Chapter 4 The Fourth Day of Competition
On the fourth day of the competition, after achieving three consecutive victories, the team from Minglong Kingdom faced their next opponent: the Milun team, known for their gentlemanly demeanor. As they met on the field, Xia Hunan whistled a greeting. The reactions from the Milun side varied, but Xia Hunan, after glancing at Arthur, who seemed ready to devour someone, paid them no further mind.
The first match featured Wang Zhen's Bastiodon against Milun's Corviknight. Although Bastiodon had a type advantage, Corviknight, with its top hat in hand, toyed with Bastiodon as if it were in its palm.
After Corviknight used Taunt, Bastiodon became disoriented. It charged headfirst, only to miss the flustered Corviknight, crashing beneath it. Corviknight then swung the hat from its head, striking the back of Bastiodon's head with a critical hit.
Bastiodon turned and bared its teeth at the airborne Corviknight, apparently using Taunt itself. However, Corviknight merely hovered in the sky without reacting.
Xia Hunan watched Corviknight calmly in the sky and asked Mu Zhi Shui, "If I recall correctly, Corviknight is also known as the Gentleman Crow, right?"
Mu Zhi Shui confirmed, "Yes. It's clear that the Gentleman Crow fits well with Milun's gentlemanly team. At least gentlemanly conduct wouldn't tolerate such simple provocation."
Xia Hunan slyly pointed at Arthur, who was watching the match from the sidelines, "If it were Arthur, after such a Taunt, he'd probably have come over for a real fight."
"Stop being so sarcastic..."
Back on the field, the gentlemanly Corviknight once again flew behind Bastiodon, repeatedly using Sucker Punch. Observing Bastiodon's reactions, Xia Hunan frowned, "A super lucky Gentleman Crow? If all of those are critical hits, can it even withstand them?"
As it turned out, Bastiodon couldn't. After all, the entire Pokémon looked like a shield. While it had considerable resistance to frontal attacks, a blow to the back of its head was another story entirely.
Seeing Wang Zhen dejectedly walk off the field, Xia Hunan clicked his tongue. "The second match is against Zhuo Lei. This one should be even more difficult than the last one."
Zhuo Lei, the princess of the Milun Empire, had used anAudino and a Whimsicott in previous matches. Today, she deployed her third Pokémon: Sylveon.
"As expected of a princess, her Pokémon are all so cute."
Xia Hunan watched Sylveon happily prance on the field, playfully holding Zhuo Lei's hand and winking at the trainers present, and couldn't help but sigh. Mu Zhi Shui not only agreed but also pondered what Pokémon he should choose next.
Su Xiao Jiu, on the other hand, didn't have any Pokémon that could easily handle a Fairy-type. In the end, she chose Ninetales to counter Sylveon.
Though the two girls appeared demure, their clash felt like a meteor striking a spiritual star. However, unlike Su Xiao Jiu's fierce determination, Zhuo Lei's performance was more heroic and spirited. Xia Hunan, very satisfied, stroked his chin, "I wonder if Milun has started a trend of Pokémon Showcases. Would Princess Zhuo Lei be willing to participate in one? I think this princess could make a name for herself in the Pokémon Showcases."
Mu Zhi Shui shook his head, "That might be difficult. King Milun currently has no sons, only a few princesses, and Princess Zhuo Lei is the most outstanding among them. I don't think she'll pursue Pokémon Showcases for too long. It's a real shame for her talent."
Xia Hunan looked at Su Xiao Jiu, who expressionlessly recalled her Ninetales, "Yes, judging by her battling talent, her match with Xiao Jiu has already ended."
The battle on the field was truly lightning-fast. Sylveon only used one attacking move and defeated Su Xiao Jiu's Ninetales.
Yu Long Du swallowed hard, "Boss Xia, what... what's going on? Even if she used Calm Mind, it wouldn't boost her combat power to this extent. Su Xiao Jiu's Ninetales is also an ace Pokémon!"
"Didn't you just answer your own question? An ace. Sylveon won this battle using its ace. However, I didn't expect this princess to be so daring. If that move hadn't hit, the outcome might have been different."
Yu Long Du's mind raced, "You mean that was the final ace? But it shouldn't have been able to one-shot Ninetales. There's no type advantage, nor was it a critical hit."
"Pixilate and a Pixie Plate. This princess is really willing to sacrifice. The Pixie Plate is a one-time use item."
Hearing Mu Zhi Shui's explanation, Yu Long Du finally understood. After all, Pixilate gave a 1.2x boost, and the Pixie Plate's effect could add a 30% boost. Coupled with the move's 200 power, it wasn't strange for a well-trained Sylveon to defeat Ninetales.
Xia Hunan patted Yu Long Du's shoulder, "Alright, it's your turn with Chu Xiao Die. You can't lose again. If you get swept again, the pressure on me will be too great."
Yu Long Du clenched the Poké Ball in his hand, determined, and stepped onto the field. He and Chu Xiao Die faced Scyther and Kirlia. It had to be said, this combination gave Yu Long Du a significant advantage. With a four-times weakness to fire and a two-times weakness to fire, even a simple Ember from Charizard would deal considerable damage.
Minglong Kingdom finally scored a point, and the score became two-two. Next up was the first half of the upper bracket. Just as Miao Long Que was about to step onto the field, Xia Hunan's phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw it was from Rainbow Star Group, saying their Pidgeot express delivery had arrived and asking him to find a place to guide the Pidgeot to land.
Xia Hunan pursed his lips, "Go to h/
The two were colluding to throw the match, a truly beautiful scene. However, these two individuals who couldn't fake a match couldn't fool Xia Hunan and Meng Tian Ya, who had already returned to the field and were watching from the sidelines. Xia Hunan sighed and then returned to the Minglong Kingdom's area, "This won't do. The bench players are useless. They can't even stall for time, they need more training."
Meng Tian Ya glared at him impatiently, "You're blaming him? You put so much pressure on him, and he's not as shameless as you. He's already done quite well to complete the task this far."
Xia Hunan walked to the edge of the field and blew a whistle with his finger, signaling his return to the arena. Upon receiving this signal, the two sides stopped pretending, and Wu Gong Ping finally lost cleanly and decisively.
Normally, their match-fixing wouldn't escape the notice of even Xia Hunan and Meng Tian Ya, let alone the referees present. However, firstly, both parties willingly participated in this fake match, and secondly, the final outcome wasn't a comeback victory for Wu Gong Ping, so the referees chose to turn a blind eye and pretend not to see.
Xia Hunan and Mu Zhi Shui walked onto the field. Xia Hunan gave the referee a thumbs-up, "You are a respectable referee."
The referee replied indifferently, "While I don't know the hidden reasons behind the previous match, such things should be minimized in the future."
Xia Hunan nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency, theoretically, such a situation shouldn't occur again."