Chudietuo's decisive triple kill plunged the Ming Yi Da team into a peculiar atmosphere.
The vice-captain of Ming Yi Da stepped forward. "Coach, if it really comes to it, I'll go up. At least we can take one down. It would be too embarrassing to be swept five to zero."
After much deliberation, the coach of Ming Yi Da replied, "Alright, you go. We'll discuss the rest later."
The fourth battle of the arena match: Chudietuo against the vice-captain of Ming Yi Da. Butterfree versus Muk.
The battle commenced.
"Muk, use Smokescreen and approach!"
"Butterfree, blow it away."
Muk spewed dense smoke, drifting towards Butterfree, who flapped its wings, attempting to disperse the dark cloud. While Silver Wind would have been more effective, Chudietuo decided to conserve energy for a longer battle.
Despite its wings, Butterfree's wings, battered from consecutive intense fights, were ultimately unable to disperse Muk's smokescreen.
"Muk, use Gyro Ball!"
Muk began to spin at high speed, lunging towards Butterfree. Chudietuo, whose vision was already impaired by the smokescreen, seized this opportunity. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"
Chudietuo's strategy was sound, but the rapidly spinning Muk was unaffected by the Sleep Powder. Instead, Butterfree, closing the distance for the attack, became entangled by Muk.
"Muk."
The vice-captain of Ming Yi Da uttered only Muk's name, then clapped his hands forcefully. As Chudietuo wondered what new move this was, Muk's body erupted in a violent white light before detonating.
"Self-destruct! I didn't expect this. I underestimated this vice-captain's tactics."
Wei Chiting chimed in, "Indeed. Using Self-destruct to take down Chudietuo's Butterfree. But one Pokémon defeating four – that must be a new tournament record. What happens next?"
Xia Huanao, seeing Chudietuo walking back, quickly extended his hand forward and gestured for Chudietuo to stop. Then, he interlaced his index and middle fingers and made a circular motion, signaling Chudietuo to return and continue the battle.
Chudietuo blinked in surprise at Xia Huanao's gesture but obediently turned and re-entered the arena.
"Coach Xia, you don't actually plan to let Chudietuo take down all of Ming Yi Da by herself, do you?"
Xia Huanao nodded. "Of course. What a huge advantage, three against one. Aren't I supposed to train my troops? There's no other way. Wei Chiting, bring out Reuniclus. We still have time to adjust its moveset."
Wei Chiting considered this. Ming Yi Da's overall strength wasn't that high, otherwise, they wouldn't have let Chudietuo steamroll four Pokémon like a string of candied hawthorns.
The fifth battle of the arena match: Chudietuo against the captain of Ming Yi Da. This match would determine the fate of both teams. If Chudietuo won, Liu Ling Da would secure two points from the free battle and four points from the arena match, totaling six points and prematurely ending the competition. Even if they lost the final team battle six to zero, according to the tie-breaker of total points, Liu Ling Da would win two to one based on their free battle and arena match scores.
The contestants exchanged greetings, and the battle began with the captain of Ming Yi Da making the first move.
"Shedinja, go."
When the captain of Ming Yi Da sent out Shedinja, everyone was confused. "What's the strategy here?"
"To avoid being countered. Ming Yi Da's poison-type lineup is most vulnerable to psychic-types. So, this captain must have various countermeasures."
Everyone looked at Lu Bingming in disbelief. "There are all sorts of birds in the forest, and even Lu Bingming can spout some tactics now."
Guo Shuang'er nodded. "Yeah, Lu senior is suddenly so capable, so cool."
Lu Bingming's expression was complex. "Are you guys complimenting me?"
"Just listen and you'll know. Ghost-type and Dark-type. I want to see how Chudietuo will handle this."
On the field, Chudietuo observed the Shedinja released by her opponent. After a moment of thought, she took out a Poké Ball. "Go, Ribombee."
Seeing Chudietuo send out the newly acquired Ribombee, Xia Huanao frowned. "Ribombee is a fairy type, but it's weak to poison. Don't overlook that."
Xia Huanao checked Chudietuo's Ribombee using the system and then breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, it's holding a berry. I can relax now."
The battle began, with Shedinja launching the first attack.
"Shedinja, use Mysterious Light!"
The mysterious gaseous organ on Shedinja's head shook rapidly, and waves of strange purple winds swept towards Ribombee.
"Ribombee, retreat and counter with Silver Wind!"
Two winds of different colors clashed in the air, eventually dissipating simultaneously into nothingness.
"Shedinja, use Hypnosis!"
"Ribombee, don't look at it."
Although Chudietuo told Ribombee not to look at Shedinja, Shedinja's Hypnosis wasn't purely visual suggestion; it seemed to involve other forms of suggestion as well.
Xia Huanao, observing the unfolding situation, suddenly regretted not choosing a Ribombee with the Sweet Veil ability, opting instead for one with Shield Dust.
Ribombee, successfully hypnotized by Shedinja's suggestions, remained motionless.
"Ribombee, wake up!"
After Hypnosis succeeded, Shedinja slowly approached. However, its speed was so agonizingly slow that everyone watching was anxious.
"Shedinja, forget it. Use Mysterious Light again."
The purple wind swept towards Ribombee once more, engulfing it. Fortunately, Ribombee awoke in time and escaped from the storm.
"What luck! You woke up so quickly.
Tu Zhuanghai, from the preparation area, agreed with the captain of Ming Yi Da. "Chudietuo is really lucky. Ribombee woke up so fast. Those Ming Yi Da Pokémon before were all sleeping like logs."
Xia Huanao shook his head. "It's not entirely luck. When you have a deep bond with your Pokémon, they can sometimes recover from negative effects quickly. This just shows the profound connection between Chudietuo and Ribombee."
What Xia Huanao couldn't figure out was, how did their friendship reach this level in such a short time?
The system rolled its eyes and began to assert itself. "No, don't you think your bond with Froakie was even more outrageous before? Remember when you were testing for the Junior Trainer title? Forcing that low HP survival also required considerable friendship, right?"
"Focus on the match, focus on the match..."
On stage, Chudietuo gently patted her chest upon seeing Ribombee escape from Mysterious Light. "Good, now it's our turn to counterattack. Ribombee, use Draining Kiss!"
Ribombee quickly approached Shedinja and landed a kiss, completely recovering from the damage sustained from Mysterious Light. Shedinja, on the other hand, appeared somewhat dazed.
"Hmm? That doesn't look like the usual effect of Draining Kiss. Could it be a bug?"
Despite a moment of daze, Shedinja quickly recovered and continued its attack on Ribombee.
Xia Huanao realized. "Perhaps Shedinja has been single for too long. But Shedinja, there's no future for you and Ribombee. You're an amorphous type, and Ribombee is an insect fairy."
The spectators didn't understand Xia Huanao's muttering, but they could grasp that Ribombee might have inadvertently used a 'siren's call' effect.
With Draining Kiss providing sustain, Ribombee's defense against Shedinja became increasingly relaxed. Shedinja also had good luck, with Mysterious Light continuously buffing it. After several exchanges, Xia Huanao noticed that Shedinja had stacked its buffs.
"Uh oh, I can't quite understand this battle anymore."
"Coach Xia, what does this mean?"
"You all know that Mysterious Light, like Silver Wind, can continuously increase one's combat power. Although Shedinja and Ribombee exchanged blows several times with Mysterious Light and Silver Wind, the increase in their combat effectiveness is vastly different. Furthermore, fighting Shedinja consumes more energy than usual. The question is, how much longer can Ribombee last? We need a quick conclusion."
The students of Liu Ling Da wanted to warn Chudietuo, but if they dared to shout, the referee would issue a penalty. Thus, it was up to Chudietuo.
Chudietuo also knew that Ribombee was expending energy faster than before, so she intended to end it quickly. "Ribombee, use Draining Kiss!"
"Shedinja, Sucker Punch!"
Although Shedinja's speed was slow, Sucker Punch allowed it to strike before its opponent. They exchanged another blow. Ultimately, due to differences in HP consumption from previous battles, Shedinja lost its ability to battle, while Ribombee, also in poor condition, swayed on the field.
The referee watched Ribombee. If Ribombee also fainted, he could declare the match a draw. However, Chudietuo was a student of Xia Huanao, known for exploiting loopholes.
"Ribombee, face the sky, medium strength, Pollen Puff."
The effect of the Pollen Puff move varied depending on the target. However, it was generally confirmed that it couldn't hit oneself. But after Chudietuo threw the medium-strength Pollen Puff, it flew for a short while before landing back on Ribombee, successfully restoring its stamina. The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Xia Huanao applauded. "Beautiful! Playing Pollen Puff like that is a truly creative and interesting innovation."
The arena match concluded with a total score of six to zero. Liu Ling Da had already sealed the victory. Xia Huanao approached the referee. "Referee, although there is no longer any necessity to continue, I would like to seek the opponent's consent to proceed with the team battle, thereby showcasing their tenacious competitive spirit."
The referee looked towards the Ming Yi Da side. The coach of Ming Yi Da gritted his teeth. "We'll battle. Of course, we'll battle."