noveltune Chapter 427 Xia Chi Underworld Tactics Victim Club VIP, Qibana!
Chapter 427 Xia Chi Underworld Tactics Victim Club VIP, Qibana!
Chapter 427 Xia Chi Underworld Tactics Victim Club VIP, Qibana!
Actually, this wasn't the first time Qibana and Xia Chi had met—if a virtual battle in the online world can be considered a "meeting."
More than a year ago, Xia Chi was just an ordinary Pokémon game streamer on Pixiv, far from being as famous as he is today.
During a high-ranking match, he unexpectedly encountered Qibana, who was also passionate about online battles at the time.
That game also replicated the legendary match of "White Devil".
Xia Chi's Patchwerk managed to withstand the attacks of two pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Salamence and Garchomp, and staged a powerful comeback.
Even today, when those self-media accounts that focus on reviewing the history of the game "Road to Champions" create a special feature called "Xia Chi Victims Club".
That match between Ciban and others is always brought up, and Ciban, as a veteran member, is "whipping" his corpse.
However, a game is still just a game. The interplay of data and strategy, and the battle against spirits that resonate with each other in the real world, are ultimately separated by a huge chasm.
This is the first time Xia Chi has seen this Galar's number one internet celebrity in real life.
This label is by no means derogatory.
Kibana's strength has already been proven through a series of tough battles and fierce clashes with Leon, demonstrating that he is firmly among the top trainers in Galar.
However, his highly recognizable teacher-like appearance, fashionable and avant-garde clothing, and flamboyant and outgoing personality naturally give him a star aura that surpasses that of ordinary trainers.
This has attracted countless fans who either love or hate it to an extreme, and the topic has remained highly popular for many years.
At this moment, in the plaza outside the Quan Guan Arena, Xia Chi's gaze and Qi Bana's gaze collided silently in the air.
The surrounding noise seemed to be shut out, and the air became stagnant and scorching.
The onlookers unconsciously stepped back, naturally creating a straight passage connecting the two.
"Welcome to the Kensei Arena, Teacher Xia Chi!"
Qibana broke the silence first, smiling at Xia Chi.
A set of clean, even teeth stood out against the slightly gloomy sky of Hammerlocke City.
"Follow me!"
Before he finished speaking, he casually pulled a Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it into the air with a flourish.
"Quarrel"
With a clear, melodious chirp, a slender desert dragonfly with rapidly vibrating transparent wings on its back appeared in the air.
With fluid movements, Chibana flipped over and mounted the desert dragonfly, patting its neck.
It must be said that Cibana's style of doing things is highly consistent with his persona: direct, efficient, and unconventional.
If it were another dojo that emphasizes etiquette and procedures, the two sides would probably exchange pleasantries, then be guided by staff to slowly walk through the corridor into the dojo, go through a series of pre-match preparations, and finally meet on the battlefield.
Cibana, on the other hand, eliminated all redundant steps.
With a flap of its wings, the desert dragonfly created a small gust of air, carrying Chibana straight towards the opening in the high dome.
Upon seeing this, Xia Chi was taken aback at first, then a smile appeared on his lips.
This straightforward and to-the-point style suits his taste.
Without further hesitation, he flipped over and mounted Millerton again, who had just folded his limbs.
"Millerton, keep up."
Millerton let out a short, powerful groan, its tail thrusters flashing blue light as it carried Xia Chi close behind the Desert Dragonfly.
The fighting arena inside the fist-fighting arena is no less spacious than the water-boat arena.
But unlike the shimmering waters of Water Boat Town, this is a standard rocky battlefield.
The platform is made up of rough, uneven, grayish-brown rock blocks, interspersed with pebbles and pits of varying sizes.
Since the match has not yet been officially announced, the stands surrounding the arena are currently empty, which only serves to highlight the emptiness and desolation of the battle area below.
However, it is foreseeable that as the news of "Xia Chi vs. Qibana" spreads through social networks, the situation will become more serious.
Before long, this currently empty stands will be packed with spectators and media who have come to hear the news.
At this moment, on the other side of the battlefield, Qibana had already jumped off the back of the Desert Dragonfly and stood steadily on the high platform belonging to the gym leader.
He tossed the Poké Ball gently with one hand, his angular face now filled with fighting spirit.
"Teacher Xia Chi."
When Cibana spoke, his voice echoed softly under the empty dome of the stadium.
"The moment I've finally waited for has come to truly face you."
He stopped throwing the Poké Ball, closed his fingers, and firmly grasped the Luxury Ball, pressing his thumb on the central button.
The Poké Ball instantly enlarges to a size suitable for throwing.
"Then, the rules will remain the same as the standard 3v3, allowing one use of Super Evolution or Hyper Crystallization."
Cibana's eyes burned with intensity. "Now that we're all in position, how about we begin the battle?"
Upon hearing this, Xia Chi looked up at the giant circular screens above that were not yet lit and were in standby mode, then glanced at the still empty audience seats and couldn't help but rub his forehead slightly.
This guy hasn't even started the official live stream, and hasn't let any viewers in yet, but he can't wait to start fighting?
This impatience is probably even greater than that of Lulina.
However, these external forms were irrelevant to Xia Chi.
One of his purposes for this trip was to engage in this battle.
He took the Poké Ball containing Latias from his waist and nodded to Zibana.
"No problem, let's begin."
Kibana's lips curled into a confident, excited smile. Without another word, he pulled the Poké Ball back sharply and then hurled it with all his might toward the center of the field.
"Then, I'll leave it to you, aluminum-steel bridge jack!"
Almost at the same instant, Xia Chi's arm also swung out, and the Poké Ball cut through the air.
"Latias, prepare for battle!"
Whoosh!
Two beams of white light exploded almost simultaneously on the wide, rocky ground.
In front of Xia Chi, Latias, with its red and white stripes and smooth, elegant lines like a jet plane, floated lightly half a meter above the ground.
She lowered her body slightly, her dragon-wing-like arms outstretched to the sides, and a faint red aura of dragon-like energy flowed around her.
What appeared in front of Qibana was an extremely large and visually striking elf.
It has a metallic body that is a mix of silver and dark gray, with a complex structure full of industrial beauty, like a combination of a moving steel bridge and a fortress.
Its thick limbs were firmly rooted to the rocky ground, its long neck and head were held high, and its cold metallic eyes gleamed.
Aluminum-steel bridge jack!
Its massive size makes it stand out even on such a vast battlefield, exuding a powerful and imposing presence.
Xia Chi's gaze lingered briefly on the aluminum-steel bridge, a hint of understanding and slight surprise flashing in his eyes.
It was that... that legendary "young and promising" type Pokémon.
Xia Chi recalled this interesting nickname that circulated among gamers in her previous life.
The reason why Aluminum Steel Bridge Dragon received this honor is that, in terms of data, it has a total base stat that is comparable to that of traditional "late bloomer" pseudo-legendary dragons such as Dragonite and Tyranitar.
Unlike the latter, it does not require a long and relatively weak pre-evolutionary stage.
Its pre-evolution form, Duraludon, already had a high base stat, and its evolution into Duraludon represents a qualitative leap, making it a prime example of "winning at the starting line".
Thus, the term "young and promising" arose as a contrast to "late bloomer."
What's even more remarkable is its attribute combination of Steel and Dragon.
This is exactly the same as Dialga, the legendary beast that controls time, so its value is self-evident.
Excellent resistances, outstanding durability potential, and powerful dual attack...
It can be said that this is a spirit that, if properly nurtured, can quickly develop into a powerful force without much training.
Moreover, its trainer was Raihana, a Dragon-type specialist with exceptional talent.
The calm and composed aura and pure energy fluctuations emanating from this aluminum-steel bridge dragon demonstrate that it has been cultivated to an extremely high level.
Just as Xia Chi was rapidly analyzing the opponent's starting Pokémon information, Qibana issued his first command.
"Aluminum-steel bridge derrick, shot down!"
Cibaner's voice was decisive, without the slightest hint of probing.
The aluminum-steel bridge dragon emitted a deep, whistle-like roar. The mouth of the metal structure opened, and violent rock-based energy frantically condensed within it, instantly forming several sharp rocks with edges that gleamed with a sharp, cold light.
These rocks, as if precisely guided, locked onto the nimbly hovering Latias in the air, and with a piercing whooshing sound, bombarded him like small meteorites.
shoot down!
Rock-type physical moves may not be top-tier in power, but their special effects often play a crucial role in actual combat.
It can "shoot down" flying targets with heavy rock energy, temporarily depriving them of their flight ability or interfering with their buoyancy.
For Pokémon like Latias, which rely on aerial mobility and have the [Float] ability to be immune to Ground-type moves, their agility will be greatly reduced once they are successfully "knocked down".
Tactical options will also be greatly limited.
From this very first command, one can glimpse the top-notch qualities of Qibana as a trainer.
However, Xia Chi reacted even faster.
The moment Cibana uttered the word "shoot down," his command was already sounding.
"Latias, move at high speed, get out of the way!"
Latias was highly focused in the arena, and superpower energy surged from its core instantly.
A magnificent pinkish-purple halo, like a nebula, suddenly lit up around its sleek body, and high-speed movement began!
Her speed increased significantly in an instant, and her figure became increasingly elusive and unpredictable.
Faced with the sharp rocks hurtling towards him, Latias swiftly turned and narrowly slipped through the gaps between the rocks.
Rocks grazed her body as they flew past, slamming heavily onto the ground behind or to the side with a dull thud, sending shards of rock flying.
There was no surprise on Cibana's face.
Almost the instant Latias completed his dodge and before he could fully regain his footing, the second command arrived.
"Electromagnetic waves in the upper right corner!"
Fine golden sparks instantly flew between the two sharp, radio-tower-like points on the top of the aluminum-steel bridge dragon.
Immediately, a pale golden electromagnetic energy wave, not violent but extremely fast, was precisely aimed at the most likely landing point of Latias's movement trajectory as it tried to dodge the shot.
Xia Chi suddenly shouted, "Dodge, then use the Mirror Attribute!"
Latias in the air also realized the danger, and the pinkish-purple aura around its body surged again, attempting to change speed and direction a second time.
However, the speed and predictability of electromagnetic waves are too great, and they cover a wide area.
Despite Latias's desperate attempts to twist her body, the pale golden electromagnetic ripple still grazed the tip of one of her wings.
"Sizzle!"
A tiny arc of electricity leaped out, and although it did not cause any real damage, a tingling and sluggish sensation instantly traveled from the wingtip to Latias's entire body.
Her movements became visibly stiff and unnatural, and her flight trajectory deviated slightly. The paralysis had taken effect!
However, at the same time, Latias still forcibly carried out the second half of the trainer's instructions.
A condensed energy ray, as sharp as a prism, shot out from her chest, instantly traversing half the arena and striking the massive metal body of the aluminum-steel bridge dragon.
Then, as if reflected, it bounced back to Latias at an even faster speed.
Mirror effect!
Latias's body flashed intensely, and its attribute composition underwent a fundamental change due to the violent disturbance of energy.
The red and white energy halo that originally symbolized dragons and superpowers was quickly replaced by a cold, hard, and tough silver-gray metallic luster.
Her aura also changed, losing some of its superhuman agility and gaining more of its steely coldness.
Cibana paused slightly the moment the [mirror] light shone.
Mirror...property?
Is this move a bit obscure?
Although it's a niche skill, some Pokémon, like Gengar and Staryu, can still learn it.
Kibana quickly recalled the function of this move: to copy the opponent's attributes and make his own attributes the same as the target's!
His gaze suddenly turned to Latias, only to find that the aura and energy around the other had completely changed, becoming exactly like his own Aluminum Steel Bridge Dragon.
Cibaner:
'
""
Even with his rich combat experience and calm mind, he couldn't help but feel speechless at this moment.
Without a doubt, although there is only a two-word difference—
"Psychic + Dragon" and "Steel + Dragon" are two different combinations, but their practical value in combat is worlds apart.
The former is a well-known attribute trap, with as many as six weaknesses and very little resistance.
The latter is a noble steel dragon with nine resistances and even one immunity.
Not to mention its only two weaknesses are melee and ground combat.
Latias's inherent characteristic is [levitation], which grants it direct immunity.
As for fighting...
Ground-to-air, you can talk to me after you can touch me!
Cibana instantly realized a somewhat tragic reality.
Aside from his Dragon-type moves, he couldn't think of any particularly effective moves that could pose a significant threat to Latias at that moment...
This mirror-like property is simply a stroke of genius!
Qibana couldn't help but look at Xia Chi, who remained calm on the opposite stage, and a feeling of admiration and respect welled up in his heart.
As expected of Teacher Xia Chi...
The seemingly random choice of Pokémon actually conceals such ingenious tactical foreshadowing.
In just the first two rounds, they had already gained such a huge advantage in terms of attributes.
However, as one of Galar's top gym leaders, Cibana's tactical acumen and adaptability are also top-notch.
After a brief moment of surprise and reflection, he quickly adjusted his mindset.
At least the electromagnetic wave hit its target.
Cibana calmly analyzed the current situation.
The paralysis will continue to weaken her ink penetration and mobility, which is still her chance.
Since direct and effective means of output are limited, Qu Yao will start by weakening the opponent.
"Aluminum-steel bridge, metallic sound!"