This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

A moment later, Great Unity Panlong finally could not endure any longer. It fell completely into a berserk state and fully took control of Heavenly Might Ghost God's body. With a sweeping arm, it unleashed tremendous force and knocked the Pokémon back. You Zhi had rushed in front and bore the brunt of it, rolling several times across the ground like a tumbleweed—doing so to bleed off the force.

"All of you deserve to die!"

Heavenly Might Ghost God flailed both arms, firing one Evil Aura Sphere after another and bombarding everything in sight. The Pokémon were driven back again and again by this simple yet brutal assault, utterly unable to fight back. They could only barely hold on with various defensive moves.

Under these circumstances, You Zhi did not dare engage the opponent in close combat again. He looked up and found that the Cheat Appraisal information had changed.

[Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God (Level 8) DARK attribute]

[Lineage: Fighting-type, EVIL attribute]

[Level: 60]

[Attack: 3000 (3750+900)]

[Defense: 0 (0+1500)]

[Wyrm-Type, Effect: The effects of ① and ② with this card's name can each be used once per turn. ①: When your opponent activates a monster's effect: Banish that monster. ②: If this card destroys an effect monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: This card gains ATK equal to that destroyed monster's original ATK. During this Battle Phase, this card can attack a monster once more.]

Seeing the opponent's stats, You Zhi realized that forcibly interrupting the fusion had indeed worked. Otherwise, it would not have merely gained half of Great Unity Panlong's stats.

Of course, panel stats were one thing, while actual combat strength was another. Having transformed into its third form, Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God was obviously far fiercer than before. Its spiritual power flowed without end, showing no sign of running dry. If it kept bombarding them, then even if everyone managed to protect themselves by luck, the cave would collapse and bury them alive.

"No choice. It has come to this after all."

Yuan Ying looked at the two Elemental Heroes struggling to hold on before her. At last, she made up her mind, taking out the Sky Stone and Fire Stone. She said solemnly, "Wingedman, Blazegirl, I'll be counting on you two now."

Wingedman and Blazegirl nodded, willingly accepting the Sky Stone and Fire Stone. In an instant, both Pokémon erupted with dazzling light, their auras climbing steadily as immense Wind attribute and Fire-type spiritual power surged out, temporarily blocking the Aura Spheres.

A moment later, when the light faded, two powerful Pokémon appeared before everyone.

Yet Yuan Ying, their Trainer, wore a puzzled expression. "Huh? Aren't they supposed to be Flame Wingman and Phoenix Enforcer?"

Hero Evolution

[Elemental HERO Great Tornado (Level 8) Wind attribute]

[Lineage: Flying-type]

[Level: 27]

[Attack: 2800 (2345)]

[Defense: 2200 (1843)]

[Warrior-Type, Trait: When this Pokémon enters the field, all opposing Pokémon's Attack and Defense become half.]

[Elemental HERO Nova Master (Level 8) Fire-type]

[Lineage: Fire-type]

[Level: 26]

[Attack: 2600 (2145)]

[Defense: 2100 (1733)]

[Warrior-Type, Effect: When this Pokémon destroys an opposing Pokémon, its Trainer randomly obtains a Spell Card.]

Yuan Ying took out her Pokédex to confirm the two Pokémon's traits and muttered, "Entirely new evolved forms... Is it because they received Chakra Dragon's spiritual power?"

The notes left behind by her ancestors contained no records of these two Elemental Heroes' evolved forms. Based on past experience, Wingedman and Blazegirl normally evolved into either Flame Wingman or Phoenix Enforcer. In rare cases, Wingedman would evolve into Wild Wingman, while Blazegirl would evolve into Iron Wall Gunner. But neither resembled the two Pokémon before her in the slightest, so she immediately connected it to Panlong.

No matter what, it was ultimately a good thing. Great Tornado Hero and Nova Lord had higher panel stats than Flame Wingman and Phoenix Enforcer. Yuan Ying immediately said, "Great Tornado Hero, activate your trait!"

Great Tornado Hero, draped in a black cloak, swept an arm. A biting storm rose with a howl, and blade after blade of fierce wind slashed across Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God's body, sealing its spiritual power circulation. Its Attack instantly fell to 2325, and its Defense dropped to 750.

But before Yuan Ying could rejoice, Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God suddenly threw back its head and roared. With a wave of its five fingers, crimson cracks abruptly appeared in the space beside Great Tornado Hero and swallowed him whole. The cracks immediately closed, and Great Tornado Hero's aura vanished without a trace.

"Uh... what happened?"

Yuan Ying was somewhat dazed. One moment he had been displaying overwhelming might; the next, he had been taken out. It had happened far too suddenly.

You Zhi explained from the side, "That's a new trait it gained after changing forms. When an opposing Pokémon activates a trait, it can banish it to another dimension."

In Card Duels, banishment translated to dimensional exile in Spirit Duels. Because it was not destruction, the Trainer would not suffer spiritual backlash, but they would be unable to summon that Pokémon again for a certain period. As for how long it lasted, that depended on the level gap between the two Pokémon.

Yuan Ying snapped angrily, "If you knew about its trait, why didn't you warn me?"

"Trading one Great Tornado Hero for cutting its Attack and Defense in half seemed like an excellent bargain to me."

If the enemy's trait had negated effects before banishing, You Zhi would certainly have advised Yuan Ying not to activate Great Tornado Hero's trait. But the enemy's trait only banished; it could not interfere with the effect itself. Given the current situation, Great Tornado Hero's sacrifice was undoubtedly worthwhile.

Sure enough, when they clashed again, Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God's offensive remained fierce, but the Aura Spheres it fired were half their previous size, and their destructive power had dropped sharply. The Pokémon's moves did not fall behind in their direct clashes at all.

Taking into account the opponent's additional EVIL attribute, You Zhi swapped out Silent Magician and summoned Demon Lizard Yihao, who held the attribute advantage. He also refined its linked Spell Card, just in case.

Before long, Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God had fallen into an absolute disadvantage. Even Fist Monk, who had lost the ability to fight, could see that defeat was already written all over the opponent.

Because Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God's own consciousness had fallen unconscious, Great Unity Panlong was now controlling its body. As a result, it could not use the Heavenly Might Sect's ultimate arts. Its technical skill had plummeted, and it kept repeating the same few moves.

It had originally been able to conceal this flaw with its overwhelming Attack stat. But after getting its stats halved by Great Tornado Hero's ability, the flaw was fully exposed.

Yet Great Unity Panlong did not give up. It continued searching for an opportunity, because Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God had a second talent. As long as it defeated a Pokémon with a trait, it could absorb that Pokémon's power and enter a berserk state. With those two bonuses combined, it could reverse the situation in one stroke.

After a while, Great Unity Panlong finally found its chance. After knocking back Demon Lizard Yihao and Nova Lord's combined assault and taking Neon Stone Sprite's Rock Throw head-on, it stomped both feet and brazenly unleashed Earthquake.

The ground shook violently as shockwaves spread along the floor, launching an indiscriminate attack. Every Pokémon's movements stalled for an instant. Great Unity Panlong seized the opportunity to ambush Dragon Fairy. Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God gathered Fighting-type energy in both hands—it was the immensely powerful Burst Punch. If it landed, it would be enough to make Dragon Fairy, who had lost her spiritual shield, explode on the spot.

At that moment, You Zhi planted his feet in a horse stance to stabilize himself and activated a Spell Card.

[Spirit-Accumulating Spell Card: Soul Barrier]

[Effect: As long as there is a Pokémon on the field, the Trainer takes no battle damage. (When Demon Lizard Yihao is on the field, other Pokémon take no battle damage.)]

Under the Spell Card's effect, Demon Lizard Yihao teleported in front of Dragon Fairy. He spread both hands, forming a massive wall of energy. Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God's highly anticipated punch slammed into it, only creating rings of ripples. It could not break through.

Others did not know Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God's trait and could not predict its actions, but You Zhi possessed the Cheat Appraisal. Naturally, he had prepared for it.

Soul Barrier's effect was extremely powerful on its own, but unfortunately, it was only suited for field battles. It was practically useless in Official Duels, because Pokémon normally fought one-on-one, and Trainers would not be attacked anyway.

"Master, wake up!"

Dragon Fairy did not know the full story. She only thought You Zhi was protecting his comrade. After giving him a grateful look, her gaze sharpened. She gathered the little spiritual power she had left and transformed it all into blazing flames, which burst from the tip of her fan and formed a gigantic character for "great."

"D-Damn it—"

Heavenly Might Dragon Ghost God had no time to dodge and was struck squarely by Fire Blast. Its entire body ignited.

Its evil spiritual power was purified by sacred fire. Amid the intense agony, its already unstable fusion state was forcibly broken. Great Unity Panlong was forced out of the body. Just as it was about to be reduced to ashes, it suddenly sensed a trace of evil intent and immediately found its source.

"You possess an evil heart, yet you have been swayed by foolish compassion and strayed onto the wrong path. Let me help you return to the righteous way!"

Braving the flames, Great Unity Panlong charged into Demon Lizard Yihao's body not far away, attempting to fuse with him.

"This is bad!"

Dragon Fairy realized its intention, and her expression changed drastically. She hurriedly called out to Demon Lizard Yihao, "Hold on to yourself! Don't be tempted by its power!"

You Zhi frowned slightly and took out a Pokémon Card, attempting to retrieve Demon Lizard Yihao. To his surprise, it did not work.

After all, Demon Lizard Yihao was You Zhi's Pokémon. Yuan Ying hesitated for a moment and did not command Nova Lord to attack.

That brief delay gave Great Unity Panlong its opportunity. It successfully awakened Demon Lizard Yihao's evil heart, and the two fused together. His appearance immediately underwent a dramatic transformation.

Devouring the Master

As it absorbed evil spiritual power, Demon Lizard Yihao's body became stronger and more solid. Its bone spikes turned into steel spikes, while pieces of steel armor embedded themselves into its body, as though it had undergone cybernetic modification.

[Aberrant Lizard · Demon Lizard Yihao (Level 5) Water-type]

[Lineage: Fighting-type, Steel-type]

[Level: 22]

[Talent: Strong]

[Attack: 2450 (2303)]

[Defense: 1500 (1410)]

[Reptile-Type, Description: The result of various bodily modifications made to combat powerful evil. It gained astonishing power, but at the cost of losing its sense of justice.]

When You Zhi used Cheat Appraisal, this was the information he received. Not only had its level risen by six, even its talent had advanced by a rank.

The evil-corrupted Divergent Lizard Yihao's eyes glowed with bloodthirsty red light. It let out a low growl from its throat and stared fixedly at You Zhi.

"Judging by that look, are you planning to devour your master?"

You Zhi raised a hand to stop the other Pokémon that wanted to help. He stepped forward, assumed an opening stance, and beckoned slightly with four fingers. "Since your mind has been controlled, let your body remember who your true master is."

Divergent Lizard Yihao roared and lunged forward, swinging its Metal Claws. Its body had not become clumsy despite all the additional steel armor.

Yet You Zhi merely took a light step back and precisely dodged the attack.

"Your movements are too broad. How could an attack like that ever hit its target? Do you think you're attacking a wooden post that won't move?"

Divergent Lizard Yihao flailed both arms, its sharp Metal Claws tearing through everything. Even the rock walls they struck shattered like tofu. It was easy to imagine that anything hit by them, no matter how tough its flesh, would be ripped into pieces.

Yuan Ying watched with her heart in her throat and ordered Nova Lord to be ready to intervene at any moment.

Yet You Zhi, the person involved, looked completely relaxed. He moved as leisurely as if strolling through a garden beneath the raging barrage, entirely unscathed.

"How many times have I told you? Learn to hide your intentions. Don't let your opponent read your next move. Even if you can't do that, learn to mix feints with real attacks. Your movements are so obvious, and every strike is real. I could dodge them with my eyes closed."

As he spoke, You Zhi actually closed his eyes. His movements did not slow in the slightest, and he still evaded every attack with perfect precision.

It was not merely because his five senses were sharp. More importantly, he had long Mimicked Demon Lizard Yihao's body structure and understood its fighting patterns even more thoroughly than Demon Lizard Yihao himself. Even though Demon Lizard Yihao had changed forms, the fundamentals remained the same. As long as the main framework had not changed, the rest only required minor adjustments.

After observing for a while, he had already figured out Divergent Lizard Yihao's combat style. It was stronger and faster, but having lost its reason, its attacks contained no technique or tactics, making them easier to predict instead.

Divergent Lizard Yihao threw a Flying Knee, using the sharp bone spike on its knee to stab forward. But You Zhi slipped away as smoothly as if skating, easily dodging the attack. He circled to Divergent Lizard Yihao's side, drove an elbow into it, and used its own momentum to slam it into the rock wall. Its bone spike pierced straight into the wall, leaving it unable to pull free for the moment.

"Still refusing to learn! Are your brains nothing but lumps of muscle?"

You Zhi stepped forward. His entire body became as solid as iron, cords of muscle bulging across his arms and twisting like vines. With immense force, he rammed forward as though a mountain were crashing into its target. He was fast and fierce, and even the ground trembled from the force he unleashed.

Divergent Lizard Yihao had just pulled its bone spike free and had no time to dodge. Its back took an Iron Mountain Lean, the fierce force penetrating deep into its body and nearly shaking it apart. Before it could slump down weakly, You Zhi grabbed its back and lifted it up. Then came that familiar burst of power again—after shaking loose its muscular defenses, he smashed it viciously into the ground.

It was the familiar Seismic Toss.

Through the intense soreness, its body seemed to recall every sparring session and training exercise it had shared with its master. The evil will controlling its body also wavered from the beating it had taken.

The moment Divergent Lizard Yihao raised itself, You Zhi kicked it in the side of the neck and sent it flying. It smashed through chunks of ice along the way.

Afterward, whenever it tried to get up, You Zhi forcibly interrupted it. Either he struck a vital spot or hit the point where it exerted force. The damage was not severe, but it could never rise to its feet, only rolling continuously across the ground.

"How many times have I told you? Fighting isn't just about brute strength. Learn to use your brain. At times like this, don't rush to stand up. You can roll first to create distance, or pretend to be unconscious, then use your tail to ambush the enemy once they come close."

As he spoke, Divergent Lizard Yihao decisively whipped out its tail and wrapped it around You Zhi's ankle.

You Zhi activated Mimicry, altering his muscles and bones. With a loosened joint, he slipped free from the tail like an eel, leaving behind only one shoe. He then launched a flying kick into Divergent Lizard Yihao's chin, sending it airborne, before following up with another Iron Mountain Lean. It struck the unarmored abdomen and blasted it away.

Divergent Lizard Yihao slammed all the way into the rock wall, then rebounded. It braced itself on all fours and let out a pained, struggling howl. Its tail repeatedly smashed against the ground as though it were desperately resisting, while streams of evil energy seeped out of its body.

Great Unity Panlong had already suffered severe injuries in the previous battle, then taken Dragon Fairy's close-range Fire Blast. Its strength was exceptionally weakened. If Demon Lizard Yihao's heart had not already contained a weakness born of evil intent, it might not have succeeded earlier. Now that Demon Lizard Yihao had found itself again and its will was gradually clearing, Great Unity Panlong was forced out.

But Great Unity Panlong still refused to give up. During the earlier fight, it had discovered a new target.

"You possess no righteous heart." The evil energy that burst from Demon Lizard Yihao rushed swiftly toward You Zhi and drilled into his body. "I should have understood sooner. If I control the summoner, the Pokémon under his command will obey me as well. Hehehehe..."

Dragon Fairy's expression changed. "Stop it!"

If You Zhi truly fell under the enemy's control, then with the martial strength he had displayed and the Pokémon he could summon, they likely would not have a single survivor.

A flicker of concern crossed Yuan Ying's face, but she immediately said with certainty, "Don't worry. He won't be controlled by the enemy."

"But he agrees with Master's beliefs and reveres strength. I'm afraid—"

"It has nothing to do with whether he is righteous or evil. His will would never submit to another."

Sure enough, evil energy radiated from You Zhi after Great Unity Panlong possessed him, yet his expression remained normal. He showed neither painful resistance nor any sign of being controlled.

"You want to give me power, so naturally I have no reason to refuse. But I don't need power that refuses to obey me."