the second round, You Zhi, your luck is truly a rollercoaster ride."

"Lihua..."

You Zhi stroked his chin, feeling that the name sounded familiar. It should be a character from some storyline, but he couldn't remember who it was for the moment. It was a pity that the Pokémon League's published competition roster only included names and regions of origin, without photos. Otherwise, with his familiarity with Pokémon, he would definitely have been able to recall it at a glance.

"Forget it, we'll just have to go see her match in person to find out."

(Zhaizhu: I've been paying attention to the new card, Transcendosaurus, but I didn't connect it to Frostosaurus. I only realized the connection after seeing the reminder. I originally only planned to give Alisa one Cold Wave, but now it seems she might be able to use it as a main Pokémon.)

Chapter 287 The Main Competition Begins

You Zhi watched Lihua's duel from the stands. Just as Alisa had said, her strength was clearly far superior to her opponent's. She was completely at ease throughout the match and won with overwhelming force. After the match, she quickly became the favorite to win the championship, and the fact that casinos lowered her odds was the best proof of that.

It's worth mentioning that Lihua's crushing victory wasn't the typical one-versus-three situation. In fact, she used up all her slots in the duel, with all three of her Pokémon appearing, but none of them lost more than half their health, perfectly blocking all of her opponent's attacks.

"A strategy of attrition using mainly Dark-type Pokémon—no wonder they were originally slated to be the Elite Four."

Upon seeing Lihua's appearance, You Zhi clearly recalled that she was the Dark-type Elite Four member from Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Although she used one more Poison-type Pokémon than Dark-type Pokémon in the Yugi, Lance used six Flying-type Pokémon and was still a Dragon-type Elite Four member. This shows that the type of Pokémon you like has nothing to do with your title; the key is which Pokémon you have as your ace.

In the Pokémon world, Lihua's ace is Umbreon, while Lance's ace is Dragonite.

As for You Zhi, who boasts of being extremely knowledgeable about Pokémon, it's not surprising that he can't even remember the names of the Elite Four.

Aside from the original Elite Four, the other Elite Four have always had a weak presence. After all, their position is awkward. They are not as high as the Pokémon League Champions, nor as approachable as the Gym Leaders. Even if they are involved in the story, they do not have the opportunity to participate. As a result, neither players nor anime fans can name many of the Elite Four.

Of course, in this world, the Elite Four still have a lot of prestige and presence. After all, their strength is undeniable, and the actions of the strong will attract everyone's attention.

You Zhi was able to easily get through the first round thanks to a lucky bye, but Alisa was not in the same mood, as she almost suffered an upset in the first round.

The boy Hau looks silly and like a country bumpkin, but his strength is extraordinary. His ace is an 8-star Synchro Monster named Life Stream Dragon.

This spirit's first characteristic is that it increases its own life points to 4000. In Card Duel, this is a rather useless effect, and often even a negative one. However, in Spirit Duel, it is one of the most powerful effects.

During the match, Hau first fought as its pre-evolution Power Tool Dragon (7-star), and then evolved into Life Stream Dragon when it was critically injured, activating its ability to restore it to its full strength. This was equivalent to having an extra Pokémon.

Alisa was once driven to the brink of despair and had no choice but to use her trump card, the "Ultimate Crystal God Rainbow Dragon," which she managed to turn the tide in the end.

After the battle, Alisa locked herself in her room for a day and a night, refusing to eat or see anyone, until Phile was about to ask You Zhi to force her way out.

Surprisingly, although Alisa's attire appeared somewhat sloppy and lacked her usual meticulousness, she was in good spirits, showing no signs of dejection, and her eyes even shone brighter than before.

From that day on, her arrogance vanished, and she no longer harbored any contempt. Regardless of the opponent's fame, she would carefully gather intelligence and devise targeted tactics.

In some ways, it's more effective than easily defeating the opponent.

The first round of the knockout stage had the most matches, so it lasted for five days in total. The second round didn't start until the sixth day, and You Zhi finally had his first official match.

According to the rules, the two players must shake hands amicably before the match.

At this moment, Rika, with long blue and white hair, wearing a cropped top and high heels, looking unkempt and exuding a lazy Lihua, spoke up, "You must be the 'Big Savage' that even Du admires so much."

You Zhi instantly understood. "You're also a Pokédex holder?"

"Not only that, I also participated in your 'Everyone a Sage' project. I have to admit, this project really suits my taste, and I wholeheartedly want it to succeed. I can't wait to see what the world will look like after it's been changed." Lihua said excitedly, like a fan meeting their idol.

You Zhi, however, did not let his guard down in the slightest, because he knew all too well the temperaments of these true trainers, who all regarded holding back in a duel as an insult.

It is an insult to both oneself and one's opponent.

They are the ones who truly deserve the title of "fierce duelists"!

"Generally speaking, at this point, you should follow up with a 'but'."

"Hahaha, you predicted it correctly. My support for your plan doesn't mean I'll hold back in the upcoming duel. On the contrary, I'll go all out to defeat you! Only the strong can change the world. If you can't Kanto get past me, then it proves that the 'Everyone a Sage' plan isn't ready to be implemented yet."

"I won't let you down."

As the two spoke in hushed tones, the commentator finished his introduction, the referee repeated the duel rules, and then the two turned around and returned to their trainer positions.

The once noisy audience fell silent instantly, with tens of thousands of eyes fixed on the two players on stage.

"Duel!" x2

Lihua's first summon was a humanoid elf dressed entirely in silver-black armor.

[Dark Demon King LV4 (4-star) Earth]

[Lineage: Evil, Steel]

[Level: 48]

[Attack Power: 1000 (1700)]

[Defense: 300 (510)]

[Fiend, Effect: Negate the effects of opponent's monsters destroyed by battle with this card]

You Zhi summoned his old subordinate Demon Lizard Yihao.

Seeing that both duelists had only summoned very ordinary Pokémon, a disappointed booing came from the audience.

At this moment, Lihua smiled and said, "Others might think that you summoned the Demon Lizard Yihao to avoid leaking information, but I can feel the close bond between you and this Pokémon. Judging Pokémon by their strength or weakness is just the prejudice of ordinary people. Truly powerful trainers only strive to win with their favorite Pokémon!"

"Thank you for your understanding, but I won't hold back, nor will I let you buy me time. Our side has a clear advantage in attributes. Yihao, use Brick Break!"

Demon Lizard Yihao charged out and delivered a swift chop to the face.

"Tsk, got caught, Black Demon used Sucker Punch!"

Sucker Punch is a dark-type skill that can only be successfully executed when the opponent is attacking, allowing for a surprise strike.

The Dark Demon King dodged the Demon Lizard Yihao's hand chop by sidestepping, and at the same time, threw a jab wrapped in Dark-type energy.

The Demon Lizard Yihao is now a seasoned combat expert. Relying on his lineage resistance, he took a punch and used his tail instead of his legs to launch a low kick, smashing it into his opponent's legs.

The Dark Demon King couldn't dodge, but as it felt intense pain, it couldn't help but grin. It lowered its body and smashed its head into the opponent's chest with the Psychic- type "Zen Headbutt," which is effective against Fighting-type.

Both sides retreated in pain, then roared and fought again, with the Demon Lizard Yihao, who had superior offensive and defensive capabilities, clearly gaining the upper hand.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Lihua did not rush to evolve her Pokémon. Instead, she calmly covered the field with the newly crafted "Sakuretsu Armor".

Chapter 288 The Law of Failure

Even a novice could see that Demon Lizard Yihao clearly had the upper hand, almost overwhelming his opponent with a Storm of attacks.

This is not surprising. Both are of the same star rating. Although the Dark Demon King has special abilities, its applicability is too narrow. Against the Demon Lizard Yihao, it is practically useless. The Demon Lizard Yihao not only has a lineage advantage, but its attack and defense stats are almost twice that of its opponent. It would be strange if it did not gain the upper hand.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the Dark Demon King's ability to hold out this long has exceeded many people's expectations. Its combat skills are only average, but its survival skills are superb. It constantly dodges the attacks of the Demon Lizard Yihao, and if it can't dodge, it tries to reduce the damage as much as possible.

Even so, its condition is already close to its limit.

You Zhi kindly reminded him, "If you don't let your Pokémon evolve now, you might never have another chance."

Lihua countered, "Will you allow my spirit to evolve safely?"

"This is what you, as the master, need to do."

Lihua smiled upon hearing this, then activated a face-down Spell Card: "I activate 'Sakuretsu Armor,' destroying one of my opponent's attacking spirits!"

The Dark Demon King, his body covered in a layer of scale-like silver-white armor, charged forward.

"Your intention to set a card was so obvious, how could I not be on guard? I activated 'My Body as a Shield,' negating and destroying my opponent's destructive effects, and I don't have to pay a price when there is Demon Lizard Yihao on the field."

You Zhi also quickly played his Spell Card, and the blond knight who had never been summoned yet felt strangely familiar reappeared, holding a shield and standing resolutely in front of the Demon Lizard Yihao.

However, when the Dark Demon King charged head-on, the golden-haired knight vanished like a bubble, failing to offer even the slightest resistance, let alone counterattack.

The next moment, the Demon Lizard Yihao, whose body was glowing with evolutionary light, was hit. The silver-white scales on the Dark Demon King's body flew off and exploded on the Demon Lizard Yihao, engulfing it in thick smoke and dust.

"What!"

You Zhi was truly shocked this time. The Sakuretsu Armor had actually activated successfully! What happened to the Yu-Gi-Oh!! rule of always losing?

Lihua smiled and explained, "The hidden effect of the Sakuretsu Armor will always activate successfully when the Dark Demon King in its 4-star form is on the field; the effect will not be negated!"

The reason she didn't summon the spirit's strongest form directly was to trigger a hidden effect.

Upon hearing this, You Zhi looked closely and discovered that the card image shown by the other party did indeed contain a spirit that looked very similar to the Dark Demon King.

In Card Duel, Sakuretsu Armor has long been replaced by the more comprehensive Mirror Force. However, in Spirit Duel, due to the distinction between spirit power levels and the fact that each player usually only has one Pokémon on the field in Official Duel, Sakuretsu Armor is actually more versatile. Many trainers keep one on hand, but many people are still learning for the first time that the Pokémon on the card is the Dark Demon King.

"Now we can evolve in peace."

Lihua gave her Pokémon the command to evolve. Although the Destruction-type Spell Card would only deal some damage if it hit, rather than destroy it directly, the mere 4-star Pokémon, the Demon Lizard Yihao, could not withstand the damage from the Sakuretsu Armor.

Amidst the dazzling light, the Dark Demon King completed two stages of evolution, transforming into an eight-star form. He now wielded a giant sword and sprouted three pairs of guillotine-like steel wings from his back.

[Dark Demon King LV8 (8-star) Earth]

[Lineage: Evil, Steel]

[Level: 48]

[Attack Power: 2800 (3080)]

[Defense Strength: 900 (990)]

[Fiend, Effect: Negate the effects of opponent's monsters destroyed by battle with this card, and banish them from Yugi.]

"Alright, it's time to summon your second Pokémon." Lihua reminded him after the Pokémon had evolved.

You Zhi said, "Haven't you heard of the 'no harm without smoke' rule? The first round of the battle isn't over yet!"

"Hmm, could it be that..."

As the smoke and dust cleared, the Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao, exuding dark power, emerged from within.

This time it was Lihua's turn to exclaim in surprise, "How is that possible? It clearly hadn't evolved when its Sakuretsu Armor wave!"

"It was evolving at the time."

"That should have been forcibly interrupted by the Sakuretsu Armor. Could it be a hidden effect of 'My Body's Shield'?"

"Unfortunately, the truth isn't so magical. It's simply because my Pokémon is extremely patient and evolved during the explosion."

"They can actually do something like that?"

Lihua was somewhat incredulous, but the facts were undeniable, and questioning it was pointless. In order not to boost the other party's morale, she immediately said, "Judging from the state of Demon Lizard Yihao, it doesn't seem to be 'unharmed despite the smoke' you described."

"Likewise, your elf isn't much better."

As the two sides clashed, the two elves clashed again, the greatsword and Metal Claw violently collided, sparks flying, and powerful skills emerged one after another. It was the close-quarters combat of powerful elves that the audience loved to see, which immediately drew cheers.

As expected, the Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao once again gained the upper hand in the battle. The attack power of the two was almost the same, but its defense was almost three times that of its opponent, and it still maintained the advantage of its lineage.

Furthermore, the evolved Dark Demon King has lost its agility. The three pairs of Steel Wing on its back and the giant sword in its hand have severely slowed down its movements, making it unable to dodge and evade as quickly as before, and it can only engage in wide-ranging head-on battles.