A Hypothesis / New Cards and a Challenge

The combination of Grass Pledge and Water Pledge turns the opponent's field into a wetland, reducing their speed to one-quarter of its original value.

Neither the Pokédex app store nor the You Zhi item shop in the Battle Frontier have I seen Skill Stone for these three moves, which shows how precious they are.

However, amidst his joy, he suddenly realized something: he didn't seem to have any Fire-type Pokémon under his command, and he only had a Zelda Form Goblin Grass-type Goblin, which he didn't know if it could learn any moves. He did have two Water-type Pokémon, but if he only learned one of them, it would be a useless move, so it would be better not to learn it at all.

Even if you don't need it yourself, you can give it to someone else.

You Zhi naturally couldn't refuse and accepted it with a smile.

Nothing unexpected happened that night, and everything went peacefully until dawn.

After bidding farewell to Empen, You Zhi rode on the Azure River Dragonmaid and continued towards Cianwood City. He encountered no trouble along the way and arrived at lunchtime.

"Hmm, let me think about the plot of this city... Originally, the protagonist needed to go to the Secret Medicine Shop to get medicine to cure Jasmine's Ampharos, but now that's definitely not necessary. Oh right, you can also get a plot spirit here!"

According to the storyline of Pokémon Gold and Silver, there are several PokéManiac named Qingci in Cianwood City. Because he was threatened by the protagonist's rival, he entrusted his Shuckle to the protagonist for safety in order to prevent more Pokémon from being stolen.

In later episodes, Qingci will ask the protagonist to return the Shuckle. If the protagonist refuses, Aoji will accuse the protagonist of being a thief. Only when the protagonist's intimacy level with the Shuckle reaches a certain value will Aoji give the Shuckle back to the protagonist.

The so-called "PokéManiac" are a group of trainers who like to wear mascot costumes, mostly dinosaur-themed ones, and have rather eccentric personalities.

"I guess I won't be able to get this Pokémon. Unlike the previous story Pokémon, Qingci didn't actively want to exchange Pokémon; he only entrusted it to someone else because he was threatened. I can't exactly have someone threaten him, can I..."

For a moment, You Zhi thought that giving it a try wouldn't hurt, since he wasn't exactly a saint.

But then he realized that even if they were threatened, they would have no reason to entrust the elf to him.

Reality is different from Yugi. In Yugi, the player-controlled protagonist is the center of the world, and everything and everyone revolves around the protagonist. No one thinks there's anything wrong with an NPC entrusting a spirit to a protagonist they've never met; it's just Yugi mechanics!

In reality, a normal person would entrust the elf to a trusted relative or friend, rather than a stranger.

"Forget it, let's find out first, then go over and ask about the situation. If they're willing to give it to us, we'll accept it; if not, we won't lose anything."

You Zhi found a restaurant and enjoyed a delicious and inexpensive seafood fried noodles. When paying, he casually asked the restaurant owner if they knew a trainer named Qingci.

It was originally just an unintentional act, but I didn't expect this person to be so famous. Even an ordinary noodle shop owner knew about him and gave me a vague address, which was near the Azure Gym.

Hearing that it was on his way, You Zhi went to the Azure Gym to make a challenge reservation first, and then started looking for it in the vicinity. As a result, he actually found it, and not only that, he also ran into an unexpected old friend.

"Back then, I received a lot of help from your father, but I never expected him to suddenly disappear... I'm giving this spirit to you. Don't underestimate it just because it's a stone now. When it breaks free, it will become a powerful asset to you, just like the White Stone of Legend can evolve into Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"I will definitely train you carefully and will never let you down."

A red-haired girl wearing a tight-fitting tracksuit and with a long ponytail took a Pokémon Card from Qingci. The card depicted a large blue crystal, within which the figure of a giant dragon could be vaguely seen.

The red-haired girl carefully put away the Pokémon Card, bid a solemn farewell to Qingci, and turned to leave. As she turned, she saw You Zhi on the street corner, her eyes lit up, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

You Zhi greeted him, "Long time no see. Did you pass the clan's test?"

"I barely made it. I'm so glad I went to the Spirit Realm with you, otherwise I definitely would have failed. Are you here to challenge the gym?"

"Well, I'm still in the midst of my cultivation. What about you? Have you found your father yet?"

"No, but A-Si, the head of the Azure Gym, said he had seen my father before, so I came here to find out more."

Yuan Ying suppressed her joy at the unexpected reunion with her old friend and spoke earnestly.

Chapter 184 Speculation

According to Yuan Ying, his father often traveled and cultivated his skills. He once came to Cianwood City and became acquainted with the dojo master A-Si, after a fight. They became close friends and even saved Qingci from an accident while exploring the Whirl Islands.

About a week ago, A-Si suddenly called her, saying that when he went to Whirl Islands for special training, he saw a masked man whose body shape and outline looked very much like her father. He was about to go up and greet him to ask why he had suddenly disappeared, but the man summoned a spirit to attack without saying a word.

Caught off guard, A-Si was injured. Fortunately, his opponent had no intention of continuing the fight and only wanted to get rid of him. Soon, the opponent rode his Pokémon and disappeared into the sea. Ah Si felt that everything about this was strange, so he quickly returned to the gym and called his friend's house.

"So, your next plan is to go to the Whirl Islands to search for your father's whereabouts?"

"Yes, I learned the location of the masked man who resembled my father from Uncle A-Si. I plan to go there to search and see if I can find any relevant clues."

Upon hearing this, You Zhi abandoned the idea of finding a hotel to rest. "If it's the Whirlpool Islands, I'll go with you. I happen to know a group of local strongmen there, and with their help, finding clues should be much easier."

"A local bully?" Yuan Ying was completely confused.

"They are the elves who live on the island."

"That would definitely be a great help!" Yuan Ying nodded vigorously, but then hesitated, "But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? You look like you just arrived on the island, shouldn't you rest for a while?"

"No need for formalities. Let me find a hotel and drop off my luggage, then I'll go out to sea with you."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying blushed slightly, scratching her ponytail to hide her embarrassment, and said, "You're right, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

As You Zhi said, he put down his luggage and set off. He still rode the Azure River Dragonmaid, while Yuan Ying rode the "Elemental HERO Steam Healer," a Five-Star spirit evolved from Bubbleman. Its effect is to restore the opponent's health by the amount of attack power when a spirit is destroyed.

If a powerful Pokémon possesses this trait, it's equivalent to gaining strong sustain. This trait is far more effective in Pokémon Spirit Duel than in Card Duel. However, the Steam Healer's base attack and defense stats are only 1800/1000, which is even worse than the Four-Star Demon Lizard Yihao. It can basically only be used to bully weaker opponents.

The two arrived at the island where the Floowandereeze was located on the Spirit. You Zhi explained the situation, and the other party nodded and arranged for his subordinates to conduct a thorough search of the area designated by Yuan Ying.

Before long, an ostrich discovered the clue.

"Uncle A-Si said that he summoned Colossal Fighter at the time, and this huge fist mark should be the mark left by the Colossal Fighter. The opponent summoned an Electric-type spirit that is very similar to 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant', and the scorch marks here should be the marks left by the opponent's spirit."

After careful observation, Yuan Ying quickly identified it.

You Zhi crouched down, touched the scorch marks, and sensed a familiar aura. "This is the Dark Power."

"Dark Power?"

You Zhi summoned the Demon Lizard Yihao, causing it to evolve into the Giant Divergent Lizard Form.

"The Divergent Lizard Yihao even has an evolved form!"

Yuan Ying had personally witnessed the uncontrolled evolution of the Demon Lizard Yihao, but she never expected that there would be an even more insane form. At the same time, she also sensed the Dark Power surrounding the creature. "An unsettling aura. It's amazing that your Pokémon can remain calm."

"As long as one's will is strong enough, one can resist the erosion of Dark Power... That being said, it took me a lot of effort to help it regain its mind. Without external help, it would most likely go berserk and lose control on its own, and the trainer, if unprepared, could also be infected."

Yuan Ying understood the hidden meaning. "What do you mean?"

"Assuming that the person Master A-Si encountered that day was your father, then he was likely corrupted by Dark Power, which is why he didn't go home and was ambushed by his friend."

Yuan Ying frowned and nodded with difficulty, saying, "Although I don't want to admit it, this way, Father's unreasonable behavior can be reasonably explained, and your guess is very likely true."

You Zhi cautioned, "Then you need to be mentally prepared. Even if you find the person, they might not go back with you, and might even attack you."

"... Then knock him out and forcibly tie him up and take him back!"

Yuan Ying clenched her fist and quickly made a decision; she was no indecisive, saintly young lady.

The two then searched the spot for a while longer, but found no further clues.

The two were not detectives and did not have the ability to deduce a lot of information from a few clues. Moreover, there were very few traces left at the scene. All they knew was that the person who appeared to be Yuan Ying's father came out of the cave. As for what he did in the cave and what his purpose was, they had no idea. The footprints disappeared when he entered the cave.

You Zhi said, "Take a picture and collect the charred soil. I know a psychic who claims to have Psychic; he might be able to use this to divine the suspect's location."

Although Yuan Ying felt that this psychic with Psychic sounded unreliable, she had no better options at the moment, so she took out her phone to take pictures and then took out a bag to collect the charred soil.

"By the way, you just said that the suspect disappeared after diving into the sea. Perhaps we can start our investigation from that angle."

"You mean, we're going to dive to the bottom of the sea to look for it?" Yuan Ying shook her head. "That's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even if there were two hundred or two thousand people, let alone just the two of us, we probably wouldn't find anything."

"We definitely can't do it on our own; we need to find the local bigwigs for this kind of thing."

You mean them?

Yuan Ying pointed to the Floowandereeze.

"Of course not. They might be able to swim, but they're not good at diving."

You Zhi approached Empen and asked bluntly, "Can you contact the leader of the Sea Dragon God?"

"Gua gu ga..."

The Azure River Dragonmaid translated, "It said it has a way to contact them, but the other party is definitely frantically searching for its reborn subordinates right now and won't pay any attention to it. Only when the other party gets tired of searching will normal negotiations be possible."

"Okay, try your best to contact it and tell it you want to make a deal with it, and ask it to wait for me nearby when I return."

Life is unpredictable. If only I had found a way to subdue the Sea Dragon God leader last night, I wouldn't have to worry about cooperation now.

You Zhi sighed deeply.

Chapter 185 New Cards and Challenges

Everyone has their own area of expertise. Since the Floowandereeze is not good at searching the seabed, it is only natural to ask the Sea Dragon God for help.

As for the minor unpleasant conflict that occurred last night, You Zhi didn't take it to heart. As for whether the other party would mind... it's hard to say with a different Pokémon. But given Neo-Daedalus's decisiveness in leaving on a whim, You Zhi believed that as long as he could offer satisfactory compensation, the other party would definitely agree.

This is an elf leader who is skilled at calculation, and whose rugged appearance belies her ability to weigh pros and cons.

Even if one wanted to entrust the task, it would have to wait a few days. Neo-Daedalus was busy gathering his subordinates, which was the most important matter affecting the future development of the Sea Dragon God Clan. Even if they made contact, the other party would not have the time to help.

You Zhi had considered contacting other marine spirit races, after all, the ocean is so vast, and there are more than just the Sea Dragon God race. Unfortunately, the Empen didn't have such a wide circle of friends.

Most elves have fixed habitats and will not easily move unless they encounter severe natural disasters or man-made calamities. Therefore, the only other elves they can come into contact with are those outside their native habitat and those around their habitat. In addition, the special environment of Whirl Islands means that the only powerful race that Empen knows is its mortal enemy Sea Dragon God.

The Frozen Snow Owl, however, is a social butterfly, having made many elf friends while flying all over the world, but it's clear that it can't be relied upon right now.

With the matter settled and no further clues to be found by staying any longer, the two decided to return to the mainland before nightfall, as they had no intention of spending the night on Whirl Island.

We came together on the same road, but we left without traveling together.

You Zhi wants to continue challenging the Azure Gym, while Yuan Ying takes his letter of introduction to Ecruteak City to have Gym Leader Morty perform a fortune telling. If they can pinpoint the coordinates directly, there's no need to seek out Sea Dragon God.

It was a little sad to have to part ways so soon after meeting, but neither of them were the type to be coy, and besides, they had agreed to meet again on the island, so the atmosphere of parting was much lighter than last time.

After returning to Cianwood City, You Zhi began preparing for his gym challenge. Although with his current skill level, as long as his opponent didn't deliberately make things difficult, getting his sixth badge wouldn't be a problem, he still needed to consider dealing with the Anomaly in the Whirlpool Cave. In particular, Neon Stone Sprite very enthusiastic about this, so he simply used Neon Stone as a medium to summon the corresponding Spell Card as a reserve.

So, in the two days of preparation, he successively acquired Icejade Curse, Hydro Cannon, the Legendary Ocean, Shield & Sword, Spell Absorption, and Upstart Goblin.

Among them, Icejade Curse is Associated Card of Neon Stone Sprite, and its effect is powerful.

[Instant Cast Spell: Icejade Curse]

[Effect: ① As long as there is an "Icejade" spirit and the Spell Card "Icejade Cenote Enion Cradle" on the field, the opponent's newly summoned spirit cannot activate its effect for a period of time; ② When your "Icejade" spirit destroys a spirit by battle, it can deal true damage to the next spirit equal to the destroyed spirit's original ATK.]

The Hydro Cannon is an Equip Spell Card that can only be equipped by Water Attribute monsters of level 3 or lower. When it destroys an opponent's Pokémon in battle, it randomly removes one Spell Card from the opponent's hand—essentially rendering the card useless. In any case, You Zhi wouldn't normally waste his spiritual energy to create it.

The Legendary Ocean is Field Spell Card that increases the attack and defense stats of Water Attribute spirits by 200 and continuously restores their health. In the rules, it is considered "the sea"—the same "sea" mentioned in the Sea Dragon God's trait.

Shield & Sword can temporarily swap the attack and defense stats of the spirits on the field. This can sometimes have an unexpected effect on Neon Stone Sprite with low attack and high defense. Moreover, it is only a D-rank card, so it consumes very little spirit power and is quick to create.

Spell Absorption is a continuous Spell Card. Whenever someone uses Instant-Activation Spell Card, it restores 500 HP to one elf. This card is not very useful for Neon Stone Sprite, but it is a perfect match for the Celestial Gold Knight.

The Upstart Goblin's effect is to randomly gain 1 Spell Card, at the cost of restoring 1000 health to one of the opponent's elves.

A 1-for-1 trade, with the opponent gaining free healing, might seem like a bad deal, but Upstart Goblin is a C-rank card. If you can get a higher-rank Spell Card from it, you've made a profit; otherwise, you've lost out. Also, if you activate it when the opponent's elf is at full health, the cost is negligible.

For You Zhi, who has always had good luck, this is a very useful Gamble card.

"Could this card be like that 'Mental Contamination' card, with the image depicting future events?"

You Zhi stared at the "Icejade Curse" in his hand, lost in thought. The card art showed a spirit of the same size as Neon Stone Sprite, and a black figure that was collapsing and breaking apart.

Logically speaking, low-star spirits usually exist in multiples, while only gods and extremely rare high-star spirits can be unique. Therefore, the Neon Stone Sprite on the card might not necessarily be one of his Neon Stone Sprite. However, this card just happened to appear in his hand at such a delicate time. It would be unreasonable to say that it has nothing to do with his Neon Stone Sprite.

"Unfortunately, this card only shows the result, unlike 'Mental Contamination' which indicates the cause. Even if I wanted to prevent the event from happening, I wouldn't know where to start."

You Zhi thought about it for a moment, but ultimately decided not to show the card to Neon Stone Sprite.

Soon the day of the gym challenge arrived. You Zhi and the other trainers who came to challenge the gym went to the Azure Gym together and were led by the disciple in charge of welcoming them to the artificial waterfall at the back gate of the gym.

Unlike other gyms that are dedicated to trainer challenges, Azure Gym is also a martial arts gym. The gym leader A-Si, is a famous martial artist in the Johto Region. Many young people come here not to learn Spirit Duel from him, but to practice martial arts. Therefore, the staff of the gym are all disciples.

The artificial waterfall is not high, estimated to be less than 20 meters. Below it is an artificial pool about half a meter deep, with a sloping bottom covered with pebbles.

"Is everyone here?"

Wearing only a pair of pants, A-Si stood barefoot in front of the waterfall, his loud voice drowning out the sound of the rushing water, "Now I announce the challenge rules: during the duel, both sides must stand in the pool and may command their Pokémon to attack the trainer."

Some trainers who hadn't inquired about the situation turned pale upon hearing this. Although they had heard that this person valued practical combat, they thought this dueling style was far too brutal. They quickly asked, "Where's the Duel Barrier?"

A-Si snorted, "Of course it will be activated. Although I advocate for realism, the Pokémon League hasn't agreed, so you can rest assured and don't need to worry about getting hurt."

The trainer who had inquired earlier immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling reassured, but couldn't help but mutter that the other party had really gone to unnecessary trouble.

You Zhi glanced at the other person, knowing that this person probably wouldn't get the badge.