This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

Falkner commented, "To avoid being destroyed, you activated a Spell Card one step ahead of time. Not a bad idea, but my objective has still been achieved. You no longer have any set Spell Cards on your field, while all you gained was one extra chance to switch Pokémon. That has little meaning—unless the next Pokémon you send out happens to counter Sonic Shooter."

"A correct judgment. I'll leave the rest to you."

You Zhi drew another Pokémon Card from the void. It was Icejade Aegirine.

The ice-sculpted girl triggered her Ability the moment she appeared, automatically refining Icejade Erosion. You Zhi decisively set the Spell Card on the field, once again sealing Sonic Shooter's piercing Ability.

"A Pokémon I've never seen before. But judging from the result, it should have an effect that automatically refines a Spell Card upon entering the field." Falkner correctly guessed half of it based on experience.

In the battle that followed, You Zhi commanded Aegirine to attack with Icy Wind, slowing the opponent down in the process.

Faced with this wide-area attack, no matter how swift or nimble Sonic Shooter was, it could do nothing. It might evade the first and second blasts, but not the third and fourth. Once the entire training ground had been covered in freezing currents, Sonic Shooter's movements visibly slowed. It could no longer dash like an afterimage, and in the end, Aegirine completely defeated it with a Rock Throw.

Throughout the entire process, Falkner only gave routine commands and did not attempt to refine a Spell Card to turn the tide.

He believed that You Zhi's tactics had already reached the standard of two Badges and were enough to pass the first test. There was no need to make things difficult for him, so he watched as Sonic Shooter was defeated by the Attribute advantage.

The spiritual particles released after Sonic Shooter's body burst apart were split between Demon Lizard Yihao and Aegirine. The former gained a level, while the latter showed no change.

Falkner drew a second Pokémon Card from the void. He was about to summon it, but hesitated before looking at You Zhi. "Your performance has been excellent. Whether in tactical command or Pokémon strength, you are qualified to take this Gym's Badge. A second battle is meaningless now. Ordinary Pokémon would certainly be no match for you and would serve no purpose as a test. So I'll let you choose: end things here and take the Badge, or accept a more difficult test."

You Zhi answered without hesitation, "As a Pokémon Trainer, would anyone even need to hesitate over a question like that?"

"That's true. A real Trainer could never refuse a challenge."

Falkner smiled in satisfaction. He found You Zhi increasingly to his liking, replaced the Pokémon Card in his hand, and reminded him, "Be careful. The Pokémon entering the field this time is my personal ace. It won't be as easy to deal with as Sonic Shooter."

"Come on!"

Well, it was too late to take it back now anyway, You Zhi thought.

"O beasts who fought and slew one another in the arenas of ancient times, display your fearless valor once more! Soar upon the battlefield of this new century—Gladiator Beast Bestiari!"

Light burst forth, and a bird-headed, humanoid Pokémon clad in specially crafted armor appeared on the battlefield.

[Gladiator Beast Bestiari (Level 4) Wind attribute]

[Lineage: Flying, Steel]

[Level: 32]

[Attack: 1500 (1950)]

[Defense: 800 (1040)]

[Winged Beast-Type, Effect: When this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a monster with "Gladiator Beast" in its name, destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field. At the end of the Battle Phase in which this card battled, you can return this card to the Deck and Special Summon 1 "Gladiator Beast" monster other than "Gladiator Beast Bestiari" from the Deck to your field.]

You Zhi first complained inwardly about why all these Gym Leaders liked reciting entrance lines. Could doing that raise morale and grant Pokémon some hidden buff?

Then he grew somewhat puzzled. This Pokémon's level was certainly not low, but its Attack and Defense values were unimpressive, and its effect was not particularly strong either. At only four stars, its health could not possibly be very high. No matter how he looked at it, it did not deserve the status of a Gym Leader's personal Pokémon. It would barely qualify even as a reserve.

"You must be wondering why Bestiari doesn't look very strong, at least not much stronger than Sonic Shooter, and why I kept warning you," Falkner explained considerately. "That is because, like your previous Pokémon, it needs to evolve after entering the field before it can display its true strength. Watch closely!"

In an instant, purple light blossomed from Gladiator Beast Bestiari's body—the symbol of Fusion evolution.

Before long, a Pokémon similar in appearance to Gladiator Beast Bestiari appeared on the field, but it was larger and more powerfully built, and its armor was more exquisite and luxurious.

[Gladiator Beast Gyzarus (Level 6) DARK attribute]

[Lineage: Flying, Steel]

[Level: 32]

[Attack: 2400 (2480)]

[Defense: 1500 (1550)]

[Winged Beast-Type, Effect: ① When this card is Special Summoned: You can target up to 2 cards on the field; destroy them. ② At the end of the Battle Phase in which this card battled: You can return this card to its owner's Extra Deck; Special Summon 2 "Gladiator Beast" monsters other than "Gladiator Beast Bestiari" from the Deck.]

Falkner said, "Gladiator Beast Gyzarus's Ability activates when it evolves! It can target and destroy up to two Pokémon or Spell Cards on the field!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus extended both hands and released a tornado from each, one rushing toward Aegirine and the other toward the set Icejade Erosion.

Icejade Erosion was instantly shredded to pieces. Just as Aegirine was about to suffer the same fate, a crystalline protective barrier suddenly rose around her body and blocked the tornado.

Since Falkner had openly explained his Pokémon's Ability, You Zhi naturally did not deliberately conceal his own. "When Aegirine is selected as the target of an effect, she has one instance of protection from harm."

Falkner came to a realization. "What a coincidence. That let you escape it, but that alone won't be enough. Caesar has the overall advantage in Ability. Use Steel Wing!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus dived toward Aegirine, its armored wings gathering energy as it charged with tremendous force.

Yet the petite Aegirine neither dodged nor retreated. She stretched out her hand to meet it head-on. After being pushed back more than ten meters, she forcibly stopped it, with the phantom of Divergent Lizard Yihao appearing behind her.

You Zhi said unhurriedly, "An additional effect of Aegirine's Ability. While it remains active, she can receive a boost from the power of allied Water Attribute Pokémon."

Falkner frowned. "Pull away quickly!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus struggled with all its might, but could not break free. Its opponent's strength completely suppressed it.

Aegirine clenched her tiny fist and drove it into the opponent's face. With a face-crumpling bang, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus flew away like a kite with a broken string, even its armor denting inward.

Falkner anxiously shouted, "Fly into the sky!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus beat its wings and tried to take off, but several arcs of electricity rose from its body. Its body went numb, preventing it from flying. Aegirine summoned a Rock Throw that struck it, sending it rolling several times across the ground.

Falkner exclaimed in surprise, "Can it inherit moves after possession as well?"

The punch Aegirine had just thrown was Thunder Punch, which happened to counter the opponent's Attributes. Moreover, unlike the game setting where paralysis only had a certain chance of occurring, in reality, any Pokémon struck by an Electric-type move would suffer some degree of paralysis. The only difference was its own resistance.

In truth, Aegirine had not completely inherited Demon Lizard Yihao's moves. She could only learn moves that she was theoretically capable of learning; anything she theoretically could not learn remained unusable.

As for why a dual Icejade Water-type Pokémon could learn Thunder Punch, there was nothing strange about that. Lapras, which was also dual Water-type and Ice-type in Pokémon, could learn Thunderbolt.

Fortunately, as a six-star Pokémon, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus possessed considerable resistance. It soon shook off the paralysis, flew into the air, and evaded the follow-up attacks.

However, Aegirine was not a close-combat Pokémon without ranged options. She immediately used Icy Wind toward the sky.

Because of the previous battle, the temperature on the battlefield was already low, and several freezing currents still swirled through the air. Once stirred by Icy Wind, snowflakes actually began drifting across the arena.

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus wore heavy armor and was already slower than Sonic Shooter. Facing an attack that practically changed the entire battlefield environment, it was difficult to evade completely. A layer of frost immediately formed over its body, and its speed plummeted.

Falkner did not panic. He noticed that the phantom behind Aegirine had vanished and judged that the enhancement effect had expired. Calmly, he said, "Caesar, activate your Ability—revert your form!"

As light flashed, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus actually reverted into Gladiator Beast Bestiari, and the frost on its body was erased along with the change in form.

You Zhi was somewhat surprised. He had not expected that the card effect of "return to the Deck after battle and Special Summon other monsters" would become "revert form after battle" once transformed into an Ability.

Generally speaking, Pokémon summoned onto the field could only evolve, not devolve. To devolve, they had to be returned to their Pokémon Card and use the card to revert to a previous form.

Therefore, if someone directly captured an already evolved wild Pokémon, they could not make it devolve to its previous form, because the Pokémon Card contained no imprint record of that form.

For example, Demon Lizard Yihao had an initial form called Mini Yihao, a one-star Pokémon. But You Zhi could not make it devolve into that initial form and could only switch between Demon Lizard Yihao and Divergent Lizard Yihao.

"But what difference does that make? It wasn't Aegirine's match after evolving, and after devolving, it's even less of a match. Keep using Icy Wind!"

You Zhi commanded Aegirine to continue attacking.

"Now comes the crucial part. Bestiari, evolve again!"

At Falkner's command, Gladiator Beast Bestiari, flying through the air, blossomed with light and evolved into Gladiator Beast Gyzarus once more, activating its Ability again.

"It's useless. Aegirine has an Ability that protects her from destruction, and unlike your Pokémon's Ability, hers isn't limited to a single use."

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus released a tornado that rushed toward Aegirine, while a crystalline protective shell emerged over Aegirine's body again, seemingly about to recreate the previous exchange.

"Not necessarily. The Pokémon Ability is merely bait. The key is this Spell Card!"

During the earlier battle, Falkner had refined a Spell Card while multitasking, and he immediately activated it.

[Counter Trap: Gladiator Beast War Chariot]

[Effect: Activate only while a face-up monster with "Gladiator Beast" in its name exists on your field. Negate the activation of an Effect Monster's effect and destroy it.]

"Gladiator Beast War Chariot's effect activates! Negate the opponent Pokémon's Ability activation, then strike it!"

A spiked war chariot appeared on the battlefield and rammed into Aegirine like a streak of lightning. In one blow, it shattered the crystalline protective barrier, then slammed into Aegirine herself and sent her flying far away.

That was not all. Gladiator Beast Gyzarus's Ability activated normally, and a violent tornado struck Aegirine, carrying her all the way into a wall and leaving behind spiderweb-like cracks.

After taking that chain of attacks, Aegirine was covered in wounds. If her Defense had not currently reached 2667, her body would likely have already burst apart and been destroyed.

Falkner kindly suggested, "Switch to your next Pokémon. This Pokémon's life is like a candle guttering in the wind."

Returning a Pokémon without using Spell Cards such as Order to Retreat was equivalent to admitting defeat. However, since the Pokémon had not been destroyed, it only needed to rest for a while to recover and did not need to undergo the lengthy process of Spirit Reconstruction.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the opponent had not withdrawn their Pokémon, one should launch relentless attacks until it was destroyed, because any Pokémon with remaining stamina still had the possibility of counterattacking.

Since this battle was an additional test proposed by Falkner himself, he had shown mercy. Otherwise, with his serious personality, he would not have been so polite.

"Thank you for your concern, but I don't think it's time to give up yet."

As he spoke, You Zhi activated the Spell Card he had refined long ago: Goblin Thief.

Thus, that fat-headed, big-eared Goblin appeared on the field again, pushing a handcart. It threw a healing potion toward Aegirine and a bomb toward Gladiator Beast Gyzarus.

Spirit Duels were unlike Card Duels. The effects of Spell Cards did not always manifest absolutely; their force depended on the Spell Card's grade. Goblin Thief was only D-rank, and Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, flying in the air, easily evaded the bomb.

On the other side, the healing potion struck Aegirine. As the bottle shattered, the liquid inside spilled out and was instantly absorbed by her. Her vitality rapidly recovered, and her condition changed from barely clinging to life to breathing heavily. She had likely recovered around one-third of her strength.

Goblin Thief could both restore the vitality of one's own Pokémon and harm or disrupt an opponent Pokémon. Since it was only D-rank and required very little spiritual power, You Zhi would refine it whenever he had the opportunity and keep it in reserve for emergencies.

Falkner shook his head. "Restoring your stamina to continue fighting is not a good choice. You're merely delaying the time of your defeat. Caesar, use Air Slash!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus swung its wings and fired a barrage of invisible air blades toward Aegirine.

You Zhi calmly said, "Use Aurora Veil."

Aegirine activated her spiritual power with all her strength. Even her twin hammer braids floated upward as freezing currents gathered before her, forming an Ice Wall that blocked every Air Slash.

This move was the result of Aegirine's training under True Knowledge Panlong. Its defensive power surpassed even Reflect.

According to Pokémon game mechanics, Aurora Veil could only be used during hail. But reality was not so rigid. If a Pokémon was powerful enough, or if the surrounding temperature was low enough, it could be activated.

Aegirine had repeatedly used Icy Wind earlier, filling the entire battlefield with freezing currents and dropping the temperature by a huge margin. The conditions for activation had already been met.

Falkner frowned. "Use Steel Wing."

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus dived down, and its Steel-type energy-laden wing smashed into the Ice Wall, leaving behind a crack.

While refining a Spell Card, You Zhi instructed, "Ignore it. Focus entirely on defense."

Aegirine released frost to mend the cracks in the Ice Wall. She allowed the opponent to attack, doing nothing but continuously reinforce her defense.

Falkner glanced at You Zhi and praised him appreciatively. "It seems you've completely understood the Gladiator Beasts' Abilities. You want to stall for time this way."

Every Pokémon in the Gladiator Beast series possessed an effect that could only be triggered after fighting. In Card Duels, the judgment for this effect was very simple: as long as it entered the Battle Phase and fought the opponent Pokémon once, it counted, regardless of whether the opponent was in attack or defense position.

But in Spirit Duels, it depended on the specific circumstances of the battle. Simply throwing out an attack would not satisfy the condition. The fiercer the battle, the faster the charge accumulated and the easier it was for the Ability to activate. Conversely, the calmer the battle, the slower the charging process.

Aegirine was only defending and not attacking, which was undoubtedly a passive style of fighting. It could greatly delay the charging speed of Gladiator Beast Gyzarus's Ability. If this continued, even if Gladiator Beast Gyzarus eventually won, it would consume a great deal of stamina and would certainly lose against You Zhi's second Pokémon.

Passive fighting was a helpless choice in most situations, but against Gladiator Beasts, it was the correct tactic. Falkner, as a Gym Leader, naturally understood this as well and had already prepared a countermeasure. He swiftly refined and activated a D-rank Spell Card.

[Quick-Play Spell: Gladiator Beast's Taming]

[Effect: While a monster with "Gladiator Beast" in its name exists on the field, choose and activate 1 of the following effects. One: Select 1 face-up monster on the opponent's field and change its battle position; Two: Take control of 1 "Gladiator Beast" monster on the opponent's field until the End Phase.]

As the Spell Card's effect activated, a tiger-headed humanoid Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. Holding a whip, it lashed it toward Aegirine, striking the Ice Wall with a crisp crack.

Although Aegirine herself was not struck by the whip, she was still affected by its effect. Her eyes immediately turned red, and she became unusually excited. The thought of defense completely vanished from her mind as she summoned a mass of rocks and hurled them at Gladiator Beast Gyzarus.

The two Pokémon began a fierce clash, each unleashing their ultimate moves. Aegirine already had little vitality left and quickly slipped toward the brink of death. Gladiator Beast Gyzarus soon met the condition to activate its Ability, but considering that its abilities would decrease after reverting forms and leave it vulnerable to exploitation, Falkner did not risk activating it.

At that moment, You Zhi completed his Spell Card refinement and immediately set the Spell Card on the field.

"Caesar, come back. Do not attack."

Seeing this, Falkner immediately ordered Gladiator Beast Gyzarus to stop attacking. Judging from You Zhi's earlier stalling tactic, this Spell Card was clearly his trump card. If it was something like Sakuretsu Armor, a Spell Card that would inflict explosive damage upon attacking, it might truly turn the battle around in one stroke.

After quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Falkner made his decision. "Caesar, activate your Ability—revert your form!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus nodded. As light flickered, it devolved into Gladiator Beast Bestiari.