The match between Minglong Kingdom and Manying ended, and Xia Hunaos and the others gathered in the stands for a brief celebration. Xia Hunaos scratched his head, "Alright, everyone, let's pack up. After winning this match, we should also celebrate properly. At least our basic goal is achieved, which is to secure second place and strive for first. As for the subsequent match between Milan and Lixing, I'll just record it. You can all indulge yourselves for a day."
Xia Hunaos gestured to the surrounding scenery, "Before the final match of the tournament, enjoy the beach, the sea breeze, and the palm trees to your heart's content."
Although everyone wanted to agree with Xia Hunaos's suggestion, they had already been on the island for such a long time, seeing the same scenery every day. Who wouldn't get tired of it? Miao Longque raised his hand, "Forget it, I'll do it. I'd rather watch the match than look at the beach, and you've been very tired after this match against Manying."
Xia Hunaos glanced at Miao Longque, then nodded, "Alright, I won't refuse. Then I'll take a break with them, and leave the recording process to you. To be honest, if the broadcast perspective wasn't so restrictive, I would have used my laptop, but that thing isn't very useful for reference."
Indeed, although media friends from all countries had come to the island to broadcast the tournament, they were limited to only one camera position, so nothing of value for discussion could be captured. However, the team members' filming was not restricted, as they needed to replay and discuss strategies. Thus, the rules provided a backdoor for the team members. Although the media had tried to get a broadcast from the team members, the unanimous reply was "Get lost." After all, they barely had enough time to study things themselves, so how could they have the mood to help you broadcast?
As for the teams that had already been eliminated, although many were still on the island, they were generally unwilling to come to this place of sorrow.
Next, let's fast forward through Xia Hunaos and the others' "unrestrained" day and see how they studied the match between Milan and Lixing.
Let's talk about the match results first. The Milan team, which had caused considerable trouble for Xia Hunaos and his team in the group stage, was swept away. Only Princess Zhuo Lei managed to score one point, and the rest were completely crushed by Lixing. In fact, Zhuo Lei almost lost, going from seven to one to eight to zero.
As for this result, Xia Hunaos personally didn't quite believe it, or rather, the entire Minglong Kingdom didn't quite believe it. They referred to the previous group stage records. The members of the three teams had traded wins and losses, but overall, it was still a close contest. It had only been a short while, and Lixing had suddenly become so energized? Achieving a seven-to-one absolute domination.
Xia Hunaos put away the camera and drone handed to him by Miao Longque, "How about it, my drone is pretty good, isn't it? Stable flight, quiet, and long battery life. But the main point isn't this. I still want to get your opinion on my camera. What do you think, it's got good functions, right? Ultra HD. Yu Longdu has borrowed it from me several times, and I didn't even want to give it to him."
"So, how can you be so stingy? I'm not using it to film that kind of thing. What's wrong with lending it to me..."
"Shut up. If you dare use my camera to film that kind of thing, I'll make you eat it."
Xia Hunaos made a gesture as if to stuff his camera into Yu Longdu's mouth. Yu Longdu quickly begged for mercy, stating that he would no longer have any designs on Xia Hunaos's camera.
After some casual banter, Xia Hunaos connected the camera to his laptop, "Come on, let's see how this match turned out like this."
The match between Manying and Lixing didn't last very long, less than an hour in total. It wasn't like their match, which lasted nearly two hours. They kept swapping players.
After watching the match replay, Xia Hunaos and the others fell silent. The main reason was that they hadn't expected the match to turn out this way. Meng Tianya spoke first, "So, who wants to give their opinion first?"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally, they all looked at Xia Hunaos. Of course, they were originally looking at coach Zheng Xiaoxiao, but Sister Xiaoxiao's imposing aura made everyone change their target with a single glance, and Xia Hunaos, the first bird to stick out, was chosen.
Xia Hunaos shook his head, "I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out."
Everyone asked, "What can't you figure out?"
Xia Hunaos held the mouse and moved the video forward to the third match, "Let's look at this match. The Pokémon used by this Lixing player is Dodrio. Purely from the perspective of racial talent, Dodrio's speed talent is a notch lower than Greninja's. But look at this one, I think its average speed has already surpassed Greninja's."
Wu Gongping asked, "Could it be a training issue? We all know that depending on the trainer's methods, the combat power of Pokémon will be different. Perhaps the Lixing player is particularly skilled in speed training? Just like Yu Longdu is particularly skilled in using Flying-type Pokémon."
Yu Longdu cursed internally: That bastard is a Flying-type master, I only use dragons!
Mu Zhishui directly dismissed this conjecture, "Impossible. Xia Hunaos's Greninja should be at the peak of its attack and speed cultivation. Under such circumstances, Dodrio's speed absolutely cannot surpass Greninja's. After all, the potential that any Pokémon can tap into is limited. When the gap in combat experience between the two sides is not large, this kind of thing is unreasonable."
"Indeed. Even if this Pokémon might have used some special method, looking at all eight matches, not a single Pokémon felt normal to me. For example, the second match against Zhuo Lei's Rufflet. The Dark type is super effective against the Fairy type. Under Zhuo Lei's attack, it had previously instantly defeated Su Xiaojiu's Pokémon, so there's no reason why it shouldn't instantly defeat this Rufflet. And everyone saw its condition after taking a hit. This is not something that can be achieved solely through the bond with the trainer; it's too resilient."
Meng Tianya delivered the final verdict, "Just state your conclusion directly. Do you think Lixing used some forbidden gene technology?"
Xia Hunaos shook his head, "No, Lixing shouldn't go so far as to defy the world in such a situation, and the Pokémon's condition doesn't show any side effects of being injected with drugs. So it should be scientific rather than biological cheating."
Wang Zhen extended his hand and drew a frame with his fingers, then asked, "Is it the silver-white box you mentioned earlier?"
"Possibly, that's the best explanation I can come up with."
Speaking of Lixing Technology, everyone had to be impressed. Before Rainbow Star Group emerged and monopolized most of the market on Lingyao Star, Lixing Technology was dominant. Minglong Kingdom's various inheritances could only barely hold their own against Pokémon. Now, has Lixing's technology started to reveal its fangs again?
Everyone's expressions became solemn. Yu Longdu had to step forward to lighten the mood, "Okay, okay, don't worry too much, everyone. Although the equipment manufactured by Lixing Country is very powerful, it's not without its flaws."
Meng Tianya also started to joke, "Yes, everything has its weakness in some aspect, and Lixing's technology is no exception. However, what excites me more is that you've started to use your brain to think. Before, it was hard for you to say something like this."
Just as a fight was about to break out, Su Xiaojiu quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, A'du, continue. What are their weaknesses?"
"Precision. Lixing's technology must be reflected in the items carried by the Pokémon. An item with such power must be very precisely manufactured, and the more precise an item is, the easier it is to break."
Following this, Yu Longdu elaborated on his understanding. He used Dodrio as an example: Dodrio ran faster than Xia Hunaos's Greninja, which meant Dodrio likely had some kind of acceleration-type item on its feet. As long as the main attacker destroyed the item, this problem could be solved.
Yu Longdu used the word "destroy" rather than "remove" because he believed that since Lixing Country could manufacture such powerful items, they might also be able to remotely control whether they were used or not. If they really found a way to replace the item, it would be a loss for Lixing if they played dirty.
Several key members of the team affirmed Yu Longdu's statement: "A'du is right. Moreover, if we exclude the influence of technology, we can find that the cultivation of Lixing's Pokémon is just average. In terms of trainer skill, we are not inferior to them, or rather, we have a certain advantage. I hope everyone is not overly worried."
...
Minglong Kingdom's combat meetings have always been concise. In the end, the members of the team still need to figure things out for themselves, and Xia Hunaos and the others can only offer a little help.
After the team members dispersed, Wang Zhen, Mu Zhishui, and Meng Tianya all looked at Xia Hunaos, "You've been hesitant to speak. Tell us, is there something you can't say?"
Xia Hunaos stood up and walked to Mu Zhishui's opposite side, "Zhishui, can I trouble you to stand up for a moment?"
Mu Zhishui stood up, not understanding why. Xia Hunaos asked him to stay still and then asked, "If the two of us stand here like this, what would you think of?"
Xia Hunaos's riddle was indeed difficult, but Wang Zhen quickly understood Xia Hunaos's meaning, "Are you referring to Ultra Beasts?"
Xia Hunaos gave him a thumbs-up, "Beautiful, your ability to make wild connections is amazing."
Meng Tianya glanced at Xia Hunaos and Mu Zhishui standing opposite each other, then looked at Wang Zhen sitting in his chair. He ran the words "Ultra Beasts" through his mind again. Although he had already realized something, he still decided to let them explain.