The battlefield.
This match had drawn the attention of quite a few people at the breeding center.
"I choose you, Metagross!"
Dayou roared:
"Go, Incineroar!"
Blue had chosen Li Wei and Dayou to face off.
Li Wei looked like a master of battling against type disadvantages.
Incineroar was a Fire and Dark type, making both types super effective against the Steel- and Psychic-type Metagross.
Blue wanted to use this match to assess Li Wei's command skills.
Why not Mizuki?
Mizuki was better at Pokémon Breeding than Dayou, but her Glameow was purely a pet, with virtually no combat ability.
Part of the problem was that Incineroar was simply too strong.
That was what it meant to be the universe's number-one Incineroar.
Incineroar roared loudly, activating its Intimidate Ability, but unfortunately,
Li Wei's Metagross had Clear Body.
Dayou knew that too.
A loud roar simply made for an imposing display.
As a former champion of the Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament, Dayou understood the importance of presence in battle.
Incineroar knew Darkest Lariat, so Iron Defense would be useless against it. It would smash straight through in no time.
That was why Li Wei's opening move was,
"Metagross, Agility!"
Metagross's body became a blur, flickering across the field.
"Incineroar, Darkest Lariat!"
Incineroar extended both arms and spun, whipping up flames.
A tornado demolishing a parking lot!
But Metagross had the edge in speed, especially with Agility boosting it.
Watching Metagross flash about like a silver streak,
"Incineroar, Bulk Up!"
Commanding from behind, Dayou struck the same bodybuilding pose as Incineroar.
"Interrupt it! Bullet Punch!"
After Agility, Metagross's speed advantage was even more pronounced. A Bullet Punch slammed into Incineroar's face, interrupting its Bulk Up.
The move did little damage, but interrupting Bulk Up was enough.
"Cross Chop!"
"Dodge!"
Metagross's brain swiftly calculated the trajectory of Incineroar's Cross Chop.
Like the Subtle Movement Technique from a novel, Metagross slipped past Cross Chop by a hair.
Shiyin, her hair in twin ponytails, exclaimed, "That was close!"
Between Metagross and Incineroar, Shiyin wanted Metagross to win.
The silver Metagross looked cooler.
Dayou's Incineroar did not know Will-O-Wisp, which was good news for Li Wei.
Dayou and Incineroar were completely on the back foot. They could not even get close to Metagross.
"Incineroar, use Flame Charge, then!"
Blue gave a slight nod. That was a good choice.
Flame Charge increased speed, and the move itself was fast, giving it a better chance of landing than other moves.
Metagross's extraordinary brain calculated the best response in less than 0.1 seconds.
Metagross had two options: Protect or Teleport.
"Teleport, then Hone Claws!"
"Metang!"
Metagross used Teleport to put distance between itself and Incineroar, then raised its attack with Hone Claws.
Flames blazed behind Dayou as he threw a powerful punch through the air. "Let's use Flame Charge again!"
"Protect, then Scary Face."
This time, Metagross did not dodge. A sinister face appeared before it, imprinting itself on Incineroar like a possessing ghost.
Luo Ye adjusted his glasses. "That cancels out Flame Charge's speed boost."
Shiyin asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"
Luo Ye explained with a smile, "Because Scary Face lowers the opponent's speed. Actually, if Dayou had reacted a little faster just now, he could have tried Scary Face too."
Li Wei's commands were within Blue's expectations.
Boosting speed and attack meant that even if the moves were not very effective against Incineroar, it would not be much of a problem.
After lowering Incineroar's speed with Scary Face, Metagross quickly pulled away, without getting greedy.
"Hammer Arm! Aim for the leg!"
Besides, the Fighting-type Hammer Arm was super effective against Incineroar.
Metagross circled behind once more and brought a Hammer Arm crashing down on Incineroar's right leg.
Incineroar grunted and dropped painfully to one knee.
"Incineroar! Hang in there! Get up!"
Li Wei could not help grumbling inwardly, Dayou, you're a real monster when it comes to perseverance too...
Still, Dayou had been a professional boxer, and perseverance was an important quality in its own right.
That's shut down Incineroar's ability to jump. If Metagross knows Earthquake...
Just as Blue was thinking that, Li Wei's command rang out. "Metagross, Earthquake!"
"Give it everything, Incineroar! Abyssal Thrust!"
Blue immediately waved his hand. "Everyone, get down!"
Mizuki pressed down on Shiyin's head and crouched with her in her arms.
Metagross came flying backward out of the rising dust.
Incineroar's Abyssal Thrust had still connected.
But Li Wei's Metagross had excellent stamina. Even taking two Abyssal Thrusts would not be much of a problem.
After an Earthquake that shook the entire field, the dust cleared to reveal Incineroar with spirals in its eyes.
Still standing there looking cool, Blue raised his left hand. "Incineroar is unable to battle! Metagross wins!"
"Metang!"
Shiyin was even more excited than Li Wei.
"Yay!"
Dayou could only protest helplessly:
"Hey, hey! You're way too biased!"
"Thanks for the match, Dayou."
Dayou rubbed his fists together.
"You beat me, but we could spar ourselves."
Li Wei glanced at Dayou, who stood half a head taller than him.
"I'll pass."
Although he had a Super New Trainer's physique, the two of them were in completely different weight classes.
Li Wei had never learned any fighting techniques, either.
"You were just a bit too straightforward." Blue offered little criticism, mostly encouraging Dayou.
Of the two Pokémon, Metagross was slightly stronger, but not by much.
Dayou gave a sheepish smile. "I'm still not quite used to fighting on this kind of field."
That was not an excuse.
The Pokémon World Martial Arts Tournament took place in a ring.
On top of that, the tournament prohibited status moves.
Status moves? What were those?
Punching with everything you had was the way to go.
"All right, everyone, break it up."
Blue now had a rough idea of Li Wei's and Dayou's command skills.
Being taller was about the only advantage Dayou had over Li Wei.
He fell short of Li Wei in both Pokémon Breeding and commanding.
But considering that Dayou had taken it up late and loved Pokémon so much, Blue felt it was all acceptable.
Damn it, why am I becoming more and more like that guy?
Blue grumbled at himself for no particular reason.
He had once been all about textbook methods, but after spending time with Red, he had gradually begun paying more attention to Pokémon's feelings.
Blue had originally booked a hotel downtown.
But after hearing that Dayou had bought a small house with a courtyard and lived there alone, he had decided to stay with him.
After washing up, Blue took out his phone.
Looking at the address and the Eevee Network account name, "Jubilife Breeding Center," that Red had sent him,
he felt increasingly that something was off...
"This name, this address..."
Before you continue