Another Battle with Liu Hesheng!

The result was just as Mu Yun had expected: Zhu Mingze won.

Weavile excelled at close combat, but getting near Magmortar meant being burned by the heat radiating from its body.

Even when Weavile braved the flames and managed to injure Magmortar, it recovered quickly amid the burning flames—whether those were ordinary fire or Nirvana Phoenix Fire was impossible to tell.

Mu Yun thought Liu Hesheng's Ceruledge might be able to put up a fight against this Magmortar.

After all, one could reduce damage while the other recovered quickly. Victory would come down to which of them could hold out longer.

Unfortunately, Liu Hesheng's opponent was Mu Yun.

"Will the competitors in the second semifinal please take the field!"

Once Zhu Mingze and Ling Ruijie had left, Mu Yun and Liu Hesheng took their places on opposite sides of the arena.

This was not their first battle.

But unlike his confident self at the Provincial Tournament, Liu Hesheng looked grim now.

Mu Yun, by contrast, remained as calm as ever.

"Both sides, release your Pokémon!"

At the referee's call, Mu Yun and Liu Hesheng threw their Poké Balls at the same time.

Pop! Pop!

A golden figure and a black-and-purple figure appeared simultaneously.

At the sight of Beedrill's crimson eyes and golden body, the flames in Ceruledge's eyes flared fiercely.

As they flickered, he seemed to return to the Provincial Tournament arena.

That was where he had suffered his first defeat.

He would never forget it!

After months of grueling training, he was going to take back everything he had lost!

"Both Pokémon are in position. Begin!"

"Ceru!"

Knowing how quickly Beedrill could strike at the start of a match, Liu Hesheng had spent his subsequent training sessions deliberately honing Ceruledge's ability to fight on his own.

And in most