Steel and Grass / The Top Eight Are Decided

[Dragon-Type, Effect: During your Main Phase, you can banish 1 DARK Attribute monster from your Yugi and destroy 1 card on the field.]

The Dark Armed Dragon remains a 7-star unit, with the same offensive and defensive capabilities. Its evolution is similar to the Dark Magician Girl transforming into the Guardian Mana, which is Altered Form and not a superior-subordinate relationship.

"Dark Armed Dragon's ability activates, banishing the Jinzo's Pokémon Card and destroying one of your opponent's Spirits."

After the Confusion Shocker was destroyed, its Pokémon Card turned gray and disappeared from Kao Ping as if it had been sacrificed. The Dark Armed Dragon roared and unleashed a powerful burst of spiritual energy, blasting a huge black energy blast at the Divergent Lizard Yihao.

You Zhi seemed to be infected by the other's courage, and said excitedly, "You are a true Pokémon trainer. Your unwavering persistence is admirable, but it won't change the outcome. Yi-Hao, deliver a blow that will give him dignity."

The Divergent Lizard Yihao exhaled a heavy breath from its nostrils, and its body shone with the light of evolution, quickly evolving into the Giant Divergent Lizard Form. Then, it leaped into the air and charged out in a posture similar to Kamen Rider's kick, which was the Fighting-type skill Thunderclap Kick!

The giant lizard was kicked by the dark energy ball, causing a violent explosion. It actually managed to withstand the destructive effect of the opponent by relying on its own health. After all, it had recovered to its full strength due to the "Attraction Shield" effect, and one effect destruction was not enough to defeat it.

Despite the immense force of the giant lizard that had just detonated the energy blast, it continued its charge towards the Dark Armed Dragon, its new injuries barely affecting its movements.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Kao Ping could only order, "Use the Outrage and decide the outcome!"

The Dark Armed Dragon roared, its entire body erupting with Dragon-type energy and entering a berserk state, extremely unstable, like a lit bomb, waving its claws to meet the attack head-on.

Just as the two were about to collide head-on, the Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao suddenly swung its tail and slammed it into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that swept towards the Dark Armed Dragon, obscuring its vision and disrupting its movements.

Boom!

With a violent explosion, the violent spiritual energy swept in all directions, and the Giant Divergent Lizard Yihao was thrown out by the shock. After spinning several times in the air to dissipate the momentum, it landed steadily in a handsome half-kneeling posture.

In contrast, the Dark Armed Dragon was no longer in its original position.

Kao Ping stared blankly at the location of the explosion, motionless as if in a daze. But he quickly came to his senses and commanded the remaining Dark Flame Dragon to fight. Even though there was no chance of winning against two opponents, he did not give up and fought to the last moment, putting his previous words into action.

Finally, under the bombardment of the Moonblast unleashed by the Goddess Luin, the Dark Flame Dragon let out a mournful cry, its body engulfed in Flame, and it turned into ashes.

"The duel is over, and the winner is You Zhi!"

Amidst enthusiastic applause from the audience, the referee announced the result.

Kao Ping shook hands with You Zhi, he sincerely said, "It was a wonderful duel, from which I learned a great deal. Even without Xyz Spirit, you have the strength to win the championship. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly, and I hope to see you win the championship in the end."

"Ha, I'll try my best not to disappoint you."

You Zhi didn't spout any nonsense about how you should focus more on training your Pokémon's skills. He believed that the winner should simply enjoy the victory, as that was the greatest respect for the loser. After shaking hands, he turned and left.

When he arrived at the contestants' tunnel, he saw a familiar face Jasmine, who said, "Congratulations on advancing."

You Zhi wasn't surprised, since the list of contestants had already been published, Jasmine was ranked right after him. If he won, the next round would be a duel between the two of them.

"Good luck to you too! Speaking of which, I got the badge directly from you back then, without ever having a gym battle. This is a good opportunity to make up for that."

"Haha, I'll try my best."

Jasmine's smile was somewhat forced, but her expression conveyed seriousness.

Seeing this, You Zhi didn't stay to say anything more and quickly left so as not to disturb the other side's preparations.

As for staying to offer psychological guidance, he felt it was unnecessary. The other party was a seasoned gym leader, not some rookie trainer who had just appeared out of nowhere. Why would he need someone else to give him pointers?

With the next opponent being crucial, You Zhi naturally stayed to watch. He went to the stands and found Phile and Alisa, who had dueled yesterday against Battle Frontier. After a hard-fought battle, she narrowly won.

"Sit down quickly, sit down! The match is about to begin."

Phile pulled You Zhi to sit down quickly.

As soon as You Zhi sat down, he heard cheers from the surrounding audience, much louder than when he had entered the arena. He couldn't help but remark, "Looks like this duel is quite popular."

Phile said, "Of course, this is the only Kanto Region Gym Leader versus Johto Region Gym Leader match in the Pokémon League Tournament. Plus, both of them are beautiful women, and I heard they're good friends. It's got a lot of hype. Professional trainers might be looking forward to your Xyz Spirit, but ordinary people are more interested in seeing two beautiful female Gym Leaders duel."

Amid cheers from the audience and enthusiastic introductions from the commentators, the two contestants slowly took the stage. One of them was Jasmine, needless to say, and the other was Erika from the Celadon Gym in the Kanto Region.

You Zhi recognized her at a glance. After all, the other person was wearing a kimono and exuded the aura of a Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman). She was gentle and refined, the kind of person who would leave an impression at first glance. In his memory, she seemed to like flower arranging.

"I remember that Gym Leader Erika specializes in Grass-type Pokémon, but in terms of lineage alone, Steel-type Jasmine should have the advantage."

While Steel-type is not super effective against Grass-type, it is resistant to Grass-type and takes half the damage from Grass-type moves.

"But among the betting odds offered by various bookmakers, Erika has a higher winning percentage and lower odds, which shows that the bookmakers favor her, and this also indirectly shows that she is very strong," Alisa reminded. "If you meet her in the next round, don't treat her like an ordinary club owner."

"Let's watch the game first; the outcome is still uncertain, so don't jump to conclusions."

In terms of friendship, You Zhi naturally sides with Jasmine.

However, his intentions could not affect the course of events. Erika demonstrated superior strength in the duel, firmly suppressing Jasmine in both command skills and Spell Card combinations.

You Zhi could also see that the two sides must really be good friends, as they were very familiar with each other's tactics and Pokémon configurations. But because of this, the role of unexpected variables was minimized, Jasmine was unable to turn the tide by surprise, and was quickly forced into a desperate situation.

Chapter 303 Steel and Grass

"Cyber End Dragon, use the Eternal Evolution Burst!"

"Black Rose Dragon's ability activated, banishing one Plant-type Pokémon from the graveyard, forcing one of the opponent's Pokémon into battle, and reducing its Attack to 0!"

The Cyber End Dragon's three steel heads were about to unleash a massive stream of destructive energy when the wine-red Black Rose Dragon flapped its wings, scattering numerous petals that adhered to the Cyber End Dragon's body, seemingly absorbing its energy and causing the high-temperature energy stream from its mouth to vanish without a trace.

Reaching 0 attack power doesn't mean you can't attack, but it means you can no longer deal damage to enemies.

Erika gave her opponent no chance to react, determined to decide the outcome in one fell swoop. "Now! Use Frenzy Plant!"

The Black Rose Dragon let out a clear dragon roar, and the earth below rumbled. Thick, root-like vines burst from the ground and tightly bound the Cyber End Dragon. At the same time, Storm formed by sharp leaves howled out.

This is the strongest Grass-type move, possessing the same damage and side effects as Hyper Beam.

At this moment, both the Cyber End Dragon and the Black Rose Dragon were covered in wounds, and neither could withstand the other's full-force attack.

Jasmine hurriedly said, "Stop it! The Armored Black Dragon is using its Iron Hoof Beam!"

The Cyberdark Dragon gathered all its energy and transformed it into a huge beam of light, which shot forward like a torrent of steel.

This move is a Steel-type attack with a power of 140. It will also cause some damage to the user after use, showing that Jasmine was really driven to desperation and was willing to do anything to save Cyber End Dragon.

However, Erika was prepared. "Block it, don't let it interfere with the battle, Naturia Bamboo Shoot will use Iron Wall!"

Two adorable bamboo shoots sprang up, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic sheen, greatly enhancing their defensive capabilities and actively blocking the steel torrent.

The moment it was hit, the Naturia Bamboo Shoot in front couldn't withstand the damage and exploded with a bang. The Naturia Bamboo Shoot behind immediately took over to block the impact.

Similar to the Goblin Attack Force, although it is a single elf, it consists of multiple individuals, each with their own life force. As long as they are not all destroyed, it is not considered a destruction.

With the first Naturia Bamboo Shoot destroyed, the power of the Iron Hoof Beam was greatly weakened and easily blocked by the second one.

Meanwhile, the undisturbed Black Rose Dragon successfully hit the Cyber End Dragon with its Frenzy Plant, and with the blessing of the Field Spell "White Rose Corridor," its attack power increased by 1000, defeating the opponent in one fell swoop.

Erika let out a long sigh and smiled, "Although the process was quite thrilling, I still managed to win this duel."

Both sides have used up their battle slots. Jasmine's side only has one Armored Black Dragon left. Although its attack power is very high, it is meaningless against the Black Rose Dragon, which can forcibly reduce the attack power to 0.

Jasmine glanced at her hand; there was a "Cyberdark Inferno" card inside. This card grants Cyberdark Spirit resistance to being destroyed by effects or becoming a target of effects, thus making it immune to the effects of Black Rose Dragon's traits.

However, the Naturia Bamboo Shoot has the property of blocking Spell Card. As long as it is on the field, neither side can activate Spell Card and can only fight with spirits.

No matter how you look at it, the situation is seriously unfavorable to us.

Jasmine bit her lip, quickly thinking of a way to reverse the situation.

"Still not giving up?" Erika urged. "We've known each other for so many years, I know exactly what you're thinking. You can't change the current situation. You should let the staff go home and rest."

"Trains who challenge gyms know that they should never give up until the very end. As a gym leader, how can you not set the right example?"

Jasmine clenched her fists, deciding to take a gamble. Although there was a risk of things spiraling out of control, it was better than being defeated without any suspense. "Armored Black Dragon, if you don't want to lose, listen to my command—reborn in the flames of hell, gather the power of all the Cyberdark Dragon, roar, Armored Hell Dragon —Electronic Dark Nether Dragon!"

Intense dark power erupted from the Armored Black Dragon, its pitch-black light enveloping half the arena. Its body disintegrated, Polymerization the dark power to recombine and transform into an even more powerful form.

Erika tried to stop the other party from evolving, but Black Rose Dragon was still in a stunned state and unable to move. Naturia Bamboo Shoot was not good at attacking at all. Although it used Bullet Seed to sweep and block, the damage was only so-so and not enough to forcefully interrupt it.

[Armored Hell Dragon - Cyber Dark Nether Dragon (10-Star) Dark]

[Lineage: Steel, Evil]

[Level: 45]

[Attack Power: 2000 (1900)]

[Defense Strength: 2000 (1900)]

[Machine-Type, effect: omitted]

After the thick black fog dissipated, what appeared before everyone was a ferocious-looking mechanical dragon carrying a huge cannon barrel on its back and covered with sharp claws.

Jasmine looked delighted, because she could sense that although the Armored Hell Dragon was extremely agitated under the influence of the dark aura, it did not go berserk and maintained a minimum level of rationality.

"I sensed your thirst for victory. Armored Hell Dragon Ability activated! Select a damaged Dragon-Type or Machine-Type to equip, increasing your attack power by the amount of that Pokémon's attack power!"

The claws on the Armored Hell Dragon's body opened, releasing dark power, pulling the already destroyed Cyber End Dragon back out, and forcibly reassembling it.

At this moment, Erika laughed and said, "Jasmine, you're too impatient! Didn't you notice that my Black Rose Dragon has evolved too?"

"When?"

Jasmine looked closely and found that the other's Black Rose Dragon had indeed become larger, with thicker thorns and more and denser rose petals. However, since they looked almost identical, it was hard to tell them apart without careful observation.

[Crimson Rose Dragon (10-star) Flame]

[Lineage: Grass, Dragon]

[Level: 50]

[Attack Power: 3200 (3200)]

[Defense Strength: 2400 (2400)]

[Dragon-Type, Effect: Omitted]

"Of course, it was during your Armored Black Dragon's evolution that you made too much of a fuss, which actually overshadowed the Black Rose Dragon's changes. Some things are better left unsaid."

After answering with a smile, Erika's eyes sharpened, and she said solemnly, "When Crimson Rose Dragon's ability is activated, upon Synchro Evolution, it banishes all Spell Card and Spirits from both players' Graveyards!"

Crimson Rose Dragon flaps its petal-shaped wings, releasing a vortex filled with a ghostly fragrance that banishes all cards from the graveyard.

The figure of the Cyber End Dragon disappeared, Armored Hell Dragon was nowhere to be seen. Its attack power remained unchanged, and its subsequent special effects could only be activated when equipped. At this moment, it was equivalent to a blank Pokémon.

"... Armored Hell Dragon, continue the fight."

The plan failed, and Spell Card and spirit traits were all locked, but Jasmine still didn't give up. As long as the spirit was alive, there was hope for a comeback. At least in terms of the lineage, her side had the advantage. It looked like one against two, but the half-crippled Naturia Bamboo Shoot was no threat at all. She might not be unable to win by fighting alone.

However, Erika calmly replied, "I've already told you, I know exactly what you're thinking Crimson Rose Dragon's follow-up ability activates: when it Synchro Evolution from Black Rose Dragon, destroy all Spirit and Spell Card on both players' fields!"

Chapter 304 The Top Eight are decided

As Crimson Rose Dragon unleashed its petal Storm, Spell Card on the field were wiped out. Even Erika's own Naturia Bamboo Shoot couldn't withstand it and exploded.

The Armored Hell Dragon managed to hold on, but at the cost of being severely injured and near death. The Crimson Rose Dragon then finished it off with a Dragon Pulse.

With everything settled, Jasmine felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders and her body completely relaxed.

Despite her tenacity during the match, she now felt little resentment, stepping forward to shake hands with Erika and saying, "Sigh, I still couldn't beat you."

Erika comforted her, "You're too nervous. It's just a normal duel, not even a semi-final. There's no need to take it so seriously."

Jasmine pouted. "You talk so generously, but I never saw you hold back in the duel."

Erika covered her mouth and laughed, "As a trainer, giving it your all is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."

"You've said everything, good and bad, what else can I say? Sigh, I made plans to compete against my friend in the next round, but now I have to break my promise."

"It's alright, I can keep my promise for you and beat them to a pulp."

"Forget it, I'd rather ask a friend to vent my anger and beat you to a pulp."

Erika raised her hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Then I'll reluctantly play the villain."

The duel ended there, and the audience gradually left.

Phile didn't leave immediately. He turned to You Zhi and asked, "What are your thoughts after watching the game?"

You Zhi thought for a moment and said, "It's a pity about Jasmine. If she had evolved her Armored Black Dragon into Armored Hell Dragon from the beginning, the result might have been different. However, as a trainer, she lacked confidence in controlling her Pokémon and could only gamble desperately when she was forced into a corner. This is a failure in ability and cannot be purely attributed to tactical mistakes."

"... I didn't ask you to evaluate this person. What's there to evaluate about someone who's been eliminated? You're unlikely to run into them anyway. I'm asking about your next opponent, Erika, the headmaster of the Celadon Gym." Phile was speechless.