Sunny Day

"That's it!"

Yu Chen slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up.

The rules of the two worlds really were different.

In the Pokémon world, battles involved both sides standing in place and exchanging moves, one after another. The moves were spectacular, but it was really much like a turn-based game.

Those elemental combinations defied all reason, never mind physics.

Fire plus wind became [Heat Wave], water plus earth became [Swamp], and fire plus water could even produce [water vapor] to obscure vision.

As long as the types matched, they could fuse into a new skill.

But the Douluo Continent was different.

This world was more real, and more brutal.

Martial Souls, Soul Rings, and Soul Bones were miraculous, but they were merely physical manifestations of a Soul Master's power.

Soul Masters bled. They could be injured.

Who knew how many people died in those primeval Soul Beast forests every year?

"Some mechanics in the Pokémon world are amazing, but if all I do is copy them blindly, I'll end up scooping water with a bamboo basket-nothing to show for it."

Yu Chen reached out and stroked Xiao Bai's head. Her silvery-white scales were gently cool and warm, soft beneath his fingertips, like a fine piece of warm jade.

The restless thoughts in his mind slowly settled.

"For a fire to burn fiercely, it needs fuel, oxygen, and heat. Wind can bring oxygen in, but it can also blow the heat away."

"If I can control the wind and prevent the heat from escaping..."

At that thought, Yu Chen stood, hope rekindling in his heart. "Xiao Bai, aim at the same spot and keep using Flame Attack."

Still refusing to give up?

Gu Yuena sighed inwardly.

She had intended to ignore him, but when she saw Yu Chen's bright, hopeful eyes, she opened her mouth anyway.

Boom-

A mass of crimson flame burst from Xiao Bai Dragon's mouth.

Tongues of fire raged, and waves of heat washed over him.

The flames spread swiftly in every direction. The turf curled up in an instant, and even the scattered stones on the ground cracked and popped in the heat.

After absorbing her first Soul Ring, Xiao Bai's flames had become far hotter than before.

The fire burned ever more fiercely.

It spread from the clearing into the surrounding bushes, dead branches and fallen leaves crackling and bursting.

Yu Chen backed away several steps. Scorching air struck his face, and the hair over his forehead curled from the heat.

Gradually.

The fuel was nearly exhausted, and the fire weakened.

Only a scorched black patch remained, with a few half-burned branches trailing wisps of smoke. The air warped in the intense heat, and distant shadows of trees wavered as though behind a barrier.

"Xiao Bai."

Light flickered in Yu Chen's eyes. "Control the wind element carefully and guide those hot currents back toward the ground."

He remembered the battle between Blazing Fire Academy and Shrek in the original story.

Every member of Blazing Fire Academy was a Fire-type Soul Master. By layering flame enhancements through Support System Soul Skills, they multiplied the strength and range of their attacks several times over.

This was no Martial Soul Fusion Skill, merely the most basic tactical coordination.

If he continuously redirected the heat escaping into the air, could he achieve a similar effect?

What is he trying to do?

Energy loss is inevitable in battle. Even if he gets the hot currents circulating, it won't last long!

Xiao Bai Dragon tilted her head, a thoughtful gleam flashing through her purple slit pupils.

She gently fluttered her wings. A soft breeze flowed from their tips and circled the scorched patch of ground.

The wind pressed down on the hot currents that had dispersed high above, gathering them back toward the ground. The dying flames suddenly leaped higher, as though someone had poured a ladle of oil over them.

The first cycle.

Then came the second, the third...

The heat grew more concentrated, and the scorching sensation in the air intensified.

By the sixth cycle, Yu Chen could no longer stay where he was. He retreated another dozen steps, yet his face still stung from the heat.

This is...

How is this possible? Yu Chen's Soul Power is only rank thirteen. How can he draw on the fire element between heaven and earth?

For the second time, surprise appeared in Gu Yuena's eyes.

Elemental control was her greatest strength. Once she obtained the four major elements-fire, wind, earth, and water-she could unleash an Elemental Tide.

That would probably be when Xiao Bai Dragon obtained her third Soul Ring.

Some ten-thousand-year exotic beasts and gifted Soul Masters could also draw on the fire element alone.

But...

Yu Chen's Soul Power was only rank thirteen!

Is human ingenuity truly this terrifying?

Gu Yuena stared intently at Yu Chen. For the first time, she began to take this human child seriously.

As time passed, the hot currents reached their ninth cycle.

By now, the air at the center of the clearing warped as though it were about to catch fire. The surface of the soil glowed dark red, like a vast stretch of lava.

Yu Chen narrowed his eyes. Every drop of sweat on his body had evaporated.

His lips were cracked, and his throat burned.

Even his Soul Power was nearly depleted.

"Xiao Bai."

Yu Chen's voice was terribly hoarse, but his excitement could not be suppressed. "One last Flame Attack! Let's see what it does!"

Xiao Bai Dragon opened her mouth, gathering a mass of crimson light in her throat.

The next instant.

Boom-

A violent explosion rang out. Crimson energy surged skyward, and a ring of heat swept outward in every direction.

On the Playground.

Wang Sheng was playing with several Work-Study Students when the sudden blast made him flinch.

"Was that thunder?"

He looked up. The sky was cloudless, the sun shining brightly without even a wisp of dark cloud.

"Boss Wang Sheng, w-what's that?!"

A Work-Study Student pointed toward the Back Mountain, his voice trembling.

Wang Sheng turned to look and froze on the spot.

A cloud of red smoke and dust was slowly rising, like an enormous mushroom cloud.

In the principal's office.

Ming Dashan was sipping tea when the commotion jolted his cup sideways, spilling tea all over him.

He shot to his feet and rushed to the window.

"Such a tremendous disturbance! Could a Soul King or someone even stronger be fighting on the Back Mountain?"

Ming Dashan's expression changed sharply as he stared at the crimson sky.

Clang!

He pushed the window open and vaulted straight out.

In Nuoding City.

Residents poked their heads out of their homes, pointing and gesturing.

Some stood at street corners, while others climbed onto rooftops to look. The red mushroom cloud slowly shifted and spread in midair, setting the entire city abuzz.

Outside the Blacksmith Shop.

Tang San put down his hammer and walked out, looking up in the academy's direction.

"That commotion... could the principal be sparring with someone?"

"A Soul Ancestor's strength is truly terrifying!"

On the academy's Back Mountain.

Yu Chen lay on his back atop a rock.

His face was streaked with ash and soot, making him look as though he had just crawled out of a coal mine.

His clothes were an even sorrier sight. Most of his cuffs and hem had burned away, exposing his soot-blackened arms beneath.

"Ha ha ha!"

Yu Chen grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Xiao Bai, I did it!"

He panted heavily, his voice hoarse and excited.

In the original Douluo story, Blazing Fire Academy's combination skills could double the power of Fire-type skills. Had Tang San not eaten immortal herbs, he probably would have been beaten until he cried for his mother.

In the Pokémon world, there was a weather move called [Sunny Day].

It intensified the sunlight and greatly increased the power of Fire-type moves, granting absolute suppression over Water-type and Grass-type Pokémon.

"I'll call this move [Sunny Day]!"

Yu Chen smiled, his grin almost stretching to his ears.

He had originally thought he would be satisfied just creating a [Heat Wave] move.

But...

Yu Chen's excitement soon subsided.

This [Sunny Day] move took far too long to charge. In a real battle, when would he get the chance to heat things up for nine cycles?

It was also somewhat unstable. One careless moment could drag innocent bystanders into it, and the Douluo Continent had no teammate protection mechanic.

He could optimize the skill later. For now...

"Xiao Bai, run!"

Looking at the red mushroom cloud that still lingered overhead, Yu Chen sprang up, scooped Xiao Bai Dragon into his arms, and darted down another narrow path.

The disturbance had been enormous. Probably all of Nuoding City had seen it.

Set a mountain ablaze, and you'd sit in prison until the floor wore through.

A short while later.

Ming Dashan arrived at the scene.

"What a formidable Soul Skill..."

He stared at the scorched clearing, his eyes wide as saucers.

A crater nearly ten meters across scarred the ground. The soil had baked into a dark red crust and was still giving off faint wisps of heat.

All the surrounding trees were charred and broken, as though an enormous fiery palm had struck them.

"This junior is Ming Dashan, principal of Nuoding Academy. May I ask which senior is here?"

Ming Dashan circulated his Soul Power and shouted to his surroundings.