Xiaolan Takes the Stage / Shaking Hands and Conceding

Phile was learning about it for the first time and it took her a while to come to her senses. She was purely surprised by the existence of the Xyz Form, and she also felt that You Zhi's actions were perfectly reasonable. She noticed Alisa's expression and asked curiously, "You already knew?"

"Yes, about three months ago."

"Have you managed to train a Pokémon in its Xyz Form?"

"Well... you'll find out in the later matches, I'll keep you in suspense for now."

Alisa's words were a cryptic response, but they were essentially the same as her answer.

Phile simply lacked experience, not emotional intelligence. He immediately pleaded, "Hey~ let me see it. Anyway, I'm not participating in the competition, so I won't be your opponent. Just let me take a look to satisfy my curiosity."

"No means no. We must hide the intelligence now; it's my most important trump card."

Before You Zhi revealed his Xyz Form, Alisa would never use Xyz Spirit, because she didn't want to steal You Zhi's glory and let others mistakenly believe that she was the first person to discover Xyz Form. But now that You Zhi has revealed it, she no longer needs to hide it.

To prevent Phile from getting back at her, Alisa quickly changed the subject, turning to You Zhi and saying, "Your next opponent is named Keith Howard, a former professional trainer whose best achievement was reaching the top four in the Lily of the Lily of the Valley Tournament, where he lost to Tobias, an S-rank trainer on the Celebrity Ranking."

"Past?"

You Zhi keenly grasped the key point.

"Well, after the Lily of the Valley Tournament, he was caught cheating in a formal competition. The Pokémon League revoked all his gym badges and banned him from participating in official competitions for three years. Some people say that he turned to cheating because he was traumatized by losing to Tobias... After that, he frequented those irregular underground Pokémon competitions. People often suspected him of cheating, but they couldn't find any evidence, so he was also known as 'Thief Keith'."

Phile said, "Now that he's already been punished once, he wouldn't dare to cheat again in the competition, would he?"

"It's hard to say. This guy has a dirty reputation. Someone once reported him for kidnapping and threatening people, but no evidence was found and the matter was dropped. With your strength, you don't need to worry about official matches. You can win even without Xyz Form. Just be wary of his underhanded tactics," Alisa warned.

You Zhi muttered, "Underhanded tactics, hmm..."

What's with this little bit of anticipation?

Next, the three analyzed the upcoming matches and found that all the players they were following had advanced, and there were no upsets.

Even disregarding You Zhi's match, and even without using Xyz Form, many believed he and Lihua would have a fierce battle. Although he ultimately won by a large margin without even using a third Pokémon, it wasn't an upset, considering both he and Lihua were already quite well-known before.

After two rounds of competition, only 32 participants remained, a number that was enough to impress the audience. Among them, the most eye-catching was You Zhi, who showed a brand-new evolved form, followed by Tobias, who summoned the "Wicked God: Source of Fear".

The Wicked Gods are powerful spirits on par with the Three Egyptian Gods, possessing equal resistances. They are not comparable to the incomplete versions of the Three Sacred Beasts. Tobias easily crushed his opponents with the Source of Fear, achieving the feat of taking on six opponents at once, and has consistently occupied the top spot on the trending search list.

If it weren't for the fact that the Wicked Gods are always someone else's Pokémon and that Xyz Evolution could happen to one's own Pokémon, even You Zhi might not be able to suppress the other side's popularity.

After the three finished their discussion and went downstairs for lunch, a beautiful woman wearing a press pass approached them and politely asked, "Mr. You Zhi, may I ask you a few questions?"

You Zhi glanced at it and said, "There's no need for that. I've already published everything I know online. Even if there's something I'm hiding, it's definitely not something that can be made public. If you ask me, I can only answer 'no comment.'"

The beautiful woman choked on her words, which immediately stopped her from speaking further. However, her eyes darted around, and she said, "I'm not here to ask about the new evolved form. I just want to tell you something. Your next opponent, Keith Howard, after watching your match, has announced that he has found a sure-fire way to win and that he will definitely be the winner of the next round. What are your thoughts on this?"

Having witnessed the Xyz Form of the Warrior Yihao, You Zhi still dared to make such a boastful statement, which piqued Yuji's interest slightly. "Hmm, let's wait and see."

Chapter 294 Little Blue Makes Her Debut

Despite the shockwaves and immense attention drawn by You Zhi's revealed Xyz Evolution, the Quartz Tournament continues smoothly, only its popularity has increased to another level.

With the number of participants reduced by half, the second round of the competition ended quickly, and starting from the third round, the competition format changed to doubles 4V4.

Today is the day You Zhi will once again take to the stage for a duel.

As expected, the audience seats were packed, with many people even standing in the aisles, all eager to witness the Xyz Form up close.

"Wow, she's really popular! Is this the treatment of a big star?"

With blond hair and a star-studded bandana, the Kid whistled lightly and provocatively shook hands with You Zhi, saying, "They're all here to see you, too bad they're destined to leave disappointed. I wonder if I can inherit your popularity after defeating you, this big star?"

"I'm relieved to see you have such determination. Everyone says you were traumatized by Tobias's Evil God attack, and I was really worried you'd be too weak. But now it seems there's still some hope."

When it comes to sarcasm, You Zhi is no less capable than anyone else.

The thing he cared about most after being stabbed was... Kid's facial muscles twitched slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing across his face. He coldly snorted, "I hope you can still laugh like that next."

After shaking hands, the two returned to their respective halves of the field and simultaneously drew their Pokémon Card at the referee's signal.

"Duel!" x2

Although the vast majority of the audience came for Warrior Yihao, You Zhi did not fulfill their obligations. The two elves that made their debut were Azure River Dragonmaid and Amazoness Empress.

On the other side, Kid's starting lineup consisted of two fierce-looking Machine-Type.

[Cannon Dragon (8-star) Dark]

[Genealogy: Steel]

[Level: 44]

[Attack Power: 2600 (2730)]

[Defense: 1200 (1260)]

[Machine-Type, effect: omitted]

[Machina Motor Ω (8-star) Dark]

[Lineage: Steel, Ground]

[Level: 40]

[Attack Power: 2800 (2800)]

[Defense Strength: 2000 (2000)]

[Machine-Type, effect: omitted]

"Two elves of different races, what a hassle. I hate guys who throw in just any kind of elf."

Kid glanced at the You Zhi summoned by Yuji, frowned slightly, but did not hesitate, decisively choosing to strike first. "Cannon Dragon Ability activated, toss three coins, destroy the same number of Pokémon as the number of coins facing heads!"

Three coins appeared out of thin air, spun around and fell, ending up with one head and two tails.

Not entirely satisfied with this result, Kid snorted and said, "I choose to destroy that Amazoness elf."

He had never met the Amazoness Empress, but he had met the Amazoness elves, and their styles were immediately recognizable.

The Cannon Dragon raised its Gatling gun-like arm, aimed it at the Amazoness Empress, but instead of firing bullets, it fired six laser beams.

The Amazoness Empress casually swung her curved beast-tooth blade, deflecting the laser beam.

You Zhi explained, "While the Amazoness Empress is on the field, all Amazoness sprites will not be destroyed."

"Tsk, troublesome elf."

The Sucker Punch failed, Kid had no choice but to order the elves to attack. This time, the Gunfire Dragon's three machine gun arms fired a dense rain of bullets, while the Machina Motor, like a diesel engine, raised its arm spikes and charged after emitting thick smoke. It was the Steel-type move Heavy Slam.

Both Pokémon were targeting the Azure River Dragonmaid, as she seemed easier to deal with. In a doubles match, focusing firepower on one of them would be the best tactic.

Realizing she was being underestimated, the Azure River Dragonmaid's face showed anger. She had undergone the spiritual ritual of the Dragon Tamer Clan and was no longer the same as before.

The Azure River Dragonmaid's body surface gathered a large amount of water, forming a water shield that deflected all the incoming bullets. She then charged towards the Machina Motor with Water-type skill called Wave Crash, which had a power of 120.

The two Pokémon collided. Although Machina Motor had a weight advantage, Ground-type were countered by Water-type moves, and Steel-type moves were resisted by Water- Water-type. As a result, Magia Motors was at a disadvantage and was knocked back. Meanwhile, the Azure River Dragonmaid used Aqua Tail to slap the Magia Motors towards its companion.

The Amazoness Empress swung her Beast Fang Sword, unleashing a powerful Fighting-type Sacred Sword strike at the Machina Motor, severely injuring it and sending it flying. One of its mechanical arms was severed.

After just one round, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

The Azure River Dragonmaid was hampered by the Wave Crash, making it difficult for her to attack. The Amazoness Empress seized the opportunity to pursue, summoning the "Amazoness Pet Tiger-Lion" as a mount along the way. Charging through a hail of bullets fired by the Cannon Dragon, she traded blows for blows, and once again struck the Machina Motor with a slash.

Amazoness Empress possesses the ability to penetrate defense, and with Fighting-type being super effective against Steel-type, even though Machina Motor has a high defense stat and is an 8-star monster, its health is nearing a critical point, and it's on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Kid quickly ordered the Cannon Dragon to move forward and relieve some of the pressure.

The most threatening weapon on the machine gun dragon's body is its three machine gun barrels. The only weapon it can use for close combat is its spiked wheels. Once it gets close, it can only be beaten.

You Zhi pondered, "Knowing that close combat is disadvantageous, he still sent the Gun Barrel Dragon forward. It seems he really wants to protect this Machina Motor. But the intelligence clearly states that the Cannon Dragon is his trump card. What is he thinking?"

The Cannon Dragon's defense was even lower than that of the Machina Motor, and it soon became covered in wounds.

Kid quickly activated his newly crafted D-rank Spell Card: "I activate 'Rule of the Clan,' declaring that an Elf of that race cannot attack, and I declare the Warrior-Type!"

A withered old man dressed as a monk appeared out of thin air, and with a push, an invisible force Bind the Amazoness Empress, preventing her from attacking.

Most continuous limited Spell Card are of a high rank. The reason why "Rule of the Clan" is only a mere D-rank is because it requires sacrificing a spirit every two turns to maintain, otherwise it will destroy itself.

With the ability to Cheat Appraisal the opponent's intentions, You Zhi Detect at a glance.

Kid didn't get the expected question and cursed the other party for their patience. He had no choice but to take the initiative and mention, "The Machina Motor's characteristic activates, summoning 'Motor Token' (Earth, 1-Star, Machine-Type, ATK/DEF 200) every so often."

The Machina Motor's body rumbled, and an engine-like creature sprang from its body, which was then sacrificed to maintain the "Rule of the Clan."

"Cooldown time is over, the Cannon Dragon's ability is activated again!"

The three coins reappeared, fell to the ground, and this time only one side was facing up.

This time, Kid wasn't disappointed. After all, the Amazoness Empress wasn't affected by effects, so there was no difference between one coin landing face up and three coins landing face up, and he couldn't possibly destroy his own Pokémon.

Then, the Cannon Dragon fired a laser beam again, this time aimed at the Azure River Dragonmaid.

However, it was still deflected without causing any damage.

"When there is Fusion Form Pokémon on our field, the Azure River Dragonmaid has resistance to being destroyed by effects!"

You Zhi kindly provided the answer.

Chapter 295 Shaking Hands and Apologizing

Although often overlooked, the Azure River Dragonmaid does indeed possess effective resistance-breaking abilities.

You Zhi didn't just randomly choose two Pokémon to start. Since he knew the opponent's ace was the Cannon Dragon, he naturally had to counter it. The Azure River Dragonmaid and Amazoness Empress, who have the ability to break through resistance, can perfectly block the Cannon Dragon's ability. Even if the opponent flips three coins every time, it won't make a difference.

Kid quickly realized this as well, and said with a hint of disbelief, "I never expected that a big star like you would devise a counter-strategy against an unknown nobody like me. Should I say it's an honor for me?"

You Zhi quickly corrected him, "Don't think like that. It has nothing to do with you; it's purely because I respect all my opponents."

Kid was speechless; this kind of thing could be left uncorrected.

Because the Amazoness Empress's attack was restricted, the Azure River Dragonmaid was targeted by the opponent's concentrated fire. However, she was not afraid at all and was very excited to fight two opponents at once. She activated the skill Surf, which created a huge wave that crashed down on the opponent. In this way, she could attack the two opposing Pokémon at the same time and also block the bullet rain from the Cannon Dragon.

"First, reduce the attack power of Water-type skills, then use Sunny Day on the Machina Motor!"

Kid is, after all, a professional trainer with the necessary tactical skills, and he immediately took action against him.

The Machina Motor roared loudly, then shot a ball of light upwards, which exploded in mid-air. Instantly, the sky became clearer, and the temperature rose several degrees.

As a result, the waves stirred up by the Azure River Dragonmaid instantly Minimize by half, and the Cannon Dragon directly destroyed them with a single Flash Cannon shot.

The Azure River Dragonmaid hurriedly dodged the Flash Cannon, while simultaneously hurling Aqua Tail at the Machina Motor.

"Don't fall for the same trick again, Machina Motor, dodge quickly!"

Affected by the Sunny Day, the speed of the Aqua Tail was much slower than before. The Machina Motor ducked to dodge, then swung its arm blade at the Azure River Dragonmaid, knocking her back.

Frustrated by her defeat, the Azure River Dragonmaid was furious. Her body shimmered with water as she prepared to unleash her most powerful Wave Crash once more.

"Calm down! Don't let anger cloud your judgment. We have the advantage in terms of the genealogy, so we can win by taking it slow. There's no need to rush or try to prove anything. You Zhi advised.

Compared to her other elves, Azure River Dragonmaid has far too little combat experience. After all, she usually acts as a mascot and can easily be led by the nose by the enemy.

"Thinking of commanding the spirits now? Too late! Machina Motor used the Earth Power, Cannon Dragon used the Power Gem, annihilating the opponent in one fell swoop!"

Kid was quite emotional. Although he had prepared a trump card, it was extremely risky and he might only have one chance to use it in this tournament. The best outcome would be to defeat his opponent fair and square and save the opportunity for later. He was happy with that.

The Machina Motor's body sank, and a surge of energy rapidly extended underground, while the Cannon Dragon summoned a pile of small stones, which hurled at it head-on.

You Zhi calmly flipped over the Spell Card face down on the field. "I activate 'Amazoness Secret Hot Spring,' restoring the life force of one Amazoness Sprite on the field. At the same time, while there is Amazoness Sprite on my field, all my Sprites recover the battle damage they have taken."

The Earth Power spread to the area beneath the Azure River Dragonmaid, erupting like a volcanic eruption. The powerful energy impacted the dragon's body, scalding her beautiful fur. However, a stream of hot spring water immediately splashed onto the Azure River Dragonmaid's body, making her fur shine again.

Immediately afterwards, the Power Gem struck the Azure River Dragonmaid, leaving sharp gashes, but as the hot spring water poured down again, the wounds healed completely.

Kid stared in disbelief. Recovering from battle damage—wasn't that essentially preventing damage from battle altogether?

In some ways, it's even stronger than battle-resistant!

The requirement for the Pokémon to have combat resistance means it cannot attack and must be in a defensive stance to summon a protective shield to block damage. Furthermore, recovering combat damage allows it to trade blows with the opponent...

"No! This effect also has a drawback. Because it involves injury first and then recovery, there is a sequence, they don't happen simultaneously. Theoretically, as long as enough damage is dealt in one go, the spirit can be defeated directly without triggering the subsequent recovery effect."

The experienced Kid instantly found a solution, but he glanced at the two elves on the field and couldn't help but frown.

Even the best solution requires corresponding execution to succeed. That blue dragon is quite powerful, and its Dragon and Water types are an excellent combination with only two weaknesses. However, the Cannon Dragon and the Machina Motor do not have corresponding type-advantage moves and cannot deal enough damage.