Lu Cayasviding, the most mysterious figure in Li Xing Country thus far in Xia Huanao's records, was also the mastermind behind Su Xiaojiu and Miao Longque. As for the organization he belonged to, Xia Huanao couldn't guess.
Perhaps because it was the final match, Cayasviding had no intention of disguising himself. He walked towards Xia Huanao with a pair of sunglasses perched on his head. As he walked, he greeted, "Morning, Brother Xia Huanao. Your Ming Long Country's morale seems to be quite high."
Xia Huanao turned his head and saw Cayasviding approaching with a swagger that was all too familiar, resembling a low-tier gangster. He kept pushing his sunglasses up his nose, looking all the more obnoxious.
Hearing Cayasviding's recognizable voice, Su Xiaojiu instantly clenched her fists, her grip on the Poké Ball so tight it felt like it would shatter.
Xia Huanao crossed his arms and said, "Relax, I'll handle it. You don't need to worry."
With that, Xia Huanao looked around at his teammates. "My dear Cayasviding, why the early visit? I never knew you were so concerned about Ming Long Country's affairs. But unfortunately, if you want to join us, it'll be quite difficult. You know our official statuses aren't easy to obtain."
Xia Huanao immediately placed Cayasviding in the position of someone who desperately wanted to join Ming Long Country. Cayasviding pouted, "What's the point of winning these verbal battles? It's obvious to the naked eye that our Ming Long Country's combat power is superior. One of your members can't make it. Aren't you scared of us?"
His teammates being slandered like this displeased everyone from Ming Long Country. Xia Huanao felt that things would go wrong if this continued, so he retorted, "The entire Ling Yao Star knows that your Li Xing Country can barely scare Man Ying, let alone intimidate Ming Long Country. You wouldn't dare. You're probably gloating because our secret weapon isn't in good condition. But if we win a clean sweep, 3-0, your Li Xing Country will lose face."
Cayasviding turned and glanced at his Li Xing Country teammates. "Aren't you afraid your remaining members will render the secret weapon useless?"
"That's not something you need to worry about."
Xia Huanao's confident demeanor made Cayasviding hesitate slightly. However, Cayasviding continued to apply pressure. "Is that so? I think I've got your Achilles' heel. Just wait and see."
Xia Huanao helplessly advised him, "Cayasviding, I understand you want to learn some Ming Long Country culture. The saying about hitting a snake at its seven-inch point isn't without merit, but there's one thing you should note: dragons don't have seven-inch points. Dragons only have reverse scales."
The verbal sparring between the two sides ignited a bit of fire, but it quickly subsided as they returned to their respective camps. Primarily, the Li Xing Country side called Cayasviding back. Although the match was still some time away, his trash talk was almost becoming a fixture at the Ming Long Country's side. If not for this, their argument would have likely continued.
After Cayasviding left, Meng Tianya approached. "You two can really spar with words."
"No choice. If it weren't for this whole incident, we wouldn't just be sparring with words."
There was no other way. Although Miao Longque being a Li Xing spy within Ming Long Country was a huge blow to everyone from Ming Long Country, Cayasviding absolutely couldn't be exposed in such a setting. If this were to be revealed, who knew how the public opinion on Ling Yao Star would develop.
"The rule of the match is, if the total scores are tied, the sub-scores will decide. It seems your Li Xing side has fully utilized this 3-0 strategy," Meng Tianya said, still somewhat worried about Cayasviding's tactics. But Xia Huanao comforted him, "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. It's just a 3-0. He thinks he's hitting the seven-inch point, but as I said, dragons don't have seven-inch points."
The final battle between the two sides officially commenced. Wang Zhen, who was up first, glanced at Xia Huanao. Xia Huanao grinned widely, "Go ahead. He wants to hit the seven-inch point? I'll see how he hits it when I put the seven-inch point right in front of him."
In the first match, first game, Wang Zhen's Onix faced off against Li Xing's Muk.
Xia Huanao, watching from the sidelines, stroked his stubble and observed the situation on the field. "Muk. He's really got something. Although I could guess the methods used would be rather extreme, this is a bit too much."
Yu Longdu nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's too extreme. He's directly using a move like Explosion. Does he really intend to forfeit the score?"
Su Xiaojiu pressed her Pokédex. "Not only that, Muk is one of the rare Pokémon that can use both Explosion and Destiny Bond."
Xia Huanao clapped his hands. "Well said. That way of thinking is just like mine. Have you considered coming to our Liu Ling University and becoming a battle-type teacher with me? I'll talk to Sister Xiaoxiao; the benefits will be the same."
Yu Longdu shamelessly leaned in. "Boss Xia, why don't you also talk to Sister Xiaoxiao about me? I'll become a teacher too. Treat me however you want."
Xia Huanao pushed Yu Longdu aside. "Forget it. A teacher who can only figure out Explosion would affect our school's overall teaching quality. Besides, two unconventional thinkers are enough."
Yu Longdu pointed at the match on the field. "I'll analyze the situation on the field for you right now and show you my abilities."
Inside the field, Onix coiled itself into a ball, its eyes fixed intently on Muk. The trainer of Muk also found it a bit tricky. Just now, after the Li Xing Country received the news that Miao Longque would not be participating, Cayasviding had slightly modified their battle plan. His Muk, just as Xia Huanao and the others guessed, carried Destiny Bond and Explosion. These were two moves designed for mutual destruction, one offensive and one defensive. Furthermore, to maximize the effect of Destiny Bond, Muk had been equipped with a Focus Sash.
However, facing Onix now, he felt conflicted. He knew Onix had the Sturdy ability, so he would need to break through that first.
"Muk, use Sludge Bomb!"
"Onix, dodge!"
The first tentative exchange. Muk's Sludge Bomb accurately hit Onix, but fortunately, Onix didn't get poisoned. It only had its Sturdy ability broken.
After Muk's first round of attacks, the trainer immediately launched a second offensive. "Muk, move closer!"
To ensure the hit of Explosion, the trainer commanded Muk to move closer to Onix. Wang Zhen, without retaliating, simply commanded Onix to evade. "Onix, use Dig."
Onix burrowed its head into the ground, and its entire body disappeared beneath the surface. Muk, having lost its target, could only hover in place and wait.
Xia Huanao, sitting in the audience, asked Yu Longdu, "What do you think my planned tactic is?"
Yu Longdu pondered for a moment, then gave up thinking. "It doesn't make sense. Even if it dodges Explosion using Dig, Onix will eventually come out of the hole, won't it? When it comes out, won't it still be threatened by Explosion?"
Mu Zhishui answered Xia Huanao's question on his behalf. "No, when Onix emerges from underground, it won't be threatened by Explosion."
Yu Longdu was still confused. "How is that possible? Dig doesn't have any healing effect, and none of Onix's moves have the ability to recover HP."
At this point, Wu Gongping, who had been watching the match quietly, spoke. "The moves don't have that ability, but the item can."
As Wu Gongping finished speaking, Xia Huanao's tactical arrangement became clear. The plan was to use Dig to buy time for Onix's broken Sturdy to reactivate. After all, Sturdy only applied to one-hit KOs and didn't care if the Pokémon had been poisoned beforehand.
When Onix emerged, with the protection of Sturdy restored, it would force Muk to break through Sturdy again. Based on the first attack, Muk would likely use Sludge Bomb again for its second attempt to break Sturdy. Both Sludge Bomb and Dig consumed energy at the same rate for both Pokémon. Therefore, before Onix could use Dig again, Muk's Sludge Bomb would be depleted first, thus forcing out Muk's final move.
Moreover, while in the Dig state, even if Onix did nothing, the two wouldn't reach the red line of passive play. This kind of patience-wearing battle would eventually cause the Li Xing trainer to break down first. As for letting Muk chase into the Dig hole, that would be suicidal. Doing so would negate its Levitate ability, making it vulnerable to Ground-type moves, and taking double damage. If Onix landed a hit then, it might be game over.
The Ming Long Country team couldn't help but give Xia Huanao a thumbs-up for his imaginative strategy. "Boss Xia is indeed Boss Xia."
However, Yu Longdu still had a question. "Your tactic is based on the opponent having Destiny Bond and Explosion. If the opponent doesn't have those moves, wouldn't it all fall apart?"
Xia Huanao looked at Muk, which was still searching for Onix all over the field. "So what? I only used one Dig. I'm betting Dig and Sturdy against his two moves. If I win, it's a huge profit; if I lose, it's no loss."
Cayasviding naturally noticed Xia Huanao's arrangement and couldn't help but look up towards Xia Huanao's side. Xia Huanao also looked up at him, seemingly mouthing something. If he could read Ming Long Country lip-reading, he would have translated Xia Huanao's words as: I told you, dragons don't have seven-inch points, and sometimes, neither do snakes.