This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

You Zhi's new tactic was simple: use Magician's Valkyria's trait to protect Silent Magician, allowing Silent Magician to attack freely, while Magician's Valkyria alternated between the skills "Protect" and "Gagaga Shield" to block damage. She did not need to attack the enemy; as long as she remained on the field, she served her purpose.

Magician's Valkyria's card effect meant that while she was on the field, other Spellcaster monsters could not become attack targets. After being converted into a Pokémon trait, it could not alter the enemy's intent to attack, but it could keep Spellcaster Pokémon from taking damage.

In the Pokémon games, the skill "Protect" was a move close to absolute defense, capable of blocking all damage. Though it was not quite so miraculous in reality, it could still withstand most attacks. Its only flaw was that it could not be used consecutively, which was why it had to alternate with "Gagaga Shield."

"Blame this stitched-together setting."

You Zhi sighed again.

Once Pokémon moves were combined with Yu-Gi-Oh! monster effects, this kind of doubles setup emerged—one that could not be broken through with brute force. At least, Liss lacked the strength to break it at present.

Liss was no fool and quickly realized this. She tried to change targets, abandoning the two Pokémon to attack You Zhi, the Trainer. But Magician's Valkyria used herself as a shield, never leaving his side, and Liss still could not do anything to him.

Fortunately, as a Nine-Star Pokémon, Imduk the World Chalice Dragon had an enormous health pool. In Pokémon terms, its base HP stat would have been at least 120. Silent Magician's attack power only barely exceeded Imduk the World Chalice Dragon's defense, so every attack dealt limited damage.

The battle briefly fell into a stalemate, but it was soon broken.

The ones to break it were Auram and the others. They had obtained new power!

Indigo Eclipse's metallic rings circled Eve as she unleashed Psychic, invisible waves of mental force firmly suppressing Liss's dragon and making it difficult for it to move.

At the same time, Ningirsu wielded Purple Nightfall's lance and hurled it from afar. The weapon was covered in Fighting-type spiritual power, transforming into an Aura Sphere that blasted forward and punched a bloody hole through Liss's dragon.

Auram held Blue Sky's twin blades, continuously slashing out Air Cutters that left deep, bone-revealing wounds across the dragon's body.

You Zhi had not been joking when he sent them to urgently repair the Mekk-Knights. Of course, he had not expected Auram and the others to know anything about mechanical repairs. Alisa was the key.

Even You Zhi's former self, an ordinary civilian Trainer, had possessed two life-restoring Spell Cards—Goblin Thief and Goblin's Secret Remedy. There was no way Alisa, a noble young lady, lacked similar Spell Cards. And Spell Cards worked on all Pokémon, whether they were flesh-and-blood creatures or mechanical lifeforms.

Originally, You Zhi had intended for Alisa to heal Star-Scar Mekk-Knight's injuries and then have the Mekk-Knight assist him in battle.

Although Liss possessed a trait that countered Link Pokémon, it only worked if she actually hit them. As long as Star-Scar Mekk-Knight kept its distance and sniped from afar with skills of seven attributes, there was little to worry about. With that Mekk-Knight's attack power, it could have inflicted massive damage on Liss.

Who would have thought that this mechanical lifeform, whether due to a malfunction in its programming or in order to seal Liss's dragon trait, would choose to dismantle itself and distribute its core among them?

Of course, it might also have been the protagonist's halo at work—destiny favoring them.

In any case, Auram and the others each absorbed part of the Mekk-Knights' power. Not only did their strength surge, but unlike when they received Star Power, they did not evolve into Link Form. Under You Zhi's Cheat Appraisal, Auram received a new name once again.

[Sky-Crowned Crusadia Knight (4-Star) LIGHT]

[Lineage: Normal, Flying]

[Level: 44]

[Attack: 1600 (2560)]

[Defense: 1000 (1600)]

[Psychic-type, Effect: Omitted]

At that moment, Alisa walked over to You Zhi and tossed him an item. "Here. Before that Mekk-Knight died, it said this core could be useful to one of your Pokémon."

You Zhi looked closely and found that it was Green Horizon's staff.

He did not immediately test it. Instead, he asked, "Didn't it leave anything for your Pokémon?"

"No, but it gave me the power to command Pokémon."

Alisa looked up at the Cianwood dragon in the distance and raised her right hand. A G-shaped marking appeared on the back of it, radiating the glow of an orange gem.

Then she reached into the void and drew out a Pokémon Card with golden lettering. With a solemn expression, she said, "When the seven-colored rainbow gathers, the most dazzling light in the world shall descend. Appear, Ultimate Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon!"

The Completion Condition

A massive surge of spiritual power followed. Before Alisa appeared a huge Pokémon resembling a winged dragon: its entire body was silver-white, a pair of wings grew from its back, seven gems of different colors were embedded along both sides of its body, and a barb extended from its tail.

[Ultimate Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon (8-Star) LIGHT]

[Lineage: Dragon, Rock-type]

[Level: 40]

[Talent: Fierce]

[Attack: 3000 (3000)]

[Defense: 0 (0)]

[Dragon-Type, Effect: Omitted]

Alisa had refrained from summoning Rainbow Dragon because its Star level was too high, and her spiritual power level had been insufficient to command it. But now, with the Mekk-Knights' gift, she could finally subdue it and make it obey. She immediately ordered Rainbow Dragon to attack.

Rainbow Dragon did not look resentful or defiant. Most Pokémon had rather simple thoughts. They did not reject Trainers, nor did they consider being caught by one an unbearable humiliation. They simply believed that the weak had no right to command them. This belief in the supremacy of the strong was especially firm among non-humanoid Pokémon.

Since Alisa now possessed the corresponding strength, there was nothing wrong with following her orders.

The silver dragon spread its body and flew toward the enemy. On the way, it opened its mouth and unleashed Dragon Breath. The dense spiritual power fell like a waterfall, crushing Liss's dragon to the ground. Then it coiled around the enemy and used the bone claws along its sides to launch a fierce Close Combat assault.

As a fragile Pokémon with 0 defense, Close Combat was hardly Rainbow Dragon's best choice. But this was not a duel. A group was ganging up on one opponent, and they held an absolute numerical advantage. Since that was the case, it could attack to its heart's content. As long as it dealt enough damage, even if it was defeated, its companions could easily finish the enemy off.

Moreover, Ultimate Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon shared the common trait of all Crystal Beasts. After being defeated, it would transform into a Spell Card and cover the field, without causing spiritual backlash to its Trainer. It had no worries at all.

Auram and the others felt the battle suddenly become much smoother. Previously, the size difference had left them feeling unable to use their strength properly. Now, with Rainbow Dragon's equally massive body assisting them, they could finally suppress Liss's dragon completely.

"Damn Crusadia! After all these years, you still insist on obstructing me?"

Liss roared repeatedly and struggled desperately, but two fists could not defeat four hands. Even though she possessed an area-attack trait, Auram and Ningirsu fought without fear of death, as if they had activated a cheat that locked their health. Every time they were severely injured and sent flying, as long as they were still alive, they would climb back up and fight again.

Under the combined assault of Rainbow Dragon, Silent Magician, and the three heroes, Liss finally collapsed, no longer capable of resisting.

Eve stepped before the dragon's head, pressed her hand against its brow, and used spiritual power to establish telepathy. "Imduk, wake up!"

Liss sneered weakly. "It's useless. Its mind has long since been devoured by me."

"I don't believe that!"

Auram placed his hand over Eve's, pouring his will into it. He shouted resolutely, "Imduk is a hero too! Its mind must still be holding on somewhere in some corner. It may be defeated, but it will never submit to an evil person like you!"

Ningirsu snorted, stepped forward, and forcibly pulled up Auram's hand, inserting his own palm between theirs.

The three stacked their hands together and concentrated their wills to call out to Imduk's mind.

"A meaningless act. What has already disappeared will never return, no matter how much you call for it—ugh!"

Liss's dragon suddenly stiffened. Then it cried out in pain, trembling violently as though convulsing. Light blossomed from its brow, forcibly ejecting a petite figure and a staff.

They were Liss's spirit body and Eve's Star Staff!

You Zhi immediately commanded Silent Magician to restrain her. Liss herself seemed to have no intention of resisting or fleeing.

"How could this be...?"

Under Liss's disbelieving gaze, Imduk the World Chalice Dragon slowly opened its eyes. There was not a trace of evil in its clear pupils. It lay weakly on the ground and rubbed the top of its head against Eve's palm.

Eve burst into tears of joy and threw her arms around it. Although its body had changed drastically, Imduk was still Imduk.

Auram gave a thumbs-up and laughed. "Well done. I knew you wouldn't submit so easily."

After some time, once everyone had calmed down from the joy of surviving the disaster, You Zhi spoke. "All right. Final matter: how should we deal with this one?"

Before Eve and the others, who held a deep grudge against Liss, could speak, Alisa cut in first. "How else should we deal with her? Putting aside everything else, we absolutely cannot spare her just to repay the Mekk-Knights' kindness!"

Auram and the others exchanged glances, none of them objecting.

If Liss had only plotted against them and ultimately caused no substantial harm, then they might have shown mercy, spared her life, and sentenced her to something like lifelong imprisonment.

But seven Mekk-Knights had died because of Liss. They had accepted the Mekk-Knights' gift and used its power to save their companion. What right did they have to forgive the murderer?

Could they really forget their debt of gratitude just because the Mekk-Knights were mechanical lifeforms?

They were heroes, not fools who forgave everything.

Seeing that everyone agreed, You Zhi prepared to act and destroy Liss completely. But just as he activated Mimicry Power and his palm was about to descend, he suddenly stopped.

It was not because his conscience had stirred. Rather, he remembered something. Auram and the others had a different objective from him. His and Alisa's goal was to clear the storyline and return to the real world.

Theoretically, now that they had defeated Liss, the mastermind, rescued Imduk, and reached a happy ending, his and Alisa's mission should have been complete. The return countdown should have begun. As for how the protagonists dealt with Liss—whether they released or killed her—it should have had nothing to do with the main storyline.

Of course, it was possible that killing Liss was the condition for clearing the storyline. But what if killing her did not count as clearing it, and he and Alisa still could not return? Wouldn't that be utterly disastrous?

This world differed from the Heavenly Might Realm. The secrets of the Heavenly Might Realm had essentially been laid bare. Even if they had failed to clear it after defeating Great Unity Panlong, they could still search for the never-before-seen seventh Panlong. But this world's setting remained shrouded in mist.

Who had created the Mekk-Knights?

Why had they created the Krawlers to destroy human buildings?

Why did Liss want to seize Eve's body?

And who were the Crusadia she kept mentioning?

To be safe, You Zhi decided to dig into the hidden storyline first, lest he kill her and lose his only lead for information.

Thus, he said to Liss, whose eyes were dull and lifeless, "When a person is near death, their words are kind. Do you have any last words for us?"

The Truth of the Legend

Faced with You Zhi's question, Liss, whose plan had utterly failed, showed no reaction at all. She seemed to have fallen into a state of complete despair.

You Zhi thought for a moment, then changed the subject. "You must have had some grand ambition of your own, right? To die silently like this—don't you find that regrettable?"

Liss remained unmoved. Although everyone wondered why You Zhi had suddenly put on such an act, after spending so many days with him, they already knew he was not a softhearted person who did meaningless things.

Furthermore, they had ignored You Zhi's earlier warning and caused the group to fall into danger. It was only because You Zhi stepped forward and held off the enemy that they found a turning point.

The ending had been good, but they truly had misunderstood his good intentions. Auram and the others were not heartless. How could they still have the nerve to step forward and question him now? The overall situation had already been decided. You Zhi could handle the enemy however he pleased.

You Zhi asked several more questions, but Liss still looked as though her heart had died. She was like a stone statue that could no longer hear the outside world.

Recalling everything she had said, You Zhi quickly caught a key phrase. "You seem to hold quite a grudge against the Mekk-Knights' creators—the Crusadia, as you call them."

Liss's body moved slightly. The movement was so small that ordinary eyes would have struggled to notice it, but You Zhi caught it sharply. He continued, "Judging by the outcome, they were the ones in the right. If everything ends here, you will undoubtedly become the mark of failure used to highlight the Crusadia's wisdom and greatness."

"What wisdom and greatness? They were just a bunch of cowards who only knew how to treat symptoms instead of the cause!"

Liss raised her head, her eyes flashing with defiance. "You want to know the truth, don't you? Fine. I'll tell you everything. But after you hear it, I hope you won't regret it. Sometimes, dying in ignorance is not necessarily a bad thing. Knowing the end of the world is approaching while being powerless to stop it—that is true torment."

"We're all ears."

Now, not only You Zhi but everyone else was interested. They listened intently.

"A long time ago, there was a god who governed the operation of all things. Dragons, as the god's servants, maintained the order of the world by circulating Destruction Power and Creation Power. But Destruction Power grew stronger the more it was used, while Creation Power could not keep pace with that growth. The two gradually lost balance. Once that balance completely collapsed, Destruction Power would destroy everything in the world.

"The god realized this, so using Creation Power as a foundation, it created several layers of hard crust as a prison and sealed Destruction Power within the planet's core. Only a small portion of Destruction Power could leak through the seal and combine with the Creation Power on the surface, becoming tiny existences that repeated the cycle of life and death, continuing to maintain the world's operation.

"However, even a god's life had an end. One day, it transformed its remains into a 'World Key,' entrusted it to the life born upon the land, and disappeared.

"From then on, whenever too much Destruction Power leaked out and upset the balance, the lifeforms holding the World Key would join the dragons in suppressing it. This happened again and again, gradually becoming legend.

"The lifeforms on the surface called the 'World Key' a 'sword,' called Destruction Power 'Great Darkness,' and called those who suppressed Destruction Power and maintained balance 'World Chalice Heroes.' Thus, changing protagonists, similar plots, and the same story were sung throughout every era, passed down until this day."

Auram and the others looked at each other, then unanimously turned their gazes toward Eve's transformed staff.

Liss sneered. "That's right. That is the World Key. Congratulations—you have also become part of the World Chalice Heroes. Your experiences will become a chapter in the legends of heroes, sung by the world until the next generation of World Chalice Heroes is born, or until the world is destroyed and the legends end completely."

You Zhi rubbed his chin. "I understand. It's a story of fixing leaks as they appear. As long as one generation of World Chalice Heroes fails to patch the hole, Destruction Power will burst out of the seal and destroy the world."

Alisa could not help asking, "If it was something so important, why didn't you tell us from the beginning? Why did you make up lies to deceive us instead?"

Liss mocked her. "Tell you the truth, only to be sealed away as a lunatic by you?"

Auram declared righteously, "How could we possibly do such a thing?"

"The Crusadia you call wise and great did exactly that."

Liss mocked him first, then continued her account. "The previous century—no, the previous era—was an age of extraordinary technological advancement and prosperity. Every race joined hands to establish a great Pokémon League. But that prosperity was built upon the excessive exploitation of the planet's resources. This led to the death of the dragons who protected the planet, leaving Destruction Power unchecked as the world gradually approached ruin. In its moment of crisis, the Pokémon League gathered the finest talents of every race to seek a way to save the world. That organization was called the Crusadia."

You Zhi nodded. "Stepping forward in a time of crisis—calling that wise and great does not seem wrong."

Liss snorted and continued with indignation, "They found the legendary World Key and confirmed the existence of the World Chalice Heroes. But the guardian dragons were dead, so they could not stop the world's destruction by recreating the legend. Their final effort was to use the World Key's power to create the Mekk-Knights, then use the Mekk-Knights to seal Destruction Power again. But the plan failed because a Mekk-Knight called Morning Star Mekk-Knight went berserk.

"In the end, the unprecedentedly prosperous civilization was destroyed. The only consolation was that the Mekk-Knights prevented the worst outcome. They split Destruction Power in two. The underground Destruction Power was sealed back into the planet's core, while the Destruction Power on the surface manifested as seven World Legacies.

"At the same time, the Mekk-Knights inherited the Crusadia members' wills through brainwave technology. They decided to let the planet rest and recuperate, slowly restoring its strength and maintaining the balance between Creation Power and Destruction Power. To prevent the next civilization from repeating the same mistake, the Mekk-Knights were also instilled with the creed of halting civilization's development. That was how the Krawlers came to be."

You Zhi rubbed his chin. "I've heard the story, but it doesn't seem to have much to do with you?"