This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

[Defense: 1600 (2240)]

[Rock-Type, Description: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma can transform and combine]

You Zhi glanced over them and found that the three spirits had identical descriptions and nearly identical abilities and attributes. He could not help saying, "Three spirits appearing at once like this should count as a violation, shouldn't it?"

Although the Goblin Attack Force also consisted of multiple individuals, none of them could exist independently; all of them belonged to the "Goblin Attack Force." The three Magnet Warriors before him, however, were independent individuals with their own Pokédex entries. They were clearly not the same thing.

Dio held his head high. "That's outdated information. The standards for judging combined spirits reached a consensus five years ago. If the child forms are sent out first and then combine, the number of child forms counts as the total number of spirit summons. But if the parent form is sent out first and then splits into different child forms, it counts as one summon."

Spirit Duels even had official judging standards...

You Zhi was left speechless, but on further thought, both Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! often received official adjustments. It seemed perfectly reasonable for that tradition to continue after the two had been fused together.

"In that case, you'll be my second spirit."

Silent Magician had originally been slated to fight, but since his opponent had split into separate individuals, You Zhi changed his mind on the spot and summoned Goblin Attack Force to meet them head-on!

Pegasus's Letter

In terms of spirit numbers, You Zhi had one more on his side. But in terms of overall strength, the other side was undoubtedly stronger.

After all, four goblins shared the health of a single Four-Star spirit, while the other side had three whole Four-Star spirits. Even if the three Magnet Warriors had each inherited part of Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior's injuries, they still far surpassed Goblin Attack Force.

However, in You Zhi's eyes, the battle had already ended the moment he chose to summon the goblins proactively.

"Gamma the Magnet Warrior, switch to defense! Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Beta the Magnet Warrior, attack with everything you have!"

As Dio issued his commands, he activated a Spell Card.

[Quick-Play Spell: Magnet Ring]

[Effect: Equip to one of your spirits. After equipping it, its attack and defense decrease by 500. Your opponent may only attack the equipped spirit.]

A ring immediately appeared on the finger of Gamma the Magnet Warrior, who had the highest defense, releasing magnetic waves that affected spirits' consciousness.

Dio's thinking was simple. His side had fewer spirits than the opponent, so once a group battle began, one Magnet Warrior would inevitably be caught in a pincer attack by two goblins. Rather than take that disadvantage, he might as well have Gamma the Magnet Warrior draw all the enemies while Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Beta the Magnet Warrior attacked freely.

Considering that Goblin Attack Force had only 0 defense, every goblin was incredibly fragile. If they truly exchanged attacks, Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Beta the Magnet Warrior would definitely eliminate their opponents first.

Dio's tactics were not wrong, but they were based on the premise of a normal battle. You Zhi clearly had no intention of engaging in a normal exchange of offense and defense.

"I activate the Spell Card 'Earthquake'!"

You Zhi picked one Spell Card from the stack in his hand and activated it.

In an instant, the ground shook violently. The three Magnet Warriors lost their balance and were forced to collapse onto the ground. Meanwhile, bolstered by their hidden effect, Goblin Attack Force was completely unaffected. They even slung their arms around one another's shoulders and laughed merrily.

"Stop playing around. End the battle already."

Upon receiving You Zhi's command, Goblin Attack Force first stood at attention and saluted. Then they played a round of hand-back-or-palm. The three goblins who all threw the backs of their hands charged the enemy without hesitation.

"Don't get up. Stay on the ground and defend with everything you have. Move after the Spell Card's effect wears off."

Dio assumed the goblins intended to attack while they had the chance, so he hurriedly issued what would have been an entirely correct order by conventional standards.

Affected by Magnet Ring, Goblin Attack Force charged collectively toward Gamma the Magnet Warrior. Once they drew close, one goblin leaped forward like a fish vaulting the Dragon Gate and wrapped both arms around its opponent.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the goblin and Gamma the Magnet Warrior were both reduced to nothing.

Before Dio could recover, two more goblins leaped out. Each grabbed one of the remaining Magnet Warriors, then gave a thumbs-up to their final companion before self-destructing.

That goblin stood at attention and saluted, a sorrowful expression on its face as if seeing off fallen comrades.

Boom! Boom!

With the two explosions, every Magnet Warrior was eliminated.

In truth, with their actual defense exceeding 2,000, the Magnet Warriors might not have failed to survive the self-destructs if they had been in perfect condition. But all three were already injured, with less than half their health remaining, so it was hardly surprising that the goblins wiped them out in one wave.

Dio stood there in a daze for quite some time after seeing the result. As someone from the academic school, his common sense had clearly been struck again. Only when loud, chaotic applause erupted around him did he finally come back to his senses.

"What an incredible duel! It felt even more exciting than a Gym battle. Just watching it was enough to earn back the lodging fee."

"Both sides were so strong. They even sent out Eight-Star spirits! And that one at the end was Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior, right? I forget which book I read it in, but Hoenn Region's Champion has a Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior."

"I never expected Goblin Attack Force to be this powerful when paired with self-destruct tactics. That's far more useful than using White Hole to counter Stealth Rock."

"Yeah. Goblins aren't even rare spirits. Once I get back from this trip, I'm catching one to raise."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Dio let out a long sigh. He stepped forward, shook You Zhi's hand, and said, "An excellent duel. I never expected even Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior to lose. You're stronger than I imagined... I'm leaving Alisa to you."

"You misunderstand. There's nothing between Alisa and me—"

You Zhi was about to explain, but Dio seemed not to have recovered from the blow. He waved a hand, summoned a massive eagle-headed beast called Sphinx Heilrak, mounted it, and soared away.

You Zhi withdrew his gaze, then recalled the surviving goblin into its Pokémon Card. After defeating a level 36 Eight-Star spirit, even receiving only one-third of the experience still raised its level by one.

Gem-Knight Quartz had been defeated, but she had also received a share of the experience and leveled up again.

But neither of them gained the most. It was Laundry Dragonmaid, who had been mooching experience from the sidelines. After watching three battles, she rose directly from LV10 to LV14.

After returning to his room with his spirits, You Zhi opened his Pokédex and found a message from Professor Elm. He assumed it was feedback on the report he had submitted about clearing the Anomaly.

Dr. Xini: I read the report. Your goblin evolved into a Link Form!!!?

Big Savage: Yes. Goblin Attack Force absorbed the core of a Mekk-Knight and gained a new form. I'll send you a few photos in a moment.

Dr. Xini: No need for photos. Use the Pokémon Center's transfer device and send the Pokémon Card directly to the research institute. I won't make you work for free. The payment will be 10 points per day.

Big Savage: Sure. I'll transfer it over before noon.

Dr. Xini: Oh, and the report has been verified. This Anomaly's erosion level was stronger than the previous one. The total reward is 1,600 points, and I'll send it over shortly. I still need to remind you that, with your current strength, you are not suited to clearing Anomalies. You succeeded twice, but that does not mean you will return safely next time. Especially with the highest-level Anomalies—even Champions cannot guarantee their own safety.

Big Savage: Thank you for the warning. Believe it or not, the first two times were accidents. I personally have no desire to get involved. I'll try my best to avoid them in the future, so I don't get dragged in again.

After ending the conversation, You Zhi opened his personal account. Before long, he found that 1,600 points had been added.

"First, I need to buy an Evolution Stone for Gem-Knight Quartz. I don't know what level she needs to reach before evolving, but it's better to be prepared. While I'm at it, I should ask the experts whether my other spirits need Evolution Stones too."

He was about to head to the store for a shopping spree when he suddenly noticed an unopened email. After clicking it, he saw that the sender was listed as "Painter"—Mr. Pegasus.

"I heard that your Silent Magician has evolved, young man. I searched through the ancient books left behind by my family and found a chant related to Silent spirits. You may try summoning her exclusive Spell Card. Also, Phile has embarked on a journey of training to become a Spirit Master. Should you encounter her along the way, please take good care of her. Signed, an old father who refuses to let bad boys near his daughter."

The Goblin Brothers' High Appearance Rate

Although he had obtained what was very likely the summoning chant for Silent Magician's exclusive Spell Card, You Zhi did not try it immediately. There was a note at the end of the chant warning that this exclusive Spell Card was very likely an A-rank Spell Card.

Generally speaking, summoning an A-rank Spell Card required all the spiritual power of an Eight-Star trainer. Although You Zhi's total spiritual power far exceeded that of others at his level, he had only barely reached the standard of a Seven-Star trainer. He was still some distance from meeting the requirements of an A-rank Spell Card, and forcing the attempt would only result in failure.

However, You Zhi still carried out a Spell Card summoning. He merely changed his target to a B-rank Spell Card and used Neon Stone Sprite as the medium. After all, Neon Stone Sprite's trait automatically refined an Icejade Spell Card upon entering the field, yet that "Icejade Erosion" was utterly useless. It would be a waste to let that trait go unused.

"Principles of all things between heaven and earth, origins of survival and decline, retribution for virtue and evil, tales of gods and ghosts, laws that govern spirits, answer my summons!"

As he recited the chant, the hexagram ritual flashed with light. The Skill Stone shattered in response, and a massive amount of spiritual power poured out, condensing above the hexagram.

[Quick-Play Spell: Icejade Cradle]

[Effect: ① Upon activation, you may return one "Icejade" spirit banished to another dimension, or reconstruct the spirit body of a destroyed "Icejade" spirit. ② When a spirit is summoned, target one "Icejade" spirit you control. That spirit and all spirits on your opponent's field temporarily lose attack equal to that spirit's original attack.]

You Zhi absorbed the Spell Card into his body and took out his Pokédex to examine the effect description.

The first effect was neither here nor there. Being able to retrieve a banished spirit was certainly good, but it only applied to Icejade spirits, making its use extremely narrow. As for reconstructing a spirit body, it was meaningless in an Official Duel because Official Duels did not allow the same spirit to be summoned twice. It could be used in private duels, but rather than waste additional spiritual power refining a Spell Card, would it not be more convenient to summon another spirit directly?

The second effect looked convoluted at first glance, but it was actually simple. Since You Zhi only had one Icejade spirit under his command, Neon Stone Sprite, successfully activating the effect would reduce both Neon Stone Sprite's and the opponent's spirits' attack by 1,000.

It was worth noting that this attack reduction was temporary. The opponent could simply stall until the effect disappeared. Furthermore, it could only be activated when a spirit was summoned onto the field, severely limiting its applications.

You Zhi pondered, "Neon Stone Sprite's attack is reduced too. It seems this can only be useful in group battles. Other spirits I send out won't be affected, so it doesn't mean much in a one-on-one fight. This card's greatest value is probably changing the environment."

Judging from the Spell Card's effects alone, Ion Maiden's Cradle was at most C-rank. It was the type of card that could be useful, but had narrow applications. Yet as a terrain card, it had another effect not written on the card: changing the battle environment.

From the card art, it seemed capable of creating an underwater lake environment, which would undoubtedly be of great help to Water-type spirits. From that perspective, this card did not necessarily need to be used with Neon Stone Sprite.

Of course, whether it was worthwhile to spend B-rank spiritual power merely to change the environment was another matter.

After resting briefly, You Zhi attempted a second summoning.

Just as he had said before, his luck had always been good since crossing over. This Spell Card summoning also succeeded. It was again B-rank, again an Associated Card, but unrelated to Neon Stone Sprite, the medium.

[Charge Spell: Dimensional Prison]

[Effect: Target one of your opponent's spirits and open an interdimensional rift in front of it. When Demon Lizard Yihao is on the field, you may activate this without targeting and open an interdimensional rift at any location.]

Looking at the card art, You Zhi could not help sighing. "Why does this blue-skinned giant lizard have so many Associated Cards?"

As for summoning a Spell Card unrelated to the medium, that was simply a matter of probability. There was nothing much to say about it. A medium only increased the odds of summoning an Associated Card; it did not guarantee one.

Returning to the Spell Card itself, if it could freely banish one of the opponent's spirits to another dimension, it would undoubtedly be A-rank, with the ability to determine the outcome of a duel on its own.

But Dimensional Prison was obviously not that powerful. It merely opened an interdimensional rift. Judging from the card art, it might also generate suction, but if the target spirit reacted quickly enough to dodge in advance, or resisted the pull and backed away, then the Spell Card would accomplish nothing.

The same principle applied: Spirit Duels were not Card Duels, and Spell Cards had no absolute force.

"The best time to use it should be when the opponent's spirit launches a charge. It won't have time to stop and will smash straight into it. Unless the opponent happens to have prepared a Spell Card to deal with it, the battle will end right there."

After his duel with Dio that morning, You Zhi had specifically looked up the official judging standards. For cases where a spirit was banished to another dimension, there was a ten-second response window.

If the trainer could summon the spirit back onto the field within ten seconds, the match continued. If more than ten seconds passed, the spirit was deemed disqualified from the match.

Among the currently known Spell Cards, there were cards that could summon spirits back from another dimension, such as the Icejade Cradle You Zhi had just obtained. But none could be refined within ten seconds.

In other words, unless you happened to have a suitable Spell Card on the field or in hand, or a Spell Card currently being refined met the requirements, once a spirit was banished, you basically had to start considering which spirit to send out next.

Naturally, those rules applied only to official duels. In private, people could do whatever they liked.

"Despite all its restrictions, it still counts as a powerful finishing card."

You Zhi absorbed Dimensional Prison into his body, recorded the spiritual power formula, and then checked the remaining spiritual power within him. After confirming that he could still perform one C-rank summoning, he did not hold back.

As light flashed, the Spell Card condensed into form. This summoning also succeeded. It was again an Associated Card, and again unrelated to Neon Stone Sprite.

[Quick-Play Spell: Hammer Shot]

[Effect: Destroy the spirit with the highest attack on the field. When Goblin Attack Force is on the field, you may destroy the spirit with the highest attack on your opponent's field.]

"So after Demon Lizard Yihao, it's the goblins' turn, huh? These two really do show up a lot."

This card's strengths and weaknesses were obvious. Not needing to target was great, but against massive spirits like Emerald Dragon, its destructive power would inevitably be greatly reduced. Against a truly powerful spirit, it might even get shattered on impact.

Still, it was only a C-rank Spell Card. He could not ask for too much.

You Zhi absorbed Hammer Shot into his body. Feeling his mind grow exhausted from spiritual power depletion, he stopped forcing himself to endure, lay down on the bed, and went to sleep to conserve his strength for the Gym challenge the day after tomorrow.

After he fell asleep, Laundry Dragonmaid, who had been standing nearby without any presence at all, finally stepped forward to clean up the things scattered across the floor.

Toon Goblin

Goldenrod Gym.

It was You Zhi's third time taking a Gym challenge, and he waited in the lounge as if it were routine. There were five people ahead of him. By the time it was his turn, it would probably be around ten-thirty, and he could return for lunch right after finishing.

However, not long after he began waiting, a Gym staff member ran over to notify him.

"Mr. You Zhi, is that you? Your challenge order has been moved up. You're up next. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready enough, but why was the order changed so suddenly? Did someone fail to show up? Even if they did, though, shouldn't there still be three people ahead of me?"

"We don't know the specific reason either. The Gym Leader gave the order. If you have no objections, please prepare to enter the field."

"Fine."

Trainers were best at dealing with unexpected events. Finishing earlier and returning earlier was not a bad thing for You Zhi.

With other exams, he could still cram at the last minute—pick up a study guide, review a few more sample questions, memorize a few more formulas, and perhaps encounter them on the test. But Spirit Duels clearly did not work that way. It was not as though training a few times in the lounge would let him master a new move. He might as well hope to evolve during battle.

Before long, when sparse applause drifted over from beyond the wall, You Zhi knew it was time for him to take the field.

Guided by the staff member, he passed through a corridor longer and more elaborately decorated than the one at Violet Gym and arrived at a massive open-air plaza.

As he emerged from the passageway, You Zhi sharply noticed that quite a few people in the spectator stands on both sides were pointing at him and whispering.

Since when had I become this famous?

Slightly concerned, You Zhi calmly walked to the center of the arena and shook hands with the Gym Leader, Whitney.