Civil War

Gu Yi walked off the field with a confident smile, whistling as he went and casually tossing an empty Poké Ball in one hand.

"The second match has ended. Next, please enjoy the third match! Contestants Chi Nan and Zhang Mo, please take the field!"

Two people stepped out from behind Lu Ze. After glancing at each other, they walked onto the field.

"Both sides, release your Pokémon!"

Two flashes of red light appeared.

Chi Nan sent out a Corvisquire, while Zhang Mo sent out a Mr. Mime.

Sui Yan smiled and said to Lu Ze, "Those are the two we studied yesterday. I didn't expect them to run into each other today."

Lu Ze smiled and looked over the two Pokémon's data.

Pokémon: Corvisquire

Gender: Male

Type: Flying

Ability: Keen Eye (With Keen Eye, a Pokémon's accuracy is slightly increased and cannot be lowered.)

Aptitude: Blue

Basic Moves: Peck, Hone Claws, Swagger, Leer, Fury Attack, Pluck, Taunt, Swift

Egg Moves: Brave Bird, Tailwind, Roost

Pokémon: Mr. Mime

Gender: Male

Type: Psychic type, Fairy type

Ability: Technician (Increases the power of low-power moves.)

Aptitude: Purple

Basic Moves: Power Swap, Guard Swap, Encore, Quick Guard, Copycat, Pound, Baton Pass, Wide Guard, Confusion, Role Play, Protect, Icy Wind

Egg Moves: Hypnosis, Fake Out, Psywave

Lu Ze stroked his chin. This Corvisquire would have a hard time. Without evolving into Corviknight, it not only lacked the Steel type, but its Stats in every aspect were inferior to Mr. Mime's. On top of that, Mr. Mime had Icy Wind, a move that countered Corvisquire.

However, if Corvisquire used Tailwind well, then enough stacks of Hone Claws and Swagger could take Mr. Mime down in one hit. This was the simplest way it could win. (Swagger: The higher the user's Stats, the greater its power, and it is unaffected by Stat reductions.)

In other words, one use of Hone Claws doubled Swagger's power, while two uses quadrupled it. And Dark-type moves dealt double damage to Mr. Mime.

This match would essentially come down to the two Trainers' command ability and their ability to seize opportunities.

"Whoosh!"

The flag fell, and the battle began.

Just as Lu Ze had expected, Corvisquire's Trainer knew he was at a disadvantage. He immediately chose Tailwind to increase his speed and avoid fighting, planning to quietly stack buffs from the side. Once he had enough, a single Swagger would finish Mr. Mime off. It was the simplest winning strategy.

Mr. Mime used Fake Out and rushed up to the Corvisquire, which had not yet taken off, then slapped it.

Corvisquire was dazed by the blow. It had flinched.

"Corvisquire—Encore, Tailwind!"

"Mr. Mime—Icy Wind!"

Mr. Mime waved its hands to cast the move. Following the direction of its fingers, a fierce wind filled with ice shards blasted toward Corvisquire.

But with Tailwind's boost, Corvisquire easily dodged it and mockingly taunted Mr. Mime.

"Caw! Caw!"

Those two cries of taunt made Mr. Mime a little angry.

"Corvisquire—Hone Claws!"

"Mr. Mime—Icy Wind!"

Another Icy Wind, and Corvisquire dodged it again. This time, Zhang Mo, Mr. Mime's Trainer, realized something was wrong.

"Mr. Mime—Encore!"

"Corvisquire—Hone Claws!"

When Corvisquire was hit by Mr. Mime's Encore, both Chi Nan and Zhang Mo smiled. Zhang Mo was delighted. The opponent's next three moves would all be Hone Claws—wouldn't that let him attack freely?

Chi Nan was happy too. If Corvisquire endured these three attacks, wouldn't one Swagger send Mr. Mime straight to heaven?

"Mr. Mime—continuous Icy Winds!"

Zhang Mo was brimming with confidence. Icy Wind could trigger Mr. Mime's Technician Ability, increasing its damage by fifty percent. Two Icy Winds would be enough to take down the doubly countered Corvisquire.

With Tailwind's boost, Corvisquire successfully dodged Mr. Mime's Icy Wind again.

The smug looks on Chi Nan's and Corvisquire's faces were exactly the same. Dodge two more, and it'll be my turn.

Zhang Mo was in no hurry and continued commanding Mr. Mime to use Icy Wind.

Chi Nan and Corvisquire wore mocking expressions. Corvisquire leisurely tried to dodge Icy Wind again, only to discover that it was no longer fast enough. Only then did Chi Nan realize that Tailwind's duration had ended.

Icy Wind struck Corvisquire and lowered its Speed by one stage. Chi Nan completely panicked.

Under Encore, he could not use Tailwind at all. The Speed raised by Hone Claws was insufficient for Corvisquire to make wide evasive maneuvers, especially after Icy Wind had lowered its Speed by one stage.

Chi Nan looked troubled, but he still gritted his teeth and decided to gamble. He bet that Mr. Mime's next Icy Wind would not be enough to take Corvisquire down.

Unfortunately, things did not go his way. Mr. Mime's Icy Wind still wiped out all of Corvisquire's remaining stamina, and the comeback move Chi Nan had hoped for, Swagger, died before it could be used.

Chi Nan unwillingly recalled Corvisquire into its Poké Ball and left the field without looking back.

"Corvisquire is unable to battle. Mr. Mime wins!"

Zhang Mo took a deep breath and recalled Mr. Mime into its Poké Ball, speaking gently to the ball in his hand.

"You worked hard, Mr. Mime."

The Poké Ball shook twice, and Zhang Mo smiled as he left the field.

The commentator tried to smooth things over for Chi Nan, who had left early.

"Contestant Chi Nan may have been unhappy after losing and left early. Let's not dwell on such details. Congratulations to contestant Zhang Mo for advancing to the top eight! Which two contestants will bring us the next exciting battle?"

"Oh? They're out. Let me see... The match will be Su Tingxi versus Youyu You! Both contestants, please take the field and bring us a wonderful match!"

Lu Ze and the others below sighed. Although they had known that an internal match was bound to happen between them sooner or later, when it truly arrived, everyone still felt a little miserable.

Su Tingxi smiled as he walked up to Youyu You and offered his hand.

"Come on. Let's show them what a high-level battle looks like."

Youyu You had been feeling uneasy, but when he saw Su Tingxi's outstretched hand, the corners of his lips lifted slightly. He placed his hand in Su Tingxi's and let himself be pulled up, replying in his usual soft voice.

"Okay."

Lu Ze laughed and scolded him.

"You brat, Sui Yan's led you astray."

Sui Yan, who had been laughing happily with Tang Yunqin and Yin Hanling, immediately shot back when he heard that.

"Bullshit. You're the one who led him astray."

Ignoring the laughing and joking group, Su Tingxi and Youyu You walked toward the field side by side.

Watching their backs, Yin Hanling could not help feeling both delighted and moved.

After so long, he had finally—finally—taken this step.

At last, he was no longer shutting himself away in a tiny world containing only himself and Yin Hanling.

With tears in her eyes, Yin Hanling turned to Lu Ze and said,

"Thank you!"

Lu Ze was baffled and had no idea what was going on. After saying only "thank you," Yin Hanling turned back to watch the match, with no intention of explaining herself. Lu Ze scratched his head and could only turn back to watch the battle on the field.